Practicum Students at Fair Grove

Several teachers at Fair Grove have had Practicum teachers in their classes to observe and gain knowledge over the past semester.

Practicum students are teachers in training who attend classes taught by other teachers and observe them. They’re required to teach one to two lessons, and have a specified amount of hours they have to have at their cooperating school. Mrs. Kenzie, Amy Holland’s newest Practicum student, said, “Practicum students are not only there to learn about how to be a teacher, but to observe the school’s dynamic and culture as well as how different teachers handle classroom management and other aspects of teaching.” 

Every Practicum experience is different in an attempt to cater to the intended field of teaching of the Practicum student. Karmyn Bartels, Mrs. Palomo, the Fair Grove band director’s practicum student, stated, “In this practicum (band), I just observe. This is my first one. So it’s just kind of getting a feel of what a classroom feels like from the perspective of a teacher and not from the perspective of a student, I help out in any way the teacher wants me to…”

Mrs. Kenzie commented on the ever changing dynamic of student teacher relationships stating, “From what I have observed in Mrs. Holland’s classroom, it’s a different sense of teacher-student dynamic. When I was in school, some of your teachers knew what was happening, but there was NO communication between them. Now? Students and teachers are collaborating and communicating more than ever.” 

Along with technological advances, schools as a whole have made advances as well. Mrs. Kenzie pointed out, “It seems to be a more casual environment and everyone knows what is going on in everyone else’s lives.”

Both Bartels and Kenzie are putting the effort forward to learn now in an effort to make as positive of an impact on student lives as possible for years to come.