Excitement to Inspiration

  

                Even though this blog entry is a little bit behind current events, I wanted to talk about it nonetheless. Last week at my placement, three classes learning about governmental systems were able to participate in the “Student Vote”. At first I thought that it was going to be similar to my experience with government in elementary school. As students, we were briefly told about the different parties and then expected to take part in a mock election. At the time I seemed confused by everything that was going on and just checked off a box simply based on the candidate’s name. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my placement class on October 6^th. The students were excited not only at the fact that they could participate in a school mock election, but that the provincial election was taking place that day, specifically with a polling station in their gymnasium. The students were ecstatic that they were taking part in something that they knew was extremely important. At one point during a math lesson, they got off track and into a competitive debate about which party was going to win. Just a sample of the many remarks I heard:

                “Are we going to see the winner’s on TV when we go home?”

                “Can we find out our class results today?”

                “Will our class results be on CHCH news?”

Posters that were displayed at our school

             It was great! We set up the Student Vote in the gymnasium on the opposite side of the actual polling station. Students came in as a class, received a ballot, went behind a polling screen and voted. We even had official ballot boxes where they could submit their votes! I thought the whole process was amazing and left school feeling exhilarated. Aside from the fact that the students were interested in politics, I think it had more to do with the fact that this was my first experience seeing students excited about learning. It was humorous yet serious, and 100% inspiring to see young students completely immersed in an educational topic.

The Surplus Situation

 For the last week I have been debating how I want to blog about my first experience at my placement school and couldn’t settle on a topic to address. Instead of tossing back and forth between “should I or shouldn’t I” remarks, I now realize I could have just explained the craziness I stepped into on the first day. It wasn’t the “typical” day I had imagined; observing students and teaching strategies, starting new connections or even getting to know learning styles of some of my students. I did do all of those things at some point, but my mind was entirely focused on the “surplus situation”.                

        The placement school that I am currently at has too many teachers for the amount of students, and therefore one teacher has the unfortunate task of heading to a different school. While this whole process took me by complete surprise, I soon realized that this was just the beginning of the problem. Despite the fact that it is just one teacher leaving the school, it directly affects almost every classroom. Students are being be shuffled to balance classroom numbers, prep times and duty times are changing, teachers are shifting from teaching one grade to another, or even shifting to an entirely new position altogether. Even though this may be second-nature to some educators, I had NO idea that this could ever happen. I can’t even begin to imagine being three weeks into the school year and having to start from scratch. When I first got emerged into the issue myself (my Associate Teacher shifting positions), I felt lost about what was going to take place over the next few weeks. However, looking back on last week, I am thankful that I got to experience this, I learned some great lessons. I saw first-hand how a “typical” day can be turned upside down by one short staff meeting. Teacher traits that I have read about over and over again finally came to life. Flexible. Adaptable. Open-minded. I was in awe. Teachers becoming frantic inside had to remain calm in front of the students who knew nothing of what would soon be taking place. Most importantly, I saw how a small school community stuck together, collectively agreeing to work through the rearrangements together.


         Tomorrow should prove to be an exciting day!

Learning one gigabyte at a time..

I’m approximately three weeks into my educational journey in the Tech Cohort, and couldn’t be more amazed at all that I have learned. Looking back at myself three weeks ago, I feel as though I am reflecting about a different person. That’s not to say that I have been morphed into a completely new person, I have just noticed that my thoughts, knowledge, and ideas about technology have exploded into something I never even imagined. Sure, I knew what a SMART board was, but if I was asked to explain any of the features or even how to plug one into my computer, I was a deer in the headlights. However, after three great sessions of training that is no longer the case. I have been introduced to many new tools and programs not only by my knowledgeable advisors, but by a group of inspirational learners in the same position that I am in. I feel extremely grateful to be a part of a group that is striving to set new and innovative goals for education and learning.

                Now that I do know the basics of some of the recent innovative tools for education, I find myself expressing concerns that seem to be quite common among my peers. What if I get to my placement school and find the tools I’ve been learning about are nowhere to be seen? How can we reach students that don’t have the money to buy a cell phone? Collectively as a technology cohort, we have to remember that this is just a barrier to overcome! One of the many things I learned in the Concurrent program is that there are always going to be challenges in any school and with the knowledge we have been given in these past three weeks, I know that there are always going to be answers to any dilemma. Whether it is through collaboration, creating stations in a classroom, or even asking a colleague to borrow a certain tool, students can still be inspired to learn in new ways. Education is changing and as educators we need to change with it in order to reach a new generation of thinkers. I’m not exactly sure where this year is going to take me, all I know is I have been given a great opportunity and the foundation to create something amazing.

The Next Chapter

                Beginning a new chapter in my educational career as a teacher candidate at Brock University, I thought my first blog should start off as an explanation of why I am writing this today. For as long as I can recall, I have wanted to be a teacher. I cannot pinpoint one exact moment or event where the “light bulb” went off. Deep down I just always knew this is where I would be. Just like many other teachers, I have been influenced by some exceptional educators. However, three in particular have helped shape who I am today. The first was my Physical Education teacher in elementary school. Even as a soft-spoken person, he could captivate the attention of thirty rambunctious kids running aimlessly around a gymnasium. I couldn’t wait to be old enough to join his demonstration skipping team that raised awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Looking back I can recognize his dedication and commitment to inspire students to get involved in their school lives. The next teacher to influence me was my homeroom teacher in Grade 7. Not only did he teach me the fundamentals, he created an exciting, inclusive and comfortable learning environment. While these seem like typical indicators of a “successful” classroom, I can’t even begin to convey the importance and effect that this particular school year had upon me. It lit the flame for teaching I already had inside of me. Even though I knew I wanted to teach and hopefully inspire children the way I had been inspired, I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to head in until Grade 11. Taking part in a peer tutor class with an inspiring advisor, I was able to discover my interest in Social Studies, specifically Geography. Never before had I felt so passionate about a school subject, I had finally found my niche! This particular advisor demonstrated how enthusiasm for subject matter could be passed along to students.

                As I have moved through Brock University in the Concurrent Education Program, I have been exposed to new strategies, assessment methods and innovative tools. However, this year is truly going to be my test. Bringing together everything that I have learned over the past four years may seem simple enough, but I was not even aware of what “innovative” meant until selecting the Technology Leadership Cohort. Who knew a BlackBerry could seem out of date? Knowing now that classrooms are changing, at an alarming speed I may add, I am exhilarated, anxious and determined to be a successful 21^st century teacher. If you’re wondering what a 21^st century teacher is, well I guess you will have to stay tuned along my journey to find out.