Student Teaching Site Visits
With my placement interview being this coming Monday, I wanted to reflect on my student teaching site visits. Though each experience with each teacher was different, I find it more productive to speak of my experience as a whole rather than a specific visit. In theme with the past year, my visits took lace virtually via emails, phone and zoom calls. Though not truly ideal, I was still able to get a good "feel" for different teachers and their perspective programs.
Beginning my search for a cooperating, I definitely felt clueless. After aimlessly Facebook stalking what seemed half the programs in the state, I reached out to a couple peers and eventually Dr. Foster for help. From there, I felt much more confident and eager to continue looking and reaching out
Setting up my meetings with potential cooperating teachers, I honestly felt really nervous. Private zoom calls give me a lot of anxiety, especially with people I have never met. However, everyone I spoke with was EXTREMELY kind and pleasant to speak with. The past few semesters I have really been struggling to keep the "end goal" in mind and have felt distant from my major and future career given the structure of online learning. Fighting negative feelings toward school and stressing about the work I need to do has been almost consuming for me. However, speaking with my peers, professors, and of course, potential cooperating teachers, I have been reminded of the greater picture. While yes, I do still feel very stressed thinking about the process of student teaching, I have found myself truly excited for the first time following these visits. It's so easy to get caught up in the struggles of now, but these visits really hoped me see a light for the future (as dramatic as that sounds).
Ultimately, regardless of if I get to student teach at my 1st choice school, this process has made me feel much more positive about my future. I find myself looking forward to my placement interview next week and am excited to see where that conversation takes me.
Hi Nell - Happy placement interview week! I'm sure you did great. Navigating the process can be daunting, but trust me it works! Have you thought about your non-negotiables? How do you want FFA and SAE to function at your cooperating center? What types of laboratory spaces do you want to gain experience in? If you have questions or want to know what life is like "on the other side" reach out, I'm happy to chat :)
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