Blog Post 1
Being placed in the schools I have a new perspective on what is happening inside of a classroom, as a student, it felt like a chore. I was never a huge fan of school, and when I was it was because of the teacher. Seeing the different ways teachers interact and engage with their students has always been interesting to me, but this past week I saw it from a new angle.
While I was at the school this week, I was in two different classrooms, a grade three classroom and a kindergarten classroom. The grade three classroom had many talkative, excited kids in it. And it was their Friday so they had even more energy than normal. There were some students that I noticed were especially energetic, and two of them had fancy desks. In the classroom, there were these desks that had a bar across the bottom by the feet where the kid could use it as a swing for his legs to keep him moving while sitting down. The other desk I saw, had a chair that rocked. This was unique to me as I had never seen them in my schools growing up. I was amazed at how these children were able to stay more engaged and focused by simply being able to swing their legs or rock their chairs while listening. Many children these days are so used to being constantly moving and with all the changes in the schools due to Covid the past few years, it is cool to see that these children who may normally have difficulty focusing or sitting still are able to benefit in a regular classroom without having to disrupt the class.
Another eye-opener for me in this school was the community within. While touring around the school the principal would directly speak to individual students, and every time she knew their name, and what class they were in, and seemed to just generally know the kid. This surprised me because in a school of over two hundred kids how does one person keep track of so many kids? Not only did the teachers know the kids but in every classroom, we went into the kids were welcoming and so were the teachers, they welcomed us with open arms and warm hellos. The principal told us at the start of our day that approximately 65% of the school was children whose first language was not English. In a school where there are many different cultures and languages, you saw every kid interacting with each other and the teacher in ways that worked for them. The day I was at the school it was ‘dress as what you want to be in the future day’, and there was one kid who wanted to be a chef when they got older so they had brought some treats with them. In this classroom also happened to be some Muslim kids, so the teacher took the time to read out the ingredients and read off the list she had on her desk to ensure that the treats were Halal so everyone was able to find a treat that was safe for them. While she was doing this the other children were discussing and knew what was and what wasn’t safe for their friends even if it did not apply to them. They were eager to help learn, and ensure their friends and classmates were safe and felt comfortable.
The school had signs, posters, and artwork all around the school that was there to make each child feel noticed, to feel appreciated, and to make everyone feel welcome. There were three signs I especially liked.
This was the first one and it was right at the top of the stairs when you walked in. I especially liked how the roots were the basis of most childhoods, you have your family, your school, and whatever your community is, and without some arrangement and form of those things, you won’t be able to succeed.
The second one I was unable to take a picture of it because of where it was located, but it was three of the Regina Public schools logos in a row. One was the regular one, one was coloured as a Pride flag, and the other was for Every Child Matters.
The last one I saw many times throughout the school was the Every Child Matters flag. I believe that this is so important for children to see in schools because it is true. And these kids are the future, and they all need to know and understand the wrongdoings of our country in the past, but they also need to know the work the country is now doing to try and right some of these wrongs. As we know, change does not happen overnight and Canada will forever be working toward reconciliation. But for now, it is important to educate the youth while making sure they are safe, loved, and feel like they belong. I believe The school did an excellent job of ensuring each child is heard, understood, and seen in their own way.
