March 22, 2020

These last couple of weeks have been some of rapid changes. All schools have been shut down and moved to online and the elementary and high schools are scrambling to find a way to educate the students without spreading the coronavirus. This has made me reflect on our school system in BC as a whole and how agile it really is. TRU gave our profs a week to move all of their courses online and they have all done it. Teaching and the education system really are some of the most flexible institutions we have in BC; in a few days, teachers were expected to alter their entire course plan to another platform changing their teaching style entirely while simultaneously helping students with their final projects. These last few weeks have made me admire our professors and their ability to adjust to the circumstances that are handed to them. This week has really positively modelled to me as a TC what it takes to be a teacher and how to handle difficult circumstances that make it difficult to teach.

Equity Circle

At the second equity circle, we were very privileged and very fortunate to have Elder T and Professor R share their stories with us. In my undergrad, I focused on Indigenous history so it was a really eye-opening experience to have to be able to listen to their stories after having studied about residential schools and their impacts throughout my education.  One of our professors asked us to write one take away and one promise to make to ourselves after meeting for the equity circle. My take away from the equity circle was to be grateful and thankful for what our land and environment provide for us. I thought it was very powerful when professor R was talking about how every time she would bathe her kids they would thank the water for making them clean. I think we take everyday blessings for granted, especially water, food, and shelter. I promise to actively be aware of the privileges I have and the resources the land gives me every day that enables me to live this wonderful life I am living. I promise to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing into my future classrooms in various ways thoughtfully and with purpose.

Planning for Practicum 3200

I was very excited to get a grade 3 class for my second practicum because I have little experience with that grade. When I went to go in and meet the class they were so energetic and eager to learn it was a nice shift from the last grade 6/7 class I was in, they were mostly interested in socializing and having a good laugh with their friends. While writing my unit plan for science and math I struggled with trying to figure out what ability level to make my unit because I only saw the class do a few lessons, and I do not have experience with grade 3. This required me to reach out to a few fellow TC’s who had grade 3 in their last practicum and my roommate who is in the second year of the teaching program and ask for their advice on lessons that would work and those that would not. I find talking with my peers about lessons and units is really beneficial because I get to hear different perspectives on where to take the unit or hear of previous experiences with that age both positive and negative. In the future, I hope to continue to consult my co-workers on lessons and units and other problems that arise in my classroom to continue to gain other perspectives on teaching and learning.