You are about to enter an exciting three-way partnership among supervisor, student, and cooperating teacher. This triad, supported by the Boston College community, shares a noble mission—the professional growth and development of teachers whose training is rooted in knowledge, guided by reflective practice, and nurtured by effective supervision.

Collectively we strive to support the pre-service teacher in his or her progress along a developmental continuum toward becoming a thoughtful, self-directed professional who can meet the many challenges posed by the schools of today.

Toward that end, we pledge to each of you our full support and energy in encouraging you to explore and enhance the skills necessary for realizing the challenges of mentoring, and learning the standards of a vital and essential profession.

Our relationship to our students does not end with graduation, but rather, continues thorough the lives of our alumni. Currently, we are in the process of developing a new social network for students and alumni of the Lynch School of Education to connect, network, and share jobs and resources. This exciting new endeavor is made possible by the support of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

It is our hope that your shared experiences will provide you with many and varied opportunities for your own personal and professional growth, and that your work with the Practicum Office program will be an exciting and enjoyable experience.

We are proud that all of our practicum experiences meet the requirement of the Massachusetts Department of Education, as written in the regulations for Licensure of Education. Our office is dedicated to providing service, support, and up-to-date information regarding licensure to our student teachers, cooperating professionals, and University supervisors.

We thank you for accepting this challenge. Remember, to teach is to touch a life forever.