School Experience - Reflection 2

The most transformative lesson I learned this week could be summarized as follows:

To be an effective teacher, I need to be an efficient manager…

To be an efficient manager, I must be a caring builder…

Building strong connections and healthy relationships with my students will create a feeling of mutual respect, and generate a safe learning space with minimum classroom management issues.

Strong Connection with Students:

One foundation of a caring relationship is to give constructive feedback and positive praise to students. This week, I gave out “sockeye” to support the PBS program at Raven Kingdom and I tried to give specific compliments to students regarding their work and their behaviour as often as possible. While the comments like “good job” or “nice coloring” are spontaneous and easy and can be given verbally and frequently, as deserved, it is far more meaningful for a student to know what they did well, so they can do it again. I noticed during a guided reading session that my feedback built my students’ self-esteem and encouraged them to try harder. 

Another crucial element for building good relationships with students and their families is to embrace a “positive” before dealing with a “negative”. This week, I had to write an “AIDE” form (Assistance Intervention Discipline Education) for a student because of disrespectful behaviour, and I am very thankful that I gave her a “positive” last week. Children will mess up and it is part of growing up, but it is fundamental to notice when they are successfully responsible, respectful or relational. I truly want to be a teacher that states something right about a child before I have to deal with something wrong. Therefore, I have to be proactive in giving positive feedback and finding as many opportunities as possible to congratulate students.

Classroom Management:

I learned that respect in one keystone in classroom management, and that respect is earned, not owed (we had a TOC this week and observing the difference in students’ behaviour was definitely a transformative experience!). My students will not automatically respect me because I am an adult and a teacher, but they might respect me because they know I care for them and I have their best interest at heart. Respect is based on relationship and authority on fear, and I believe that creating an atmosphere of fear is unhealthy and often unsuccessful in a modern classroom.

Another important aspect of classroom management is the notion of predictability. I confused many students this week in the “word of the day” routine because I did not follow my teacher mentor’s step-by-step routine. I asked students to guess the meaning of a word BEFORE I wrote the word down… Even though it sounds like a detail, it created anxiety in my students, and it impaired their ability to focus and learn. This also reinforces the importance of presenting the “shape of the day” to the students and to discuss unexpected changes with them. 

Lastly I understand the importance of planning transitions wisely in order to optimize movement in the classroom. I got the opportunity to experience a very successful transition (moving students from their desks seating to a circle seating with their chairs – I was well prepared and gave clear instructions and expectations before hand) and a not so successful one (moving students from listening to me as a group to work in pairs – I thought that “elbow buddy” was good enough of a plan and I was wrong… it was too much freedom and it created more chaos than order – next time I will have pre-decided pairs).

Connection to my values and beliefs:

This week was not easy, and I faced moments of discouragement. My philosophy in life is that “everyday is a new day with new opportunities to get it right…” I feel that it is the best attitude to embrace when working with children, and it will help me grow as a reflective teacher.

School Experience - Reflection 1

What I have learned with the interviews:

Ä     The principal is the leader of a very dynamic and dedicated team of educators, administrators and support staff members. He is passionate about his work and has a strong desire to create a community of learners that goes beyond the walls of Raven Kingdom Elementary School.

Ä     The secretary is the one of the key link that connects the home of the students with the school. She is in constant communication with the families to guarantee that students are safe and sound. Moreover, she is the first aid person in the school and she acts as a caring nurse when students are hurt or feel unwell.

Ä     The resource teacher helps mostly with behaviour support, both in and out of the classroom depending on the needs. She is on the School Based Team (SBT) and collaborates with teachers in planning IEPs.

Ä     The learning assistant supports academic learning for students with special needs or experiencing difficulties.

Ä     The counsellor is a core member of the SBT and has 35 students on his caseload with intensive to moderate behaviour challenges. He also helps teachers implement restorative practice in the classroom.

Ä     The teacher librarian is a great resource to find appropriate books for read aloud, novel study or independent reading. She also organizes the home reading program and the prizes.

Ä     The custodian maintains a safe learning environment by making sure the building is clean from physical hazards (glass, slippery area, dirty bathrooms) and emotional hurt (graffiti).

What I take away:

¶     Raven Kingdom Elementary School is a school with many challenges including a high incidence of “at risk” students, a low socio-economic neighbourhood, and an unjustified “inner city” stigma.

¶     The theme of the school is community and its purpose is to educate families from birth to death. Its fundamental value is hope, and it is supported by the creation of many opportunities for families, and by the desire to create independence among individuals.

¶     The school has the goals to reach the best of every student and to respect all families without external judgement.

¶     Collaboration is a keystone at Raven Kingdom and effective communication between staff members is crucial to support a constructive working place. All staff members work as a team to create an effective learning environment and to support diversity among students.

How will this support my school experience?

It feels great to understand that one teacher is not alone in supporting children’s learning, and Raven Kingdom offers tons of resources to assist teachers in their work. The school team feels like a tight community who collaborates towards the common goal of enhancing students’ school experience and learning environment.

As an emerging teacher, I need to be humble and ask for help as soon as I need some (the earlier the better). It is important for me to realize that I am surrounded by a very knowledgeable group of colleagues, and that it is in my best interest to know my limits as a new teacher and to reach out for support when necessary.

How to become part of school culture?

To successfully integrate the school culture, I need to respect the value of my colleagues’ work, to understand that everybody is doing their best to support the students in a challenging environment, and to remember that we all have good and bad days.

