Today was my first full day in Division 11, I have been anticipating this day ever since I found out my practicum class. It went exceptionally well I was able to work closely with my school adviser and get to know the students in the class on an individual basis as well as a whole class dynamic. This class does things a little differently as the teachers teach Division 11 and Division 9 as one large class, however today they had a special guest artist in so the classes were separate all day. This was helpful for me as it gave me a chance to get to know the students in a more personal way as I was able to spend time with each student throughout the day. My favourite part of the day was reading a Halloween story to the class after lunch it felt like my first “teacher moment” at first I was a little nervous but once I started reading it felt so natural. I also spoke to my SA all throughout the day and we were able establish  good rapport, I am so happy I will have the opportunity to work with such a passionate and knowledgeable teacher. We also discussed my two  week practicum and I now have a good understanding of what will be expected of me and what types of classroom activities/lessons I will be teaching, I can’t wait! I have already begun looking through my read aloud SEL book options and have discussed them with my SA I am looking forward to reading again and leading a lesson with my class. I really enjoyed spending the day with the students, I am excited to learn more about each and every student. Next week I hope to come prepared with some activities and lesson plan ideas to review with my SA for me to teach in my two week practicum. I also hope to remember all the students names and get to know their strengths and needs in more depth. Next Thursday cant come fast enough!

Thursday was my second observation day at Newton Elementary it was filled with happy students and a surprisingly comfortable me. We began the day at the Surrey School Districts head office where we received our name tags and were spoken to by the District Principal, he offered some words of wisdom. It was intriguing to hear his perspective on things he said one thing that really resonated with me and it was that when he is hiring he is looking for teachers that are on a growth trajectory, he’s looking for people that take initiative, jump in and take risks. I hold very high expectations for myself and expect thing to be perfect a lot of the time. I know these are lofty and unrealistic goals and it is my goal that through my experiences in the classroom and outside the classroom this year that i change, that I am able to lower my expectations and be more kind to myself and embrace my mistakes. On Friday I found out my placement and was surprised and overreacted, it was not what I expected. This weekend I spoke to friends and family, thought through some things on my own and arrived to a conclusion. I have a passion for teaching and want to be a kind of teacher that pushes students out of their comfort zones to be the best versions of themselves and in order for me to be that kind of teacher I need to be able to adapt and try new things. Ultimately this year is going to be difficult and full of challenges but I need acknowledge that and realize that it is only going to make me a stronger  individual and an adaptable, passionate and professional teacher. It took me a few days to come to this conclusion but I am excited and I am looking forward to my practicum in November, the class fits me well and I am eager to get to know the students, my school adviser and Raman.

Questions are inevitable when you are observing in a classroom both teachers and students frequently ask and answer questions. I started my observations in Mrs. Robinson’s class where I observed Ms.Lu a student teacher who was teaching a lesson on the Federal Elections. She asked many questions to the students individually, at table groups, and to the class as a whole. I found the students to be most responsive when they were asked questions at their table groups or individually. Ms. Lu made sure to offer praise after every students response and she would correct if the students answer wasn’t necessarily the one she was looking for. She implemented wait time when she asked questions giving students an opportunity to think about how they may answer, I found this to be important as there were students of various abilities in the classroom. The second class I worked with was the grade 2/3 class where the students are full of wonder and ask many questions all the time. I observed in the class after lunch which explained their energy level, one of the teachers read “It’s Okay to be Different” as they transitioned from lunch back to class. The teacher posed questions throughout the story to guide the students reading and also connecting the story to their lives and experiences. I thought it worked particularly well as it made the message of the book seem relevant in the students’ lives. This will be the class I will be doing my practicum with so I plan to use some of these questioning techniques when I am teaching my SEL book lesson, I plan to read “The Invisible String” or “the dot”. Often questions seem insignificant however I think it is important to remember that there is a lot of thought that goes into questions by both teachers and students. It is my hope that I put a lot of thought into the questions I pose to my class and am aware of the specific language that I use.