Dear Editor:

I am currently completing my student teaching experience, a requirement of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. My student teaching experience mirrors life as a teacher for 14 weeks. Its purpose is to give students a supportive, mentored and introductory environment into the teaching profession.

While I value the ability to work with an experienced teacher, I must confess that the student teaching experience seems burdensome. College seniors are expected (or required) to make great concessions during their senior year to satisfy its expectations. For example, I am required to drive myself to my assigned school, find parking, work a 40-hour work week and participate in a mandatory weekly seminar.

I understand that this experience is truly my first step into my profession, and I respect the importance of this experience which will make my transition into teaching less stressful. Nevertheless, consider that this experience is a state-mandated, unpaid internship which includes me paying $25,570 in a semester’s worth of tuition to St. Joe’s for me to do the same work as a salaried teacher.

This creates a burden of access and feasibility for aspiring educators. This simply does not seem fair to student teachers.

Warmly,

Thomas Betterly ’24