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I just had my last day of student teaching! Which, in itself was really busy with trying to finish up all my grading, speaking with some students one-on-one, turning in my laptop and keys and having some really good good-bye chocolate cake with my last class. Fortunately, for me, I was only saying see you later to my cooperating teachers because I have been hired by the district to teach an Art Studio class during summer school.

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I’m really excited because the job becomes a great stepping stone between student teaching and having a full time job next fall. It’s only three weeks long, I’m teaching to one group of students all day, and I’m following a curriculum that is already set in place. I already know the protocol for students, how to use the school’s online resources, and I will be in the same room that I’ve been teaching in all semester. The only teeny-tiny thing (that’s actually a big deal) that will be truly different is that I will be on my own. There will be no teacher in the background observing me or there to answer questions, instead it will be me, and only me. This means that I’m in charge of setting the tone for the class from the first day, and I will start and end with these students for the entire course.

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Now will be a great time for me to go through my reflections and review what worked in the classroom, and what things might need to be addressed from a different angle or approach. My cooperating teacher met with me several times a week to review how I thought classes were going and what she saw from her point of view. My supervisor, who is hired by Columbia College and is a retired art teacher herself, visited the high school to observe my lesson plans in action three times. The visits are spread out over the seven weeks in order for the supervisors to monitor growth and offer feedback along the way. 

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Overall, I was really happy with the artwork that was produced by my students at my cooperating high school. One of my biggest fears with teaching is that students will lose interest in a project or that I will pick an assignment that is too challenging for a particular level of students. All of my projects turned out successful and many exceeded my expectations. This, to me, was one of the best parts of student teaching: bragging about my students and helping them realize the talents they possess. Bring on summer school!

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