I love the idea of team teaching. Everything about working alongside another teacher, I feel, would offer students a better chance at understanding the subject matter. Better yet, it would be a great way of introducing newer teachers to the classroom in a way that feels natural and prepares the inexperienced teacher for the rigors of school, district, and national expectations. Too often I have heard from my professors that the first few years of teaching are all about "surviving". I feel that this type of approach does a disservice to the students. If a new teacher is meant to merely survive in the classroom, then what can the students truly learn? What will they gain from someone who is completely inexperienced with full-time teaching? Instead of the edtpa, wouldn't student teachers gain more experience and exposure teaching alongside a veteran? It is my belief that younger teachers should have a teaching partner so that the focus of the first few years of actual teaching are focused on the students instead of the teacher's survival. This would allow a smoother transition from student teaching to full-on teaching. But instead, student teachers are relegated to learning how to write lesson plans and work towards "surviving" those first few years. Because God forbid our students actually gain anything those first few years.
