Well, we have reached the end to another amazing experience. I feel so fortunate and lucky to have experienced the rural life in Vanderhoof. From horseback riding to cattle driving, it has been a fantastic experience! I have met many genuinely kind and helpful people. There seems to always be someone who is available to lend a helping hand. The connection that people have to each other in this community has been something that I have not felt before.

I have also been fortunate enough to witness some great teaching practices at the school that I was at. It was evident that the teachers and students cared and supported each other, no matter the grade or class that they were in.  Building a strong school community is indeed essential in any school. This school has shown that there is power when students and staff come together as one team. Creating this strong community requires the commitment and effort by every person in the school. My experience has caused me to think about what I can do to help support the students and staff at the schools that I will be teaching in the future. My role as a teacher does not end when I leave the classroom at the end of the day – it continues through how I build my relationships with the students and staff before and after school.

I have also learned how valuable it is to expose students to the outdoors and nature. All of the teachers at the school made an effort to get their students to go outside to explore and learn from their environment. As a result, the students were more engaged and focused during times when they were in the classroom. My experience at the school has shown me that students should be exposed to their environment and nature more often during class time. I believe that students need that mental break from being indoors in a classroom all day. Students can learn so much from learning about their environment. Learning does not always have to be taken place within the four corners of the classroom or school. Furthermore, when students get those opportunities to go outside to learn, they feel more energized and ready to learn.

Overall, I am thankful that I chose to teach at a rural school. This has been an unforgettable experience!

Another week at Vanderhoof has flown by! I am beginning to feel less like a city girl from Vancouver and more like a country girl from Vanderhoof! This week at the school, I wanted to focus on building relationships with the students – something that I strive to do given any setting. Even though I am here for a short amount of time, I want to build relationships with the staff and students as much as possible. Through my observations and conversations with students, I have come to realize that many of the students face a range of problems that affect how they behave and learn within the classroom. These problems include divorced parents, neglect, or learning disabilities. Of course, this is experienced within any school setting, urban or rural. The only difference is that, especially within a small school, it is hard to find the right resources to support students who are at a high-risk. These students do get some support, but often times, students are not getting enough support because the resources are so limited.

This means that building relationships, especially with students who are at a high-risk, is so important. As one of my professors at UBC used to say, every child deserves an adult in their life who cares about them. I had the opportunity to sit down and speak one-on-one with some students this week. I began the conversation by talking to them about what they were working on. After a while, our conversations developed and I began to get a glimpse into their life, such as what they liked about school, what they wanted to be when they grow up, etc. Through these conversations, I learned just how powerful and quick making connections with students can be. For many of these students, they do not get many opportunities to share stories with someone else who is willing to sit and listen to them. As teachers, I realize that we do not always get the luxury of sitting down for an hour with each student to have a conversation with them. Nonetheless, it is still important that as teachers, we find those small opportunities throughout the day to have conversations with our students to find out how they are doing and hear their stories that they want to share with us.

It has been an exciting and fulfilling first week here at Vanderhoof! If we are to talk about a completely new experience, this is it. Living in a small town such as Vanderhoof has so far been a very humbling and eye-opening experience. I have had a busy schedule with jumping from classroom to classroom. This week, I began team teaching in a Grade 1/2/3 classroom, where we started an insect inquiry unit. The students took charge of their own learning and built their own insect habitat in the classroom! We went on a bug hunt around the school and collected branches, leaves, and of course, insects! The students then chose their own insect to study and did some research on its life cycle. It has been wonderful to see how engaged the students are in doing their own research and learning about different insects every day.

From teaching in a rural classroom, I have noticed that there are some vast differences between teaching in a rural setting and an urban setting. Being in a school with less than 100 students means that the school community feels richer and more inclusive. Almost every student knows each other, including all of the 4 teachers. Every Friday, the teachers get some time to collaborate with each other to share resources! I have also noticed that the students are extremely hands-on and know many facts about the outdoors. Many students have shared stories of exploring the outdoors in the forest during their free time. They also have different responsibilities at home, which include feeding and taking care of their animals. I believe that this level of responsibility that is required from rural students affects how they learn and behave at school. Students take responsibility in their own learning and are highly interested in the topics that they explore in the classroom. They are not afraid to take risks or to try different things because they are used to doing that in their home life.

I have made some great connections with many of the students in the school. I have found that the students are open and love to share stories about their adventures outside of school. I can already tell that saying good bye to the students and staff will be very tough by the end of the three weeks.