I just wanted to thank everyone who replied to my concerns on teaching while in graduate school without the availability of an assistantship. Your responses were very helpful and I have taken them into serious consideration while I'm planning for my future career. Sincerely, Jessica Percodani "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -Henry Ford
Hello, I will be entering a clinical Psy.D. program this fall 2000 straight from earning my bachelors degree in psychology. The program that I will be attending does not offer teaching assistantships, because it is a small school that really takes pride in its faculty being teachers. I would like to keep my options open as far as being able to teach on the undergraduate level after earning my doctorate (even though I am primarily interested in private practice now and this is what my program emphasizes), but I'm not sure how to accomplish this if I can't get graduate teaching experience. I do have extensive undergraduate experience in teaching psychology 101 for 50 minute periods once every week during my last semester. My faculty mentor and my students gave me rave reviews. My question is...what options do I have that will keep the teaching option open to me (if any)? Would substitute teaching in a high school have any positive impact on teaching on the undergrad level after earning my doctorate? Is it idealistic to think that my undergraduate institution may offer me a summer teaching position for an introductory course while I'm in graduate school so that I can get some more experience? (There are several faculty in my undergraduate department who have clinical Psy.D.s and I have had masters' psychology students at my undergraduate university teaching summer courses before). I would appreciate any advice or suggestions that anyone may have for my situation. Thank you, Jessica Percodani
