Focus Question #1: Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships: Invitation & Hospitality.

Before the school bell rang, staff members of the Albert Community School mentioned that a majority of their students live under the poverty line. This educational environment builds a hospitable and invitational place by using a Dream Broker and serving free meals. A Dream Broker is a program for students who wish to participate in extracurricular activities but do not meet the financial funds to afford them. The Dream Broker’s purpose is to register the student in whichever activity they want to play in, pay for the child, and drive them to the games. Similarly, the school offers breakfast and lunch to the children everyday, and it is delivered to the school by the Regina Food Bank. In essence these strategies are significant because students will feel safe and welcome at school.

On my first day attending the field placement, my instructors honored different ways of knowing and doing in the classroom by supporting their students. For example, while my grade 5 / 6 instructor was teaching English, she assigned her students with worksheets related to spelling, vowels, and writing paragraphs. One of the students submitted the worksheet earlier than the others and appeared to be rushing the task. Thereafter, the teacher explained to the student it is better to understand the requirements and take your time, rather than finishing the job quickly without putting in the effort. Similarly, I honored a way of doing in the classroom by supporting students with their homework. One student was having trouble understanding a term, so I explained the definition in many ways and related it to their surroundings in order for the student to understand. Furthermore, the physical education teacher taught her students how to play games by drawing the instructions on a whiteboard and showing a short video. Thereafter, the students were easily able to apply their knowledge from the instructions, to actually applying it while playing the games.

Teachers can build a sense of community in the classroom through the use of brain breaks, icebreakers, and being inclusive. Every morning, the teachers in my placement provide their students with nutritious snacks. It comforted them because they had a healthy mindset throughout the day. Ice breaker activities can be used to encourage individuals to introduce themselves to one another. For example, one of the icebreakers that my instructor involved me in is known as the “2 Truths and a Lie”. In this game, I was required to give three statements about myself. Two of them being a fact, and one being a lie. Both of these strategies are significant because the student was able to know and trust me more, it also removed my anxiety and improve socialization skills. Similarly, the teacher was inclusive during an online educational game known as Kahoot. Because there were not many laptops available, she instructed her students to invite their peers to play on the same device. As a future educator, I also have methods of building bridges with my students. For example, I want to support my students who especially need it the most. Although I will still be helping every student, I want to go out of my way by highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and giving them learning strategies that will help them throughout life. With my support, I believe that I can truly foster a sense of community within the classroom and have a positive impact on the students’ well-being.