Documentation: The Job of Supervising
Personal Reflections (choose 2 of the 4 to complete)
Personal Student Teaching Experience
List some memories, both positive and negative about your student teaching experience(s).
 What was your cooperating teacher like? Was he/she supportive, involved, absent, professional, etc.?
What type of relationship did you have with him/her?
 What was the placement like? Was it comfortable, welcoming, forgiving, etc.?
Think back to the information about student teaching. Did your reflection include any of these points and
how can you, as a cooperating teacher, make sure these things happen for a student teacher in your care?
Benefits Of Having A Student Teacher
Read through the following statements, choosing which one best fits your personal reasons for becoming a
Cooperating Teacher. Explain your answer below.
Opportunity for professional development/growth; Provide a sense of personal/professional satisfaction; Get
new ideas/materials/strategies; Provide freshness to the classroom; A new perspective for you about your
students/classroom/content; An extra pair of hands; A chance for some individualized/small group
instruction; Provides another adult for students to develop a meaningful relationship with; A chance for you
to self-reflect on your objectives, teaching methods, relationships…; Other (personal reason)
Pet Peeves
List some of your Pet Peeves. (Possible professional items: lack of timeliness and preparation, too much
assistance with independent practice, friendly behaviors with students, informal language, inappropriate
dress, etc. Possible personal behaviors: shuffling of feet, clearing of throats, hair in eyes, interjection of “um,”
exaggerated gesturing, etc.)
 Think about if they are realistic and important to the job of teaching and the possible effects they may
have on the student teaching relationship/placement. (The use of proper grammar is important in our
modeling of accuracy in language; "shuffling" around the room may be irritating but it probably doesn't
affect a teacher's efficacy in the classroom so needs to be put into perspective).
 Besides just identifying your pet peeves, and in all fairness to a student teacher, you need to somehow let
him/her know about them - in a conversation or a handbook document such as the expectations,
philosophy, personal information, etc.
Strengths & Weaknesses
We all bring particular strengths and weaknesses to our jobs as teachers. They may be in our planning,
preparation, implementation of management or our professional interactions and attitudes. These
professional and personal qualities may be purposely or inadvertently modeled for your student teacher.
 List strengths and weaknesses you may bring to your role as a cooperating teacher. Think about the
effects they may have on the student teaching relationship/placement.
Write the title of the reflection and your comments below.
Readings: “5, 3, 1”
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Based on the readings, list 5 things that you will make sure to do in your role as cooperating teacher.
Based on the readings, list 3 things that you may struggle with or question in your role as cooperating
teacher.
Based on the readings, list 1 area that you want to investigate further.
5 things that you will make sure to do in your role as cooperating teacher.
3 things that you may struggle with or question in your role as cooperating teacher.
1 area that you want to investigate further