A Peak into Student Teaching

Interview with Timothy Crockett, currently student teaching this Spring semester.

Q- Where were your two placements for student teaching and what was their socioeconomic status?

A- My first placement was Beverely J Martin Elementary School in Ithaca, New York. Here the school was an inner-city school with very diverse racial background and a high-needs school. My second placement where I currently am now is Marathon High School. Here it is predominantly Caucasian, but also a high-needs school.

Q- How did the different grade levels of your student teaching placements affect the way you instructed class?

A-The elementary students needed a lot more instruction with the skills involved in the various activities. In the high school it was a lot more game play and less instruction. It involved more feedback and managing the class. More time was spent on explaining the tasks with the elementary students.

Q- How useful is your Cortland Education in student teaching?

A-I feel that SUNY Cortland over prepares their students for the real world, which is not a bad thing because I will always be ready for any obstacle thrown at me. For example, one day I was restricted to utilizing half of the gymnasium and was to implement a lesson including all the students in half of the space. I was planning on teaching a lesson on volleyball, but instead improvised and created a lesson using my background knowledge from my activity courses at Cortland.

Q- How does your attitude now different from your attitude during first days of student teaching?

A-  At first I was very nervous, as most people are before student teaching, I did not feel I had the confidence to instruct 30 students at once. Now I am extremely confident in myself and teaching the students almost comes naturally. I find myself even enjoying my time spent at the schools.