Finally back in the class after a long break.

It is surprising how much I missed the class and the students. Each student is an unique personality and they are so special.

It did not feel that I was away from the class for so long. I picked up where I left off.

After being back I did notice that the students were a little different. I do now know if it was the outcome of coming back from the break or a development in their personalities. They were all so focused. This was prominent in the quality of work in one of the Language Arts activity they were doing.

The class was so reflect on the goals they had set out for themselves in the first term. Once that was done the students were to come up wit new goals for the second term. When reading some of the goals from the first term in comparison to their new goals in the second terms they all seemed to be focused on academics.

As an educator I was very happy to see that my students were willing to develop, learn and grow to become better students. What else could an educator ask for?

I would like to start off by saying I missed the students a lot. I was so excited to go back on Thursday morning, especially, to see those students who I have been working very closely with.

It was so comforting and lovely to see the students greet me with such excitement and compassion. It was such a warm feeling. Even though I was in the class for two week I realized I get to learn something new about the students every time.

Just before lunch an announcement was made for all the Aboriginal students to attend a lunch that had been arranged. My first instinct “There is no one from our class.” Was I ever wrong. Two of the students got up to go attend the lunch. I was caught by surprise. I did not know I had two Aboriginal students in my class. I thought this would be a great way to connect with these two students. So during a independent activity I approached one of the students. I had asked her how her lunch was. I then started asking her questions about what she knew about her background and culture. She did  not know much. I then asked her about her family. That was not a good idea. She told be about her family dynamic. It was very complex. I felt guilty. I did not think such a simple question would strike up a complicated conversation. The emotions on the students face were devastating.

Thinking back to that moment. I am hesitant to ask an question surrounding family dynamic. I was unable to forget the students reaction all day.

It is remarkable how fast time passes. These two weeks just flew by!

Being in the class and interacting with the students directly was such an amazing experience. It incredible to see how the concepts and ideas we learn in class play out in reality.

This week my main focus was to act upon the recommendations and feedback I received on the delivery of my lesson plan. My main focus was classroom management, specifically, pause time. My previous lessons were always in the morning, but, to challenge myself I delivered my last two lessons in the afternoon. WOW! Was that a surprise. The kids excitement and energy levels were much different, hence the lesson went on for a longer time than I expected. I had to pause a lot between activities. There were times where I had to walk over to the student and remind them to stay on task. One time I had to take away the object the student was occupied with.

There was one particular time, which involved me calling out on a student. I felt really bad, but he refused to listen to directions throughout the lesson. The student was preoccupied making a paper finger, something they learned in science the day before. I redirected him four times to put all the material away, however, he refused to listen. Finally, I had to stop the class, call upon the student’s name. I asked, “Student A are you listening?” He replied, “Yes, I am.” I then asked him to repeat what I had said. He could not do that. Then I addressed the whole class on manners and the importance of being respectful. The student went red in the face, but, he stayed on task after that.

I am still  unsure if that was the right thing to do. In the moment it seemed like it was appropriate. Teaching is a learning experience, all I can think is that I have a lot to learn. I will make mistakes and that is the only way I will learn.

I had waited so patiently for this practicum to start. I wanted to jump in and get started, however, I learned to control my enthusiasm!

This week has taught me a lot. The reality is very different. As a teacher your plan to stay on task and get certain tasks accomplished is unlikely. There are so many unexpected concerns, challenges and issues that come about that a teacher has to address in the midst of the day plan. Not everything a teacher plans will happen accordingly. There is always a shortage of time. Also, one task is not done in just one lesson. So much to do and such little time.

In my first week I taught my SEL lesson. It was the third lesson that I had done with the class. I do not know if it is a good thing or bad, but I was not nervous. I had a lesson plan ready, however, I went with the flow of the class and the reactions of the students. My SEL lesson was done within 40 min, which I was very happy with. The kids were engaged throughout the activity. Towards the end the kids were a bit more distracted but it was not too bad. I was very surprised as the behaviour of some of the student. The kids that are known to “act out” or those who were “easily distracted” were on their best behaviour and those who are always on task were acting like jokers.

The one aspect I do have place more focus on is the pause time. It is OKAY if I have to wait a little while for the all the students to settle down. I used the bell to get the students attention but there were times where the students were not interested in listening. They were able to quiet down but continued to chit chat with some of their group member.

After my teaching experience, I want to challenge myself by engaging the students in more complex activities. These activities might involve drama. I have learned that is okay for a lesson to plan. It is okay, as this is the only way to learn what works and what does not.

Let’s see what next week has in store!