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Family Math and Science Day at UBC
Today I volunteered with the Family Math and Science Day held at UBC. It was free and the said they had about 800 people register online but the last count I took was around 350 people. I was assigned to the registers table, we had people sign in, write down how many people were in their groups, sign a photo release form is they wanted, and directed them to the rooms.
I noticed there were a lot of younger kids, around age 4 to 6, which was not what I expected. Some of the kids from my practicum were there, it was cute to see them outside of the classroom. After visiting the stations (there was math, physics, chemistry, biology and physics and music) I was amazed at all the different games and activities which the children loved. Some were more popular than others including the station that made a type of goo to take home, the chemistry one which blew the lid off a container and the liquid nitrogen presentation.
It was nice to see parents interacting with their children while simultaneously learning new things themselves. It was also interesting to see how the various volunteers interacted with the kids.
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Day 1 of Practicum!
It’s actually day one of school visits before practicum but it rhymed so it was much more appealing as a title.
Oh Kindergarten, you loud, crazy, energetic, creative, exciting and ‘insert more adjectives here’ how wonderful you are.
The biggest difference I have noticed, so far, between kindergarten and the upper grades is that the students often do not particularly care whether you interact with them or not. Some do really want your attention, most use you as a reference for their million and one questions, but they are just as happy while playing with their peers as they are when you read them a story. It truly is amazing to watch them find joy in everything they do.
The two stand-out features for my practicum placement are first, the community aspect of the classrooms and the entire school. This is something I have never encountered in my schooling or volunteer experiences. Being that I have only spent one day in this type of environment I am not quite sure how I feel about this set up yet, so stay tuned. Second, is the amount of English Language Learners. Again, I have never encountered this. I have experience with shy kids or ones that don’t want to speak very often but it was never because they didn’t have the words to do so. I can only imagine what these kids are going through. Being on the opposite side I found it frustrating to not be able to communicate with them effectively to be better able to understand their needs and attend to them.
Overall, I am grateful, excited and still a little nervous about being in a kindergarten classroom.
Noah, Priscilla, Vicky, Sarah and I during the lunch hour.
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“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” -Nelson Mandela
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One Month Down!
September was such a whirlwind. On the first day I met about 30 strangers and we all admitted we were nervous for the year ahead of us. Now I can say those people are my friends and that we are all indeed a little crazy for choosing KIPP as our cohort.
All of our instructors are extremely welcoming and helpful. Each class we have discussions and group activities. This is much different than during my undergraduate degree as almost everything was based on individual achievements. That being said, I am loving the collaborations because everyone brings in their point of view making the resulting discussion more rounded and complete.
I have learned so much thanks to the various tech workshops, library workshops, and seminar lectures. Without these workshops I would not be writing this blog or be able to complete a digital assignment. Even if I haven’t used the resources presented I now know where I can find help or access to these resources. I am truly grateful for these experiences.
Yesterday we were given our practicum placements. I am thrilled to announce I will be teaching in a Kindergarten class. The interesting thing about this placement is that the classes are built on the idea of community learning. This means I won’t be limited to just the kids in my class and that I will have the opportunity to interact not only with many different teachers and children but also with other teacher candidates in my cohort.
September was a blur but I can happily report that I survived the storm and I am looking forward to the future.
Stay tuned for my first day at practicum on Thurs., Oct. 6th and my volunteer experience with the Math and Science Day hosted by UBC on Sat., Oct. 15th!
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Chan Centre Reactions
The orientation at the Chan Centre was very inspiring. Although there was a lot said in the hour and a half from a variety of speakers, the over all impression I got was the idea of community. All of the faculty were constantly reminding us that they are there to help us and will not let us fail or fall behind. Furthermore the atmosphere of excitement felt throughout the room really made this a powerful experience. It truly was a wonderful way to start the year.
This is the first picture I took of UBC.
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