I had the privilege of attending an online Indigenous Day of Learning via zoom meeting. I loved having options of which workshops we would like to attend, the one I chose was Changing Engagement for Indigenous Learners (Early Years, ECE -Grade 3). I found this lecture to be quite inspirational and felt that it was appropriate for me, as I am aiming to become a primary teacher. One thing that I took away from the workshop was that it is the teacher’s responsibility to find the joy of learning in our students, and if it is not noticeable then it is our job to create it for them in our classroom. Students come to school in all shapes and forms from diverse family backgrounds. It is so important for teachers to recognize this and help make a change for the better by providing the students with things that may be lacking at home, for example: some students might need a stable environment that provides daily routines. I think that providing stability and routines for students could really help students succeed and benefit in a positive way. As a future teacher, I hope that I am able to shine a light towards a path that takes students on a learning journey. I hope to inspire and help make a difference in each student’s learning experience in a positive way.
Educ.490 Practicum Experience
Just like that, the four week practicum came and gone – I guess time flies when you are having fun.
I truly had the most amazing experience during my practicum. I was placed in a grade two classroom with a well seasoned coaching teacher who was nothing but helpful. I fit right into the class and felt a sense of belonging, which was extremely rewarding for me. After jumping in with two feet, I got to know the students and felt that I connected well with each student. Once I was a little bit more comfortable in the classroom I got to teach my first lessons towards the end of the first week I was there. It felt awesome to get out there and jump into teaching, especially at the age level I got to work with. I think some major things that I noticed while evaluating myself as a teaching during the first week was how focused I was on sticking to my lesson plans and attempting to follow the pacing exactly the way I had wrote in the lesson plan. Now that I am finished practicum I can say that my biggest progression was learning to become flexible and realize that things are not going to go exactly according to the lesson plan. Things happen, students may need more time in areas, so knowing when to make transitions was a huge focus of my learning. I am still working on the smooth transitions, but I am now more aware of how to gauge when the students are ready to move forward into the lesson. Another positive experience I had during my practicum involves assessment. Normally assessment is overwhelming to me, especially from a teacher’s perspective, but my coaching teacher helped me gain some confidence in this area. I had been doing a writing unit about hot chocolate with my students, and once it was finished I was able to sit down with my coaching teacher and discuss assessment. We used a rubric that was incredibly easy to understand, and relevant for the students being at the grade two level. I loved being able to speak about how to assess the students and what ideas I had about assessment since I once found it to be intimidating. I am so thankful for the experience that I had with my coaching teacher, the students, and the school community. I hope that I continue on a positive learning journey, and gain more knowledge and confidence as a teacher.
Why Teach?
Something to know about me is that I never went to kindergarten. I was terrified because my teacher was scary, the school atmosphere was overwhelming, and I didn’t know most of the students. After crying for most of my first day of kindergarten, my mother decided to just wait a year and I will go back to school in grade 1. When that finally came, I wasn’t as scared and did really well and began to love going to school. I had a new teacher, lots of friends, and loved the learning environment in my classroom. A love for school grew from there, but it wasn’t until my grade 7 year that I was truly inspired to become a teacher. My elementary school was extremely small, there were 3 classrooms, a kindergarten class, a primary class with grades 1-3, and an intermediate class with grades 4-7. Teaching in those classrooms would have been a challenge because there were kids in all different grades, at all different levels and the teacher would have had to meet the needs of those students. I always found that most of the teachers never understood how to compensate for having more than one grade in the classroom, until I was in grade 7. My grade 7 teacher, Mrs. Mac, was such an inspiration to me and such a lovely person all around. She had a passion for teaching and that was completely visible in the classroom. I noticed that she was able to direct the classroom in a positive way and attend to each grade that was in my class. Mrs. Mac had really good energy and never made anyone feel bad or dumb for asking questions or being lost in the lesson. She encouraged questions, had positive relationships with the students, and understood that each of us were unique and have different learning styles. I remember coming home from school and wanting to play games with my sister, we usually played a game that we made up called ‘school’. We would set up a table to act as a desk, and I would be the teacher. I loved to tell my little sister what to do and make up assignments for her to complete. I think that a passion grew for me to become a teacher during my elementary school years and definitely flourished while having Mrs. Mac as a teacher. I am inspired to be like her one day in my own classroom, someone who can influence students when they are young is someone they will always remember. I believe that students need a teacher who understands and respects the diversity of the classroom and recognizes that each student is different and should be taught in a way that will benefit that individual. I feel grateful for having such an inspiring role model, and hope that one day I can do the same for one of my students.