Lorne Schmidt

The Education 490 practicum was great! I was in a grade seven class and I learned a lot in my four weeks. I learned how to be more aware. I learned how to be prepared for class. I also learned how to be a team player.  I definitely grew in many areas during these four weeks. One way was in regards to my lesson delivery. At the beginning of my practicum I was very focused on my lesson plan, not diverting from it at all. My coaching teacher pointed out that a couple students had walked in to the class that I had not addressed. Because of my focus on delivery, I lost out on recognizing these students’ presence in class. This was also in part to my nerves. As I got further into the practicum I found my awareness of the whole class grow as I became more comfortable with my role and my class. I enjoyed building relationships with my coaching teacher and students. Building relationships helps with communication, acceptance, and a number of other factors that come into play in the classroom. I did my best to respect each individual and conduct myself with integrity and professionalism. I made it a priority to show up early in the morning for my Education 490 practicum. This was important to me because it showed the other staff that I cared about my role as teacher candidate. It also gave me time to settle in to the day, get anything printed off that I needed, as well as prepare myself mentally for the day ahead. I was able to build relationships with staff members before school began and while they weren’t too busy. I also made an effort to stay later after the end of day bell rang. This gave me time to reflect on the day, how the lessons went and what I need to change moving forward. It also gave me an opportunity to get whatever I needed for the next day ready to go before leaving the school. I find it easier to focus at the school that at home so getting there early and staying after school gave me time to do those things that would have taken me longer to do at home. I really tried to focus on the individual this practicum whether that was in designing lessons that catered to different learning styles or asking questions about their weekend, I tried to create an inclusive classroom where my students felt safe and valuable. I still have a long way to go, and I know I will never stop learning as an educator but I feel good about where I am and what’s next for me. I look forward to Education 491 with anticipation and determination.

Last Friday we were able to join in a workshop put on by POPFASD (Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). This was an excellent presentation and I was kind of surprised to see such a professional event put on by an organization out of Prince George that was for the entire province. I learned a lot about FASD and it really felt like a personal presentation. It was down to earth and given from a teacher’s perspective with real examples and suggestions.

I am really glad I got the opportunity to attend this presentation. Main points in the presentation included relationships, awareness, accommodations, and strengths of the individual (POPFASD, 2020). Relationships are so important in the classroom. FASD can often be invisible and this makes it difficult to diagnose.

When it comes to any student that is struggling in the classroom it is important to point out their strengths (POPFASD, 2020). Students may not realize their strengths if they are struggling in class but this can lift up their spirits and create a belief in themselves. I believe that every student is capable and special. I think all people should think that they are valuable and hopeful.

Eight keys for helping students with FASD to succeed according to the POPFASD are: concrete, consistency, repetition, routine, simplicity, structure, and supervision (POPFASD, 2020). These eight keys to success are all meant to support the student. They may not need all of these keys. They may need only one or two at different times but using these keys in the classroom as a teacher is something I am adding to my toolbox and will use when seeking to assist my students.

The most important “master key” in students’ success with FASD is trusting relationships (POPFASD, 2020). I think this is so important for every student as a teacher. People learn willingly from those they trust. Taking the time to build these relationships through genuine interactions and feedback will ensure a great environment for students with FASD to thrive and feel comfortable with who they are and what they can accomplish in their learning.

References

Provincial Outreach Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (POPFASD). (2020, October 23). An FASD-Informed Approach. https://www.fasdoutreach.ca/resources/

An eraser is usually something that gets rid of mistakes, makes them disappear so that you forget about them. I once had a teacher that could have thought of me as a mistake and could have ignored me in the class but he didn’t. He noticed me and complimented me even when I didn’t feel I deserved it. He made me feel good even when I didn’t perform well. Our relationship was special and I still see him as a friend. I didn’t always do my homework for his class and yet he didn’t get angry. He still treated me the same as any of the other students in the class. I expected to feel shame and be reprimanded for my lack of performance but I did not. He was real and personable. He loved teaching and new everyone by name. He took a real interest in his students. I want to be that for my students. I want to make them feel good when they don’t. I want to compliment my students even when they don’t deserve it. I want to notice them and make them feel special. An eraser is a good tool. It makes negativity disappear the same way I want negativity to disappear in my classroom. I want to replace pessimism with optimism, hostility with peace, and isolation with teamwork. I want to start each new day with a fresh mindset. I don’t want to let my mind build up negative thoughts towards any of my students. Rather, I would like to treat them with equality and view them as learners. Ultimately this is my job as a teacher, to look beyond how I am treated as a teacher. Teachers are not to disrespect when disrespected. They are not to ignore a student that is not showing interest. Teachers are motivators and inspirers. They are supposed to spark imagination in their students. I want to orchestrate a classroom where students want to discover and explore the world around them. I want my students to inquire and think for themselves. I want to encourage my students and make them believe that they are important. In a world of so much pressure and confusion I want to infuse my students with self-confidence and belief. I want to be a good eraser.

What I learned and took away from the Indigenous Professional Development Day was how deeply rooted racial injustice is in our society, especially in regards to our Indigenous population. I also realize how far we have come just recently in addressing these injustices. It is nice to know that progress is being made. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done and we should not stop but at the same time we should be proud of the effort already and what has been accomplished towards bringing awareness of the issue to the forefront of our educational system. The inclusion of Standard 9 to the BC teaching standards is one step in the journey.

This is important because we need to do much more as educators to address racial injustice in the classroom and realize that Western Eurocentric thinking is not the most correct or right way to teach. We need to be more multicultural in our teaching and welcome all kinds of knowing into the classroom. This will result in a more diverse and inclusive environment for everyone.

This was eye opening to me to see how Eurocentric our education system is. I have a long ways to go to becoming more diverse in my thinking but this day was an excellent push in the right direction. As I walk along this path of education I hope to glean from others ways of creating a dynamic and welcoming classroom to students from all backgrounds and cultures. These pieces of learning will stay with me and inform my practice as I work towards creating unity and equal opportunities for learning. Also, I will work hard to incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing and learning and teaching into my teaching practice.