Reflection #1:

This week marked the second week of practicum and I was able to meet two new students I hadn’t gotten to before. One student was a boy with ADHD and other challenging behaviours. He refused to do an assignment and claimed the novel study and the assignment were both extremely stupid and not worthy of his time. Both the teacher, a CEA that had come to work with the student with autism, as well as myself and practicum partner had tried to talk him into doing the assignment and had explained the merit of the assignment and how important it was for him to do, however, nothing anyone said could persuade him. It was extremely interesting to see this, as in the elementary school I had attended was extremely strict and any student would have been immediately sent to the office. But in this instance, nothing happened at the moment.  

This experience was valuable in teaching me that in some cases, no matter how hard you push sometimes there will be students that you just can’t force to do work, and no matter how hard you push them, they will only dig their heels in more. My mentor teacher decided to approach the situation by conceding with the student, and not forcing him, however, he wasn’t able to participate in a fun computer activity and was not able to go outside with the other students for the remainder of the day. It was evident the student was extremely disappointed however, they still would not back down. This experience taught me that sometimes in a classroom with a full class you need to be able to pick your battles, and know when it isn’t worth it to get angry over something you can’t always change.  This is going to be something I will strive for and work on every single day in my education 

In practicum one I found myself learning so much more than I had in the classroom at that point. It was the ability to observe a classroom in action and see the way an experienced classroom teacher handled students not listening. I found myself observing the small interactions and tougher situations and making metal notes. The way that my TM let things roll off his back and brush it off instead of focusing on it and letting it command his mood for the rest of the day he simply breathed in and moved on. I aspire to have the patience that he has. I watched him throughout the remainder of the practicum and I watch our professors in class navigating the daily interactions with my fully grown peers and their hard opinions. Being patient, calm, and understanding no matter the challenges is a tool in teaching that saves lives. As a teacher you are with your class for 30+ hours a week and navigating the day to day relationships can put immense stress on your mental health. But being able to separate from it, and not taking your work home with you at the end of the day is a requirement I’m sure will come with time the longer I am in the field. I look up to veteran teachers and their careers, their strength and compassion are inspiring. I appreciate all those who have helped me on my journey thus far and all the expertise they bring with them.

Reflection #2:

This week in practicum was an extremely different atmosphere than the last three weeks. The kids have very much gotten used to mine and Dawson’s presence. The students that had been needy for attention had backed off and students that had been shyer had come forward and demanded more of our attention. We both taught this week, and in our teaching lessons, we were introduced to a new student, Theresa. The thing about Theresa, that makes her both incredibly special and an amazing teaching opportunity is that was born without ears, and has an implant, and needs special support. In order for her to get the most out of her lessons, we are to wear a special mic that sits on a necklace that connects to her implant and the vibrations allow her to understand the speaker better. It was wonderful to be able to meet her and interact with her. I had been waiting since we had arrived on the first day to be able to speak with her, and my goodness she is a little ball of positivity.

            Working with her this week I feel as though I learned a lot about what inclusive education is. It’s one thing to talk about it in the classroom and talk about how we would approach it in our careers, but it’s another thing to experience it and receive the joy of connecting with a student and watching her succeed. I’ve learned this week just how different it is to talk about physical disabilities than to experience it first-hand. No one tells you how to connect, no one tells you what each child likes, understandably so because every child is so different, but no one can prepare you. And I think the resonating feeling that I’m trying to get across here is the feeling of being completely unprepared. I wanted to be able to connect right away and come away from that day feeling successful and accomplished in how I was able to come across. But, I left feeling very neutral with the day. I learned a lot about expectations versus reality and how spending one day in the classroom won’t be enough to make a huge difference.

            For the future, I am going to try and set far more realistic goals for myself in regards to my expectations. I am so eager to make a difference and am impatient with getting into a classroom and beginning my career. I am growing so fond of the kids in the practicum classroom, and I wish I could spend every day with them instead of just Wednesdays. I am getting ahead of myself, and instead of sitting back and experiencing it day by day, I feel as though I’m rushing it a little bit. From now on I’m going to work on slowing down my own pace.

