Supervision in Schools & Community Centers ; Working closely with students who are engaged in field experiences in the local schools is an important part of the courses that I teach both in the fall and in the spring. This past spring (2013) I arranged and supervised the student teaching practicums for six high school candidates who were placed at Jordan High School. Three content areas were represented: math, science, and social studies. Student teachers require various levels of support and this group had two high needs students, so I spent a minimum of 15 hours per week at their school site. Coordinating and overseeing the practicums of student teachers is a time-intensive but rewarding endeavor. I met regularly with the mentor teachers, three of whom were new to the STPP. I also assisted each student teacher with unit and lesson planning. In addition to the coordination of the student teaching practicum, I observed each student teacher formally and informally and completed a mid-term and final evaluation in conjunction with the mentor teacher. Following the mid-term and final evaluations, I met with each student teacher to debrief and reflect on the evaluation. Along with the observations, I met informally with mentor teachers on an ongoing basis to discuss each candidates' performance and to address any concerns. The fall semester (2013) supervision was focused on the six new STPP candidates who will be student teaching in the spring of 2014. Since I taught the methods course this past fall, I worked closely with the mentor teachers as the student teachers completed their Fall Internship Portfolio. In the fall, student teachers visit their school site to complete required activities and to work in their mentor teacher's classroom. I also met with each mentor teacher for a formal evaluation conference in December to assess the students' readiness level for the spring student teaching practicum. Additionally, I communicate with the on-site coordinator at Jordan High School who helps to facilitate smooth transitions for student teachers. In addition to the methods-focus of this course, we have also incorporated a "local to global" component that features collaboration with the elementary teacher preparation program. The fall semester began with a book study of The Best of Enemies followed by an insightful guided tour of the community surrounding Duke University. The global component is an exciting and collaborative experience that includes taking the secondary and elementary student teachers to Shiv Nadar University in India. In preparation for this new experience, we conducted five pre-departure workshops to help contextualize our upcoming trip. The other two courses that I teach in the fall, EDUC 243 and EDUC 363, have a 20-hour service learning component, so the students' work in the schools and after-school community centers is also a component of supervision. Both courses carry the writing code, so much time is devoted to this area. In addition, EDUC 363 carries the R (research) code; students conduct a qualitative research study focused on local school leaders. This past semester students interviewed a school board member, a former superintendent/principal and a current middle school principal. Coordinating these sessions was also a time-intensive and rewarding endeavor, and students shared that they appreciated having the opportunity to connect theory to practice.