Education Blog

      My biggest reflection for the week would have to be about my school visit. I am placed at Rutland Middle School, and will be teaching Social Studies and English. My sponsor teacher seems wonderful so far. Some things I really enjoyed she does in the classroom are: waits until morning announcements are done before starting class as not to be interrupted· tells class at start of lesson they will be playing game (battleships) at end of lesson, as it keep them motivated through the “boring stuff” of hemispheres and latitudes and longitudes· lets them go to the bathroom, or take a walk when they feel they need to, and don’t have to ask every time to leave, as long as they do not abuse the time· lets them eat as long as they are not up sharing their food since lunch is not until almost 1pm· she does not “squash” her trouble makers, or students who have a hard time, as it will only make them rebel even more· gives them 5 seconds to get to their seats if they are out of them, or they owe her that amount of time after class· has something for them to complete when they are done a given assignment (ie: finish labeling their map of the world)· when teaching the same lesson twice, she made changes with regards to what worked well, and what area needed more time or lessOverall, she teaches in a relaxed environment, and it is evident as the students seem to really enjoy her.

      Things I noticed about the students are: they ask a lot of questions and always try to challenge what is being said, are competitive, so it was good to have them play battleships, as it gave them a purpose to learn lat. and long. -so they would know how to play. As well, in the bathroom, on the wall was written SCHOOL, Scary Contagious Hell Outrageously Dangerous Outrageously Stupid Lame – all kids have different outlooks, for before school began, some looked like they really want to be there, some scared, some still asleep· One grade 8 geography class was very well behaved and the next grade 8 geog class was rambunctious and outgoing

       When I first walked into the school, I was taken back at how old it was. . .there are still wooden lockers!! However, once the halls filled up and I got to know some of the teachers and students I did not even notice the setting. My focus was all on the students and observing their behaviours.  The only other thing that I can really reflect on is how time consuming this program really is, which we were all warned about. It is a good thing though in that I think it prepares me for being a teacher better. By no means is any of the work that we are assigned extremely challenging, but it just takes some time to get all the little things done.