It is completely different being in school learning about how to shape a classroom and assume the teacher’s role (in approx. 14 months!!). This had been a program that I’d dreamt of attending, as a first step, for years and years and years of my undergraduate. It wasn’t because I knew what to expect.. but I knew in my heart that I wanted to be an educator and that the first step into that career would be by completing this bachelor’s in education.
I loved my first day of school. It was my favourite first-day-of-school, and I usually love all of mine. The first day I walked into Jamieson Elementary school was confusing, and I don’t remember much of it (because I didn’t know enough English to encode that memory properly?); the first day of the UBC Transition Program was overwhelming because we were told that we would speed through the Gr.10 curricula in three month’s time; the first day of UBC was less overwhelming because I was used to the campus; the first day of our Busolwe (Ugandan) kindergarten was coloured with uncertainty and improvisation..
Today, we took a dive into our course content. The framework of the program is centered around both practice and theory, and it is a unique experience identifying some of my past experiences working with children and youth using some new terms and concepts we discussed today. During our discussion about diverse learners, I contrasted the students I worked with in Vancouver versus those from Busolwe; and during our discussion about literacy and language learning, I reflected on the learning needs of all my ESL students at the Academy. We were, and will continue to be, challenged to identify and/or reconsider our biases, assumptions, convictions, and strategies in our teaching philosophy. I am truly excited to grow as a teacher! There is so much to learn!
The best part about today was that I learned with other students and teacher candidates who love kids, and teaching, and self- discovery, and all have similar sparks of passion for learning and discovery that I have always had.