Student teacher worries me

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

Mentor Teachers

MEMBERS

2 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Mentor Teachers Chatboard

Student teacher worries me

by Must've anonymous

Sep 5, 2013

I don't know where to turn with this and am hoping someone here may help. I'm into my second day with my (first) student teacher and have some major concerns. I'm just going to list some unusual behaviors and ask for feedback on how I should proceed.

- Within two hours of this person being in my classroom, she referenced a highly inappropriate online video spoof that involved explicit stuff. She only said this to me, during my prep, but it still made me uncomfortable. - When providing an example of too broad of a research topic for my students, she said, " For instance, why couldn't Aphrodite's desires be satiated by mortal men?" - She has, within two days, confided in me that she has bi-polar disorder, disassociate personality disorder, borderline personality and several other things. I feel bad for her, but it leaves me feeling uneasy about her interacting with my students. -Her overall attitude is one of supreme confidence, even arrogance.

I'm tempted to let it g...See More

Comment

(12)

report post

view previous comments

Alarm bells If alarm bells are going off now, act on them. (My alarm bells are going just reading your posts.) This person is not ready to be in a classroom. She has already proven that she is not able to control her impulsive thoughts and that she is consumed with them.

By act, I don't mean talk to her, although you can do that. I mean contact the u...See MoreIf alarm bells are going off now, act on them. (My alarm bells are going just reading your posts.) This person is not ready to be in a classroom. She has already proven that she is not able to control her impulsive thoughts and that she is consumed with them.

By act, I don't mean talk to her, although you can do that. I mean contact the university, explain the problems and all the comments so far and asked to have her removed from student teaching right now. Her university needs to provide her with some more training, or re- training and/or counseling.

I am not one of those who have issues with people who have mental illness, but this person has many and is already proving that she does not have the reasoning/control capabilities to be a good classroom teacher at this time.

If you choose to let her continue, it will get worse. Listen to your gut and act on it.

On 9/05/13, Anonymous wrote: > Thanks to all who have taken the time to respond. > > This student teacher is in the first weeks of a one-year graduate > program that allows graduates to become teachers. She has an > undergraduate degree in my content area, and is just beginning > her year-long, sometimes sporadic ( because of the way the grad > program is arranged) stay in my classroom. > > I, of course, need to address this with her directly. This is > just far from the kind of advice I anticipated needing to give > to a budding teacher. > > Further complicating the issue for me is the fact that we will be > studying literature (Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men) that > sometimes references sexuality. And, if I'm going to be > completely anonymously forthright, she also divulged to me within > the first day of knowing her that she was sexually molested by a > relative in her youth. Now, I don't want to hold such a > horrific experience against the victim of that experience, but I > am also aware of the increased likelihood that someone who was > molested will carry out those same actions. > > I think I do have good instincts, and I trust them, and right now > alarms are going off. I'm frankly scared to merely hope that > I'm wrong. In honesty, I want to call this whole thing off!

Sep 5, 2013

report post

Her lack of filters and impulse sounds like she's not taking her meds-----or the meds she's on aren't working. (Bipolar relative in my family, so I am somewhat familiar with the signs.) Like the others, I would recommend talking to her and reminding her of what it means to be a professional educator. If that doesn't work, talk to her faculty advisor/supervisor.

Sep 5, 2013

report post

Kristin Hoeft Give her 2 weeks. Gather data about her during that time. After 2 weeks decide whether or not your going to report her to her university supervisor.

On 9/05/13, Must've anonymous wrote: > I don't know where to turn with this and am hoping someone > here may help. I'm into my second day with my (first) > student teacher and have s...See More

Sep 5, 2013

report post