Student teaching isn't easy. Not only will you learn more during your internship than you've learned in all your other courses combined, but you walk a difficult path between being a full-fledged teacher and still being a student yourself. You'll find it alternately the most stressful and the most exciting time of your life--and sometimes both at once. It helps to know in advance what you can do to keep going during the hard times and to enjoy the good times to the fullest.

What should I wear?

If you're starting your student teaching at the beginning of the academic year, you'll undoubtedly be attending inservices with your mentoring teacher. A good rule of thumb is to dress a little more casually for inservices than you would for teaching, but not quite as casually as you would for a day of setting up the classroom.

Even if your school has a Friday dress-down day where teachers are allowed to wear jeans, you might want to stick with slightly more formal khakis instead. It looks more professional--and right now you want to impress everyone in the school with your professionalism.

Use your best judgment when selecting a teaching wardrobe. Ask for a copy of your school's employee dress code ahead of time to make sure you're not violating any rules, and if you're not sure about an outfit, don't wear it. You don't need to look like a young lawyer, and you don't have to spend a fortune; just present a neat, professional appearance and you'll be fine.

What will I need ahead of time?

Every student teaching experience is a little different, so it's best to hold off on buying a lot of supplies until you know for certain what you'll need. The one item you absolutely must have is a big tote bag. Buy a sturdy, roomy one you like because you won't just need it for student teaching, you'll need it for your teaching career as well. Whether you teach kindergarten or high school economics, you'll need to transport books, supplies, paperwork, grade books, and a thousand other necessities every day. Your tote bag is your friend.

A three-ring binder with a supply of notebook paper and a few pens will also be useful. You'll need to take notes at inservices, staff meetings, grade or subject meetings, and many other times. Keeping all your notes together will help you when you need to refer to them unexpectedly. You can also keep daily reflections and a log of activities in your binder, along with notes for lesson plans and other paperwork.

What should I do the first day?

Ask ahead of time when you should arrive at the school your first day, and then get there five or ten minutes early. Go to the office first, if you haven't been given a different destination; the principal will probably want to greet you. This is a job-interview type of moment and you definitely want to make a good impression: smile, look the principal in the eye, and say lots of nice things about the school at appropriate moments in the conversation. It's okay to appear excited, but you don't want to seem like you're bouncing off the walls.

If you're lucky, your mentoring teacher has already called you to say hello before your first day. If not, you'll be meeting him or her now. It might help to know that your mentoring teacher is probably at least as nervous as you are. It'll make your entire student teaching experience a thousand times easier if you make it clear from the beginning that you respect your mentor and can't wait to put his or her suggestions into practice.

You'll spend most of the first few days--and even the first few weeks--trailing around behind your mentoring teacher and feeling somewhat useless. Just listen and observe at first, although certainly you can ask questions and join in conversations when you feel you have something to contribute. You may be bored, but believe me, you're learning without realizing it.

I don't think my mentoring teacher likes me. What should I do?

Give it some time, first of all. Your mentor may be nervous, shy, or just someone who finds it hard to express feelings. Make sure you keep your tone light and enthusiastic no matter how you're feeling. Sometimes a mentor seems standoffish when he is actually reacting to your own tension--which may make you seem like you don't like him.

Communication is as important in a mentor-student teacher relationship as it is in any other relationship. If you really think your mentor doesn't like you, or doesn't approve of you in some way, try asking him--sincerely, without a trace of sarcasm or resentment--if there is something you're doing wrong. Explain that you feel that you're not living up to his expectations. If he makes any suggestions, even if you don't agree with them, follow them as closely as you can. If he says you're doing a good job--fine, you're doing a good job. One of the things you're learning during your internship is how to get along with all sorts of different people. You and your mentor may not be a great match, but that doesn't mean you can't work together as professionals.

Occasionally, however, a student teacher really has a serious personality clash with a mentor. This is when you need to keep your mouth shut and do your job as well as you can, but make sure you contact your field supervisor as soon as possible with an explanation of the situation. It's possible she will decide to move you to a different placement, but that's her decision, not yours. The worst thing you can do is demand that you be moved, and the next worst thing you can do is badmouth your mentor to anyone except your field supervisor (and maybe your best friend). Least said, soonest mended.

How do I keep on top of all this work?

Most internship programs require a lot of extra paperwork and even some assignments, all while you're trying to learn as much as you can about the practical side of teaching. It can be overwhelming, to say the least.

The key is to keep yourself organized. Develop a simple system for keeping track of what's due when, and get it all done ahead of time so you won't have to stress at the last minute. Set aside an hour every evening for getting paperwork done and planning your next day; after you've finished, you have the rest of the evening free to relax.

Keep things in perspective, too. It's more important to have your lesson plans ready for the next day or week than it is to finish an assignment of your own. Do the lesson plans first so you'll always be prepared when you step through the classroom door. If your assignment is late, at least you didn't let your mentoring teacher or your students down.

I can't take the pressure! How can I keep from snapping?

At some point, you're going to get fed up with student teaching. Not only will you be sick of the whole situation, you'll be sure that teaching is the wrong career for you, that you hate everything about teaching, and that you're going to be a burned-out teacher before you even get your certification.

Relax. Everyone feels that way at some point. In fact, you can think of it as a good sign. The frustration you feel comes from realizing subconsciously that you're ready to strike out on your own as a teacher, but you're still stuck as a student teacher. The rest of the semester or year stretches out ahead of you endlessly--but the funny thing is, at the end of your internship you'll look back at it and wonder where the time went!

In the meantime, however, there are a number of things you can do to vent some steam. When you get home, call someone who will listen sympathetically--your mom, your best friend. Complain bitterly about everything you hate about teaching and just get it all out of your system. If you don't want to talk it out, try keeping a journal instead. Once you write down your problems, they don't seem quite so momentous.

Plan something special for the next three-day weekend--something that has absolutely nothing to do with teaching. Completely forget about teaching during that time; don't even allow yourself to think about it. Sometimes you just need to give yourself some time to mentally relax and recharge.

Ultimately, the best way to keep the stress level down and the interest level high is to remember why you decided to become a teacher. All you need to do is look around your classroom and realize that you're helping shape the future of your students, your community, and society as a whole. It's an awesome responsibility, but you're up to the challenge.