To be part of the school culture, I need to appreciate the opinion of the staff members and the input of the families without judgement because all have the best interest of the kids at heart.

To become an effective teacher at Raven Kingdom, I need to be curious and enthusiastic, to embrace challenges, to welcome every day as a new day, and to maintain a good sense of humour.

Classroom Management's philosophy

Creating life-long learners is the keystone of my philosophy as a teacher, and it is tightly linked to my classroom management philosophy. I don’t want my students to count, read, or draw because they like me or fear me. I want them to study because they truly understand that they will need these skills everyday of their life. I want my students to believe that learning has a purpose and no physical boundaries. Therefore, I believe in powerful activities and lessons that engage students, and create a strong community of learners. I trust that I have professional competences to teach Math and Science because these subjects are related to my educational background. I have a genuine appreciation for Language arts and Social Studies and this should reflect in my lessons. I have an honest passion for learning, and I feel that I can teach any subject with a true heart and honest expertise. Therefore, I believe that I have the power of an expert teacher.

A community of learners, like any other community, needs rules and routines to insure that the rights of all are respected: the right to teach and learn or the right to feel both physically and emotionally safe in a respected environment. While most adults are able to self regulate themselves in society, students need lots of guidance and scaffolding to monitor their behaviour in a classroom. I believe in a collaborative environment that leads towards student-directed as the students grow older either through the year (September to June) or through schooling (K to 7).

Another pillar of my educational philosophy supports my desire to focus on the whole child and to help students reach the very best of their individual abilities. I want children to explore who they are and to use me as a tool to reach their dream. Therefore, I trust that students should be 100 % self-motivated to learn, and that external rewards to study or achieve should be limited. I think students should experience true feeling of success more than collect sparkly stickers in order to become life-long learner. Regarding behaviour, positive reinforcement and prizes could be used to encourage students to respect the teacher and the community of learners. I also believe that the use of Individual Behaviour Plan is a great means to help students self-monitor their actions and manners in the classroom.

Teacher’s main activity in a classroom should be to teach and not to police students around. I believe that any behaviour that do not interfere with the right to teach and learn, or the right to feel both physically and emotionally safe in a respected environment should be ignore until the teacher is done teaching. Private discussion with “off task student” can then be done later when other students are working independently. When some behaviour conflicts with this right, the progression of non-verbal intervention, verbal intervention, and the use of logical consequences is preferable to minimize the time spent away from teaching.

My Teaching Philosophy

Education has the purpose to support human beings in their quest to reach their full potential, both as an individual and as a member of the society. Education helps us to explore our gifts, to strengthen our weaknesses, to interact with others and to learn the rules of our community. Education is also a key to freedom as its open the doors of knowledge and the marvels of our world. I trust that I need to educate the whole child with purposes that go beyond the classroom walls and a yearly time frame. I believe that learning is a life-long process and I want to be one of many tools that children use to achieve their dreams in life.

The role of the teacher in the classroom is to facilitate learning and coordinate students so they can achieve the best of their abilities. Teachers need to know their students, to evaluate where they are in their development, and to support their learning processes. Constructivist classroom and differentiated education are two powerful means to help students experience success and go beyond their limits. I embrace the belief of teaching in a diverse environment where all children are valued for who they are, and where all students have the right to be educated and respected.

Students learn best when they are engaged and when they can make personal connection to the curriculum. I believe in a classroom where students do, experience and live the subjects, and I think that a fine balance between teacher directed and student oriented activities is essential to create a powerful learning atmosphere.

An effective teacher has a passion for learning and sharing knowledge, an intrinsic compassion and empathy for the individuals, and a healthy vision for the group and the community of learners. I owe my students trust in their ability to learn, respect in their desire to be successful, and to foster dignity in their journey to become independent human beings.

Creating successful life-long learners is the keystone of my teaching philosophy. I want my students to explore who they are, how they learn and what they want to become. I believe that teaching should prepare students to live a successful and satisfying life where many doors are opened and many paths could be explored.

Introduction Letter

All About Mrs. Dumont

Dear Community of Learners:

My name is Mrs. Dumont and I am a student teacher collaborating with Ms. S. for the current school year. I will be observing, working with individual students and teaching the whole class on a regular basis. This is part of my journey to become a certified teacher and I feel very fortunate to be part of your wonderful community of learners.

My educational background:

I earned an Engineering Degree in chemistry in France. I took some undergraduate courses for the last few years and I am currently a student teacher at UFV. I am bilingual, speaking, reading and writing English and French fluently.

Volunteer experience:

I have been involved with the school system since my children were babies. I have been a very active PAC president for 3 years, helping with hot lunches, fundraising and many fantastic activities that enhance students’ school experiences. I have volunteered in classrooms from kindergarten to grade 6, supporting students in reading or math. I have had opportunities to go on many field trips and to assist teachers in special events such as sports days.

Hobbies and family:

I have a supportive husband and two active pre-teenagers at home. We have a pet leopard gecko, who is a very special addition to our family.

I love reading, hiking and cooking and I am actively involved in my children’s swim club.

I would like to gratefully and sincerely thank:

• The families and caregivers of thestudents for giving me the opportunity to teach your amazing children.
• Ms. S. for sharing her class with me and supporting my growth as teacher.  All staff at the Elementary Community School for welcoming student teachers.