First Day

I was excited to step into the first day of school today!  That is, the first day of school as an actual "student teacher" and not just a wannabe in a classroom full of other wannabes:)  Don't get me wrong, I am learning a great deal being in the classroom with phenomenal instructors and fellow classmates who are just as passionate as I am BUT, nothing beats the feeling of stepping into a classroom full of fresh, little faces and knowing those children are there for me to build into and join on this particular educational trail for a year.

Meeting my teacher mentor was actually a great relief.  I had already done some background research on the school and the teacher I'd be working with and everything came back positive, however I was still feeling a bit apprehensive as I wasn't sure if I would mesh the same way other people had.  BUT, the words were true, he's laid back, passionate, excited to help me learn and clearly loving his job.

Today was eye-opening for me in so many ways.  I realized we student-teachers are ambitious creatures and it will take some time in the classroom to understand our boundaries and time frames.  I learned classroom management is constant each day and in every situation.  I recognized that focusing on the lesson often means I consciously tell myself to re-focus my own thoughts and pay attention to how my students are responding.  I saw that when I am observing I am more fully aware of how things are actually flowing and that it's nice to have a second pair of eyes and ears to point those things out.

My general impression was that I am going to really love this time with a classroom of children who are partially mine and partially someone else's, sharing the responsibility of their learning with another individual and having the ability to rely on that person for honest feedback and becoming a better teacher for it in the process.

Here's to becoming a GREAT teacher!!!

Figuring out who I am

Part of my process in becoming a teacher is recognizing the diverse system we live in here in Canada and understanding what my responsibility as a teacher is, to both embrace it, AND encourage my students to do so.  As such I have spent some time reflecting on one particular subject that has always been in my mind as both an educator and a parent.  In taking a closer look I've begun to realize the perspective I have in regards to some of the values and understandings I have of our world have shifted slightly.  I am excited to explore what this looks like and how I will continue to be shaped by my in-depth explorations of what this career called teaching actually entails.

Below is an excerpt that I was able to share in class as part of my journey.

"Part of the reason I selected this as an inquiry question is because my own schooling has been an eclectic group of experiences that has left me wondering where we have failed in understanding the individuality of the people around us and how we can move forward as a human family when we lack the desire to understand and to include in our education some of the basic, foundational principles that make us each so unique.

Walking into this discussion I would have said I was leery about having this topic as part of any curriculum.  We have private schools and independant schools that focus their attention on educating from a spiritual standpoint.  I’ve experienced both public and private education and to be perfectly honest I really could not see bringing the two together.  Having said that, I think my initial apprehension to having religion as a component to our curriculum comes from the fear of insult, the fear of treading on thin ice and to some degree the fear of ignorance.  How does one do justice to a subject, one has not experienced and does not hold belief to.  It also bears acknowledging that there is a misconception that I’ve also been impacted by to some degree that religious education requires a practice of the traditions, acts and liturgy of the religion one is educating about.  However, as I’ve reflected to a greater degree I can see that while private, religious institutions have their place there is something so much more valuable that we can offer students by allowing them classrooms where they are informed of the multitude of beliefs around them, as well as the cultures that are impacted by those beliefs and the beauty of the interconnectedness of the two.  

As we’ve deepened the discussion on diversity and understanding our role as educators through the classroom text, Egbo’s work has reiterated again and again that we need to know our students in order to effectively teach them and that without this “knowing” of them we will not be successful in our attempts to provide a well-rounded, inclusive educational experience.  From my own experience and in watching those from other faith backgrounds I can see that without including an understanding of what our students hold as their personal belief or faith system we are, in fact, missing a very great deal of who they are as people and will continue to be unaware of what defines them without those pieces properly placed.

