Do's and Don'ts of Student Teaching
| DO | DON'T |
| | be excited, pleasant, and cheerful to everyone in the building. | | appear to have an attitude. |
| | be on time EVERY DAY. If possible, arrive at school before your teacher does. | | be the first person to leave the building in the afternoon. |
| | dress appropriately and professionally. | | wear something if you are unsure about it. No one expects you to have a different outfit every day, but be appropriate. |
| | ask what you can do to help. | | put off doing a task your teacher has given you. Do it right away. |
| | ask many questions. | | be afraid to ask to if you don't understand. Take notes so you don't forget. |
| | cut down on working hours outside of school. | | work at all if possible. You will have a lot to do while you are student teaching and you will need as much time as possible. |
| | complete and give your teacher your lesson plans on time. | | wait for the teacher to ask for your lesson plans. |
| | be professional in discussing the children in your classes. | | listen to or pass along gossip. |
| | be present every day for student teaching. | | be absent unless you are truly sick. |
| | examine the content of any Myspace, Facebook, or other social networking web pages you have created or are part of. | | risk compromising your student teaching experience by allowing inappropriate content to be available. Don't assume you students can't find you on the web, because they can. |
| | turn off your cell phone and put it away when you are in the school building. | | allow cell phone use to interfere with your professionalism in the classroom. |
| | show initiative. Volunteer to work on projects outside of your classroom. | | forget that you have been working at the university for many years to prepare for student teaching. Put forth MAXIMUM effort and demonstrate that sense of self-efficacy you have been developing. |