And the student becomes the teacher...

Wow! The last eight weeks really flew by! I don't think I actually realized I was finished student teaching until this morning when I woke up and didn't need to be at the school. My last student teaching placement was the best one yet. I loved taking on more responsibility and testing out some of the lesson plan theories we developed in our final year of university. I learned so much, and somewhere along the way I began to feel like a real teacher. I gained so much confidence, and I can't wait to get my first job! Now I know that I can do this! I am currently applying for jobs. It has become a waiting game! I think I will spend the next month or two organizing my resources and doing lots of reading, something that I haven't had time to do while in school. I am also hoping to do some subbing for EA's. Because I have recently moved to Saskatchewan, I am not able to substitute for teachers until I have received my teacher's certificate.

I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life, and I can't wait to start my career! I have my fingers crossed for a job. In the meantime, I will keep updating my blog with resources and ideas that I am finding. I just can't seem to sit still now that I am inspired and read to take on my first job! Congrats to all of the other student teachers who have finished their placements! See you all at grad :)

A New Kind of Gym Class

I will admit, I was a little nervous when I found out that my final student teaching placement would include a grade 11 gym class! When I attended class on the first day, I wasn't sure what to expect. What I found out was that there are only four girls in a class of thirteen, and somewhere along the line, someone made them HATE gym class. They didn't want to run in front of the boys, they didn't pull their hair back, and there were frequent screams when a ball happened to come their way. I haven't totally reformed them, but I found a way to work with them instead of against them, and this is what we came up with! I hope that my experience will be helpful to other teachers who run into the same problem...

Tuesdays and Thursdays, the class had been going to the gym to lift weights and run on the treadmills. The first day that i went to the gym with them, the girls maybe spent ten minutes actually active during a one hour period. At first, I found this hard to understand, because I have always been an athletic girl, and I would have loved the opportunity to go the gym during school. Instead of getting frustrated, I started to talk to the girls and look at the situation from their point of view. They didn't like having to compete against the boys, and they did not enjoy participating in the rough physical activity. The solution that i came up with along with my co-operating teacher was to split the class up. We were able to do this because we are both in the classroom (because I am student teaching). So, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, i take the girls into a classroom and we play a dancing game on the WII. We close the door, we turn the lights off, and we dance! AND THEY LOVE IT! Now, they are active for at least 50 minutes in a one hour block. We are laughing, dancing, singing, and inviting other teacher's to participate with us. For those that haven't tried a dance game on the wii, you definitely should, because it is a great workout. Just today, the teacher that joined us for a few songs said that this is the way gym class should be! I know for myself, I am in a better mood all day after having danced in the morning.

I am pretty proud of my girls for taking a chance and trying something different with me. It was an unconventional idea, but it works and the students are active and engaged for the entire class. Thinking outside of the box is a good thing! Happy Dancing

Personal Growth Outside of the Classroom

I was lucky enough to participate in the Manitoba Provincials this past weekend with my hockey team the Souris Blue Ice. We finished the weekend with a 2-1 victory in the finals!!! I hadn't played hockey that competitive since high school. I had an absolutely amazing experience with some great women. It was a 4.5 hour drive for me, so I left right after school on Friday and did not get home until late Sunday night.

On my drive home, I got to thinking about a colleagues blog that I follow. One of her recent topics was about bringing outside experiences into the classroom (thanks Kat!). I will not lie, I had to do some major prep ahead of time so that I could go away for an entire weekend and not pick up a book, and Monday morning was a little rough in the classroom because I was so sore and tired from my weekend of playing hockey.

However, I also would not change a thing about my weekend. As a teacher, it can be difficult to find time to do things for ourselves, but we cannot forget the importance of taking care of ourselves!!! When our minds and bodies are healthy, we are better teachers! I came back to school today sore and tired, but I also felt energized from having been part of such an amazing team. Participating in extracurricular activities is important for our students, we all know that, so why do so many of us not take the time to participate in extracurriculars ourselves?!?! We need to take the time to make ourselves healthy too.

I think my weekend away gave me some new perspective on my place in the classroom. I had forgotten how much of a role model we are for our students. Today when I came to class, I proudly showed off my metal to the kids and told them about my experience. They were so excited for me! This is particularly important for the girls in our school, because somewhere along the way, they have lost the confidence to participate in sports. I want them to think that its cool to be sweaty and wear sweat pants in the name of competition. I also think its important for our students to know that we do wear other hats besides the "teacher" hat.

