As an educator, I would try and continuously enhance my intellect and grow both professionally and personally. I would self-renew, reflect and consistently look back at my philosophy to remind myself of what I believed in coming into the profession. This reminder will motivate me to pursue my values and what I stand for and allow me to move forward and recreate that spark and passion that I have right now.  I will ask the District that I am working for if there are opportunities for me to enhance my teaching skills and will attend what they offer. I will also consistently sign up for Professional Development workshops and take fullest advantage of all the learning opportunities that are presented to me. My inquiry question is around inclusivity in the classroom especially students with special needs and therefore I would use this question as a key guiding element in my professional growth plan. I would try and find resources that I can utilize that will help me find answers and find pathways through my inquiry. I know that my questions will never fully be answered but that’s the beauty with the field of education. It will constantly be expanding, altering, enhancing and developing and we as professionals should be doing the same and moving in the direction that the future of education will be moving. It is so much easier to use the same lessons every year, the same projects, and the same worksheets, but if we do not reflect and enhance our teaching every year, we will inevitably lose our passion and intellect and feel drained. Furthermore, our well-being is just as important as our students’ well-being. It’s difficult to portray passion, energy and enthusiasm in our teaching if we are not giving our body the rest it deserves. I think it is crucial for educators to have their feelings and emotions in check before attempting to create a positive classroom environment let alone trying to maintain it. As the future educator, I would try and take my emotions and feelings as seriously as I would of my students because how I feel will most definitely affect my teaching, my relationships, and my students and their behaviours. Therefore, fostering self-awareness of my mental health and my self-regulation strategies are important. Learning about emotions specifically how to deal with them and how to respond to others emotions is a great start in self-regulation. Attending emotion focused workshops will be beneficial as part of my professional growth. Furthermore, having an outlet for stress and incorporating different strategies to alleviate stress is essential. For instance, a strong and positive support system, healthy lifestyle, entertainment options, religious involvement, and mindfulness practices are all great way for me to keep my emotions in check and decrease stress.

This program has been a great learning experience for me especially the two practicums. I am proud of myself for choosing the social and emotional learning cohort because it perfectly resonates with my teaching philosophy and my values as an educator. This program has taught me a great amount about the importance of the social and emotional learning which I was not fully aware of in the past.

The abundance of SEL focused activities, lessons and games that I have gained throughout the year are incredibly overwhelming. I often have to take a minute to think back and remember everything that I learned before trying to implement it in my practicum. Building an SEL environment is an integral part of a positive classroom. Some of the strategies that I implemented were check-ins, brain breaks, Second step and Mind up, and children’s literature which all worked well with my students. My students had a difficult time with regulating their emotions, therefore, mindful breathing and helping students understand what it means to manage emotions had a huge impact in their behaviours and management. Using picture books were my personal favourite and a great hook to every lesson. It instilled curiosity in the students and allowed them to make connections and ask questions. Most importantly, they were an enjoyable and calming tool for starting any new lesson or unit. Moreover, using picture books are a great way to address social and emotional issues in the classroom through questions, discussions etc which is what I often did when needed.

My inquiry journey has played a significant role in my teaching practice especially during my long practicum. My inquiry question is: How can I create an inclusive environment especially of students with special needs?  Our role as an educator is to teach children, and there is no specific category in which the term children falls into therefore, we do not educate any specific type of children except all of them entirely. Children should not be labeled, or categorized or distinguished from one another in any aspect. Children should feel safe, accepted, capable, and powerful.

In my opinion, in taking steps towards inclusion, of most importance is to remember that you as a teacher are a role model to the students. If the teacher shows unacceptance of the student with special needs, the other students won’t accept them either. Consequently, if the classroom teacher feels good about inclusion, the student with special needs will thrive. If the teacher feels resentful about the extra work, the student will likely suffer. Moreover, inclusion works better when the professionals in the school collaborate. However, not all professionals are available or are willing to collaborate. The regular classroom teacher must be prepared to continue teaching their student with special needs with or without collaboration. It is up to us future educators to not let the traditional ways of practice define our strategies for including students with special needs. We must work collaboratively to change the policies and create a more just education system for all learners.

I look forward in exploring this issue further throughout my education profession and I am eager to learn more about it, implement and integrate it into my teaching in the future.