Master’s Program Survival Kit
By: Megan Schmidt and Max Desmond
May 1st, 2024
Phase 1: Summer Courses
Megan’s Tips
- This is the most important time
to be taking notes!
- In later courses I ended
up referring to a lot of the
lesson planning
information shared at the
beginning of the
program.
- Write down a few things
about your classmates
when everyone does their
introductions. These
notes can help you
connect with others
during group projects
and online learning.
Max’s Tips
Get your substitute teacher
license!
- You are going to have
many opportunities to
help substitute for not
only your mentor but
others in your school. It is
an excellent way to see
different classrooms and
work on your
management skills. Also a
little extra cash never
hurts.
Phase 2: Internship
Megan’s Tips
- Make a plan and schedule to Watch & Learn
complete your action research
project.
- This is the most involved
assignment of the
program, and it’s easy to
lose track of time with
everything going on in
the fall semester.
- Consider combining
quantitative and
qualitative research and
remain open minded
when determining what
you’ll record as data.
- Choose something that
you’re passionate about!
Max’s Tips
- This is the time to focus
on your own learning. It
can be tempting to be
walking around and
trying to co-teacher all
the time. Make sure to be
watching your mentor
and taking notes on all
the little tips and tricks
that you feel will help you
in your teaching.
Phase 3: Student Teaching

Megan’s Tips Max’s Tips

- Focus on building Start teaching on your own

relationships with your mentor ASAP
teacher and students.
- Classroom management
is a lot easier when you
have trusting
relationships with
students.
- The more you get to know
your mentor teacher, the
more comfortable you’ll
be asking questions and
advocating for your
experience in the
classroom.
- Now is the time to make
mistakes and learn from
them. Your mentor is
there to help you! When
you get stuck or don’t
know what to do, ask for
help. It is far better to
goof things up (which you
will) with your mentor in
the room and you can get
that immediate feedback
with possible solutions.