Help in Student Teaching

[nafmeadmin]

Hello,

I am a senior music education student at my university and I am finishing up my last month of student teaching before I graduate. Something that has been called to my attention by my university supervisor when they visited was that, though I have been generally present at my student teaching, I should take more initiative in becoming immersed in the other music programs of my student teaching placement. I have only been involved with the bands offered at the school, though there are choir, music theory, and orchestra classes that I could observe and help student teach. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how I should approach these classes and teachers, especially since it is near the end of the school year? Should I offer only to observe the classes or to jump in and help teach the classes once I enter? If I do become involved with the other classes, my time with the band classes will be severely diminished. Is this a fair trade-off to the students I have already spent so much time teaching and learning with? Any sort of response would be helpful, thank you for taking the time to read this!

[nafmeadmin]

I definitely say go for it, try to get as much exposure to as many different classes as possible! Most teachers will be more than happy to have you sit in, and will likely happily give you the opportunity to teach unless there are some sort of special circumstances (i.e. festival the next weekend). If it were me, I would probably take a week away from the band, observe for 2-3 days, and then try to jump in to direct or lead a lesson or rehearsal in each class. You probably won’t have time for a full unit, but it would be great experience. You never know what you may be asked to do in a full time teaching job, and having just a little bit of experience in different areas could be the difference between full time and part time. Good luck, have fun!

[nafmeadmin]

Hello,

I’m a student at Bowling Green State University and student teaching is less than a year away. My program, for the first time, is allowing the opportunity to teach outside the approximate 50 mile radius of Bowling Green, Ohio. It would open up doors to student teaching with a good program at larger schools.
The trouble is, my part-time job only pays minimum and without some financial miracle, I can’t afford to live in a place that would benefit me and help me get out of loan debt sooner.

FYI: I don’t have very many relatives outside of a 25 mile radius of my hometown so staying with relatives isn’t very probable. My family is uneasy about me moving out on my own. I have no idea what kind of job I could take that would help me afford living expenses. I don’t really want to get a living expense loan but I will if its allowed and its the only way.

Thanks in advance!

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