Braelyn Young, senior in the elementary education program, is serving as a 4th grade student teacher at Big Elm Elementary School in Harrison County, W.Va. for the 2022-2023 school year.
During senior year, student teachers are placed with a mentor teacher and class. This arrangement allows student teachers to move from theory to practice. They experience having their own classroom with guidance from their mentor.
Student teachers are involved in setting up the classroom, lesson planning for all disciplines, participating in parent-teacher conferences and more. For seniors, the year is split up into two parts: Residency I, during the fall semester, and Residency II, through the spring semester.
Young, from Franklin, W.Va., is currently in Residency I. She is required to be in the classroom 2.5 days a week or an alternating two days one week and three days the next. “I personally chose the alternating schedule. During Residency I, we are required to create and implement three lessons each week,” she said.
“These lessons can be in any discipline and any type of co-teaching format. For example, one lesson might involve my mentor teacher and I station teaching. Within this arrangement, we each have a small group,” Young said. “Another lesson might include me teaching most of a lesson and my mentor teaching chiming in with support as needed.”
Young says that in Residency II, she will be at the school all day, Monday through Friday, planning and teaching every lesson for the full teaching experience. “As a student, I appreciate WVU setting up our student teaching in this model,” she said. “During Residency II, I will have all the responsibilities just as a certified teacher with their own classroom would have. I still have access to resources and support from WVU for guidance if I need it.”
“So far, my student teaching experience has been amazing. I absolutely love 4th grade, and Big Elm Elementary has been extremely supportive of me and my student teaching experience,” she added.
Young has student taught in Kindergarten, 1st, 4th and 5th grade classrooms. “I appreciate how WVU rotates us to different grades. I used to think that I wanted to teach Kindergarten and younger grades,” she said. “However, after being placed in a 5th grade classroom last spring, I discovered a newfound passion for teaching upper elementary grades.”