This past Wednesday morning, I woke up early, got ready for the day, and drove my sister to school, my dad to the bus and myself to Gloucester High School (GHS). I was so nervous and second guessed everything I did that morning. “Is my dress appropriate?” I asked myself. “Maybe I would wear my hair back – It will make me look older. Should I bring a lunch? I wonder where I’ll eat. Who will I meet? Will there be anything planned for me today? Will I see any other uOttawa students? I wonder if we’ll be working together”. So many questions were running through my head.
I arrived at 8:34am, which was extremely frustrating as I hate being late and was expected at 8:30. Morning traffic was something I had to get used to. When I arrived, I signed in at the office, and made my way to the Gator Room. Here, I met with many associate teachers, guidance counsellors, the vice principal and the other teacher candidates who are working at GHS. We were able to get acquainted over coffee and muffins. After being quickly introduced to everyone, it was already almost the start of the school day. And, with a hand shake from Mr. Pritchard, my associate teacher, I was then welcomed to the next year of my life as a GHS teacher candidate. The first two periods were planned exactly the same, as they were both grade 10 applied mathematics courses. At the beginning of each class, we watched a movie on pumpkins and then the kids worked on a problem that had them to attempt to determine how many pumpkins would be required to make enough pies to feed the entire school. Something that I found extremely interesting that I have not yet seen in a math classroom was the amount of technology use, group communication and innovative thinking that went into one question. For you see, the question only provided one piece of information – that the largest pumpkin ever weighed 2096 lbs and produced 840 cups of pumpkin pie puree. All other pieces of information required to solve the problem (for example, the amount of pie each student would get, the number of students, the average size of a pumpkin, etc.) was brainstormed, thought up and researched by the students. In this problem, Mr. Pritchard was able to incorporate a real-life situation, with real-life, researchable information, to a not-so-basic math problem. I found that this approach really made the kids think outside of the box. Furthermore, they were able to learn from each other through group discussions to come up with the most efficient way to solve the problem. During this time, I was able to circulate the class and help guide kids on the right track. I thought it was important to discuss the problem with the students in a way that allowed them to answer their own questions. By asking students to re-think why they believe something is the way it is, they are then able to see other sides of the problem that may have been ignored otherwise. This was particularly important in a situation where many aspects had to be considered in order to solve the problem at hand. As I was able to talk with the students, I noticed that even though the two morning classes were being taught the same things, the classroom atmospheres varied greatly. The first period class was quieter and showed no signs of behavioural issues. Everyone seemed engaged in the project at hand, but there was definitely less questions being asked. In the second period class, the kids were more rambunctious. This was particularly noticeable during “DEAR” – a program that has the kids sit silently for 20 minutes to read. As Mr. Pritchard and I both agree, it may be difficult to see the benefit in the “DEAR” program. I know that I as an adult would have trouble being required to be quiet as well. These students were in no way badly misbehaved, there was simply more discussion present in this class. Sometimes, students would get off track, but their love of discussion and questioning also made the students more engaged at times in comparison to the period one students. For example, some of the groups were asking questions about things that went beyond the scope of the question. One group even figured out how much the pies would cost the school to make (through research and more mathematics). By letting their creativity carry their logical thoughts, they were able to ask questions deeper and with more insight. During lunch, I spent time wondering the halls of the school, becoming more familiar with my surroundings. I ran into the principal and nervously introduced myself. I find there is a lot of pressure for her like me, so I hope I left a good impression. I had to remind myself that I have 8 months to convince her I’d be a good teacher. I hope that in the next few weeks I will be able to talk to her more, and arrange for her to work watch me at work during my practicum. In the afternoon, I spent my time helping in a grade 11/12 workplace math class. During this class, the students worked on an assignment that required them to research used cars that would suit the requirements of different families, comparing specs, pricing, and mileage. As someone who has always been, volunteered with and worked with academic students, workplace math was something I was never exposed to before. Even after just one day, I found that this class was the most intriguing to me. There were only 12 students in the class which was new to me as almost all of the classrooms I have experienced in my life were composed of at least 25 kids. The teacher warned me before the bell went off that a lot of trouble has come out of these students. Many of the young adults had behavioural problems to varying degrees. One of the students was actually known for having some of the biggest behavioural issues out of all the