Future teacher, today’s student teacher

EVERY person has a dream. And this dream could be achieved in entering college. A university offers courses that cater the needs and interests of the student. These courses have trainings and practices to hone and improve students’ skills and talents. For HRM students, they are sent in Hotels and restaurants for their Junior and Senior practicum. For those who are taking up Business and Accountancy administration, they are sent to banks and business establishments to have their On-Job-Training. For engineering students, they will have their OJT to construction site depending on what major they took up. Dentists are sent to clinic. Nursing and Medical technologist to hospitals. But among these courses, training for future teachers is one of the most rigid and special.

Future teacher, this is what I call myself as well as my colleagues who are taking up Education. As early as second year, we are already exposed to actual classroom setting to prepare us in our student teaching. We took up field study courses until such time we reach our final practicum which is Student Teaching. As part of the training, we need to render our services in our respective Laboratory school. The laboratory school could either an Elementary or Secondary School depending on what program you took up. Bachelor of Secondary Education students are sent to High School while Bachelor of Elementary Education students are sent in Elementary Schools. With our respective school, we are designated to a particular teacher whom we call Resource Teacher (RS) or also known as Critique teachers. It was a mixed feeling upon entering our respective laboratory school and meeting our RS as well as the students we would be handling. As part of our stay in laboratory school, we have to teach and take charge of the class of our RS, of course with their guidance.
  
As days goes by, I had observed something that is alarming on the part of the Student Teacher (ST). Some of the RS are not present during the actual demonstration teaching of the Student Teacher and will be back a few minutes before the time ends and what was sacrificed? The evaluation score of the ST. This evaluation form is given to RS before the student teacher will have their teaching. It is where the teaching strategy, instructional materials, activity, lesson plan and assessment of learning outcomes are evaluated. How could this RS evaluate the performance of the ST if she/he missed the activities and discussions made by the ST? How could the RS coach and mentor the ST if they are doing their personal business to the time that they are inside the classroom too? The fact that the Resource teachers were orientated about their duties and responsibilities and one or their responsibilities is to assist the student teachers in honing their skills and observe, coach/mentor and evaluate the performance of the Student teachers. Some of the RS are abusive in a sense that they are giving all the responsibility to the student teachers just to do their personal stuffs. When the time that the ST will see their evaluation form, the scores are low. How could then the student teacher be motivated if that is the case?

Well I guess, there is a need to for the resource teacher to undergo some processes that would determine if they are capable to be a critique teacher. It is better if there will be a joined orientation to both Student Teachers and Resource teachers for their duties and responsibilities. So in this case, the mentor-mentee relationship will be observed and the teaching learning process would become meaningful. (Girlie dela Vega)