The First One  “A Leap of Faith”

My learning journey began three years ago when I was asked to work as a non-certified teacher on call for School District 27, the Cariboo-Chilcotin.  At the time I was working in our business, a fitness centre, not feeling satisfied that I had reached my career potential. My husband, a grade seven teacher, encouraged me to give it a try, so I did.  After my first day at work, I was hooked!  By the end of that week, I had enrolled in TRU Open Learning to gain enough credits to enter the Bachelor of Education Program. Two years later, I had completed all the required credits and was accepted into the Education Program.  I enjoyed my Open Learning courses and worked on them while I was working full time in my latest classroom assignment.  I would not have succeeded without the support and encouragement of my husband AND my grade seven class!

 

The Second One  “My First Class”

My first teaching and learning experience occurred during my first classroom assignment at Lac La Hache Elementary, a rural school near 100 Mile House BC.  This was a compact learning experience that I will cherish forever!  I was placed in a split class consisting of grades four through seven. This is one way to learn the BC New Curriculum QUICKLY! I also became familiar with the Individualized Education Plan System and assessment methods.  My husband worked with me and taught me how to create lesson plans,  unit plans, and some essential classroom management strategies.  My school administrator mentored me throughout my time at the school, and I had an incredible Education Assistant in my classroom.  All of these things set me up for a memorable year of learning and building student relationships.  I bonded immediately with my class and will have to admit that this is easy for me to do.  I find that so far I have easily connected with my students and understand how to relate to them.  My husband’s advice to me was to get to know the students and learn about them first. Doing this makes learning happen naturally!  It is so important to establish a connection with the students and discover what kind of learners they are; I feel that this is the key component in becoming a passionate educator.

 

The Third One  “Science 8, We Meet Again”

When I reflect on the many times that I have spoken about creating that connection with my students, I had not yet had the chance to see if that connection had made a lasting impression on at least of few of my grade seven students who had moved on.  This past December, I was given a chance to find out! I was called in as a TOC to an English and Science class at our local high school.  When I glanced over the class lists, I was overjoyed to see many familiar names. As I walked down the hallway toward the classroom, I was met by many of my former students, now in grade 8 and 9. I was greeted with smiles, greetings, hugs, and chats about grade seven memories.  This day will hold special in my memory forever and gave me the affirmation that I needed about making student connections.