I was given the opportunity this semester to participate in 4 different field days. we went into the schools for a half day and got to observe and get a feel for the classroom. Each week were given a focus question so I am going to share some of what I learned throughout my 4 weeks at school!
Week 1
Walking into the school, I was definitely a little nervous not really knowing what to expect. The moment I entered George Lee Elementary School I was greeted and made to feel right at home. The principal and entire staff were all extremely friendly and made the nerves go right away. The first thing we did when we got there was meet in the staff room and go over what to expect on the first day and the next few weeks to follow. We got a tour of the school and were then placed in a classroom where we would stay for the morning. I was placed in a grade 3 classroom with one other classmate. Before this I would’ve said I wanted to teach kindergarten but I am of course second guessing myself now. I enjoyed every ounce of time I spent there that morning and getting to work one on one with the students was by far my favourite part.
The first thing the students did after O Canada was their agenda. The teacher went around and signed them all and then they were put away. While they were doing that I got to walk around the classroom and look at the different ways the teacher decorated her classroom. My favourite thing I noticed was their class Treaty that was hung on the wall for them to always reflect on. They all helped make the class rules and I love that they tied in and acknowledged the land that we are on. Their first class was Gym. They did their normal stretching and then got on with their games of tag. I found it so entertaining to watch as it looked like they were never going to run out of energy. When they got back to the class they started working on ELA where they were creating their own spooky halloween stories. To help them out the teacher gave students the opportunity to brainstorm as a class of some words or things they can include in their stories. I thought this was an excellent way of making everyone feel comfortable and knowing exactly what they want to write.
After recess the kids came back inside and met the school’s Guinea pigs. They were absolutely in love with them. Every 2 weeks a new class is assigned to take care of them so it is a great way of teaching kids about the responsibilities that come with having an animal or a pet like that. Before lunch they moved on to math where we learnt a song called counting quarters. It was a super catchy song and was stuck in my head for about two days after. The teacher gave us the opportunity to work with some of the kids on their math lesson and it was super fun to help the students figure out different strategies on how to add and subtract. I really enjoyed my time at the school and I can’t wait for this next week!
Week 2
This week I had so much fun going back to school! I had such a positive experience the week before so I was so excited to go back again. I got put into the same grade 3 classroom as last time so I got the opportunity to know each of the kids a little bit more. This week the kids also got to know me a bit better as well as we did a get to know me activity. Knowing that the focus question this week was about spaces, places, and boundaries I tried my best to take in the classroom atmosphere as best as I possibly could. The first thing I noticed was the way they had the desks. Each of the students have their own desk and are placed in rows of 4 facing the front. There are 7 rows and each week one of the rows gets to move to be attached to another row so they can sit by a peer for the week. This provides the students with a new way of learning and gives them the opportunity to work together with a partner if it is their week to do so. The next big thing I noticed was the learning stations they have set up in their classroom. After the students have done their math work for the day, they have the option of choosing what station they would like to work at for the remaining time. They can either stay at their own desks and work on other material, they can go to the ipad station, they can work with blocks or they can play math games. I thought the math games were super fun because the teacher turned games like war, uno, monopoly into math games that fit into the curriculum. The space that Mrs.G created for the students is very positive and welcoming. She makes the students aware that their opinions matter and they are important in and out of the classroom. She believes that her classroom is everyone’s space and in that space everyone is treated equally. She has her desk placed on the side of the room as a reminder that even though she is incharge, they are equally important. Yes she is still in charge but she does not use that in an authoritative way. This is the one thing that stood out to me the most as in most of my classes when I was in high school, the teacher’s desk was at the front and it showed that they had the power. Thinking back on it, all the classes that had the teachers desk at the front always had problems with authority between teacher and student. This is something I will definitely be implementing into my classroom when the time comes. Overall I had another really great week.
Week 3
For Week 3, I was sick so I made up my half day this past week. Looking back at my experiences in school from k-12 with indigenous teachings, I don’t really remember a whole lot until I got to grade 8. I remember having certain elders come in and read us stories and I remember 1 field trip that we specifically took to make bannock but not much more. We were taught the basics and that was pretty much it. In my elementary school we never really had a wide variety of different races within the classroom or the school either.
I was placed in a grade 1 classroom and instantly fell in love with that grade. Up until then I really liked grade 3 but I think now I am leaning more towards grade 1. In the grade 1 classroom I was in, I was in shock when they stood up and started singing O’Canada. They knew every word to the song in Cree. I thought this was so impressive and showed a perfect example of how the teacher integrated and honoured indigenous knowledge into her classroom. Another way she tied in indigenous beliefs into her classroom was by having a class treaty. This was the second classroom I was in that had something like this in their class. This teacher had hers posted right by the smartboard at the front of the class so that every student could see it at all times. She told me that when they made it, she asked the students what are important rules to have in a classroom and they named off a bunch and then chose the ones that they believed in the most to put on the treaty. It is an agreement between each student and the teacher and they are expected to try their best and follow each one of the agreements. I thought that it was another excellent way of tying in indigenous knowledge into her classroom because it is creating awareness of what indigenous culture really is and also teaching them a little bit about the past as well.
The TRC booklet- Truth and reconciliation talks about the trauma of the past and what truly happened to the indigenous people. It acknowledges the governments wrong doings and tries to bring awareness to the situation so that none of these events will ever be repeated. Children were quite literally ripped out of the arms of their parents and forced into a different way of living and doing. The idea that children as young as 5 years olf had to grow up without their mom or dad makes me sick. The message that resonates with me is that yes we can not change the past but it is our job to learn from it and as future teachers, make sure nothing close to this ever happens again.
Week 4
For week 4 I really tried my best to observe the classroom environment for changing landscapes. This week I was put in a grade 2 / 3 split and it was definitely a different experience. The first thing I noticed when walking into the classroom was that there was a wall of ways to say welcome in different languages. I thought this was a great way to show inclusivity and diversity in a classroom environment as well as a way for students to learn a few different languages. The other way I thought the teacher honoured inclusive education was when it was time for attendance, she had all the students either say Hi in english or they can say it in another language and whatever way they choose to say it she repeats it back to them so they do not feel singled out in any way.
When I decided to switch my focus and look at how she honours inclusive practices, One thing I caught onto very quickly was the way she presented her teachings. When she introduces a new lesson, she has the instructions printed out on the board and she will explain and talk about it outloud. She also mentioned to me that the odd times especially in maths she will show a video as well. This is an excellent way for stud3nts to have the choice of learning and understanding in the way that works best for them and their needs. In the classroom I was in, there was 1 EAL learner and that student had an EA always near. The student did a really great job of following instructions and doing what the class was doing which I thought was great. I know that not all teachers are lucky enough to have an Ea with them so I thought it gave this student the perfect opportunity to grow and develop.
As for Equity, gender, and sexuality, I only picked up on one major thing in the School. When I was walking around the school during recess, i noticed a bulletin board that had a bunch of different coloured hand and hand sizes that said we are all included. I thought this was a great way of showing that this school supports all students. Overall I had a great last day and enjoyed every moment I was there.