The Up's and Down's of Student Teaching.

Student teaching (and teaching for that matter) is very exhausting and emotionally trying at most times if you are doing it correctly.

Here are two charts that sum up common experiences of student teaching and teaching in general.

The process of student teaching is quite similar to that of a hormonal teenager. I say this because you are not quite an adult (full- fledged teacher) with complete authority and you are constantly adjusting to a completely new environment, your first few weeks of student teaching. Thus this can be very complicated for one's psyche, which constantly shifts between elation and depression, very much like the psyche belonging to a teenager. The good news is that after you have been at your school for a few weeks, you should become more acquainted with what is expected of you and how to teach effectively at the school that you are at. If you are lucky enough to spend more than 8 weeks at one school, use this to your advantage. Try out lessons that you anticipating teaching at your own school to see how effective they are with the students and what still needs to be honed.
This graph is showing the mindsets that one typically goes through in a year of teaching. Anticipation usually starts in summer when all your plans are coming together and you are just waiting to start the school year again/embark upon what is being planned with your students.

Survival is the feat of keeping the process of teaching fresh, whether it be getting up each morning, keeping the students engaged/interested in learning and finding new ways to do teach lessons that you can recite in your sleep.

Disillusionment can be a series of factors. Usually, it is increased if the survival process is not constantly honed. Disillusionment can occur towards your administration, fellow teachers, and even the material you are teaching. Getting a good night sleep is probably the key factor in keeping these feelings to a minimum and not having them turn into full-out depression.

Rejuvenation and Reflection happen in the springtime when the weather gets nicer, which gives the sense of rebirth on a grand scale that is hard to ignore. Rejuvenation can be spring cleaning, trying a new hobby or taking on a new curriculum. Reflection is taking the time to look back on what has worked thus far in this year and what needs to be changed in order for greater success as a teacher and member of the school community.

As the school year comes to a close in June, the process begins again, coming around full cycle with Anticipation, once again awaiting anxiously the new school year.