Some of my thinking has shifted as a result of the desire to bring the “whole” child into the classroom but it’s also interesting to hear the perspective others including, John Valk brings, particularly in respect to moral education and reiterating what a large role it has played in our global school systems.  He very clearly defines how difficult it is to separate religion from moral education since the “ultimate questions”, as he refers to them, that we seek to help our students understand are deeply intertwined within a variety of worldviews, including those that are religious.  Some of the issues I’ve been struggling with myself, personally holding to a particular faith background, is how I can pass my beliefs to my own children but allow them to understand and appreciate the many religious backgrounds they will encounter in their life travels.  While I understand my role as a parent in helping them find that understanding, I can see as an educator that it would be much more impactful if they were able to actual live amidst it through their educational experience.  In concluding his article, Valk says that educating students about worldviews that are both secular and religious is important and, in fact, helps students to become more responsible citizens because they are grounded both in their own worldview and fully aware of multiple perspectives.  

To add further to the discussion there is a challenge to the misconceptions regarding the lack of desire on the part of parents to have their children informed.  My impression had always been that many people would prefer not to have their children educated regarding the worldviews of other religions.  Perhaps that is the case for particularly conservative or fundamental branches of some religions however, I came across a blog post from the Vancouver Sun, by Douglas Todd, stating that many parents and students are in fact in favor of having religious education be a part of their studies because the province we live in is a diverse ethnic and multi-faith community.

As a future educator I find it intriguing and somewhat disappointing that we have missed the call to a better incorporation of some of the most fundamental aspects of education when it comes to diversity and self-expression.  While I understand that the inclusion of religion is not an easy process, nor do any of the proponents suggest that it is a simple endeavor, it is clear that there is value beyond what we’d previously thought and that we can in fact bring a greater understanding to our students.  As I look ahead to a classroom of my own, what I imagine is having students feel freedom in exploring their own belief systems and at the same time becoming informed by their classmates, and perhaps  regarding the worldviews of others.  By bringing a safe zone of “worldview” exploration into the classroom we open the doors to an understanding of each other that goes deeper and well beyond the basic principles of a faith background and into the sharing of thought, ideas and basic respect for differences."

Ted Talk - Sir Ken Robinson

Watching this video again reminded me of how far we've actually come in education and the recognition we have of the diversity in our minds as teachers and those of our students.  One of the comments that was made in class was, "Education is evolving.  Videos like this prove it and reinforce that evolution.  We are excited to push forward and away from the concrete, industrial model."  I appreciate that we are able to see how far we've come, that education IS, in fact, dynamic and that we need to find balance rather than swinging so far to the other side that we then lose the kids who are academically inclined or enjoy the challenge of sciences, math, etc.

I think we touched on the fact that cross-curricular or integrated education is the ideal and that as teachers we have to be integrated individuals OR at the very least be willing to step out of our comfort zones to allow our students the opportunity to explore all aspects of their being.

Polishing my teaching philosophy

A great exercise today was the "reflective wheel"!  We got into groups of eight with four people in the center spoke facing out and four people in the outer spoke facing in.  We started with sharing our philosophy of teaching by sharing with the person in front of us for 60 seconds, then listening to them for 60 seconds, then moving clockwise around the circle to the next person and narrowing it down to 30 seconds, etc. then down to 15 seconds and then down to 5 seconds.

I appreciated that we could narrow our thoughts down to some good nuggets about who we are as teachers.  While I've thought often about how I want this to look moving forward I don't think I have ever verbalized my impressions and perceptions.

It's actually a great tool that could be used in various places throughout a classroom both for personal growth and for the sharing of knowledge:)

Learning to Link Technology

This is kind of a fun new adventure! Trying new things, getting comfortable with using technology I haven't used before and doing new things with old technology. Hopefully by the time I get to the classroom I'll have a few funky tools under my belt.

The first few weeks...

As I wrap up the last few weeks of August it's quite clear that I've already come quite far. Moments here or there and conversations that remind me that I'm on a journey to learning how to teach in a diverse classroom. I can feel the sense of who people are, gradually shifting, grace and understanding setting in and the desire to know who my students are rather than jump to conclusions based on their appearance or behaviour. I encountered a discussion which related directly to one of the presentations I was part of and it was interesting how I felt my response gurgling up but had to hold back as I realized it was not the time or place to share the myriad of information I had acquired through my own personal research! Funny how so many aspects of the last few weeks have clearly infiltrated my thinking. I'm excited to have a place to unload and unpack parts of this adventure and remind myself of why I'm on this journey!