Although high school teachers goals are to always have their students achieve, the same applies for them to mentor and help their student teachers accomplish their goals as well. 

Currently, De Soto High School has two student teachers learning and preparing to one day instruct classes of their own. Emilie Crutchfield and Allison Berg are both currently attending Kansas State University and Kansas University, respectively, , both under student teaching programs. Crutchfield teaches alongside sophomore English teacher Donna Rhodes while Berg is teaching social studies with Ryan Robie. 

So far, both teachers have learned a lot of lessons from not only observing, but also teaching. 

“I’ve learned that I need to be organized, and if I’m not acting like myself, the students will know,” Crutchfield said. 

Not only do the student teachers have to attend an entire day of school, they must attend their other classes as well.  

“I have to be able to use my brain from 5:30 in the morning until 8 p.m. because I have college classes after this, so I am exhausted,” Berg said.

Because Rhodes has worked with student teachers previously, she has a routine to help them fully get prepared to not only teach her class, but also understand the work. 

“I always work with my student teachers about what they are comfortable with, my goal is to get them in front of the class and teaching as soon as possible,” Rhodes said. “With Ms. Crutchfield, she observed a couple of days and then we co- taught my lesson plans and then she developed activities for the part she would co-teach. We would develop lesson plans and go through them before. Afterwards, we would conference to see what went well and what needs tweaked.”

Many students enjoy having student teachers, including sophomore Amy Rocha, who is currently in class with both of the student teachers. 

“I like both of the student teachers because class with them is fun. I feel like I can have genuine conversations with them and they also have a teaching style that I like,” Rocha said.