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The student news site of St. Teresa's Academy

DartNewsOnline

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College student teachers instruct classes at St. Teresa’s Academy

If you have noticed young adults roaming the halls, college students giving lessons or teachers no longer conducting the classroom, then you are most likely aware of the student teachers at STA.

There are three student teachers at STA currently: Rockhurst University senior Nichole Muehlbach who assists math teacher Diana Blessen, Rockhurst University senior Dan Shaver who assists math teacher Arlene Hernon and University of Missouri – Kansas City senior Lauren Jenkins who assists science teacher Renee Blake. Last semester senior Elizabeth Suenram taught literature with English teacher Pat Dunlay during first semester and next quarter another student teacher will be assisting math teacher Jeanella Clark. This totals five student teachers in one year. Academic principal Barbara McCormick says that this is a normal number of student teachers in a high school.

“I don’t think we’re out of the norm,” McCormick said. “People select STA. We don’t select them. They are looking for a particular student teaching environment.”

McCormick believes the reason for so many student teachers could be that people are losing their jobs, so there is an influx of people coming back to school trying to receive their masters. McCormick says that student teachers choose STA because the universities feel comfortable calling this school.

“There is a healthy relationship between universities in the area and STA,” McCormick said. “It’s great because we need subs and positions to be filled and now we have a good place to get them.”

According to McCormick, the process of hiring student teachers is:

  1. A college professor in the education department asks STA if experienced teachers would be interested in mentoring a student teacher.
  2. Following this call, usually between May and August, both administrations fill out the documentation.
  3. McCormick calls the STA staff to see which teachers would like to have student teachers.
  4. An STA teacher is paired with a student teacher.

This process is how math teacher Diana Blessen met her student teacher, Muehlbach. At first, Blessen was a unsure about having a student teacher since she works part-time.

    “I was strongly encouraged by [McCormick] to have a student teacher,” Blessen said. “While I still had questions, I got [the student teacher]. But I was getting ready to say yes.”

    Now Blessen enjoys having a student teacher in the classroom.

    “I like [having a student teacher] a lot,” Blessen said. “[Muehlbach] is doing a really good job.”

    Muelhbach, 21 years old, is double majoring in secondary education and math. She teaches three of Blessen’s classes: geometry, accelerated geometry, and algebra I. She also is in charge of Hernon’s advisory in order to receive a full-time curriculum, which is about 6 sections.

    To receive her major and teaching certification, Muelhbach, along with any other Rockhurst education major, chooses from 4-5 choices of schools in any Kansas City school district to student teach. The universities like students to have a variety of atmospheres between their selected schools.

    “I had never been [to STA],” Muehlbach said. “But one of my teachers told me it was a great school for women and leadership and a really great atmosphere. I had never been to a single sex school, but I would like to teach in a private school, so I decided to [student teach at STA].”

    Muehlbach is signed up for 14 hours of classes, 10 of which are for student teaching. She also has a night class that meets every few weeks to discuss student teaching and a portfolio she assembles that includes essays over different standards and examples of her work (worksheets, lessons, etc.) that are necessary for her certification.

    Muehlbach pays 14 hours of tuition and a 200 dollar fee to student teach at STA. Also, student teachers are not allowed to have jobs while they are student teaching. While Muehlbach doesn’t feel like she would have time for another job, she isn’t given the choice because Rockhurst hopes to give their students the full-time job experience.

    “They want us to be completely in the school,” Muehlbach said. “If the teachers stay until 9 at night, then we stay at 9 at night. We are full-time”

    Despite this busy lifestyle, Muehlbach has had a positive experience teaching at STA.

    “I have loved it,” Muehlbach said. “I love the girls. [Blessen] has been amazing. I have so much to learn from her and I’m learning a lot every day. It’s a good experience, especially for my next job [at Blue Valley North High School].”

    Part of her experience includes writing up lesson plans, grading homework, updating the website, conducting parent teacher conferences and disciplining when necessary. Like any student teacher, Muehlbach goes through a gradual process by first observing the teacher, then being observed by the teacher, and eventually becoming “the teacher.” The only part of teaching that she doesn’t manage is creating the tests.

    “Having 40 minute classes, you want to make sure [the test] is not too long or short and has the right content,” Blessen said. “It’s tricky. I don’t even like making up a new test.”

    While Blessen continues to make up the tests, Muehlbach takes up other responsibilities as a teacher, which can be a tough transition for the coordinating teacher, according to McCormick. Blessen says that it’s hard to give complete control to the student teacher and can’t help but interject during her lessons at times.

    “The hardest part is letting go of my responsibilities and letting someone else do it,” Blessen said. “Not because I can do it better, but with experience you can anticipate [students’] questions and know areas where they might have a tough time.”

    Though Blessen relinquishes some responsibilities, she picks up new ones as a cooperating teacher: observing the student teacher, offering feedback and evaluating her. The university also gives her a small salary for her efforts.

    According to Blessen, not very many parents or students have given her feedback about the student teacher.

    “A few parents were worried about the transition,” Blessen said. “But they are the same parents that are usually involved with their [child’s] life.”

    McCormick also has not received negative feedback about the student teachers. She believes the student teachers are great for the STA students.

    “Having two teachers in the classroom can be very beneficial,” McCormick said. “It is an extra resource and an extra set of hands and eyes to deal with a situation. The students can receive one on one attention and the teachers can share their ideas.”

    Both cooperating teacher and student teacher can learn and grow with this process, according to McCormick.

    “[The mentor teacher and student teacher] can learn from each other,” McCormick said. “New teachers bring ideas that other teachers haven’t utilized. The new teachers also learn from their cooperating teacher…It’s a great growing experience.”

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