Why we need paid student teaching
By Retaj Bages, NJAEA Member, Montclair State University
Every Thursday and Friday, I walk into a second-grade classroom as a clinical intern. I work
with students, observe my cooperating teacher, prepare and teach lessons, as well as experience firsthand what it means to be responsible for a classroom and the weight that responsibility carries.
But I am doing it unpaid.
Right now, I am balancing clinical practice with my college courses, Praxis exams, and my job as a substitute teacher. I spend two full days each week at my clinical placement, which means two days when I cannot accept a substitute teaching assignment and earn an income. In the spring, I will begin Clinical II, when student teaching becomes five full days a week. I will essentially have the schedule of a full-time educator while still being a full-time college student.
I will no longer have weekdays available to substitute teach.
So what am I supposed to do for income while completing the experience required for me to become a teacher?
Although this is my experience, I know it is not mine alone. Aspiring educators across New
Jersey are completing the clinical hours required to enter this profession while also trying to support themselves financially. As we give more of our time to becoming educators, our ability to earn an income becomes smaller. New Jersey has recognized this financial burden before, with eligible student teachers previously receiving state-funded stipends during clinical practice.
There are also ongoing legislative efforts to establish a permanent New Jersey Student Teacher Scholarship Program. Assembly Bill A3056 proposes providing eligible student teachers with up to $7,200 for each semester of full-time clinical practice. The legislation states that the purpose of the program is to “reduce financial barriers to teacher certification.”
I want to focus on becoming the strongest educator I can be, not on how I will replace the income I can no longer earn. And I want that same opportunity for every aspiring educator working toward their own classroom. We are investing in our futures as educators. Supporting us along the way is an investment in the future of New Jersey’s classrooms.