DoE Alumna Shares Student Teaching Experiences with Teachers of Tomorrow
Tera Perry, 2010 UCI graduate in Sociology with a Minor in Educational Studies, returned to the Teachers of Tomorrow Club to talk about her current experiences as a student in the Master of Arts in Teaching/Credential program. During her presentation she talked about the excitement of working with kindergarten students under the mentorship of her Master Teacher, the challenges of time management for a student teacher, and her reasons for selecting the UCI teacher preparation program.
In describing her on-site experiences at Vista Verde Elementary, Tera shared her admiration for her mentor teacher's ability to teach a classroom of 30+ kindergartners, each one an individual with his or her own personality, needs, and expectations. She explained that she felt privileged that she was able to observe how her mentor teacher utilized the assistance provided by four parent volunteers and was noting those instructional and behavior management techniques that seemed to work particularly well in the loose-leaf binder of ideas that she maintains. She recommended that members of Teacher of Tomorrow create their own resource binder and keep adding information throughout their student teaching and into their teaching career.
When asked by TOT members why she chose UCI's MAT/Teacher Credential Program over other options, Tera explained that several factors entered into her decision. Timing was important, and UCI offered a Master of Arts in Teaching with Credential program that could be completed in 15 months (one academic year and two summers). Additionally, her research into area programs indicated that UCI provided a more holistic experience, blending research and practice, with many of the professors and lecturers incorporating their own research findings into their classroom instruction. Tera also had observed the collegiality that existed among the UCI credential students and wished to be part of that culture. The final factor influencing her decision was the level of support provided by UCI to student teachers, including the mentoring and critique that student teachers receive during their first quarter of their experience in the classroom.
For Tera, coming back to speak to TOT was a homecoming experience since she served as TOT President during her last three years of undergraduate work.
January 5, 2011
