The Ride Up

Along with three other teacher candidates, I left for Prince Rupert on Saturday morning. It was a slow start as my building was without power and I could not get out of the garage. Once I was finally on the road, I picked up Jess and we headed to Prince George (our stop for the night). Jess and I met up with Evan and Brian in Kamloops so that we could travel together the rest of the way. We made it to Prince George in the evening and checked in to our hotel for the night. It was a beautiful drive, one I had not done before, and I was happy to rest for the night.

The next morning we grabbed a bite to eat at Denny’s for breakfast before continuing our road trip. The drive from Prince George to Prince Rupert was uneventful as we made good time, arriving in Prince Rupert just before 6 pm on Sunday evening. There, we were met by our hosts for the three weeks. I am staying with Rod and Linda Hikida and I had dinner with them on Sunday night and we chatted for a while but I was ready for bed after the two day drive. I would be at Prince Rupert Middle School (PRMS) the next day where Rod works.

Day One

On the first day of the CFE, I spent the morning at PRMS. I observed a grade 6 class which is definitely a different experience from high school. I am looking forward to spending some time here getting to know the students.

At lunch there was a meeting with the Superintendent and the principals of the middle school and the two high schools. We went over some of the different opportunities that we have and I am really looking forward to getting involved in the sports program after school on Wednesdays and the Foods classes at PRMS. Also, I was invited on a field trip to the Museum of Northern British Columbia on Tuesday.

Day Two

This morning I went to the Museum of Northern British Columbia with a class from Charles Hays Secondary. We learned about the Winter Feasts and I was very thrilled to have the opportunity to view The Gwis’amihlgigoohl Dancers perform. It was an excellent field trip. I also spoke with a grade 12 student about her aspirations to become a teacher as she was asking me why I wanted to be a teacher.

In the afternoon I went out to the North Pacific Cannery with the Pacific Coast School along with the other three TCs. We did some work there to prepare the site for its opening weekend. It was a pretty cool opportunity to see a real piece of BC history. I am pretty excited about the rest of my time here.

Day Three

Today I went in to PRMS to help out in the Foods room which was fun We made sweet potato fries and it was pretty cool to be in a very different type of classroom. While Foods is not a subject that I have taught, I do have a bit of a background in it because I worked in a bakery for about 5 years. I would love to have the opportunity to teach Foods at some point in my career and speaking with Craig (the Foods teacher) I realized that in a smaller district (or as a TOC) it is a real possibility. He is actually a Socials teacher but is doing Foods right now.

After school, I spent the afternoon in the after school sports program which was awesome. Evan, Jess, and I just played games with a group of about 25 students for a few hours. I had a lot of fun at this and it is definitely something I will be back at next Wednesday.

Day Four

Today, I spent the day at PRMS. I spent the morning in Mrs. Bishop’s grade 7 class for Daily Physical Activity, Language Arts, and Social Studies. In Language Arts they are reading The Hatchet which I remember reading in grade 7 myself. In Social Studies they are looking at Ancient China which I am going to help with next week. After lunch I helped out in the Foods Room making Yam Fries. Overall, it was a great day.

Day Five

Today, along with Evan, Brian, and Jess, I went to the fish hatchery with PCS which was a great field trip. We walked from the school up to the hatchery where we got a tour. Our guide dissected a salmon for us (which turned Jess a little green) and we toured the facilities before taking a trail back to the school for a potluck lunch.

The lunch was great. We had the opportunity to learn to drum and we learned a welcoming song that we performed with the students for the parents that had come to the potluck lunch.

The First Weekend

With the first week complete, and I do have to say that it was an awesome week, we were very fortunate to have great weather for our first weekend here. Rod took Evan, Jess, and I fishing on Saturday and although we didn’t catch anything it was a lot of fun.

Saturday night, Evan, Brian, and I hit the carnival which was in town. I got myself some mini donuts which I had been looking forward to all week. The students at the middle school had been telling us all about the carnival so we figured that we should head to it. On Sunday, the four of us went on a short hike and then Evan, Brian, and I had a Settlers of Catan night with Doug (Brian’s homestay). Overall a pretty great weekend.