After the completion of EDPR 3100 and the classes, I have had since then have prepared me to face differentiated needs with far more grace. I know for a fact I still have so much to learn, and the ability to have a second practicum this year would have prepared me just that one extra step closer. However, I look forward to another summer of supervising summer camp, and all the challenging behaviours that come with it as well. I feel as though approaching all things with caution but a sense of excitement is the best way to go. Not to hold expectations of walking into a perfect classroom. Being open and ready for a challenge is the only way to properly prepare you for success. One thing I noticed in my peers was the premonition of the perfection of the classroom they would be entering into, and the following week was spent listening to disappointment in some aspect. Engaging with students with differentiation is extremely rewarding, but importantly a necessary piece of teaching and to be deprived of it would give us a skewed perception of the world of teaching. So to my future self, I implore her to stop, reflect inwardly on the blessing in disguise I might be faced with. Each student is a gift and the opportunity to bond with them is going to take us one step further in our abilities to teach

Reflection #3:

 

Week #6 Reflection

The last two weeks of practicum have been extremely rewarding but extremely stressful. When I was told that the novelty of having me around would wear off I wasn’t entirely sure the extent at which that statement would be true. But, the last two weeks have been hard doses of reality. However, amongst the harder moments, I had a truly special moment last week. There is one extremely quiet student, she sits at the front, and her best friend is equally as quiet as she is. She rarely if ever speaks up, but man is she ever smart. We were doing a lesson about showing language versus telling language. Most of the kids were having a hard time grasping how to show their emotions and actions versus just writing it for what it is. However, this student, who usually has a difficult time with her assignments and is usually a lower performing student flourished during this lesson. She wrote nearly three times the amount I asked for, and instead of focusing on one subject wrote about a number of things. So after the lesson, I sat down next to her and told her how pleased I was, and expressed my gratitude and told her how fabulous she is at writing. I figured that was the end of the exchange. But, without my knowing it she had written me a long letter thanking me for making her feel so confident. She had said that no one ever tells her how good she’s going and for once she felt like she was good at something in school. I remember being her age and having a teacher that made me feel confident in myself like that. To know that at that moment I made an impact on her was all I needed to know that I was in the right profession.

            For the future, I am going to keep in my mind how much impact one teacher can have on a student not necessarily over time, but in one moment, and one minute out of a day. I want to continue building students like her up, and make them feel like they’re more than just a face in the classroom. I want all of the students I encounter to feel the passion I feel about education. A passion for learning is something I feel as though every child should feel at some point in their education. To feel empowered and to feel intelligent is arguably one of the most powerful feelings in the entire world. I wish that the teachers I had growing up knew how it made the students feel when they focused on the negatives instead of the positives, and I keep that feeling close to me when I am in practicum so that I can do my very best to squash that feeling and replace it with love, courage, and positivity. Every student no matter the challenges deserves to feel like they are welcome, belong, and most importantly are cherished in the classroom. I know that for the rest of my teaching career I am going to remember her and all the things she taught me that one day during practicum. I feel like every teacher candidate needs a student like her, a student that in however they can, expresses how much positive feedback and praise matters. Because in a classroom it is hard to always focus on the little things and not the larger group. We need those little moments to remind us why we wanted to become teachers in the first place.

This was by far the most powerful moment for me in my first practicum. It felt like my first real breakthrough in teaching and feeling like I had made the right choice for sure. Since that moment that student and a few others have come into my work at Purdy’s in the mall and caught up with what is new at school and updated me on any big news. It is these moments that I live for now the students coming in with huge smiles on their faces when they see me. The recognition, and a positive relationship following an at-times challenging group of students. I feel so lucky to have gotten the chance at these experiences every time I see these students I am reminded of the path that I am on, and the incredible experiences I have to come. I wake up every morning I am one day closer to having a classroom of my own, and that is the one day in my life I look forward to the most.