Blog Post #1- Establishing a Relationship with my Cooperating Teacher

Student teaching is a strange job. As I mentioned in my previous entry, this is the year I will (hopefully) begin to see myself as a teacher, instead of a student. During the first two weeks of pre-student teaching, I knew one of the most important things for me to focus on was establishing a relationship with my CT. My relationship with her can truly make or break my year of student teaching.

So…how can I form a professional, trusting relationship with my CT?

Although I am a student teacher, I want to function as a co-teacher, both for my own experience and for the function of the classroom. I am a “learn by doing” kind of person, and I need to jump in and start teaching! For this to work, my CT needs to trust and respect me, and I her.

I found some useful information regarding co-teaching on the National Education Association’s website (http://www.nea.org/tools/6-steps-to-successful-co-teaching.html).  This article suggests six steps to successful co-teaching. (I won’t go into all of the steps here, but I will point out a few that I found particularly helpful.) Unlike many of the documents regarding student teaching and co-teaching I have seen in the past, this document does not focus as much on the teaching methods as the communication and relationship between teachers.

The first suggestion for co-teaching is “establish rapport” between teachers, even before the school year begins. I believe I already have a great start on this! My CT and I met before the school year started and had a long conversation. We discussed our lives, our family situations, educational background, and hobbies, as well as (of course) our teaching styles and plans for the school year. We bonded very quickly and this has made us both feel comfortable working together.

Another helpful tip that the NEA suggests is “act as a unified team.” This is so important, not only for us to work in harmony, but also so our students have a unified classroom environment in which to learn and grow. The first week of my placement I felt like a student: I primarily observed and did not really know what was going to happen next. Toward the end of the first week, I gained enough confidence to begin giving some input on lessons. I told my CT when I had ideas, and offered to help as much as I could. As I began to gain confidence, my CT gained confidence in me and began to include me in the lesson plans. The second week, I participated in planning and teaching every day, and had much more responsibility. Going into my third week, I feel like I am really a part of the classroom.

One thing the NEA suggests (which I really need to work on) is to “discuss strengths and weaknesses.” I have not identified any of my weaknesses to my CT quite yet. Actually, I am just now discovering my weaknesses as a teacher. I think as student teachers we tend to see our placements like one big job interview, always trying to make a great impression. I think that is a good way to look at it (networking!!) but I think we should also remember that our CT is there to help us. They want us to succeed! We do not have to be perfect yet. If there is an area of teaching I need to work on, I should ask for help.

For other helpful tips regarding co-teaching, visit the NEA website (link above)!