GETTING STARTED IN SCHOOLS

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GETTING STARTED IN SCHOOLS

• DETROIT AREA ELEMENTARY TEAM SENIORS

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• Andrea Kelly
• DAET Coordinator
• 116Q Erickson Hall
• 517-432-3671
• akelly_at_msu.edu

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DAET WEBSITEhttp//ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/te/elemen
taryteams/

• The DAET website is your source of information
  for everything you will need to make the most of
  your Teacher Education Program experience. Please
  bookmark it and consult it frequently. Briefly it
  contains
• Calendar of Events
• Personnel Directory
• Information for Students
• Placements
• Professional Conduct and Course Policies
• Program Requirements
• Criteria for Progression to the Internship
• Links to other sites (financial aid, MTTC, etc.)

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Finding your school and getting to know people

• Maps - We will come to class as soon as we have
  confirmed most of the placements for your
  section. We will bring a placement list. Maps are
  available on our website and in 116 EH.
• CATA bus tokens are available to students
  receiving financial aid. Go to room 27 Student
  Services between 800 A.M. and 600 P.M. Allow
  for extra travel time if you are taking the bus.
• Parking - We will tell you where to park. This
  information is also available on our website maps
  along with specific directions to the school, the
  phone number and other pertinent information.
  Parking is limited at some schools, so carpooling
  is encouraged.
• Signing in and out at the office - district
  policy requires that you sign in and out in the
  main office every time you are at the school.
• Identification - schools require everyone in the
  building to wear an identification badge. You may
  wear your MSU ID, or the name badge we give you,
  or one provided by your placement school.

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• Dressing appropriately to participate actively in
  the classroom. You should be able to do
  head-shoulders-knees and toes without discomfort
  to you or anyone else.
• Sample school clothing guidelines
• Dress needs to be seasonal, practical,
  non-offensive, and not a distraction to the
  educational program. Students are not to wear
  short shorts, see through knit tops, tank tops,
  crop tops that expose the stomach, or skin tight
  clothing. Pants are to be worn with the waist
  band at the waist level. Clothing is not to have
  on it profanity, tobacco, alcohol, or illegal
  substances, or suggestive or vulgar slogans. The
  wearing or displaying of items (or clothing) that
  can be associated with gangs, fraternities,
  sororities, or secret societies is prohibited.
  Students are not allowed to wear chains, hats or
  scarf head coverings (girls or boys) at school.
  Flip flops are not considered safe for school.

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• Introducing yourself to other staff and
  administrators - be sure you meet the principal,
  secretary, custodian and other building
  personnel.
• Finding your way around the building - we will
  meet you at school on your first day and we will
  take a tour of the building.
• Learning how to use equipment and supplies - ask
  you Mentor Teacher. Do not use any piece of
  equipment, especially the copy machine, until you
  have been trained.
• Following school district policy - all school
  policies apply to you. For example When a school
  goes into lock down that means that everyone
  remains in their room with all doors locked. No
  one is allowed to enter or leave the building.
  Even if you have a class or other important
  commitment, you must stay until the lock down has
  been lifted. You will be excused for being late
  for class.

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• Please check with your Mentor Teacher or school
  principal for any special rules regarding the
  students in your building. For example the
  school may have a specific policy regarding the
  use of pictures or recordings of the children a
  child or children may have specific health or
  allergy problems resulting in restrictions on
  food (peanut allergy) or physical activity
  (recess, PE).
• Remember, we are guests in the schools. Schools
  exist to educate the children in that district,
  and our participation is secondary. We are there
  by the courtesy of the Board of Education, the
  administration, and the mentor teachers. In
  return for this opportunity to gain actual
  experience with children, we must ask that you
  demonstrate high standards of professional
  performance and attitude.

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Professional Behavior and Responsibilities

• Attendance and communicating absences - missed
  field time must be made up unless approved by the
  Team Coordinator. If you are going to be absent
  from your field placement you must call the
  school secretary, email the coordinator, and
  notify your Mentor Teacher however s/he prefers
  (leave message at school, call at home, etc.).
  Its also a good idea to let your teaching
  partner know when you will be absent.
• Snow days, professional development days, fog
  delays, etc. - do not need to be made up. Time
  missed for sickness, car trouble, etc. needs to
  be made up. We will deal with absences on an
  individual basis. Students should listen to local
  radio and TV stations for school cancellations
  and delays due to snow or other weather
  conditions. Each student needs to use his or her
  own best judgment in light of her or his
  particular situation regarding driving
  conditions.

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• Punctuality - students are expected to establish
  a regular arrival and leaving time and be
  consistent with the schedule they arrange. Any
  exceptions need to be negotiated with your Mentor
  Teacher.
• Messages on cell phones/answering machines should
  be businesslike - keep in mind that the people
  you are working with professionally may
  occasionally need to call you at home. Its also
  a good idea to monitor your personal website or
  Facebook page, if you have one, for objectionable
  material.
• It is best to leave your cell phone in the car or
  turn it off while in the classroom.

