It seems like just yesterday I was walking into Flat Rock Community High School in August for personal development (PD) days. But now it is December and my time there has come to an end.

I finish up my student teaching experience tomorrow and boy, did it go by in a flash. My advisors and a lot of people I know told me it would be over quickly, but I didn’t believe them. Now I do.

This experience has taught me tons and has molded me into a better person and better educator. The students embraced me as their actual teacher even though I was the “student teacher”. The staff looked at me as a peer rather than a student. My cooperating teacher (CT) taught me tons of invaluable lessons in teaching.

I enjoyed every single second and every single day of my student teaching experience. Teaching is a very rewarding profession, and I took great joy in watching these students grow right in front of my eyes. While they weren’t necessarily my first official classes, I will always look back fondly on the five classes I taught for roughly three months in 2021.

So, for future student teachers out there, my advice is simple. Soak it in and embrace it. It will go by faster than you think. You only get to be a student teacher once. Embrace the challenges that come with it and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. You are a student after all. That’s what this experience is about. Ask questions. Lots of them. Be a sponge and make connections. Learn as much as you can and interact with the students. They are the reason for you being there and can make it fun or make it rough. It is up to you to make those connections and make learning and being at school a fun and enjoyable experience for them. Get involved in the school community. Attend sporting events, band concerts, and participate in school spirit events. You won’t regret it.

While I enjoyed my time as a student teacher, I am excited and eager to start the prospects of job searching and becoming a certified teacher. I am on the job hunt as we speak and am looking for any and all secondary social studies opportunities that are out there. Maybe one day I will be able to take in a student teacher and show them the ropes and give them the experience that I was provided.

So that’s it. That’s my public service announcement for student teaching. While it may not be on the level of Jay-Z’s, I hope it’s helpful. I know we have some current and future teachers in LifeTakes and I would love to hear their feedback. I would also love to hear any and all feedback from current and future teachers outside of LifeTakes.

So, leave a comment below and get the conversation started. I look forward to it.