In my ECS 100 class, I got the opportunity to spend one afternoon per week, for eight weeks in an elementary school classroom! This experience allowed me to observe a real classroom while learning about many different teaching philosophies. I really enjoyed connecting with the students and learning about the work that goes into teaching elementary school.

For my field placement, I was placed in Ecole Centennial school. It is a fully French Immersion school, which was a great opportunity for me because I was in French immersion throughout my elementary and high school education, and I am planning on pursuing a minor in French. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time at this school and getting to know the students! It was very interesting to be in a fully french immersion school because when I was in grades one to eight, my school was duel track. Spending time in an elementary school classroom was a very beneficial experience for me! By observing exactly what happens in current classrooms gave me a better idea of methods of teaching, and how children act during class. I learned so much about how students act and what they need from their teachers. Though I am still not sure if elementary school is what I want to teach, I gained lots of knowledge through this great opportunity.

October 17th, 2019

Today I had my second field experience and it went really well! When I walked into the classroom today, I was greeted with so many hugs and it was the best. I went today(Thursday)  instead of Tuesday because my classroom teacher had a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. The switch was very beneficial because I was able to join the kids during their physical education class, which was so fun! Their phys-ed teacher had so many unique activities that included different ways for the students to exercise while also thinking and learning other subjects. As a warm-up, the teacher put a word on the board and the students had to spell that word by finding the specific letters around the gym. This teacher also included an exercise that taught students First Nations symbols. She had thirty to forty rocks which all had a First Nations symbol on it. The students, in groups of 6, took turns running across the gym collecting rocks one at a time. Once the rocks were all collected groups had to create a story using the symbols! It was such a cool activity with so many aspects.

November 19th, 2019

I had a great time at my field placement this week! I got to experience another phys ed class which went pretty well. The classes last phys ed class didn’t go very well, so a group of students had to do a reflection paper before joining the rest of the class in the fun activities. I thought the reflection paper was a cool idea to get the students to self reflect on their behavior and thinking about what they can do differently next class. I’ve noticed that this class has a hard time with teamwork and taking instructions. For example, in the game they participated in for gym, they had to jog in a straight line around the gym as the person at the back of the line runs to the front. They were supposed to do this as fast as they can, while setting a good pace so the person running from the back of the line could get to the front faster. As soon as the activity started, the student at the front of the line ran as fast as they could, while everyone else started running, not really doing the activity. In many activities, the students seem to have difficulty with the comprehension of the activities. The difficulty also comes from the instructions being in French, and some students are not excelling in French comprehension. What is being taught in the classroom is mainly french comprehension and reading. In grade three, all subjects, except for English, are in french including math and science. The students are still learning how to speak full sentences in french and use proper grammar so a lot of time is spent on french grammar. 

The community in this school seems very inclusive and mellow. When I’m in the school, there are no big situations or problems. Within the school community, there is a junior and senior FIAP program that is integrated into regular classrooms. In the phys-ed class I observed today, a boy named Mason from the junior FIAP program, joined the class. All of the students were so excited to have him and gave him lots of hugs. From my perspective, this physical education teacher has done a very good job creating links in the school community by incorporating so many inclusive activities and including students with different abilities. She explained lots of things she does with her FIAP phys-ed class and how it can help students get engaged.  The community announcements on the school website were all cool, different programs happening in the school like their recycling program, and re-usable sandwich bag fundraiser. Learning more about the school and its community was great today and im excited to go back next week. 🙂

November 22nd, 2019

This week I also got the opportunity to sit in on a few parent-teacher conferences! This was a really cool opportunity and I was so happy I was able to sit in and learn. I went in on Friday morning for an hour and sat in on four or five conferences. My classroom teacher had a notebook prepared with a page written about each student and how they are doing in each subject. Most of the conferences were very normal with kids who are at average reading levels and participate in class, but there were two conferences that were more difficult. In one conference, Monica had to explain to her student’s grandfather and father that she did not think french immersion was best for their child. She explained that his comprehension and reading level is much below that of his peers and that it was a big jump to improve that much by the end of the year. She said that the student was bright and sweet and his behavior was great, she just didn’t want his academic difficulties to affect that. In the other conference, Monica was talking to the parents of a student who participates in class, and puts an immense amount of effort into her work, but was still struggling. She suggested that french might not be the best option and there might be some sort of intellectual disability. That was a difficult conference because the student puts in so much effort but still struggles with academics. Sitting in on these few conferences gave me so much insight on how teachers must interact with parents, and how they must handle the difficult conversations. 

ECS 100 Field Experience Final Reflection

Today was a sad day walking into my school for the last time. Saying goodbye to the students was very hard and I got lots of hugs. Through this experience, I have gained so much knowledge and insight into what being a teacher truly means. There is so much more to teaching than just making sure your students understand the materials being taught. By observing my cooperating teacher and her classroom, I’ve learned about all of the extra time and effort teachers put into helping their students. I am so glad that I’ve been able to expand my understanding of what it takes to be a good teacher.

One big takeaway I have from this experience is the importance of making connections with your students. By making connections with students teachers are able to gain their respect and help them learn and grow. Teachers must work hard to create a safe, loving environment for their students, as well as create individual connections with each student in order to teach them successfully. This opportunity to observe a classroom has made me realize what kind of teacher I want to be, and how I want to connect with my students. I have been able to start developing my teaching pedagogy, and I am so excited to continue my journey of becoming an educator.