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• Confidentiality and ethical dilemmas
• in and out of school

Your field experiences are an important part of
your learning and you will be discussing them
in your courses. Just as teachers are expected to
respect the privacy and dignity of the children
and families with whom they work, so we expect
you to use discretion. In casual conversations or
social situations, do not relate stories from
classrooms or schools that may be embarrassing to
teachers or students or that include sensitive
information about a child or family. When
discussing classroom situations in class, do so
carefully. Use a fictitious name for the student
involved if you need to include family or
individual information in your explanation or if
the situation is particularly difficult. Mask the
name of a student on any written or visual work
shared in class or used in an assignment. When
discussing teaching practice you have observed in
the field, be mindful of maintaining a tone of
professional courtesy.
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Student Sign-In Sheet and Classroom Assignments

• Individual attendance folder - keep it in your
  classroom and keep a brief record of what you do
  each time you are in the classroom.
• Communicating assignments to your Mentor Teacher
  - assignments must be discussed with your mentor
  teacher well in advance of the due date. If you
  encounter any problems scheduling time to teach
  your lesson, discuss it immediately with your
  course instructor.

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Becoming the best Assistant Teacher you can be

• What are you here to do, to be?
• How are we going to work together?
• How are we going to treat each other?
• How are you going to take initiative to help your
  Mentor Teacher to teach the class?
• These questions and others can be addressed in
  the on-site seminars. There will be several
  seminars held on-site to make your experience as
  an assistant teacher the best that it can be for
  you, your mentor teacher, and your charges.

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My Mentor Teacher

• If I were you, I would like my Mentor Teacher to
  be exactly like my favorite teacher from
  elementary school

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My Mentor Teacher

• If I were you, I would like my Mentor Teacher to
  be exactly like my favorite teacher from
  elementary school
• And to be the spitting image of my ideal future
  self when I am a teacher

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My Mentor Teacher

• If I were you, I would like my Mentor Teacher to
  be exactly like my favorite teacher from
  elementary school
• And to be the spitting image of my ideal future
  self when I am a teacher
• And to be a model of all of the methods I will
  study in my TE classes.
• What is the probability of that?
• Reality - We will be working with ordinary human
  beings who are trying to teach school.
• 
  
• By Tom Bird

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What do Assistant Teachers do
Work with individuals or small groups of
students Read a story Lead morning routines
(attendance, lunch count, calendar) Monitor seat
work Listen to students read Help plan a field
trip Prepare bulletin boards Prepare materials
for use in the classroom Learn student names Keep
a reflection journal or personal log about
classroom experiences
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Observe gym, library, music, art, computer and
special education classes Look for ways to
help in the classroom and take the initiative to
ask your Mentor Teacher for suggestions Locate,
gather and prepare materials Assist in getting
students to line up Walk students to lunch, gym,
busses Collect homework Monitor students working
on computers Correct papers with Mentor Teachers
guidance Learn how to use school equipment
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MTTC
Michigan Test for Teacher Certification
Candidates for Michigan teacher certification
must pass tests designed by the State of Michigan
to ensure that certified teachers have the
necessary basic skills and content knowledge to
perform effectively in Michigan schools. The
competency exams are known as the Michigan Test
for Teacher Certification (MTTC). Elementary
interns (including special education and child
development majors) must pass, at minimum, the
MTTC test in Elementary Education (83) prior to
placement in grades K-6. For consideration for an
internship placement, teacher candidates must
take the required MTTC subject tests no later
than the April test prior to the internship year.
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MTTC Testing Schedule
Test Date Regular Late
Emergency Score Report Registration
Registration Registration Date Deadline
Deadline Deadline 10-18-08 9-12-08
9-26-08 10-10-08 11-14-08 1-10-09
11-28-08 12-19-08 1-2-09 2-6-09 4-18-09
3-6-09 3-27-09 4-10-09 5-15-09 7-18
-09 6-5-09 6-26-09 7-10-09 8-14-09
Internet Registration All registration periods.
To register on the Internet, your registration
must be completed by 500 p.m. eastern time on
the registration deadline for the period. U.S.
Mail Registration Regular and late registration
periods only. To register by mail during the
regular registration period, your registration
materials must be postmarked by the regular
registration deadline. During the late
registration period, your registration materials
must be received by the late registration
deadline. Telephone Registration Emergency
registration period only. To register by
telephone, call [phone] or [phone],
900 a.m.?500 p.m. eastern time, Monday?Friday,
excluding holidays. You must call by 500 p.m.
eastern time on the emergency registration
deadline. Complete information can be found at
http//www.mttc.nesinc.com/ Or pick up the
bulletin in 134 Erickson (Student Affairs Office)
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Student Advisory Board

• The DAET Student Advisory Board is a group of
  students who volunteers to be a liaison between
  the students and faculty of the DAET. The
  functions of the group may include the following
• Bringing students questions and concerns to the
  attention of the DAET Faculty Leader and
  Coordinator
• 2. Contributing students viewpoints to
  discussions about various aspects of program
  planning and development
• 3. Making information about the program equally
  accessible to all students by reporting to their
  sections and
• Planning student activities, such as the Junior
  Event.
• All meetings are from 4 to 5 PM in
• 116 A Erickson Hall.
• Wednesday, September 24
• Wednesday, October 22
• Wednesday, November 19

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Questions, Comments, Concerns
Field time is 5 hours per week not including
drive time. If you have the full day field lunch
is not counted in the 5 hours.