In the spirit of bullying week – I decided to have every student in the school from K-12 decorate a paper shoe. The shoe represented each student’s individuality. It also represented the concept of empathy – and that it is important that we take the time to imagine what it would be like to be in the shoes of another (rather than judge them.) It helps bring awareness in how we should treat one another the way we want to be treated, and that it is incredibly important to empathize with one another. Here are some photos to see how it looked 🙂

When I went to University, I learned so much about First Nation’s history here in Canada. I was jaw-dropped and taken back when I learned about the residential school system and how First Nation’s people were treated there. In my life, I have become very close friends with a few First Nations and have learned about their ways of living and listened carefully to the effects that history has had on them as a population. I also currently work at Klinic crisis center as a volunteer crisis counsellor. During my initial training there, a First Nation’s speaker came in and talked about the damage the system has done.  I truly have a strong passion and dedication to ensure that my students are aware of the importance of having respect for First Nations and not judging them. I take steps to ensure that the past will not be repeated and that any person of Aboriginal descent in my classroom feels that they belong and are cared for.

In my lessons, I try to incorporate a worldly-based knowledge that will help students understand the different cultural practices around the world. One of my favorite lessons was teaching about Christmas around the world and how different cultures practice Christmas.

I think it is fundamentally and incredibly important that we have students open their minds and perceptions to the multitude of how different cultures come together and that we must respect one another for our differences, and embrace each other despite these differences. Especially in living within a vast multi-cultural country, it is important to educate students about the importance of respecting one another and understanding that at our cores we all have feelings, desire to be loved, and to be respected.

Inclusion is a very important part of a community, especially in a space that is filled with students of different cultural backgrounds and different learning abilities. I remember when I was in grade 3 there was this girl who was disabled and had down-syndrome.  I remember that students would be cruel and no one would want to play with this girl, except for me.  Ever since I was a young girl, I made it a point to myself that I would not judge others based on their differences. I think as a teacher, it is incredibly important to look at the concept of equity and realize that not all students are created equal. I understand that I must tailor some of my lessons so that it is more easily understood by some, and I need to also create challenging lessons to keep some of my students from being bored.  I think it is very important to not judge people and to keep an open mind about one’s abilities. I think it takes a strong dedication on my behalf to see true student achievement and to see student’s true potential.

In my current teaching position, I have students ranging from a pre-k reading level all the way to a grade 6 level. I am just one teacher without an EA, and I have made it a point to have a help table in my classroom and to work extra hard with those students who need that extra help. I want children to succeed in a way that is meant for them. I understand that not all children are going to have the same talents and same learning abilities, this is why inclusion for me goes beyond treating everyone equally. It means treating students with an equity mindset. I do not want to neglect the students who struggle in learning, but I also want to make sure that the ones who learn easily feel that they are being challenged. Teaching is about throwing away judgments, false expectations, and assumptions of others, and meeting the student where they are at and working with them rather than assuming they are like everyone else.

Here is another time that students and myself got up onto stage.  Here we incorporated both singing and dancing for the K-4 students.  It was a lot of fun, and learning how to do dances that made sense to the lyrics was a great time.  What was awesome is these students were brand new to ever going up on stage.  Even though this was the case, they were brave and stuck it out!  I hope this helps them with future projects when they have to present in front of the class.  It is important to acknowledge people for what they can do and not what they cannot do.  Even activities like this promote students to get out of their shells so-to-speak and develop a sense of belonging by engaging in something that challenges them along with their peers.

A super great experience, and the student’s enjoyed it greatly!

For the last three years, I have literally dressed up as a Disney princess and gone to children’s parties and entertained them for an hour typically each time!  Not only is this a side job of mine, it is honestly a hobby.  It is such a rush entering a place you have never been before and singing, reading, applying make-up, and doing nails for young girls (sometimes boys- minus the make-up and nails) and seeing their faces glowing every time!  This is where imagination comes to life.  I also am not just surrounded by young children, I am also surrounded by many parents and guests at these parties.  I am being watched and on stage for the entire duration.  I have also performed in front of groups of 30 children and all of their parents at a time engaging in acting and fun activities!  Also- each time I make sure to sing a song 😀  Children and parents absolutely love this part!

This job/hobby is related to teaching in so many ways!  The goal is to engage children, work under pressure, receive feedback, and ultimately have fun!

I really enjoy singing and dancing.  I have been singing since I was 7 years old in choir all the way until the University level.  I was in music theater when I was in high school and love combining singing and dancing together.  In my practicum, I asked if I would be able to help in any way.  The music teacher asked if I would like to help with the dancing portion.  I immediately said “yes!”  It was a lot of fun!  We picked people who wanted to dance and made sure to include both boys and girls and people who were really passionate in wanting to make this performance a success!

It was a great experience, and I also helped with the choreography in my first year practicum.  It is fun to collaborate with students in coming up with dance moves and making sure that their voices and opinions are heard!  It is one thing to make it up all myself, but much more meaningful when I incorporated what the students’ wanted in the dance choreography.

We danced in a room full of people.  This included parents, teachers, administrators, and other guests.  To get up on the front stage and dance in front of everyone was definitely a rush!  But I knew that the students would need my lead, and with us all combined the dance was a complete success!

Whoever said math can’t be fun?  Well – I believe that math and art are connected in varying ways.  Think of the architect who draws out building plans, or the engineer who looks at specific floor plans and uses Auto Cad to figure out their precise mathematical formulas and answers…  Well, art and math can start right at an early age!  This project was a lot of fun and allowed the student’s to be creative in how they wanted to present a formula of a sum of 5.  Remember, these are grade 1 students – so we must keep it simple at the beginning 🙂

What was awesome about this lesson was how the students were able to express themselves through artwork while learning the mathematical concept of addition.  If you notice, no two bowls of ice cream are the same.  This promotes individuality and creativity but still gets down to the root of what the lesson is trying to provide for students in math!