For my field placement for ECS 100 I was placed in Judge Bryant Elementary School in Regina. Week one of my field placement completely changed my perspective on how I thought it was going to be. The students were really welcoming me into their classroom. They asked me lots of questions upon meeting me, as well as helped me begin to understand how their classroom functioned. They treated me not as a teacher but as if I was a new student in the classroom. This changed my opinion about my field placement because of how kindly the students reacted when they realized my partner and I were there. Some highlights of that first day were that the students welcomed me with open arms. They also told me stories which I will never forget. This not only helped me learn them a little better as a group but it also helped me learn more about the students as individuals. The students also played with my partner and I at recess, which I believe helped us feel more included in the classroom environment. Another highlight was the one-on-one reading with the students. Their reading inspirations were all different and every single student was dedicated to their story. They would ask me to explain what something was, not just how to say it. One story that stood out to me was a boy that was interested in space and astronauts. He asked me many questions about how they can breathe on the moon and many more. That made me feel like the students wanted me to be there instead of needing me to be there. Although, some students were shy and did not want to read at first by the time they began it was as if time flew by us.
This all helped with my teaching identity because of how the students wanted my help with not only reading but writing as well. I knew that by spending so many weeks with them, it would allow me to acknowledge the best teaching techniques for each individual student. As well as how to convert an assignment into a fun and playful assignment. The teacher also helped me in week one with my teaching identity because of her teaching style. She was always calm and listening without interruptions. She would congratulate the students even with the smallest amount of progress. Both the students and the teacher helped me expand my teaching identity by learning how their classroom worked together, as well as how the students worked with the teacher to accomplish as much as they could.
