For the last three years, I have always had a student intern assigned to me. Internships are granted to students who have completed many of the core credits, have shown a productive and positive attitude toward school, and are genuinely helpful towards teachers, staff, and students.
A Giver or a Taker?
As one teacher pointed out earlier this year, interns can be givers or takers. Meaning there are interns who do all their tasks unassisted, are independent, and don’t necessarily need the teacher for guidance. These are the givers. The takers are the interns who need that one on one attention from a teacher. They may need a mentor to help them sort out some issues. Maybe they need a study hall period and they use the extra class time for assignments from their general classes. When I choose students as interns, I look for a balance or at least one of each for my two prep periods. The statement of givers and takers doesn’t necessarily mean one is better than the other. It just means we as teachers need to be prepared on what kind of class our internship period is going to be.
Teacher Benefits and Concerns of having Student Interns
Benefits
- Making copies, scanning paperwork
- Help running errands with in the building
- Grading basic assignments (multiple choice mostly) or stamping warm-ups
- Cleaning up after classes and sanitizing tables
- Sorting through paperwork and organizing shelves, etc
Concerns
- Sometimes need to be left unattended or in the care of another teacher, so they need to have that level of responsibility
- If students miss a day of school with no warning, the tasks they help with now fall on you.
- If the teacher misses a day of school, that student now needs to be assigned to some other staff member.
How do I choose my interns?
When choosing interns, I first look at the students I already have established a connection with. I never choose students who have just started classes because I do not know them just yet. There is a lot of trust and responsibility that comes with being an intern. I then evaluate students on their attendance. Interns must have at minimum over a 70% attendance rate across the board in their classes, but the higher the rate the better. Then I look at student performance in classes. Students must be passing all their classes with a ‘C’ minimum. I then ask their teachers and dean of students how students perform in and out of classes behavior wise. I have had students that I wanted as interns because they always performed so well for me in my own class, but turns out they happen to not be doing so well in other classes. The students I choose for interns not only have to be trusted by me, but the staff as well. Interns will representing not only myself, but the school at times so they must be able to work with all teachers and staff members.
Since I prefer consistency, I now choose students at the beginning of the year that will be with me until the end of the year. During the fourth quarter, I will double up on students so that outgoing interns will train the new interns for the following year. I am currently putting out feelers to some students who have asked to be my intern. This is to encourage those that truly interested, to step up their game this quarter.
My past and current interns
Over the years, I have had six student interns. Each student has brought a unique personality to my prep periods. Some of my interns have been successful and have moved on to bigger and better things. M.V. is now one of my coworkers; they are a receptionist within the agency and I always hear good reviews about their work ethic. Y.C. participated in the BankWork$ program where they learned banking skills in order to achieve a teller or higher position within a bank. One of my current interns is participating in a dual enrollment program where they go to college classes during the second half of the day.
Now, not every intern has been a successful intern for me. My very first intern was chosen due to my personal connection with them as a mom. I was pregnant and knew I would need a little extra help during the second half of the year since that was majority my third trimester. They had very strong attendance first and second quarter. But, when it came to third quarter unfortunately, their attendance began to slip and they ended up losing their internship. They still graduated at the end of the school year, which is a great worry for many students.
The Takeaway
I hope my student interns find what they are looking for when they are with me. Whether it is a mentor to guide them through the trials of being a teenager in Chicago, or job skills that they can place on a resume in order to advance their careers, I hope to provide them with what they need so they can be successful.
Ms. V's Learning Journey 