Attendance
Prior to Winter quarter (full-time student teaching) teacher candidates are expected to follow the University of Washington calendar, attending all classes at UW Bothell, even if those classes are scheduled during breaks in their field placement district’s calendar.
During Winter quarter (full-time student teaching) teacher candidates will follow the district's calendar. If UW and school district holidays, start days, and end days differ, teacher candidates will follow the school district schedule for their assigned internship. Students will be expected to attend UW Bothell classes if their school is not in session.
Teacher candidates are expected to attend all course and seminar sessions and all field assignments. If an emergency prevents the teacher candidate from attending any class, field assignment, or seminar, he/she should immediately notify all persons involved. For the school placement, this means the cooperating teacher, clinical faculty, and school receptionist. For absences of more than one day, notify the field coordinator as well. During field experiences, teacher candidates are to arrive and depart at the faculty’s contracted hours. Work or coaching responsibilities cannot interfere with university class, seminar or field attendance.
Cooperating teachers cannot excuse interns from their student teaching responsibilities for reasons other than illness without permission from the clinical faculty or Field Coordinator. Extended absences must be submitted for approval to the UW Bothell Field Coordinator.
Note: In the event of teacher strike, teacher candidates are not assigned to field assignments until the strike is concluded.
Punctuality
Teacher candidates should arrive to every field experience early or on time. State law requires teachers to be at work thrity minutes before and after school but most teacher candidates will find they need to stay beyond the teachers contracted day.
Professional Ethics
Teacher candidates should conduct themselves in an ethical, moral, and professional way. Interactions with students, building staff, and parents should be in an adult, professional manner. They should treat each student with dignity and provide equal opportunity for instruction. Teacher candidates must refrain from belittling students, inappropriate touching, and speaking condescendingly.
Teacher candidates must remember that they are guests in the schools, and refrain from being judgmental about schools, students, or teachers. They must respect boundaries, knowledge, and experience of practitioners, even while developing their own educational philosophy and instructional practices. They are expected to maintain teacher schedules, submit lesson plans, and meet any special conditions of the field experience.
Teacher candidates are expected to initiate their own learning by asking relevant and appropriate questions, raising concerns, requesting help, seeking resources and materials, and making suggestions about responsibilities that they might assume. They should identify areas for their own professional growth and share these with their cooperating teacher and clinical faculty member.
Professional Appearance
Teacher candidates should dress in a manner that sets them apart from students and establishes them as professionals. As beginners, teacher candidates will want to be ready for encounters with parents, administrators, or possibly school board members who may be in the building. As teacher candidates become comfortable, they may want to become a part of the school community by taking part in casual Fridays or school spirit days.
Establishing Professional Relationships
Teacher candidates should use co-teaching guidelines to develop and maintain a successful professional relationship with their cooperating teacher and others in the assigned building. With the cooperating teacher, the teacher candidate should establish a regular schedule for consultation and team planning yet understand the limitations of his/ her time. Recognize the need for flexibility and thoughtfulness when working and planning together. Take time to reflect before responding to stressful situations or feedback.
Lesson Planning and Formal Observations
Written lesson plans are required for every unit and lesson, and more detail is required for formal observations. Teacher candidates are responsible for arranging formal observations and conferences with the clinical faculty, the cooperating teacher, and during Winter quarter with the building principal. The teacher candidate should always inform the cooperating teacher, in advance, of the clinical faculty’s scheduled observations. Teacher candidates should always seek professional growth by reflecting on their own practice and gracefully accepting constructive suggestions.
School Policies and Expectations
Teacher candidates should become familiar with their respective school’s faculty and student policies, paying particular attention to management, discipline, safety, and emergency policies. Remember your status as a teacher candidate. Always talk to school personnel before taking action in serious matters involving discipline or potential danger. Become familiar will all emergency procedures.
Student Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting
Washington State teachers are bound by law to seek help for students who they believe may be in danger on or off school grounds (see Mandatory Reporting). The confidence that a student places in their hands is important, but it must never replace the protection of the youth. If a student confides something that could potentially endanger him, her, or other students, it is the teacher candidate's legal responsibility to inform the cooperating teacher, school counselor, building principal, clinical faculty, or some other responsible member of the school staff. Even if the teacher candidate is not sure, he/she legally must talk to others.
Communication Regarding Field Experience
Always respect the privacy and dignity of students and their families and refrain from casual conversations concerning sensitive or embarrassing information about teachers, students, and/or their families.
When discussing schools, teachers, and individual school districts, maintain a professional tone. School professionals are more connected than candidates may realize. Use discretion and common sense.
When on the university campus, discuss classroom situations with extreme care. (See FERPA policies.) To maintain confidentiality, always use a fictitious name for the student involved when including family or individual information in an explanation.
Legal Responsibilities
The laws of the State of Washington specify that only those individuals with valid teaching certificates shall have the primary responsibility for public school students in school-sponsored activities. Because teacher candidates do not have teaching certificates, they cannot assume primary responsibility for a school-sponsored activity (the classroom, cafeteria, extra-curricular activities, etc.) except under supervision or delegation of a certified teacher, who retains legal responsibility for the students involved. Schools must hire a substitute teacher if the cooperating teacher is out of the building, because interns may not have the legal responsibility for the classroom. See also Chapter 187-81 WAC Professional Certification - acts of unprofessional conduct.
Intern Substitute Certification is a temporary, limited teaching certificate that enables a teacher candidate to substitute, in the classroom to which assigned for student teaching, in the absence of his/her supervising teacher. This certificate must be approved by both the school and the college, and is valid for up to one year. Teacher candidates may be eligible for Intern Substitute Certifications, depending on the policies and needs of the school district during that particular school year. Building principals, district Human Resource personnel, and the Field Coordinator may be consulted for details on Intern Substitute Certification.
Participation in the Life of the School
Although the teacher candidate's primary focus and purpose at the field site is learning about teaching, they should be as involved in school and professional activities as possible. Teacher candidates should try to attend some school functions, Open House Programs, after-school events, and community events that do not conflict with UW Bothell classes. Also, they should attend faculty meetings, team planning meetings and staff development programs because participation and involvement in these activities will enhance their ability to understand and contribute to the school site. Teacher candidates must remember their position as a guest and use careful judgment about their participation.
Communication and Interaction with Students
Teacher candidates show mutual respect by addressing all parents and staff by their proper name (Miss, Ms., Mrs. or Mr. ____) in front of students and parents. Students should address the teacher candidates with formal titles and last names.
Secondary students are legally minors. Parental permission is required for them to ride in a car or meet with a teacher candidate off campus.
Teacher candidates should avoid social situations on their own personal time that may be embarrassing to the school, teachers or students.
Use of social networking, e-mail, or other electronic communication should include the following guidelines:
- Never "friend" students on your social networking site.
- Think about what you post on your site - would you want your students, parents, or administrators to have this information or see these photos?
- Avoid giving your personal e-mail address out to your students. Use your district e-mail.
- Do not text students
- Keep e-mail communications brief and related only to school issues. Print out copies and save for your records.
- Communicate with the idea that whatever you write should be able to be read by your students' parents and your administrator.
- If a student sends you an inappropriate text or e-mail, notify your administrator right away.
Teacher candidates should make every effort to avoid any appearance of inappropriate behavior through actions that might be misinterpreted by students and parents.