About the Internship
Any candidate for state licensure is required to complete a student teaching internship.
You will be placed in a local school and paired with a mentor teacher in your specialty area for a total of 16 weeks.
During your internship, you will be expected to teach your own lessons, aid and observe your mentor teacher in their lessons, and participate in lesson planning, grading, and all other aspects of teaching and classroom management. Your mentor teacher will in turn provide feedback and encouragement based on their observations of your teaching skills. In addition, you will work with a University Supervisor who will also conduct teaching observations and evaluations and who will act as an advisor and resource to you as you develop your teaching practice.
Internship Regulations
The University and the School of Education have established certain regulations that will help interns work more effectively with mentor teachers. Regulations require interns to adhere to the following:
- Observe the same hours required for teachers while on assignment in schools.
- Follow the local school calendar during the semester in place of the university’s calendar.
- Become a member of the school faculty throughout the student teaching internship. Participate in official school functions such as faculty meetings, in-service training programs, teacher workdays, parent meetings, etc.
Note: Interns may NOT serve as a substitute teacher for a licensed teacher without another licensed employee in the room. They may do the actual teaching, but cannot be paid if the University is in session.
See all undergraduate student teaching guidelines and expectations.