students in the school. With his outwardly distressed behaviour, in combination with autism, it was obvious this student had some difficulties functioning in a regular class setting. He was able to leave class whenever he felt like he needed to. During the period, he left once, stormed down the hall where he was met by the vice principal. But, I was amazed at how the school authorities were able to delicately handle his behaviour. The teacher has never kicked him out of class. In fact, he said to me after that he would never kick a child out of his classroom. This was an “ah-ha” moment for me. In that instant, I was able to realize what message was sent when ‘troubled’ kids were treated as problems; they then thought they were a problem, they felt like they weren’t wanted in the class. By third period, my associate teacher already demonstrated to me the importance of inclusion in the classroom. I realized that students who are normally kicked out are the ones who most need to feel a sense of welcome by their teacher – they are the ones who need to be there the most. It was wonderful to see that the vice principal also shared this wisdom. When she was disrupted by the student yelling down the hall after leaving our class, she didn’t force him into her office to have a chat. Instead, she listened. She brought him outside to have a breath of fresh air, asked him why he was feeling so upset, allowed him to call home, and asked him if he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten all day. So, she talked about his difficulties with an understanding ear, gave him a granola bar and some cheese, and he was able to calm down and re-join the class. She realized that listening and truly understanding his concerns was what would be most beneficial for him – and, it worked. I saw firsthand what I have been reading about for 3 weeks in my classes. After working not only with this student but also with the other children of this class, and seeing how my associate teacher could interact with them, it made me recognize how worthwhile it could be to be able to build a strong, healthy relationship with the students. Some students may appear more difficult to work with, but success is just that much more rewarding when it is reached. Success is subjective, and being able to see what success can mean in a less ‘academic’ course has really opened my eyes. In the final block of the day, Mr. Pritchard and I sat and discussed my first experiences as a teacher candidate. He provided me with a glimpse of different teaching styles, assessment strategies and the logistics of working in the public school board. But, what was even more touching was how he opened up to me about some of the struggles his past students have undergone (at Gloucester and Rideau High Schools). By listening to the different stories, it made me realize how difficult some of the student’s situations are. He told me that a girl in his afternoon class couldn’t attend fourth period because she had to work as she was the main breadwinner in her family. He told me some of the students in his grade 10 classes immigrated to Canada 2 weeks ago. He told me that an old student came from Syria because both of their parents were gunned down in front of them. He told me how the girl who talked to him during 2nd period was a student who just returned to school after dropping out because she was inspired by the phone call my teacher made to her mom, encouraging her to continue with school. I was so moved that I was almost brought to tears (luckily I was able to compose myself – no need to make a fool of myself on the first day). All of these stories opened my eyes like they have never been opened before. As someone who grew up in the suburbs, I honestly didn’t know students so close to home faced these issues. I am learning that I have been ignorant to the issues these kids face, even as they live, work and go to school right in front of me. I also was able to see how much of an impact a teacher can have on someone’s life. When I think of math, I think of formulas and graphs. Little did I know a math teacher could have such a powerful, implicit impact on their student’s choices, feelings and outcomes. Taking the time to learn about your students and help where you are able to, while encouraging them to contribute to their own education, has not demonstrated real-life results that I have now seen. And this is all after one day! I am eager to go back to GHS and see what else is in store. As soon as I returned home from my first day of CSL, I ran to my room and flipped through the math curriculum to see how I could plan a project to do with the students I had met earlier in the day. So far, I have considered planning an on-going project around youth activism, fundraising for a social justice issue of the students’ choosing. I may try to see if I can work with the 11/12 workplace math group, as a major part of the course curriculum focuses on earning and spending money. It would be interesting if we could focus on issues around poverty, as we could then discuss costs associated with living in Ottawa; I will have to see where this project takes me. I have thought up some other ideas, including beginning a DILA project, working with the homework club, participating in a race weekend with my associate teacher and students, or beginning an environmental club. So many things to think about…I’ll be discussing these possibilities over the next few weeks. I had a great experience my first day, and I can’t wait to immerse myself further in the school community!
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AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
September 2016
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