45-Hour Pre-Professional Experience
The 45-Hour Pre-Professional Experience is the initial field experience in teacher education. It is an opportunity for you to work with students and classroom instructors to experience the teaching/learning process. You will spend 45 hours observing a certified teacher in a classroom. Noncontact hours such as preparing materials for classes, attending school meetings, etc., cannot be included in the 45 contact hour requirement.
It is important that you experience the classroom environment and observe how teachers use their professional knowledge to engage learners in mastering skills content. By having this kind of experience early in your professional preparation, you can assess your interest in and talents for teaching. Also, you will be able to relate these experiences to concepts presented in your professional education courses. Those who really like being part of the learning environment and helping students learn will find this an enjoyable experience. If this is not an enjoyable experience, it may be an indicator that a teaching career is not the best choice for you.