That’s a wrap.
My two-week short practicum is officially over. And I’m actually really sad about it!
Being in the classroom has taught me so much valuable information that I don’t think I’d learn if I weren’t in a classroom. I’ve grown so attached to all the students and I’m going to miss them a lot (Even if technically, I’ll be back on Thursdays)
So my second week went pretty much the same as my first, I helped a lot around the classroom! Sometimes I worked with the Kindergarten students, sometimes the Grade 1s and sometimes both of them together. I was able to teach Math this week, which was interesting. They were learning how to properly write their numbers down. I would work with them in groups, teaching them a song as to how they can remember the proper way to write down numbers. It’s so interesting because you see so many of them struggling, inverting numbers and such. But then, we were all like that when we were younger, we all had to start somewhere — it’s really humbling to see that. I was glad to see them writing their numbers correctly as I was singing the song. At the end, I made them rewrite all the numbers (1-10) on their own so I could assess whether they actually absorbed what I taught them. Most of the students wrote their numbers correctly, and it was so great to see them proud of their numbers!
I was also given the opportunity to do a SEL lesson on the book “Beautiful Oops” by Barney Saltzberg. My S.A. told me in advance that this book would be great to read in her class in particular because there are a few students who struggle with “perfectionism” and giving up when they make mistakes. I read the book and I thought that the students were actively engaged and it seemed like they all really enjoyed it. It enabled them to use their imagination and creativity in figuring out what they can make out of their “oops” or “mistakes”. They then created their own beautiful oops. They were all so into their artworks and so proud of what they made. It made me feel so proud too! 🙂
Over-all, I’m going to really miss being in the classroom… and I can’t wait for Thursdays!
There is so much joy in teaching the young ones, and always so much to learn! It is great that you were so involved with them and experienced both grades separately and together. You have embraced the songs, activities, lesson development, and teaching with enthusiasm and openness to learn. What a great two weeks! Being sad to return to UBC is really understandable. There are many in the cohort who feel the same!