Today is Thursday! We arrived and were taken to a chemistry class. I felt the same way I did in grade 9 science class, confused. They were doing equations and I find them very difficult to understand. Whenever I have a student in my art class who either does not like are or does not feel comfortable with are i sympathize with them. I do this because i understand how it is to find a subject challenging.

The next class we attended was a history class of the 20th century in english. It was nice to be familiar with the top and hear everyone speak english. They discussed Afghanistan and the Taliban and 9-11.  It interesting to hear the students discuss events that were discussed when I was their age.

The way teachers teach here is interesting. It seems to be more relaxed then in Canada. I would consider myself a relaxed teacher. My philosophy when teaching is to create a safe classroom environment and make sure the students feel comfortable. Here the students are rolling around on their individual chairs sharing thoughts and other subjects to each other. I do enjoy the bond between student and teacher. As a teacher I wait until the students are quiet and then continue my lesson. I explain I do not want to repeat myself over and over again. In an art class i only give information and instructions for 15 minutes.

This experience like I have mentioned in an earlier blog is I am able to relate to my ELL students. I have always tried to make them feel comfortable in the class and hope to try other exercises to make them feel more included.

Today I went to an English speaking economics class. I have no background in the subject but it was nice to talk to the students and here how they felt about school. Many were feeling overwhelmed by the workload and their sports. It was very similar to what my students at Magee Secondary dealt with on a day to day basis. One thing i love doing as a teacher which i learned from my SA is to thank the students for showing up. I found this helped create a bond between student and teacher. TEC is highly competitive just like the schools in Canada. I could relate to these students and sympathized for them.

Later on we went and watch the Teachers vs Students Soccer game. It was great to see the bond between teacher and student. I hope to create these events at my future school. At the end of the game they played bubble soccer. Check out the video below!

For the rest of the day we attended a conference and met with a teacher to discuss tutoring students for thursday and friday!

Video Click to Download Video 🙂

The end of yesterday was great! I was able to get into a class where I could help students. Their assignment was to read a book that was also made into a movie and compare the similarities and differences. I helped one student brainstorm an idea for her introductory paragraph. I helped two students who had read the same book, brainstorm ideas on how the movie and book were similar. The last student translated his essay in order for me to see if he could add anything. It was nice to be in a class where i understood what was going on.

When i was in the other classes I was able to get an idea of what it would be like to be an ELL learner in my own classroom. It was hard to concentrate, I was searching for clues to understand what was going on and it was uncomfortable at times. This experience has been very helpful to understand how some of my students may feel. Even the culture shock i experience the first couple days allows me to relate to my students from out of Canada.

This morning we got up at 5:30am and arrive at TEC at 630am. We met with Maria and I was quickly taken to an Art class. This class was nothing like a class in Canada, well maybe university. It was not a studio art class more like an art history university level. the whole class was in spanish so I asked one of the students what teacher was saying a couple times. I knew a couple of the artists and their work as I had studied them in my undergrad. The students are super friendly and are very interesting in studying abroad. This afternoon I will be going to another Art class but this time I am bringing my computer to help translate what is being said.

Hello Everyone!

We arrived yesterday and started site seeing right away! Tim and I (another TC) met up with six other TC’s and went into Mexico City! We went to the Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Castle and Metropolitan Cathedral! The food was amazing! There was a concert outside the Cathedral, with a huge crowd and everyone was enjoying themselves! It would be amazing to have a concert like it in Vancouver!

Today we met Maria today (our TEC host), she took us to the Santa Fe Campus. Maria showed us around and then brought us to our apartment where we will be staying for the three weeks.

Tomorrow we will be our first day at MTEC!

Today I started my blog for my Community Field Experience in Santa Fe Mexico! This is my last week of my long practicum. My students at Magee Secondary are amazing! Not only are they talented but they are bright, smart, funny students who have allowed me to grow as a teacher. I hope some will follow my experience by reading this blog! 🙂