After two years of training and fieldwork, the student teaching experience is where it all comes together. For the first time, you get to be part of the day-to-day life of a classroom. You get to plan the lessons. You get to manage the students. You get to be a teacher.
It's exhilarating, fun, and a lot of work. But don't worry. We're here to make sure you have the support you need to be successful from start to finish.
During your last semester in the Teacher Education program, you will be assigned to one of our partner schools in the Indianapolis area. You won't get to pick the school, but we will make sure your assignments match your career goals.
We are careful to choose partners who truly want to help train you. Because of this, you can be sure that your mentor will do his or her best to guide you through your internship, sharing what he or she has learned, critiquing your efforts, and working to make your experience successful.
For the first two or three weeks, your mentor will help you get acclimated to the classroom. You will gradually become more involved with the daily goings-on, eventually taking over as the primary teacher (or co-teacher in your first semester)—planning lessons and managing student instruction. At the end of the semester, you'll gradually step down again, returning control of the classroom to your mentor.
