My first field experience was really fun and entertained, we went ice skating with the kindergarten classroom I have been placed on. The moment I stepped into Saint Michael Community School I felt like I had been there before, the environment felt familiar and very welcoming. Couple years ago, I used to volunteer at another community school (Sacred Heart) and this school felt similar to that environment in many ways. They are both catholic schools, and the way the classrooms are placed and organized in this school brought back that memory from Sacred Heart. As a community school, Saint Michael School, promotes community engagement that leads to improve students’ learning and empower them to perform well not only in school but also in life.
The principal that took us to the classroom where we are going to spend the next weeks in, was really kind and welcoming to us, and she radiated a wonderful energy. She showed us around the room and informed us that we were going to be with a substitute teacher for the day. The classroom is a beautiful and colourful kindergarten classroom full of books, toys and drawings hanging on the wall. As the kids arrived, they seemed curious to know who we were. The substitute teacher explained us how the day was going to be like and assigned us some tasks, which I though it was a good way to begin our journey. She was really kind and seemed excited about having us as extra helpers. The class is a very diverse room, there are kids from different races and backgrounds and I strongly think this will be an awesome class to work with. Kids were super excited and happy about going skating. On our way to the skating place, me and my partner got the chance to speak with some of them that were sitting around us in the bus and got to know them more. When we arrived at the venue, I helped the teacher putting on skates and helmets to the kids. My partner is a ringette player so she put her skates on and went to the ice rink with them. I, instead, stayed at the entrance of the rink board helping the kids going in and out and looking after them. I believe we did a really good team work. It was really fun to have the chance to see how every kid enjoyed the activity in a different way, while some of them had fun staying on the ground just crawling and sliding around, others were challenging themselves to stay up and skate.
Regarding the community, I could see how the school supports kids in different ways and cherish their well-being, in and out of the school. This particular activity of taking the kids out to the community was really fun to join, since it showed us how they try to keep kids involved with the community taking them out of the classroom. My first field experience couldn’t have been more fun and gratifying, and it’s a day I will always remember. Now I’m looking forward to see how they will work on the classroom next week.
