By Emily Gianni
The biggest issue with student teaching is that students are mandated to teach in the classroom and don’t get paid. When other majors have to get an internship during their undergraduate or graduate program, almost all of the time, they get paid. Some other majors do not even have to complete an internship, and if they choose to complete one, they still get paid! Why is it different for student teaching?
When student teaching, these students have to work a full-time job, going into the classroom and being another teacher for the students. They typically work about 6 to 10 hours of the day Monday through Friday. This is a full-time job in itself. On top of this, student teachers also have to take night classes to finish their program. Student teachers are working the same hours that regular teachers are, without getting paid for the work they are completing. Student teachers have no time to get another job if they are student teaching during the day and going to class at night.
Yes, student teachers are learning and this is a part of the curriculum, but other careers get paid while still learning. Many other jobs pay their new employees to train with them. When comparing this to student teaching, this job is a rising teacher’s experience and they should have an equal opportunity to get paid.
Many times, student teachers do not get to choose where they are placed, so every day, student teachers have to go to a school they may not want to go to and they have to pay for their own transportation, which may be over an hour commute. While student teachers are not getting paid, they have to pay for their transportation to and from the school they are placed in, which is wasting their money. Yet, they are not given a chance to make money because their student teaching job and night classes do not give students an opportunity to make money that will support them in paying for day-to-day items, school, rent and more. Student teaching goes on for many months at a time, which is a very long time for students to not make a steady income. This makes many students accumulate a large amount of debt, especially if students work to pay for their college education.
Some schools don’t allow their students to get other jobs while student teaching unless they are given permission. Almost every other major is allowed to work one or more jobs while in school, even if they get paid for the internship.
All unpaid internships have to go and the education system needs to be reevaluated to pay for student teachers to come into the classroom. They deserve the same treatment as other teachers, as they are working and helping the cooperating teacher out!