High School Experience (2 semesters)

K – Grade 8 School 

I, unfortunately, did not get the opportunity to do fieldwork this year due to covid, however, I had the opportunity to do fieldwork in my grade 11 and grade 12 career experience classes at Ecole Centennial School in Swift Current. I got to work in many grades and different subjects to give me the experience of it all. I worked mostly with kindergarten to grade 4 classes, however, I did get to work in the older classes as well, including middle school grades. By the end of high school, the educators I was working with allowed me to assist with teaching classes, working one on one with students and marking assignments rather than just watching from the back and taking notes. I am very grateful they gave me the opportunity to obtain the experience in all aspects of being an educator as I got the knowledge I needed in order to decide what grade category I felt more confident in and I had endless fun working with many different children and helping them with their educational goals. Many of the educators I had worked with offered volunteer positions to assist them with activities outside of school and within the community. After I finished my work experience class I knew teaching is what I wanted to pursue for a future occupation, although I had thoughts about it before, working at a school made me want to do it even more.

I, unfortunately, can not post pictures of the children and me volunteering within the classes as respect of privacy towards the children, the families and the school.

Early Learning Centre 

I started working at an early learning centre when I was in grade 10 to see if I liked working with children. I was still trying to find something I enjoyed doing and could be possible for a future career choice. After a month of working there, I loved it and wanted to expand my experience. I started working at my early learning centre as a part-time school-age teacher. I focused more on teaching my group ways to express themselves through crafts, music, dance, and so on. My group loved it and we started doing group Zumba shows for the younger kids and made art to showcase to the parents. I also assisted my students with their homework they needed help on from school. A position came up a year after me working there for a part-time one on one with two children; one who was non-verbal autistic and one who has cerebral palsy.

I had no experience working with any disabilities, however, I wanted to expand my knowledge to assist me with my future. I took on the position and gained much more than I had expected out of it. I assisted the non-verbal autistic child to eventually speak and play with children within their group as they never used to. I also worked closely with his occupational therapist as it was also a career choice I had in mind. I learned many things about disabilities, specifically autism and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and experience for myself.

Secondly, I worked with a child who had cerebral palsy and could no longer walk. They felt very out of place compared to the other children, however, we worked together and conquered walking with a walker then transitioning to walking without it. They also struggled to fit in as they felt as if they were out of place due to having differences from others. Having an open mind and working with children is key. Both of us being open-minded created a relationship where we both felt comfortable being together until they no longer needed me every day. We conquered things they thought was impossible to do, and now, I am proud to say I have helped them and they are serving as a young teen now.

After working with these two children and a few after changed my perspective on the field of education. Many students with disabilities are taken out of classrooms due to differences and it affects the child their whole life. I believe in keeping all children in my classroom and arranging the work needed to meet their needs. Differences should never make one feel as if they can not participate or learn due to having to do a few things different than others. Everyone learns at their own pace and differently, therefore being a flexible and open-minded teacher is key when pursuing a position in education as you will meet many types of students and you will need to adapt to all differences.

After I finish my degree in education, I would like to enter the workforce and save up to expand my knowledge in the education field and work my way up from there as I never want to stop learning and never want to stop growing within myself and within my work field.