For my seventh and last time at St. Michael Community School, I focused on interconnection between knowledge, school and society. Honestly, seeing this connection in this school was easy for me. The school is a small community in itself, so people within it the school have had the opportunity to get to know each other. Everyone knows everyone inside the walls of St. Michaels and to me, this school stands out as one much different from my own elementary school. It seems like more of a learning experience for the children, as school is often an escape from problems at home. They are so eager to learn and push each other to continue to grow, I felt a part of something bigger than myself when I came to this school. A good example of this was today, during art, the kids all went with their reading buddies to make box art, which I assumed was for some sort of take-home project. Together, kids from my classroom (grade 1/2) and another (grade 4/5) meshed, and it seemed like they had spent the entire year together. The grade 4’s and 5’s obviously were more mature than the grade 1’s and 2’s, but overall, they were happy to help and ensure that everyone was enjoying themselves and were on task. From what I could remember, in elementary school, older grades seemed foreign, and we never engaged on a level like this at any given point. The sense of belonging that this school gave the children was really amazing, as it gave me the same feeling as well. This school acts as a community center for much of the surrounding area. I found out a few weeks ago that since many kids who go to school here come from low-income families, and with that knowledge, it’s easy to see the innocence in the children’s eyes. Many areas around the world face the same issue of poverty – and with that comes social injustice in communities such as the one in which this school is located. However, the environment and atmosphere that this school creates for the children and their families, in my opinion, shapes it towards a brighter future. I feel as if the grade 1’s and 2’s in my classroom were already getting prepared for struggles that they may encounter as they grow older and this is a direct result from how the teachers teach and how the school as a whole provides them with a safe space. This really resonated with me when I learned about how important it is to truly understand your students, just like how my cooperating teacher does. By actually knowing who you are teaching, and understanding how or why they may be acting a certain way can make such a difference in the classroom environment, for all students. I know from experience that a good environment can produce some amazing people through the elementary schooling system, but a great one like the one at St. Michaels is one that provides every student with everything and more to succeed. I think it also provides the surrounding community with the opportunity the help transition itself, through education and other services it delivers upon for low-income families.

One thing I was anxious to do was actually teach for the first time, which I never actually did get to actually attempt a lesson like some of the others in my group. One thing, I did however was having the opportunity to work one-on-one with many different students. This was very educational for me, because it’s so easy to forget that you are looked at as a figure of authority and assistance. I think over the course of the semester I gained skills and confidence that I would not have without this chance. I think the most important things I need to work on in the future is time-management, confidence in what I am teaching and balance. I think balance may be the most important thing, as I found it very difficult to balance every one of the students’ needs when working with groups. I feel as if this will come in time as I get used to working with children more and fully understand my own expectations I set for myself.

Overall, I was nervous to come to this school, as I was expecting an inner-city school to be the exact opposite of the nurturing school that St. Michaels is. I am incredibly thankful to be put into this school for my field placement, as it really opened my mind into education, as well as trying to help those in need in any way possible.