Colleges across Missouri require student teaching as an important step in the process of getting a teaching degree, including Maryville University, which has a student teaching partnership with South High.

There are four student teachers from the program this school year, in the art, math, and English departments.

Angie Pappas-Muyco, head of the Maryville student teaching program at South, said, “The goal of student teaching is to get as much experience as they can working with students, understanding curriculum design, and practicing instructional strategies.”

Teachers who are mentoring student teachers this year include Nicole Daniels and Anne Erehart.

“[Ms. Van Ryn] was here the first six weeks of school and the entire second semester,” Daniels said. “I approve her lesson plans until I feel like she’s able to do it on her own.”

Daniels’ student teacher, Ria Van Ryn, said she was required to student teach when transitioning from a college professor to a high school teacher.

“We took classes about what high school is like and we talked about Parkway South and our particular subject areas, so I took classes in English,” she said.

Erehart’s student teacher, Hannah. Shayer, has some teaching experience as well.

“I worked for two years as a teaching assistant at Parkway North, so I went in knowing what it it was like to be in the classroom,” Shayer said. “I enjoy starting to design my own lessons and have more responsibility.”

Van Ryn, a Parkway Central graduate, said that student teaching has made her more excited to teach high school.

“It lets you ease into teaching with support and get to know students with a backup in the room,” she said.

Student teaching benefits teachers as well, according to Daniels. “It forces me to reflect because I’m working on the lessons I usually do myself with someone else,” she said.

“I have been a much more effective teacher since I got a student teacher,” Erehart said. “It makes you really think about what you’re doing and why, knowing that someone is watching you to learn from you.”

Daniels and Erehart both collaborate with their student teachers every planning period, discussing lesson plans for the next day as well as weeks in advance.

“As long as you plan well its fine, but it’s definitely a time commitment,” Daniels said.

Starting early this semester, Shayer will begin teaching classes by herself.

“I’ll be teaching most lessons but Mrs. Erehart will be in the classroom so we can discuss my strengths and places we can improve my teaching,” Shayer said.

Van Ryn said she started teaching lessons on her own earlier than many student teachers since she already had experience teaching college. Before spring break, she will have an entire month of instruction to herself. “When she has the month I’ll stay sometimes,” Daniels said, “but she’ll get more independent at the end, just like a student.”

“The toughest thing for student teachers is probably just learning how to manage all of the balls that teachers have to have in the air at the same time. There’s a balance that they have to learn,” said Pappas-Muyco.

However, both Van Ryn and Shayer seem to be adjusting quite well.

“Ms. Shayer is very good at relating to students,” Erehart said.

Katelyn Hutchins, a sophomore in Erehart’s geometry class, agrees.

“She explains things more thoroughly and she’s more fun,” Hutchins said. “I treat her the same way as I would a normal teacher.”

The future of the student teachers at South and the future of the program look bright.

“I think that we really have great student teachers this year that are highly motivated and are doing great things in classrooms,” Pappas-Muyco said.