On Friday, March 13th, the college of education contacted their student teachers to let them know that their student teaching was being cut short due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Unable to return one final time to say their goodbyes to their mentor teachers and students, the seniors were left to cope with the virus.
Student teaching is the final and most crucial test for these college students. It is a critical time for them to put what they have learned in their education classes to the test before joining the job world. This experience is often needed to show their future employer, the schools, that they can be an effective teacher.
“I was actually at the job fair, so I wasn’t with my kids or mentor teacher. All of the student teachers got an email saying that they were being pulled from their schools,” said Zenaida Huerta, an English student teacher at Natrona high school, “I remember reading it and didn’t really comprehend it because I was busy at the time. Then I reread it later, and I was kind of confused and distraught.”
The virus has also had a significant impact on their mental health, as the sudden cut off from their students made it hard for them to move with the rest of their final semester. While Zenaida reported that she was disappointed and depressed by the news, she noted that it was similar emotions all around for her other student-teacher friends.
“I had some good relationships in place with the students, and as not only me but a few other student-teacher friends, we felt depressed for a few days. It was like the virus took out eighty kids out of my custody, and I didn’t know what to do.”
However, Kaitlin McGovern, an elementary student teacher, had a different experience with her student teaching abroad in South Africa. McGovern had just finished her student teaching experience in South Africa in time, but unfortunately, she was unable to finish up her student teaching in Denver, where she lives.
“I wish I had a cool story, but I got back right before all of the craziness ensued. When I was in South Africa, we were kind of joking about it. I never thought the virus would reach the United States or South Africa, to be honest.” said McGovern, “The only interesting thing that happened is that right after we landed in Denver, I got a notification on my phone that President Trump had just banned international travel in the United States.”
McGovern, however, mentioned that their semester wasn’t over yet as the seniors needed to finish up their edTPA, their final assessment, before graduating. The edTPA encompasses all of what they learned in their four years in the program and tests them on their classroom skills to teach in the classroom.
“In order to graduate, the college of education requires that we complete the edtpa, but since schools are closed, I have to give my lesson online. I was supposed to finish my student teaching with a first grade class in Denver, and I’m pretty bummed that I won’t be able to.”
As of April 3rd, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jilian Balow, extended the closure of schools until April 30th. Their students will have to endure online school, much like college students, and adapt to a different class without their student teacher.
“As of Thursday, all 48 school districts have Adapted Learning Plans for the continued instruction of all students. The process to build and approve these plans was iterative and involved multiple reviews by districts and the Wyoming Department of Education. I have personally read every plan and communicated individually with every superintendent in the state.” said Balow to the Wyoming department of education.
All schools, regardless of their student teachers, will have to adjust to their new platform as they head towards the end of the school year. It will be a challenge to keep students connected and learning as they are at home with their families.
Student Teaching Ends Early