Day Six

Today, I spent the day at the middle school. For the morning I hung out in Rod’s class which was great. I found that a lot more students were saying hi to me today which is great. In fact one student drew me a picture and wrote on it “Your Beard is Fabulous.” After lunch I went to PE with Rod’s class and played some dodgeball there. It was nice to make some connections with the students. I really like the grade 6 group there which has kind of surprised me because I never really thought that I would like to teach at that grade level but I am definitely reconsidering that. After PE I went to help out in the Foods room and I was able to do the demo for the students. Today was baking powder biscuits and they turned out well for me so I am looking forward to Wednesday when they will actually make the biscuits themselves. After school I met with Melissa Bishop to discuss a lesson for her class on Wednesday. We will be looking at the Chinese Zodiac signs. It should be a great week as I will spend tomorrow morning at PCS.

Day Seven

This morning I was at PCS for their morning classes. I hung out in Mr. Brown’s class for the first block just chatting with some students and then helped out in the English class in the next block. The students were working on paragraph writing and I took two students aside to work with them on their paragraphs. I really enjoyed the morning at PCS as it is a very small school with an enrollment of under 100 students and they generally only have about 40 students there on any given day. It makes it a lot easier to begin to get to know people there. In the afternoon I went over to the middle school to help out in PE class and then do another baking powder biscuit demo.

After school, Rod took Brian and I out on the boat again and we caught some halibut. It was a great afternoon of fishing and it was the first halibut I have ever caught.

Day Eight

Today, I spent another day at the middle school and taught a lesson on the Chinese Zodiac in a grade 7 class. The lesson went fairly well and again it had made me think about the fact that I would enjoy working in a middle school or even elementary (though probably just grade 6 and 7) school as a classroom teacher. It is a very different experience to have a small group of students for most of the day, every day. I have really enjoyed my brief exposure to it. In the afternoon, the Foods class made the biscuits that I had done the demo for and they turned out great. I was very pleased to see some of the students discussing the advice that I had given on Monday.

After school, Evan, Jess, Brian, and I all participated in the after school sports program which was a blast, just like last week.

Day Nine

This day was a little bit more mellow. I went in to the middle school and helped out in Rod’s class with PE (always fun) and then had another Foods class where the students made the baking powder biscuits. It is definitely going to be tough to go next week as I am settling in now and finding a bit of a rhythm to my days.

Day Ten

Another day at the middle school. I finished up my Chinese Zodiac lesson with Mrs. Bishop’s class and then spent the rest of the day with Rod’s grade 6 class.

The Second Weekend

This weekend was pretty mellow. The other three went out fishing with Rod on Saturday and so I was alone for most of the day. Once everyone was back we had a games night. Unfortunately on Sunday I got sick and spent a lot of my day in bed.

Day Eleven

I am still sick and so I have stayed home for the day so that I am healthy for our last few days here in Prince Rupert.

The Final Week

During the final week of the practicum, I spent my time at the middle school. I felt that it was the place where I had developed strong relationships during the first two weeks and I wanted to strengthen those during my last week. I enjoyed spending time in the grade 6 classroom which was not something that I thought I would enjoy, so this past week I took advantage of the opportunity to spend more time with these students. Also, on Wednesday I took part in the after school sports program again and on Thursday myself and the other TCs were interviewed for the local news about our time in Prince Rupert.

Some Final Thoughts

Now that I am home, it is time to reflect upon the experience as a whole. I set out to Prince Rupert to find out whether a small town would be a place where I could start my teaching career. The short answer at the end of the experience would be yes, but there is a bit more complicated answer. I do not think that it comes down to being a small town or a large city in the end. I will be happy wherever I end up as long as I build relationships there. I am very lucky that I will bring one relationship with me, wherever I end up with my wife. I also had a lot of fun with the other TCs and of course the students were amazing.

Several students gave me cards and drawings that they had made for me. Many referred to me as “Mr. Beard” and we took a class picture together. Some even asked if I would be their grade 7 teacher. The connections that I was able to make in just three weeks were excellent and I look forward to having an opportunity in the future to have a classroom somewhere and as I realized in Prince Rupert, I would be more than happy if that was a grade 6 classroom.