College is a great time, isn’t it?

At the same time we are learning all kinds of new things, we are also making all kinds of stupid mistakes in our pursuit to find out who we are.

But for many of us, that time is quickly coming to an end and leaving us with a whole slew of uncertainties about the future.

Some of us are lucky enough to experience our future profession before we are let loose in the world; education majors, I am talking about us.

We are, indeed, very fortunate to have the experience of student teaching, yet it perhaps creates some anxiety before graduation is even at our doorstep.

In order to alleviate some of those fears, I have decided to share my experiences during student teaching with all f you.

Every two weeks, I will write my thoughts, ideas, stories and advice for all of you to read, in hopes that informing you of my experiences will better prepare you for the times to come.

I can only try, can’t I? Lesson number one: communication is key. No, it never goes away.

As educators we are not only called on to communicate with our students, but we are required to work in close partnership with other faculty members and staff. A poor communicator will not survive as a teacher, hands down.

If this is you, consider one of two plans of action: either consider another profession or work your butt off to become a good communicator before you graduate.

Lesson number two: unions are both a blessing and a curse.

This is not usually something we think about before we start teaching, but unions are a real part of being a teacher.Just as a union is there when a teacher gets in deep doo-doo, they are, dare I say, a bit like bullies when they don’t get their way.

There is no right way to deal with unions; they are just something to be aware of.I hope that in the weeks to come I can perhaps give you all more things to think about, and if you have anything for me to think about please do not hesitate to write back.

So, in the fashion of a true teacher, let me send you away this time with a reflection question: what are you most afraid of about student teaching, and what can you do now to ease those anxieties?