1.) You should discuss all this with your advisor directly. It is their responsibility to oversee your student teaching experience and they need to know about things.
2.) Try not to let this color everything. I had a crappy student-teacher placement and it stinks, but it is NOTHING like having your own class. Truly, this can be forgotton once you are done with all the bs.
3.) Parents are your allies. Don't see them as a punishment. At the begining of the year, I called every single parent. Nothing big- just a quick introduction, my email address, and a positive little snippet about their child, often left on the home voice mail. It started things off on a positive note. I called home whenever I had a significant issue and approached it as a "This happened today." (in a non-judgemental or accusatory way) and asked what they thought I might be able to do to help their child. This was an open door for them to tell me about home life and we worked together on a plan so that we were all on the same page. I also made a big deal about calling home for good things- a great project, something special, how they made me laugh, etc. It had a very positive effect on everyone. So, your mentor teacher may suck, but I would encourage you to examine why you want to distance yourself from parents and how you might be able to draw them in for a positive experience.
4.) Another bit of advice- "praise in public, admonish in private". No one wants to do the walk of shame in front of the class to a new seat and it creates the power struggle you faced, and power struggles are impossible to win. You either loose the immediate struggle with Carol not moving, or you loose the respect of the class in becoming someone they fear instead of admire. Unless it was truly dangerous, I would quietly and calmly ask Carol to see me for a few minutes after school. They all "know what that means" and that will put a chill on things right there without ever having said anything negative or threatening. When you see her in private, start out with asking her what was going on. It is a chance to really listen and find out about this kid and hear her side and ask her directly what she thinks she can do to change the dynamic. Then, if you still feel you need to move her seat, say "I think maybe a new seat will help..." and ask her to start that tomorrow. Try to communicate that you are "onh her side" and that you want to solve this so that she can be successful (like you know she can be!). Discipline in this way preserves your relationship with the class and they respect not being shamed and creates a positive base for your relationship with the student. It absolutely does not diminish your authority and it does set a tone that reflects respect. When Carol is doing better, a quick "Do you think the new seat helped?" with a smile is good to get back to making discipline a joint effort and you can allow her her say and you can compliment her in her better choices of behavior and re-open the conversation to discuss what happened with some hindsight.
BTW: My credentials are that I taught hs chem to at-risk students and now I am finishing a PhD in education. I have 15 yrs experience.
2.) Try not to let this color everything. I had a crappy student-teacher placement and it stinks, but it is NOTHING like having your own class. Truly, this can be forgotton once you are done with all the bs.
3.) Parents are your allies. Don't see them as a punishment. At the begining of the year, I called every single parent. Nothing big- just a quick introduction, my email address, and a positive little snippet about their child, often left on the home voice mail. It started things off on a positive note. I called home whenever I had a significant issue and approached it as a "This happened today." (in a non-judgemental or accusatory way) and asked what they thought I might be able to do to help their child. This was an open door for them to tell me about home life and we worked together on a plan so that we were all on the same page. I also made a big deal about calling home for good things- a great project, something special, how they made me laugh, etc. It had a very positive effect on everyone. So, your mentor teacher may suck, but I would encourage you to examine why you want to distance yourself from parents and how you might be able to draw them in for a positive experience.
4.) Another bit of advice- "praise in public, admonish in private". No one wants to do the walk of shame in front of the class to a new seat and it creates the power struggle you faced, and power struggles are impossible to win. You either loose the immediate struggle with Carol not moving, or you loose the respect of the class in becoming someone they fear instead of admire. Unless it was truly dangerous, I would quietly and calmly ask Carol to see me for a few minutes after school. They all "know what that means" and that will put a chill on things right there without ever having said anything negative or threatening. When you see her in private, start out with asking her what was going on. It is a chance to really listen and find out about this kid and hear her side and ask her directly what she thinks she can do to change the dynamic. Then, if you still feel you need to move her seat, say "I think maybe a new seat will help..." and ask her to start that tomorrow. Try to communicate that you are "onh her side" and that you want to solve this so that she can be successful (like you know she can be!). Discipline in this way preserves your relationship with the class and they respect not being shamed and creates a positive base for your relationship with the student. It absolutely does not diminish your authority and it does set a tone that reflects respect. When Carol is doing better, a quick "Do you think the new seat helped?" with a smile is good to get back to making discipline a joint effort and you can allow her her say and you can compliment her in her better choices of behavior and re-open the conversation to discuss what happened with some hindsight.
BTW: My credentials are that I taught hs chem to at-risk students and now I am finishing a PhD in education. I have 15 yrs experience.
It was so bad that my University offered to let me do the whole thing over without penalty to me, but I just wanted it over with so I stuck it out.
This helped me a LOT!
, buring bright, waiting for me tomorrow .....
