Observation Day One

I just finished my first Observation day at the school I'll be doing my IFX, and I must admit it is a fantastic school! I'm not the only student teacher there, in fact there's 6 of us. So our day consisted of half of us observing the lower grades and the other half observing the upper grades. Then next Friday we'll switch. 

Morning Recap: We met our school coordinator (who by the way was welcoming and supportive throughout the whole day!) and many staff members. Mandatory paperwork was completed and a tour of the school was done. I also observed a math class and a health class where I was able to contribute in a teacher-like authority about the concepts they were learning.

When the lunch bell rang, I walked back to the staff room when I was stopped by a student. I think she was in the upper grade level because of the location of the school. She asked:

How long does it take to get your degree at the University?

I responded saying that it usually takes 4, but some people take longer. Then I explained at how expensive it was and that they should start saving money now. (I was part joking, but also part serious).

At this point in my explanation, I had at least 7 of them gathered around me inquiring about University. They were giving me so many oohs and aahs that I just had to mention it here. Internally, I was trying to hold it in so that way I wouldn't scare them.

Afternoon Recap: We played Doctor Dodgeball (seriously we did) with 2 classes in the gym, so I think that was 50+ elementary kids running around either a) "killing" someone b) protecting their "Doctor" or c) wanting me to throw the balls so that their team would win. Of course I played, but wearing a suit and tie, I just was a helper in retrieving some balls. After gym, I watched a science unit about constellations and a language arts project. 

How did my day go? It turned out better than I expected! I'm really excited in the students' enthusiasm and energy that I briefly witnessed today. I could tell that some were thrilled to get student teachers, so I'm not worried at all in which grade I'll be getting to teach.

(But I'm really hoping for Grade 5!) 

Pre-First Day of Observation

Police Check? Yes. Child Welfare Check? Complete. Location of IFX determined? On the 16th of Jan found out! Good attitude, mindset and openness? I'm not sure yet, but I will sure need it for Friday!

What is Friday? Friday Friday Friday? Welp, it's my first Observation Day at the school I'm placed! Exciting, eh?! The Observation days happens for the next three Fridays, where this one coming up is my first one. It is so thrilling to know where I'm placed and getting a feel and atmosphere of the school. Since there are quite a few of us student teachers placed there, we won't know our Mentor Teacher (MT) till late next week. Understandable since they want the best of the best (aka ME!), kidding obviously. 

Also, I have 3 midterms within the next 5 days. This is a breakdown of my next weeks so far.

Jan 29 - Assessment Midterm

Jan 30 - Observation Day 1

Feb 2 - Science Midterm / Music Midterm 

Feb 4 - Science School Field Trip 

Feb 6 - Observation Day 2 

Feb 11 - Science Lesson Due

Feb 13 - Observation Day 3

I also have an Assessment assignment with a good friend of mine and a Music Book Walk assignment squeezed somewhere in there as well. These next three weeks are sure going to make me one busy bee! There's also Reading Week (aka University Spring Break) after that, but I'm more looking towards my Observation Days! I just hope that this won't be me anytime soon.

I hope to blog way more going into these next few months. I want to talk, to share and for others to also experience how my experiences helped me and can potentially help others. Therefore, expect a another blog post from me this weekend! 

Weekend Recap

In junior high, every Monday our homeroom would go around, one by one, describing what we did on the weekend. We were too young to say "worked all weekend" since we were <14. I remember most of us mentioned homework, homework, homework. Now, I'm not one for sharing my weekend highlights every single weekend, only when it's worth sharing.

This is the first weekend after school started last Monday. First off, I ordered my laptop on the 2nd of January and it came in last Thursday! I bought an Asus brand off the Microsoft store. It's this one! I've been searching around since December to find a workable, durable laptop for school and such. My brown Lenovo one, which I bought in Oct 2012, is becoming slower all around. I actually timed its battery life and guess how long it was. Two hours? Wrong. One? No way. 30 minutes? Nice try. It was 9 full minutes. Yes, 9 whole minutes from 100% to 5%. That's about 540 seconds. That instant I needed to find a new investment of a laptop, especially since my IFX is just around the corner. I'm using both laptops 50/50 so that I slowly transition towards the Asus one. Isn't it nice?!

After several weeks debating and searching, I finally have a new laptop. I'm not sure why everyone's gun-ho about Mac and Apple. I mean, I have an iPhone and an iPad, but I don't think I'm ready for a Mac commitment. It's just too much. Not now, maybe not ever. 

Friday I volunteered at an elementary school as always, but I talked about that in a December blog post. It was after that is what's worth sharing. I had a really nice lunch with a great friend from high school. I graduated from a small Catholic high school with about ~250 graduates. Since then, I don't keep in contact with a whole lot, just a couple (meaning 1 or 2). The person I had lunch with, we worked together endlessly through grade 12 student council and that I owed so much to her hard work and efforts. It's outstanding to see that after so many years still, our friendship is still going strong. Even though we don't depend on each other as much now as we did in high school, it's nice to see fellow high school friends then and there. 

I worked Saturday evening and driving home each time, I always pass by my local elementary school. The signs each school has for over-the-school-zone speed limit drivers are always interesting! That night I actually took a picture of what it said because I thought it was meaningful. This is the quote:

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, engage me and I learn." 

I love this quote because teachers can do all: tell, teach and engage students. Differentiating its influence towards students is what's rewarding as a teacher. Of course as a future teacher, I want my students to learn and remember my teaching, never forget it. 

And to finish off my weekend, I made (or put together?) chocolate covered licorice! I'm never known for being the best baker or cook, but really as a student, this is cheap and delicious. The perfect combination!

First 2015 Post!

Yep, here it is! I finished my first week of winter term. Were you thinking that 2015 is finally here? Well that's here too. I'm not one for new years resolutions, in fact I give that awful look to people who says stuff like "new year new me" or "20xx will be my year". Stop. You're doing favors for no one. 

It's been a week or two since I've blogged! I think that's because I worked a lot, watched a ton of TV and just finished my first week of school. It is so refreshing to have class from Monday to Thursday, that means I have Fridays to relax. Actually, not really since it's volunteer-with-elementary-kids day. Fridays actually make it fun for me to look forward to! 

All my courses this term are condensed, aka are 8 weeks longs because of my IFX. IFX = Introduction Field Experience = first student teaching practicum!!! We start in middle of March, but we have 3 observations days starting this month. School just started this Monday and we already have school visits. I even just finished my letter of introduction to my (future) mentor teacher! I'm actually so excited, but nervous, and hesitant, and worried, all at the same time. I'm sure my emotions will get jumbled into each other the closer I start my practicum. But right now, I feel content. Though I'm sure it's going to be a new emotion every day. Who knows?

This term I'm taking science curriculum, music curriculum, assessment class and a seminar for IFX. I'll try (at least) to update about my courses as I think they are critical to know as teachers. Also, upon entering my practicum I hope to stay on top of my blogging and I would love to share my experiences here. With that said, stay tuned!