Application Handbook Section 8

Important Information Concerning Placements

• The State of Indiana stipulates that student teaching must be a full-time, full-day experience. Most elementary student teaching is for 15 or 16 weeks, even if the student teacher is seeking minors/endorsements. Secondary and all-grade majors generally student teach 10 weeks; however, student teaching will vary depending upon the addition of minors/endorsements ranging from 10-16 weeks.
  
• Before determining where you would like to do student teaching, be sure to consult with your family concerning transportation, living arrangements, and the number of credit hours needed to be covered under your parents' insurance. Twelve credit hours is considered full-time by most insurance companies. Full-time status could affect your financial aid, also requiring 12 credit hours.
  
• YOU MUST ACCEPT THE FACT THAT FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS YOU MIGHT NOT STUDENT TEACH EXACTLY WHERE YOU PREFER. This is why we ask that you provide four (4) site preferences for each placement. Our office has a high percentage of students who do receive their first choice, but that is certainly not always the case.
  
• You should never contact a school district, school, or teacher regarding your placement. We will make all inquiries on your behalf.
  
• Securing a placement can sometimes be a complicated undertaking. It involves many people other than you and our office. We understand that it can be frustrating when your peers have been placed and you have not been placed. Some cooperating schools are a little slower than we would wish; they have many other responsibilities and priorities. Additionally, no school is required to take a student teacher. Inertness for certain placements is something we live with every year, and while we certainly hope your placement is resolved quickly (most of them are), we recognize that a small portion of placements will take longer than either you or this office would like.
  
• It is impossible for our office to place every student before landlords want students to finalize apartment leases. WE ARE UNABLE TO WORK OUT YOUR PLACEMENT AROUND BLOOMINGTON LANDLORDS' TIMETABLES. We do understand the situation, but we do not want to keep calling schools so often seeking information about your placement that school officials would become "turned off" and would reject the application.
  
• There is really nothing you can do to speed up the placement process. We are in constant touch with schools where applications are pending; we're working on your case, in order to gain a sense of your placement status. PLEASE BE PATIENT! You will be notified as soon as possible concerning your placement. Calling or e-mailing us inquiring about the status of placement only takes time to answer that could be spent making calls about your placement and others.
  
• The Office of Student Teaching will notify you about where and with whom you are placed. You will receive an email from our office that will contain a link to a website where you will be able to view the specifics of your placement(s). You will receive an automated email confirmation the moment we receive your confirmation from the school.
  

Go to Table of Contents