The first thing that you asked was about pay. You need to
know that being a master teacher shouldn't be about pay, it
should be about learning and growing as a master teacher and
sharing your experience and knowledge with someone who could
greatly benefit.
When I taught in Michigan (where I had student teachers), you
had to be tenured, had to have five years of experience and
had to have a masters in education. I taught with several
people who took student teachers and didn't know what they
were doing and made an awful environment for their student
teacher. I'd suggest that you talk to other teachers in your
school/district about what they do to set up their rooms for
having a student teacher.
You asked about pros and cons, as well as what time of year
was best for taking a student teaacher. I can only share my
opinion with you, so take it for what it is... an opinion.
Pros:
-You get to share your love for teaching with someone else,
who should be just as passionate as you are.
-Student teachers come with a whole new set of eyes and ideas
and it's very refreshing to be around their enthusiasm and
excietment.
-Having a student teacher in the room gives you another adult
to help teach. If your student teacher is comfortable, they
can help with individual conferences or small group
activities, which will free you to do the same. It can become
a wonderful partnership and everyone involved can benefit
greatly.
-You'll be reminded of how excited and anxious you were when
you were student teaching, and it'll boost your appreciation
for having a classroom of your own.
- When your student teacher takes over, you'll get to see a
different approach to things that you do all the time. It'll
spark your own creativity and make you a better teacher.
Cons:
-If you get someone that's still in "college mode" it can be
more of a managerial type of relationship. I had one that was
working while student teaching (not allowed) and I ended up
having to remove her from my classroom. I also had one that
would go out every Thursday and her Fridays were spent "hung
over." I had to put a stop to it and act like a boss/parent.
That on top of dealing with my kids and their parents made it
additional stress that was really not needed.
-Student teachers can be reluctant to jump in and get
involved, so you might have to prod them to get involved.
Again, dealing with this, in addition to teaching, can be
stressful.
-Sometimes, student teachers aren't able to connect with the
kids (a big problem), or on the flip-side, they connect too
much and become more like "friends" with the kids, than as
their teacher.
-Because your focus is always on your students, it can be
very time-consuming to have a student teacher. There's no
time during the day (teaching time) to talk/explain things to
them. Often, planning and lunch are the only times available
for conversations about things being done in the room. I had
to spend time before and after school to work on things that
I couldn't do during the day, because my time was taken up
with my student teachers.
-You really need to know what you're doing. If you don't have
your management solid, a firm understanding of curriculum and
instruction, or have a solid understanding of how to
effictively work with parents, your student teacher isn't
going to get the most from their experience with you. You owe
it to them to make sure you're 100% ready to have them with
you.
As for the best time of year, here's my experience. I've had
student teachers start at the beginning of the year and at
the middle. The ones that had the best experience were the
ones that came at the beginning. They were able to see how I
take a group of kids from the first day and through practice,
practice and more practice, get them to understand our rules,
procedures and expectations. The student teachers that came
in the middle, had a much different experience. Almost
an "easy" one compared to the ones in the fall.
Now I am in North Carolina and there's a whole different set
of rules and regulations for taking a student teacher. My
school is year round, so we don't get very many interested
student teachers.
My best suggestion for you would be to talk to the university
supervisor that's in charge of the student teachers. I'm sure
the university has a set of expectations for you as a
cooperating teacher. Talk to others in your school or
district that have taken student teachers, and ask them about
it. Find out the pros and cons and then decide if you're
ready or not.
Being a cooperating teacher is one of the most rewarding
aspects of teaching. The positives definitely outweigh the
negatives. You must be fantastic if you're being asked to
consider taking a student teacher!!
Good luck and enjoy!!
Cathy in NC
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