If you're curious about my background, I'm just a science graduate from McMaster University with a major in Life Sciences and a minor in Psychology. I'll be going to Queen's University in the fall to complete my B.Ed for Primary Education. Many would find my educational background contradictory, but my degree has allowed me to explore and appreciate a variety of courses from Anthropology to English to Biology. I think this will give my students a deeper appreciation of learning in all sorts of subjects in a variety of mediums. My main interest in education has been rooted from a long term commitment to volunteering especially in school programs for those who are living in at-risk areas with particularly low literacy and numeracy rates.
Outside of my academics I also dabble in the arts and I also play the piano (although I haven't been able to enjoy that experience as much as I would like to these days). I'm a huge fan of the arts and a strong believer in incorporating them in the classroom experience. I'm also slowly trying to expand my classroom management skills and mixing up my lesson plans to incorporate a variety of learning styles.
This blog sort of evolved after an interesting day with my class one fine day. We had a field trip to the Ontario Science Center...and even though I knew sitting through an IMAX movie about underwater creatures would be a bit ambitious I was still crossing fingers that they would either a) fall asleep or b) become silently enthralled with the movie effects. Neither occurred and instead I had my entire class trying to talk to me during the movie and ask me questions. Everything from if every fish ate another fish, if sharks have belly buttons to their bathroom capabilities. Although I was extremely embarrassed at the interruptions they caused, it made me appreciate the fact that they were full of questions instead of quietly accepting the facts presented in the movie and trusted me to have some semblance of an answer. They constantly remind me that life should be questioned and explored because that is what learning is truly about.
I hope you will join me on this journey of self discovery and development as I figure out what kind of teacher I want to become and the direction I want my life to take. I'll be posting regularly on funny stories, epiphanies/worries in the hopes that fellow teacher candidates and other readers will appreciate the hardships and joys of educating the young :)
P.S. This past week as a reward to my class for excellent class behaviour I planned an arts & craft session at the end of the week. I've included some pictures below. My brother actually gave me the idea and made the middle sample puppet. I think they turned out beautifully and some of the kids really got creative with the types of accessories and designs they put on their puppets (even though the basic parts were precut and preselected for them). It's amazing what a paper bag and construction paper can create! Enjoy!
Paper Bag Puppets: summer grade one craft project
a close up of some of the puppets made :)
The tiaras were a request from the girls but some of the boys were a fan of them too :P
Creative License: Some students took more liberties with their decorations than others :P
My favourite is the boy with the tiara holding a pink glue bottle in one hand and a sword in the other... he even glued a green backpack on the back...definitely a creative mind :P
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