Field Experiences and Student Teaching

The location of Messiah College affords great opportunity for students to observe and teach in a wide variety of school settings. Within easy drive of the College are numerous suburban, rural, and urban school districts. The Teacher Education Program regularly places students in as many as twenty different school districts each year and enjoys positive, collaborative relationships with these districts.

Each teacher education student has three or more placements in public school settings during the four-year program. An attempt is made to have placements in varied settings. Every effort is made to provide the teacher education candidate with opportunities to work with students at various grade levels within the certification range of the program.

General Guidelines for School Placements

Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from field experience and student teaching sites. No College transportation will be available to students who are enrolled in field-based courses or student teaching. In early courses, students are placed with car pooling possibilities in mind. During student teaching, most students find it beneficial to have their own means of transportation, even if car pooling may be possible.

All arrangements for placements in school settings are initiated and secured through the Director of Teacher Education.  If you have suggestions of school districts and teachers that might provide good experience for our students, please relay these in writing to the Director of Teacher Education. Students and faculty should refrain from attempting to negotiate placements on their own. Official placements are the responsibility of the D.T.E. and the respective school districts. Students with special requests/suggestions regarding their placement should convey those to the Director of Teacher Education in writing. Even though such a request will be considered, there is no guarantee that students will be placed in the exact setting requested. Placement for student teaching will not be made in the district from which a student graduated. It is the practice of the Teacher Education Program not to return students to the site of an earlier field experience to complete student teaching.

Placement assignments are usually kept to within an approximate 30 minute drive from campus.  In rare cases, a student may request a specific placement that would be outside of the college's normal boundaries for student teaching sites.  Requests of this nature, which would require unusually long travel times for the college supervisor will be considered ONLY if:

1. The student presents a written request and supporting rationale for such placement at the time of application to the Professional Semester
2. The student understands and agrees to the possibility of a modified schedule of visitations/observations by the college supervisor.
3. The student agrees to pay additional costs that may be incurred by the college due to the distance from campus of the placement site. (This amount will be estimated and agreed upon in advance of placement confirmation).

Students are subject to and required to comply with any additional rules, regulations, and/or expectations as may be imposed by the district to which they are assigned for field experiences and/or student teaching.