“When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all the work that had gone before.” -Jacob Riis
My Journey:
Orientation day for the BEd program. Super excited and I received my first teachers apple!
Where to begin? This past year has been full of brand new beginnings, exciting adventures, trials and errors, new friendships, collaboration projects, self development and growth and much, much more. The BEd program at UBC has allowed me to get to know myself in a way that I never thought possible. I have met some of the most incredible people, fascinating teachers and colleagues. It’s strange that I never realized how much I didn’t know or take to heart about myself, my teaching philosophy or my own dreams before entering into this intensive program and I am so thankful I did. I’m astounded I have so many stories to
tell, and so many life experiences I have under my belt and so many more that are coming my way in the future. In many ways, this year has taught me to accept who am, who I strive to be and how I connect with my community.
My first day of practicum and my official name tag!
As a future educator, I have learned that everyone’s life experience is different, everyone’s learning style will vary, we all have different hobbies and interests, but we all fundamentally want to be treated with respect and dignity. I want to encourage my students to be different and unique, after all, it’s our experiences that make us who we are and shape who we want to be. From my own
journey, I’ve learned that I have so many memories and different experiences in so many areas! I love that I’ve tried so many different things, even if I was horrible at them and some failed. At least I have a story to tell and I enjoy the fact that I can laugh at myself and improve for the next time around. It has also given me something to look forward to and keeps me on my toes. I want to really get to know my students and I think that sharing our stories helps to create a positive environment and make connections with one another. My goal is to continue to reflect and grow for the rest of my life.
BEd Reflection and Growth Projects:
Autogeography Project.
One of the most profound projects I completed during my BEd was my Autogeography project for one of my EPSE courses. We were required to put together artifacts that have shaped us as individuals over the years. I learned so much about myself and I’m very proud of my project. Below is a link to my reflection.
LLED Video Project
For one of our LLED courses this year, we were asked to do a multimedia project about our journey through the BEd program. I got together with a few of my colleagues and made a humourous newscast video. It’s one of my fondest memories from this year and it was a fun and engaging project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rn8fqAlocI
For our LLED class in the fall, we were asked to put together a portfolio of our own language learning. I didn’t realize the complexities of language learning and it opened my eyes to the challenges I faced in my own language development. Below is a copy of my journey through linguistics.