School and Community My support teacher emphasized how important all the staff were to the school environment. In Pilot Butte school, everyone is a part of the same team. It doesn’t what your position is: teachers, custodians, secretaries, etc. are all necessary and integral parts to make the school a functioning and welcoming place.
Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships Another way she builds relationships with her students is by letting her guard down and sharing her personal life with her students. This allows the students to see her in a different light, more than just a teacher.
Students & Learning Environment Mrs. Berg arranges her desks side-by-side that combine to make an “S” shape in the classroom. The reason Mrs. Berg arranges her desk in this manner is to promote the students to work together and help each other. Students are not limited to their desks like I was throughout elementary.
Diversity & Difference I walked around and looked for examples of inclusiveness, diversity, and equality, and I was very successful in finding examples of these practices. On almost every classroom door there were rainbow coloured posters that read, “positive spaces allow us to be awesome… together” and “this is a safe space, you are welcome here just as you are or however you want to be.”
Final Reflections “Remember, building relationships and developing that withitness is more important than the actual lesson you plan. If you don’t have a relationship, it doesn’t matter how engaging your lesson appears – they won’t care. But if you have a relationship with your students, you can upsell any lesson.” This is the last lesson I learned during my time in the fourth-grade classroom at Pilot Butte school. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus, I had to learn this lesson through email, as my time at the school was unexpectedly cut short. When I arrived on my first day, I was nervous and unsure as to what to expect, but as I leave, I feel confident and excited to become a teacher. I am so thankful for Mrs. Berg, the students, and all the teachers and staff members for welcoming me into their community with open arms, and I hope to come back in the fall to get them all a proper good-bye. “Educate all students to their greatest potential, Empower students to be responsible and respectable citizens, Excel in a caring school environment. This is the motto at Pilot Butte school, and this motto is one I will uphold my entire career. I believe if you do these things three things to the best of your ability, you are exactly who the students need.
I learned a lot during my time at Pilot Butte, but I know I still have so much learning to do. A teacher never truly stops learning. In ECS 100 we learn topics like invitation and hospitality, reconciliation with Aboriginal people, inclusive education, decolonizing education, and gender and sexual identity. I noticed many of these things during my field experience. One of the biggest changes I noticed, compared to when I was in elementary school, was the focus on diversity and differences. Kids today learn about Aboriginal culture and history way younger than I ever learned and I think this is a positive thing. Reconciliation will be made easier as more Canadians become educated on the issues. Kids are also more exposed to different gender ideologies, sexualities, religions, and cultures. Aboriginal flags hanging with the Canadian flags, gender-neutral bathrooms, and different cultures being explored in daily lessons are just some examples of these changes. These changes will make Canada a more accepting, hospitable, and understanding nation. The future of education in Saskatchewan looks bright with the teachers I met in Pilot Butte school and the lessons I am learning in my own schooling.
