Not very many people at Auburn University get to experience what education majors do. While lots of people intern, very few get to completely step in the shoes of professionals the way student teachers do.

Student teaching is generally a three-month (one semester) assignment for education majors. These students are assigned a school, grade and specific class from many of the surrounding areas. They go to this school every day of the work week from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The student teachers will shadow a specific teacher and their class, and they will also spend two weeks independently teaching the class.

Many Fleming is a senior at Auburn University, and she is student teaching at Smith Station Primary in Smith Station. She was assigned to a first grade class of 16 children. There is a low student to teacher ratio at Smith Station Primary because it is made up of only kindergarten and first grade, and there are many separate classes. For example, there are 26 first grade classes at Smith Station Primary.

“I was so excited to begin student teaching, but it was hard to get use to the schedule at first,” says Fleming. “It’s a 40-minute drive, and when I first got my school I was really nervous about gas money. But a friend of mine was also assigned Smith Station, so we have been able to trade off driving, and it hasn’t been that bad.”

The “friend” Fleming is referring to is Cassie Cherof, who also teaches first grade at Smith Station Primary.

“Mandy and I have had lots of great stories to share on our drives to and from school, that’s for sure,” says Cherof. “It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life so far, and I feel like I have learned more so far this semester than all of my years of school combined. There is something special about getting the first hand experience. You gain something that you can’t ever learn in a classroom. No pun intended,” Cherof laughs.

Last week was “Read Across America” week in honor of Dr. Seuss’s 109th birthday. Fleming said it was her favorite experience while teaching yet. This week fell under Fleming’s time of independent teaching, so she had the opportunity to incorporate special reading-based activities into her lesson plans. She even arranged for a close friend of hers to come read a couple of Dr. Seuss books to the class.

“They seemed to really enjoy ‘Read Across America’ week, and it makes me feel good that I can provide these kids with an education and fun at the same time,” says Fleming. “It’s so funny because I can love and hate those kids so much at the same time, and no matter how much trouble they get in or how much I have to punish them, I think they will always love me too.”



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