The "Teacher's Helper" Story

It was an ordinary day. My final student teacher had just finished his term with me. Freedom at last I thought. This is not always the case with my student teachers. I have had many that did a fantastic job and are now teaching across the state and also in neighboring states. But, I had a few duds. Really bad! During my 33 years of teaching high school Industrial Arts, I had 36 student teachers. All came from Millersville University, formerly Millersville State Teachers College. You may not have a student teacher, until you have taught for several years. After 5 years of teaching, I was approached by Millersville about taking a student teacher for a semester. Fun experience. It is quite a bit of work and a tremendous responsibility. But, you are paid for your efforts and expertise. $300. Comes to about $1 an hour for all the time you must spend with the student teacher and the forms you must fill out. I did enjoy it and felt I owed Millersville for putting up with me for over 4 years. Some years I was asked to take a student teacher for both semesters and two years I had four, each staying with me for 9 weeks. Eventually Manheim Township School District put a limit on having a student teacher of one per year. OK by me. Now I had an excuse if I didn't want one. Some student teachers I had knew very little about the subject. How they reached this point in their career was a mystery to me. So, they became an extra student in my room. I had one named John who was balding and had a hair transplant. Neat rows of a few strands of hair in each hole. Students didn't take too well to him. He also, after finding out my father was a jeweler, leaned on me to help him in his love life and get a cheap engagement ring. Nice enough guy, but didn't get a high rating from me. Then there was Ryan who did a fantastic job. He was very tech savvy and taught not only the students, but me, how to design and construct a web page. I'm not sure he stayed in education with the knowledge he had of computers. Another, Jim, was a very dedicated student teacher and eventually was hired by MTSD to replace me, but he was not well liked by the students. Only stayed two years. And lastly, there was Ruth. She was one of two student teachers I had that were female. One was a young girl and then there was Ruth. I had both of her sons in class before she decided she wanted to be an industrial arts instructor. She entered Millersville and eventually ended up in my classroom as my student teacher. Not your traditional student teacher by any means. And she wasn't suited to the course. Her knowledge level was non-existent, but she did end up teaching metal shop in an inner city school district. I will always remember her for her student profile she filled out before student teaching. It was given to me, her cooperating teacher, as she entered student teaching. As I read it I was amazed at what she found important to tell me. Under physical limitations, she wrote that she had ......... a hysterectomy!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.