My field placement came to a close sooner than anticipated. I was upset I did not share a goodbye with the students and my cooperating teacher. I did reach out and thank her for being so welcoming and willing to share her space with us. Over the 5 mornings spent with the ⅔ classroom I learned a lot about teaching, however I learned the most about myself! I am enrolled in secondary education so I was not sure how the elementary school experience would play out for me. It is safe to say after the first day the students had my heart.

Reflecting on the previous blog topics, I was able to go to the classroom with a purpose. What does inclusion look like? How does the classroom promote different ways of knowing? How does the cooperating teacher build relationships with their students? By looking at these specific questions and experiencing the answers I understand inclusion, relationships, knowledge, etc. better in the classroom and life. The nature of those students showed me inclusion already exists, it is discrimination we, as a society, need to stop including. By practicing different ways of knowing teachers set off every light bulb in the room rather than just a majority. Also, I learned some form of student teacher relationship needs to exist for anything to be accomplished and that those accomplishments are unique to every student.

During my placement I had the opportunity to not only experience the ⅔ class, but the different ways of teaching the students encounter. My partner and I went to art class with the class one day, health another, saw a presentation in the gym and went to a grade 5 class. This allowed me to see the school dynamic on top of the classroom dynamic. A moment that sticks out to me is when my partner and I went into the grade 5 class. The student teacher relationship was different, less hugs to encourage and more words to encourage. The teacher was able to be more direct with her instructions to the older grade. I was also very surprised by the amount of independent work that took place with ease. Just the contrast between a couple years really surprised me. 

I had this fear going into my placement because if I hated it then I would have to rethink my decisions and future. Luckily, this fear did not stick. That does not mean I was 100% comfortable, the first day was scary. I was not sure how I was going to resonate with the students, what my exact role would be or what my cooperating teacher would be like. My partner on the other hand had some experience in a school prior and in looking back I am so grateful she did. She set the bar and nudged me out of my shell which made my experience more interactive.  

The last big takeaway was when Work to Rule came into effect. Being in the classroom provided a different perspective than what the news articles gave. Looking around the class there were 4 of us adults in the room and students with their hands still raised. I saw first hand what the teachers are fighting for. Being involved as a member of the STF (Saskatchewan Teachers Federation) discussing the current situation made me feel included; like I gained a new passion and community. This feeling is something I have missed since playing competitive sports a couple years ago. Like I said, I learned a lot about teaching, but more about myself in relation to my new chapter.