CEC commemorated Truth and Reconciliation Day on Monday, September 30th by holding an Orange Shirt Day at school, We began the day with an assembly to remind everyone of the reason behind this important day. We need to raise awareness and show support for survivors of Residential Schools. The message to our younger students is that Every Child Matters. We want to make sure that everyone is feeling safe and respected at school and that we don’t forget the mistakes of the past to ensure that they don’t happen again. 

Orange Shirt Day also kicked off my newly acquired class in Grade 3. I was excited to begin teaching Social Studies and yet anxious to start with this sensitive subject matter. I wasn’t sure what to expect when opening the doors to Canada’s negative past with this young audience. I was pleasantly surprised and proud of how understanding and open-minded my students were when talking about the treatment of Indigenous children and Residential Schools for the first time. I am looking forward to next week as we continue the learning process through an exploration of Indigenous culture. 

This week we finished off our Nutrition Unit in Health by creating individual meal plans and reflecting on our choices. It was great to see all of the knowledge that my students have gained over the past couple of weeks as they identified areas to improve upon and put it into a plan of action. I love teaching about healthy choices to children at this age, as these are life skills that will stay with them well into the future. 

Friday was a fun challenge as my cooperating teacher was away, leaving me with a substitute. This allowed me a ton of freedom to be in charge of the class for the entire day. I loved the ability to change my mind on the fly and the challenge of timing and unexpected events throughout the day. Teachers really do make so many decisions in a day, so it was a nice test run for me. I now have about 10 different timers on my phone to keep track of the little things; attendance, student music lessons, library time, etc. I am determined to remember them all!

This weekend I will be volunteering at the Senior Girls Volleyball tournament and preparing for another busy week ahead as I take over math in the classroom. Go Tigers!

Miss Philip