Duties of Teacher Trainee: What You Need to Do and Why It Matters

When you become a teacher trainee, a student teacher undergoing supervised classroom experience as part of your education degree. Also known as a student teacher, you’re not just observing—you’re stepping into the role of an educator, even if you’re still learning how to do it well. This isn’t a theory class. It’s hands-on work where your actions directly affect real students. You’ll plan lessons, manage behavior, grade assignments, and talk to parents—all under the watchful eye of a mentor teacher. These duties aren’t optional extras. They’re the core of becoming a real teacher.

One of your biggest responsibilities is classroom management, the ability to create a structured, respectful, and productive learning environment. You won’t just stand at the front and lecture. You’ll learn how to handle disruptions without raising your voice, how to keep students engaged when they’re distracted, and how to build routines so learning flows naturally. You’ll also learn how to differentiate instruction, tailoring lessons to meet students with different learning speeds and styles. Not every student learns the same way. Some need visuals. Others need hands-on activities. Your job is to notice who’s falling behind and who’s ready to go further—and adjust on the fly.

You’ll also spend time preparing lessons that match the school’s curriculum. That means more than copying worksheets. You’ll need to understand why a topic is taught at a certain grade level, what skills students should master by the end, and how to connect it to real life. You’ll write lesson plans, gather materials, and test activities before trying them with a class. And yes, you’ll make mistakes. That’s normal. The best teacher trainees aren’t the ones who get it perfect—they’re the ones who reflect, ask for feedback, and try again.

Part of your duty is building relationships. You’ll talk to students one-on-one, listen to their concerns, and sometimes be the only adult who checks in with them. You’ll also work with mentor teachers, school staff, and sometimes parents. These aren’t side tasks—they’re part of what makes teaching meaningful. Teaching isn’t just about content. It’s about trust, consistency, and care.

And you’ll be graded on all of it. Your mentor will observe you, give you written feedback, and help you improve. You’ll keep a journal. You’ll reflect on what worked and what didn’t. You’ll learn to see your own teaching through someone else’s eyes. This is how you grow—from being someone who knows a lot, to someone who can help others learn.

What you do as a teacher trainee now shapes everything after. The lessons you plan, the way you handle a tough day, how you respond to feedback—these aren’t just assignments. They’re the foundation of your teaching identity. And the posts below show real examples of what other trainees faced, how they handled challenges, and what they learned. You’re not alone in this. These stories are your roadmap.