Application to Student Teach

Students generally apply to student teach approximately one year in advance.  In other words, if you plan to student teach in the fall, you will need to attend a preliminary meeting to declare that intention the previous fall.  The meeting for student teachers intending to student teach in the fall is generally held in early September, while the meeting for those intending to student teach in the spring semester is generally held in early February.  You should receive email notification of these meetings, so it’s important that you check your email regularly.  Use the checklist on the following page to determine your eligibility for student teaching.  Ultimately, however, your professors, advisor, and the coordinator of the program have the final authority on whether or not candidates are ready for student teaching in a particular semester. 

Students may indicate first, second, and third choices of location in our three “centers” (Cortland/Ithaca, Syracuse, Binghamton) for student teaching. While the Office of Field Experience and School Partnerships (hereafter known as OFESP)makes every effort to accommodate students’ requests, in the end, students must be prepared to take whatever placements are made for them, understanding that many factors, including the availability of host teachers and supervisors, determine where placements are made.  Students are expected to arrange for their own transportation to and from their placements, so having access to a vehicle, while not absolutely mandatory, is strongly advised. 

Students seeking a more urban student teaching experience are encouraged to investigate the option of student teaching in New York City.  Yet another option which is available but which takes some advance planning involves student teaching at the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  For more information on student teaching in New York City or Australia, students should plan to gather information from the OFESP immediately upon their acceptance to the program. 

At the time of application to student teach, students must also submit a resume to OFESP.  Please note that because the OFESP coordinators begin working on securing placements within weeks of having received a student’s Intent to Student Teach form. Because the department assigns faculty members to supervision based on the number of students who have indicated that they will be student teaching in a given semester, it is extremely disruptive when students change their minds about student teaching at the last minute.  For that reason, students who decide NOT to student teach in the semester they have indicated may forfeit the privilege of indicating a preferred geographical area for their placement.  To avoid penalties, plan ahead.