Please see #4 on the following page
THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER CANDIDATE
Welcome to your clinical practice! This experience provides the opportunity to apply the
acquired knowledge, skills and attributes you have gained over the past semesters in an
actual classroom setting. Experience has shown there are certain characteristics essential
to a successful clinical practice. Successful teaching also involves a number of
responsibilities. Both of these are described in more detail below.
Characteristics of Effective Candidates
 Professional attitude and behavior:
Having a professional attitude means demonstrating skills and attributes necessary of
effective teaching. You must constantly be seeking, learning, thinking, growing, and
expanding your skills in the field of education. You must exhibit a positive attitude and
professional demeanor. In addition you must display sensitivity to and respect for
students, colleagues and school personnel as individuals with differing skills, talents,
interests and ethno-cultural norms.
You are a model for your students and as such you should demonstrate professionalism in
all of your interactions; both written and oral communication. Every written item should
be neat and legible with correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary. Slang
and colloquialisms should be avoided. Correct grammar, pronunciation, and terminology
should be used at all times.
 Flexibility:
You must be flexible and have the ability to adapt and adjust to the realities of school life.
You must be open-minded to others’ perspectives, be collaborative and work well with
others. You will need to deal with frustrations, problems, and differences in opinion that
are inherent in any learning environment in mature ways and use appropriate channels to
resolve any conflicts.
 Work ethic:
You are expected to go above and beyond the expected. It is important that you become
an active member of the learning community and be prepared for the amount of work
required of a teacher. To be a professional you must go the extra mile for the students, the
school and the families. You must show initiative, integrity, resourcefulness and
responsibility.
 Commitment:
Not all lessons will succeed nor will all students always respond as expected. How you
deal with these experiences is critical. You must demonstrate your belief that all students
can learn at higher levels as well as your confidence that you can teach all students. This
commitment includes the willingness to persevere when faced with challenges, to accept
and apply constructive feedback from others and to develop new teaching methods,
techniques, and materials. Continual reflection and self-assessment is also expected of
you as a professional educator.
Responsibilities of the Candidate:
1. To review and follow the system and school policies. You are functioning as a
member of the school staff and, as such, you should know and follow all policies with
regard to staff members.
2. To follow the calendar of the school district rather than the calendar of the college
You can locate the school district’s calendar on their specific website.
3. To learn the dress code for the school and keep within the policy.
4. To maintain, at a minimum, teachers' hours as required by the school. You are to
record the daily times and hours on the log sheet found in the forms packet. You are
also expected to report punctually to all school duties as required of the school-based
clinical faculty.
5. To notify the school, the school-based clinical faculty and the PC clinical faculty
immediately if you have an emergency and must be late or absent. The school office
and the school-based clinical faculty must be notified before the school day begins
6. To place school duties ahead of personal concerns/activities and accept
responsibilities which are an integral part of the profession.
7. To learn the basic, daily routines of the classroom and school as quickly as possible.
8. To establish and maintain a trusted relationship with pupils, parents, support
personnel, and colleagues.
9. To design and use a variety of learner activities which are appropriate to instructional
objectives.
10. To use positive means to influence and manage classroom learning behavior.
11. To safeguard personal and confidential student information and share it only with
those who need to know.
12. To submit written plans to the school-based clinical faculty well in advance and to
prepare materials for teaching prior to the class.
13. To use initiative in seeking opportunities to be helpful in the classroom and to
become involved in the instructional program some way each day. Therefore you are
not to work on your own lessons while students are in the room or if there is
opportunity to conference with your school-based clinical faculty.
14. To satisfactorily meet the stated college requirements for graduation and successful
completion of student teaching; including taking all required certification exams.
(See Presbyterian College Academic Catalog)
15. To attend seminars required by the college or supervisor.
16. To demonstrate professionalism as required of teacher candidates representing
Presbyterian College and as required by South Carolina Code of Conduct.
Status of the Candidate
Teacher candidates should avoid creating any situations that might eventually involve
legal entanglements. Therefore, you cannot be assigned as a substitute teacher during
clinical practice or to be left alone with students in potentially hazardous situations (e.g.
outdoor supervision, bus supervision). If there is an emergency which necessitates the
absence of a teacher in another classroom, it is recommended that the experienced
person, the school-based clinical faculty, teach in the other classroom until a substitute
can be secured.
However, the school-based clinical faculty remains responsible under the law for what
occurs in the classroom regardless of their presence or absence. When the school-based
clinical faculty leaves a teacher candidate in complete charge of a class, they do so at
their own risk and may incur liability of injury resulting to students in their charge.
Although the faculty may periodically leave the candidate in charge of the class, the
maturity level of the class, the candidate’s ability and the nature of the classroom activity
must be taken into consideration before the faculty leaves the classroom.
All teacher candidates are strongly encouraged to purchase liability insurance available
through the campus organization of PSTA.