Blog #2

Content can relate to your Wednesday placement since January 2020 and also your reflections about the COVID 19 pandemics and how it has impacted on education, classrooms, parents and yourself.

Learning and working with Allison Bowie for my first year of placement has been amazing. She has taught me many important life hacks with her teachings as well as tips and tricks that she has had success with. At the beginning of January we worked together planning out our future weeks for the semester. This gave me the opportunity to participate in the lesson planning and determine what I would be responsible to teach. I followed Allison's lead with her lesson planning, but was always encouraged to contribute my ideas on how to help students with learning needs. We would add props and visuals, find videos on youtube to share and find or create catchy songs to aid the students with the lesson. It has been a challenge this second semester, going from teaching each day in December to only once a week as well as missing days due to the strike. It was difficult to plan a week ahead with the practicum placement not knowing if classes would be cancelled because it was a strike day. Mrs. Bowie and I were able to brainstorm first thing every morning during her prep time. We managed to find a way for us to teach and work together to keep the students on track, despite missing lessons because of the strike days.

The outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic has definitely been upsetting. Being unable to teach for my five weeks of practicum and not able to say goodbye to my students was disappointing. I had planned my layout with Mrs. Bowie before the schools had shut down and I was in charge of teaching persuasive text for my language classes and fractions unit for math. When I last taught in December for three weeks I incorporated many hands-on activities that made the learning fun for the students and engaging so that it would grasp their knowledge. Thinking ahead for my five week placement in March I had already begun to gather materials for an interactive lesson plan knowing the students enjoyed the hands-on, visual aids from my previous teachings. I told Allison about my idea of using pool noodles to demonstrate different fractions for the students and she absolutely loved it and was excited for the students to participate. With the closure of the school Allison kept in communication through email checking in and sharing work with each other. Allison has been sharing fraction worksheets and persuasive text worksheets and I have been sharing and showing her what I have done in case the school year does continue.

COVID-19 has touched every home, family, business, education, institution on the face of the earth. A worldwide pandemic is something we as a community have no experience with so the ability to deal with it is nonexistent. We look to the leaders of our countries and our government to guide us and inform us of the proper steps to take. I cannot imagine the pressure the “experts” must be under when millions of people are looking to them for answers to keep you and your families safe. The decision to shut down schools was the right one. I was disappointed to not be able to go forward with my five weeks of placement, but schools are a big area to try to keep sanitized. Everyone working or attending could become sick or transfer COVID-19 to others, the ripple effect could be devastating. I don't know if the school year will resume. The future is very unpredictable and we can only go forward one day at a time. I teach at the same school I attended from JK to grade eight. This is my community and I worry about the students I had the privilege to teach and their families. The teachers and their families I have worked with at Huntley Centennial are also a concern to me. At this point the entire world is in the same boat. I'm sure a solution will be presented for students to achieve their educational goals. The world will continue to revolve and one day we will get back to normal, whatever that new normal might be. Hopefully we will live in a kinder, respectful, caring society as we work together to combat this pandemic.