Stories from the field
The ECS 100 Field Experience has been one of the most beneficial opportunities I have been exposed to while on my teaching journey. Provided below are excerpts from my 'Stories From the Field' blog.
Week One: School and Community
Week One: School and Community
I think that the school and community seem very “homey”. The neighbourhood seems quiet which would allow for children to feel comfortable. There are also about two neighboring schools in the community. When I was there, I heard something about the high school kids coming to the school which allows me to get the understanding that they like to create a relationship with another school. It seems like they enjoy getting the community involved because the book we had to sign into had many names of guests at the school. I asked the TA how the school gets involved with the community and she told me that they have family day once a month and they do different activities throughout the year such as handing out cards at Christmas to facilities in the community. I think that teachers value creating links between the school and community. |
My first day in the field.
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Week Two: Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships
Teachers create relationships through the effort they put into the students. A teacher that is able to properly communicate with children will be able to create a relationship. Teachers must respect their students in order to get respect themselves. It was interesting to see how different the children acted around the actual teacher rather than the substitute. It seemed like the children cared about what their actual teacher thought about them so they tried harder with their daily tasks. I think it was very beneficial to see that healthy relationship between students and the teacher.
Week Three: Students & Learning Environment
The learning environment is very welcoming. There are pictures covering the walls and toys everywhere. The tables are not set up in a traditional row instead they have a “U” shaped table and three other tables, two are set up in a “T” formation and the last one is just by itself. In the far right corner of the room they have an area that children can go one by one if they need a break from everyone to be by themselves. Inside there are toys that help calm the children down if they are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. When the children have time to play, the room is set up in centres and each centre has a different activity and they have to put their name beside that centre on a whiteboard before they go to play at it.
Week Four: Diversity & Difference
Since the children are in Pre-K there typically are no outright descriptions of inclusivity. The teacher often adds small bits of this into her daily plan though. For the first few weeks, she would start the day off by reading a story. It was very cool that these stories were inclusive for example one of them had a same-sex couple in it. The children are constantly encouraged to engage in conversations. The teacher always makes sure to listen to what the children say and respond to them so they feel included.
Week 5: Diversity & Difference
Diversity, equity and human rights are all honoured in my placement. Diversity is honoured through acceptance and inclusion of all children. The children often hear books that have diverse practices in them for example books with sexually diverse couples of of diverse family types. Exposing children to this at this age (Pre-K) is something I believe to be quite important and is growing to be more and more important each day. This week we went on a field trip to a gymnastics place and this allowed us to see the diversity in children’s gross motor development. Some kids were confident in their strength and balance and others struggled to do the activities. No one was pressured to do more than they could handle this honouring that diversity.
Reflection From the Field
How does someone know what they want to do for the rest of their life? This is the biggest decision we will ever make. It dictates everything. How do we expect teenagers to know what they want to do? Encouragement. We cannot force people to decide what they want to do with their lives but we can encourage people to be open to experiences that will help make their decision. Throughout high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Career councellors made me do quizzes to see what would be a good fit and a teacher came up very often. I considered this all the time. It started to be almost all I could think about. I knew I was interested in it, but is that how I want to spend the rest of my life? Everyone around me seemed so sure of what they wanted but me. I was in Grade 11 and having this mental battle with myself. How am I supposed to know what to do? I reflected on my past experiences hoping they would give me some clarity. I remembered going to the elementary school during work experience and loving it. I was coaching badminton at the time and it occurred to me, I am a teacher. I loved coaching. Seeing the excitement when someone achieved what they were working at was so uplifting to me. Understanding this made me realize that teaching is what I am meant to do. When I told people this, they said it was a perfect fit. They told me that I was a perfect balance of fun and determined, that I would excell at teaching. When Grade 12 came around I was ready to apply, I was ready to become a teacher. When I got my acceptance letter in the mail, I was so happy I cried and that's how I knew I was ready.
My field experience was very beneficial for my teaching journey. It solidified the fact that I want to be a teacher. I want to see children grow and develop every day. At first, I was hesitant to be placed in a Pre-K classroom because I did not think I would want to teach children that young and I thought it would be wild in the classroom. Now, during my reflection, I am grateful for this placement. No, I probably would not want to teach Pre-K children for my entire life but I think it was beneficial to see the level at which children begin their learning. I am very grateful for my co-op teacher. She was very helpful in my learning and I greatly appreciate the experience she allowed me to have. She brought to my attention that Kindergarten teachers can tell who was in Pre-K versus who was not. Before this experience, I did not know Pre-K had that much of an impact but now it makes sense. In Pre-K the children are taught how to act in the classroom. Emphasis is not placed on subjects but instead is placed on actions. Being in a school at a younger age allows for the children to gain more experience as students thus, understanding how to act in a school.
ECS 100 has solidified the fact that I made the right decision. Whenever I hear about someone's experiences they have had in education it makes me even more excited for my own. Everything I have learned in this course is beneficial for my future. Learning about inclusive education, EAL students, etc. is very informative and it makes me excited for what I am going to learn in my next few years of school. I still have so much to learn and every day I am moving forward on my teaching journey. The ECS 100 field experience at first was very nerve wracking to me but it was so much fun and it gave me a glimpse into my future. I am very grateful for everyone who has helped me on my journey so far because without them I would still be struggling with finding out who I am and who I want to become. I am so happy I am on this journey and I am so excited to continue to work hard to become the best teacher I can be for my students.
My field experience was very beneficial for my teaching journey. It solidified the fact that I want to be a teacher. I want to see children grow and develop every day. At first, I was hesitant to be placed in a Pre-K classroom because I did not think I would want to teach children that young and I thought it would be wild in the classroom. Now, during my reflection, I am grateful for this placement. No, I probably would not want to teach Pre-K children for my entire life but I think it was beneficial to see the level at which children begin their learning. I am very grateful for my co-op teacher. She was very helpful in my learning and I greatly appreciate the experience she allowed me to have. She brought to my attention that Kindergarten teachers can tell who was in Pre-K versus who was not. Before this experience, I did not know Pre-K had that much of an impact but now it makes sense. In Pre-K the children are taught how to act in the classroom. Emphasis is not placed on subjects but instead is placed on actions. Being in a school at a younger age allows for the children to gain more experience as students thus, understanding how to act in a school.
ECS 100 has solidified the fact that I made the right decision. Whenever I hear about someone's experiences they have had in education it makes me even more excited for my own. Everything I have learned in this course is beneficial for my future. Learning about inclusive education, EAL students, etc. is very informative and it makes me excited for what I am going to learn in my next few years of school. I still have so much to learn and every day I am moving forward on my teaching journey. The ECS 100 field experience at first was very nerve wracking to me but it was so much fun and it gave me a glimpse into my future. I am very grateful for everyone who has helped me on my journey so far because without them I would still be struggling with finding out who I am and who I want to become. I am so happy I am on this journey and I am so excited to continue to work hard to become the best teacher I can be for my students.