I am feeling very inspired, and I know that this feeling will last me for at least a couple of weeks. Competing in an event such as provincials made me remember all of the good reasons why we all need extracurriculars. Some of my best friends throughout the years I have met on my sports teams. A person's true character is shown on the ball diamond or in a hockey rink. I truly believe that my work ethic and drive to succeed comes from my struggles and triumphs through athletics. They made me the teacher that I am today, and I have made a new commitment to myself to continue to grow through sport.

So, I challenge my fellow teachers to get out there and take some time for yourself! You never know how your experience outside of the classroom might help you to grow inside the classroom.

Suicide Prevention and Anti-Bullying Websites My Students Found:

www.youthsuicide.ca
www.suicidal.com
www.metanoia.org/suicide
www.kidshelpphone.ca
www.kidshealth.org
www.stopcyberbullying.org/teens
www.dbsalliance.org
www.sp-rc.ca
www.bullyingcanada.ca
www.cmha.ca

Student's Creations About Bullying and Suicide (made using Tagxedo.com)

Cyber-Bullying and Teen Suicide Unit

This week I began a new unit on cyber-bullying and teen suicide with my grade 9 health class at my last student teaching placement. I put together all of the resources and knowledge that I have gained over this past semester at BU to create this unit. The final assessment is going to be a Public Service Announcement raising awareness about bullying and suicide. I cannot wait to see what the students come up with!
First of all, this is an excellent class. They are great for having discussion about these issues. Most are not afraid to speak up, and those that say nothing are still engaged in our discussions. The first day of class, we discussed the differences between traditional bullying and cyber-bullying. The students did a survey on how bad they think bullying is in this school. Today I showed them the results of the survey in a bar graph. They seemed to really be shocked by the results. Bullying and cyber-bullying are issues here and everywhere. I'm glad this began our class because it makes the information relevant. I also showed a short video to begin class. Students became emotional, and it really opened them up for the rest of the class. I was lucky enough to receive some resources from a prof at BU that we used in class. First we did an agree/disagree sheet to touch on some statistics and facts related to suicide. Then, I divided students into groups and they guessed the suicide risk for each scenario. Students were visibly shaken when I told them that all of these students had committed suicide. I then shared my personal story about a friend who committed suicide. I really felt like I got to them! I'm excited that we are going to start "being the change" as a class. I want us to be leaders in this school!
Here are a list of things the students learned in today's class:
Signs to watch for when a person is considering suicide: bullying, appearance changes, being tired, excluded, grades down, quitting sports or clubs, sudden happiness, planning a suicide attempt, giving things away, loss, family or parent problems, drug and alcohol use, uncharacteristic behaviour, stop caring, acting out, break-ups, divorce
How to help yourself and others: focus on positives, get help, talk, include people, do fun things: sports, music, friends, eat well, build self-confidence in self and others, follow the school rules on bullying, don't bully!, give compliments, say hi to everyone, BE NICE TO PEOPLE
This is a great unit, and I hope that more teachers will start talking about this HUGE issue. I can't wait for the students to make their PSA's and for us to share them with the whole school on bully-prevention day!

My philosophy on what makes an effective teacher

This was part of an application I completed for a teaching position! The questions was asked: what do you think makes for an effective classroom teacher? What do you think of my response? I thought it might be useful to include it on my blog, which I am going to continue during student teaching.

An effective classroom teacher knows their student's ability levels, interests, strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge is very important for lesson planning and differentiating instruction. Being approachable and fair are key qualities that help to build trust and a sense of community in the classroom. An effective teacher is resourceful, having multiple methods of instructing and strategies to help students effectively retain the curriculum content. They also find ways to integrate technology into the curriculum in order to make lessons relevant and current. To be effective, a teacher needs to be professional and have good classroom management while maintaining a balance of student-centred activities and incorporating an inquiry based approach. Knowing students outside of the classroom through extracurricular activities and taking time to get to know each student is the first step in developing a positive classroom environment and being proactive in classroom discipline. First and foremost, a teacher must teach students first and content second!