Week one

The class that I am in is Grade 1 and 2. There are 21 students in the class. When we were talking about China, the country where we are from, teacher told us there is a child come from the Philippines and others are Canadians. In their classroom, letters are glued around, and their classroom jobs for each students are divided clearly. They also have some Christian things, like Jesus and bible.

Students are really active in the class. When the teacher are talking about the question, many of them begin to rise their hands. That is a little different from the students in China. Maybe students are more active in Grade 1 or 2, but many students do not like to rise hand actively. Teacher will just pick students to answer or coming up. That is really normal in China, like in my secondary school.

Week Three

In a wall of the classroom, I found a board. It has three things that teachers should to do on it, including takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart. Those are the keys for the teachers, and I agree with those keys. I believe that the heart is the most important for teachers and students.

Teachers have their own professional knowledge. Each of them is different, but teachers will connect them to daily life for children, and to some different knowledge as well. I think that is really useful for children to remember and practice after the class and school.

Week Five

In class, teachers respect the girl who has problem on her speaking skills. They will ask her at first for her wishes, and try to help her. They will let her find a way which can help her to express herself, like painting and acting. I think that is a reason why she draw pictures more quickly than other child when they have a work by painting.

For people who come from different country, like me, they showed respect and welcome to us. At first, the teacher lead us to visit the school’s environment. When we went to the Grade 1 and 2 class, she let us to introduce ourselves for children. Then, her showed them where we were from to let students know about us. Children also asked things about us. The headteacher also gave us a chance to introduce China to the students. We used power point to tell the culture and traditions of China.

Also, they have a class for Ukrainian Program. The program let them “Learn about the Byzantine Rite, Learn a new language, Keep your cultural heritage alive, Make new friends, Have fun in an interactive environment, Enjoy cultural and faith-filled field trips, Showcase learning in public”, and “Connect with the Ukrainian community and stay informed of upcoming events”.

Week Six

One time, they finished their social study class before their playtime. They learned the object which can protect them. Then, when they were playing outside, they lead me and told me about what they found can protect them. I think they did a good job in connect and practice the knowledge which they learned in classes. Another example is in science class. Teacher told them to bring one object to school, and use the knowledge that they learned before to discriminate whether the object is liquid or solid.

Week Seven：The Role of Technology

In class, teachers rarely use technology. They usually use whiteboards and materials. Students also rarely use technology such as computers because they are only in the first and second grades. The most frequently used technology by teachers is mobile applications. Their app is for discussion and communication with parents. The technology in their library is used to rent books. They will have a bar code, and every time they take a book, they need to scan the bar code to register.

Week Eight:The Last Day

On the last day, I thought about the first day. When I first entered the classroom on the first day, I was nervous. I’m afraid I don’t get along with my children so much that I don’t have much communication. However, this is not the case. I became good friends with them. They will call me to play with them during their breaks and will ask questions about my hometown. They will try to approach me in their way, for example, they will show me their scented watercolor pens, or they will come to me very shyly, and then let me draw them a panda. All this makes me happy. I will also do my best to help them, both in study and daily life. I am so happy that I have spent so many days with this lovely group of children.

They taught me a lot. They were brave, proactive and imaginative. I think imagination is a wonderful thing. I hope they can keep it. On this last day, it’s time to say goodbye to them. Although I only spend half a day with them each time, I can already feel their perseverance. Before we left, some children hugged me and I was moved. Some children even ran back and hugged before leaving, and even the shyest girl came to me and said goodbye. I am really touched. I gave them some love and Christmas trees during their class, and I happened to catch up with the teacher after school to hide gifts in their shoes, so I hid my gifts in. I hope they will think of me when they receive the gift. I will remember them too.