LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming College of Education’s spring 2022 student-teacher candidates have begun transitioning from learning to teaching, as students start their 16-week student-teaching experience.
More than 150 student teachers were placed in schools throughout Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.
Student teaching is the final stop prospective teachers have on their journey to become professional educators. UW students have experience in classrooms during practicums as well as using virtual reality simulators to gain knowledge and experience before the student-teaching process. Although these steps are useful, this is the first test of their abilities to lead real classrooms alongside supportive mentor teachers.
“Students get firsthand knowledge and experience of how a classroom operates from day to day, minute by minute,” says Elizabeth McMahan, director of student teaching in the UW College of Education. “They see the chaos that can occur, the planning that needs to take place, the instructional supports that are in place, and all of the other components that go into making not only a classroom successful, but the school successful.”
Student teachers enter the program with a wide array of knowledge they learned in their UW coursework for their intended grade level or content area. Leading up to the classroom, students are put in practicum experiences that provide them with settings where they can actively observe and put into practice what they are learning at UW.
“They will most likely be exhausted, both mentally and physically, after their first few days, but it is important to go into student teaching with an open mind and positive attitude,” McMahan says. “They should know they are not alone during their residency; we are all here to support the student teacher.”
The student teachers have been working in the classrooms since the beginning of January.
UW students currently serving as student teachers in Sweetwater County are listed below. To see the complete list, click here.
Sweetwater County School District No. 1: Makell Kaiser, Mountain View, elementary education, second grade, Sage Elementary; Alex Lundvall, Mesa, Ariz., elementary education, sixth grade, Pilot Butte Elementary; Angelita Magana, Evanston, elementary education, fifth grade, Pilot Butte Elementary; Heather Platzer, Rock Springs, elementary education, kindergarten, Sage Elementary; Sophia Spicer, Rock Springs, art education, Rock Springs Junior High School; and Bailey Young, Rock Springs, elementary education, sixth grade, Pilot Butte Elementary.
Sweetwater County School District No. 2: Raenne Prather, Rock Springs, elementary education, second grade, Washington Elementary; Brittany Rider, Green River, elementary education, second grade, Harrison Elementary; Emily Robinson, Cheyenne, secondary English with concurrent English, Green River High School; Ryleigh Sutcliffe, Winter Park, Colo., secondary English with concurrent English, Expedition Academy High School; and Garrett Uptain, Craig, Colo., secondary agriculture education, Green River High School.
