How do you prepare for student teaching?

So glad you asked!!!

I was wholly unprepared for student teaching.  This is my advice:

1. Take loans to cover your expenses during your student teaching semester.  It is EXTREMELY difficult if not impossible to work part time and student teach.  Perhaps working part time on a weekend is ok, but you will be extremely busy during the week - more than you can possibly imagine.
2. Read "Crucial Conversations" and learn how to get comfortable with having difficult conversations with adults and children.  One thing I found when student teaching was that because I was only 20 when I did my semester, I felt pretty aligned to the kids (many were 17 or 18).  I had to learn how to back up and separate myself.  I had to learn how to talk to them and to their parents from a professional standpoint, which was brand new to me.
3. Carve out time for self care.  This will be a busy semester.  It will require creativity.  It will require energy and patience.  You should plan to take vitamins, get exercise, and have a lot of downtime while you are doing this work. 

GOOD LUCK!!