For my ECS 101 field experience, I was placed in grades 5/6, 4/5, 1/2, and pre-K classrooms at Coronation Park Community School in Regina over four weeks. My experience was fantastic and reassured me to focus on younger grade teaching. During my field experience, I learned that you must be patient and that teachers must always be ready for different situations. One situation that happened, when I was in the grade 1/2 class the teacher left the classroom, an emergency alert went off on cellphones. The kids started panicking and screaming, “WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE” because they thought it was the fire alarm and were trying to leave the class. I calmed them down and explained to them that it was not the fire alarm but an alarm that went off on someone’s phone and that they would all be okay.
In the classes, the teachers had me placed with individual students that needed help. In the grade 5/6 and 4/5 classes, I helped teach the students math and helped them solve problems if they were struggling. In the grade 1/2 class, I read the kids a story and helped with an art project. In pre-k, I helped the students with their crafts, read with them and played games with them. I found these experiences rewarding, and some activities allowed me to connect with the children.
Some beliefs about teaching that emerged from my field experience are that teaching takes a lot of planning, and plans always change depending on situations and classroom behaviours. On my last day, I was in pre-K, and the teacher told me that her lesson plan changes almost every day because it depends on how the kids behave or because they lose interest in the task or assignment they are doing. She does not make lesson plans anymore because she has a routine which seems to work well for her.
One of the moments when things changed quickly and surprised me was when a student got upset over a math question and left the room, slamming the door and breaking the glass. The children were scared, and the teacher and I had to reassure them and take control of the situation.
After my classroom placements, some questions I have now are, what if I have to deliver bad news to parents? How do you keep a work-life balance? How do you best learn classroom management? How do you stay organized?
Some things I need to learn more about are the constant changes in day-to-day structures or planning and scheduling, getting a better understanding of how to take control of difficult situations, and how to make lesson plans. Overall, I enjoyed my field experience and wished it were longer than four days. I especially enjoyed the environment and the children; as I mentioned earlier, it reaffirmed my chosen career path. The experience also showed the interconnectedness of knowledge, schooling and society by instilling knowledge in children so they can contribute to society.