Day Eleven: Responsibility

So today in Pro Sem we signed up for our Independent Inquiry.  We had to read a selection of books and decide which one we wanted to do a project on.  I decided on the Tao of Pooh.  It was a really good book.  So I asked the prof ahead of time if I could do it and he put me on the list early.  So today I get to see who is in my group.  There are three plus me.  No one in my group has read the book.  In fact, some of them chose the book because it is short and it is a story.  So now I am really passionate about this book and I get stuck with people who just picked it because they are lazy.  Great.  I hate group work.  Then this one member asks me how my presentation for Case is going.  I said great, we have an awesome presentation and we have met about three times already for it.  She goes, oh my group just met today.  We present tomorrow.  Is this the kind of person I want in my group for Pro Sem?  A last minute kind of person?  I am not going to let someone else determine if I pass or fail in my Pro Sem class.  I am kind of let down about this whole thing.  I thought I would get to go with group members who felt the same as me and we could have a really good discussion about the book.....and I was the only one who read it.  We had three weeks to read four or five books.  Really all you had to do was read the first few chapters to see if you liked it or not.  Then once you had picked a book, you could read it in more depth.  Plus one group member just bought the book a few days before sign up.  It makes me feel kind of sad that these people all have undergrad degrees and have worked hard to get here and we are still last minute students.  This is a serious course.  This is a serious profession.  You have young minds and lives in your room and it is your responsibility to teach them and encourage them to the best of your ability.  Not make a lesson plan the night before or say oh I forgot.  That won't do.  It's not fair to the kids.  If you do this now, how are you going to break the last minute or the laziness habit?  Maybe I make too much of this,  but I thought we were all responsible adults.

Day Ten: It's Only Two Days

I am glad I am only in the elementary school for two days a week.  By the end of today I was exhausted.  It was a busy, busy day.  I am wondering if 40 kids in one room with two teachers is such a good idea.  I am also wondering if letting kids choose where they sit every day is also a good idea.  They invariably choose their friends and then that leads to chatting which leads to not paying attention which leads to discipline.  It's so frustrating when a good amount of time is spent saying 'don't pick so and so up,' 'stand in the line,' 'find your seat,' blah blah.  Sometimes I think kids are given too much freedom in the classroom.  There should be times when they get a choice, such as picking a book for a book report and there should be times when they do not, like when to switch math centres.  Do you think a grade 2 student is going to be able to accurately gage how long they have been at a centre and when to switch?  If their friends don't switch, neither will they.  It leads to chaos and then accusations of 'so and so never switched and I never got a turn on the computer,' or whatever.  I'm all for free choice....controlled free choice.  Is that such a thing?  Anyway, these last two days have been really interesting.  There are things I will adopt in my own classroom and things that I will not do as well. 
On a happier note, yesterday we were drawing the flag of Saskatchewan, which has a tiger lily on it.  One of the boys was having difficulties and he looked at his neighbour (who was a girl) and said, 'how come your flower looks so good?'  And she said 'because I am a girl and we just know how to draw flowers.'

Day Nine: The 'Real' World

Today was my first day at a REAL school.  I am placed at a K-4 school in the city with 220 students.  I am in a grade 2 room.  It is a very interesting set up.  There are no doors.  The classrooms are open spaces with gaps that represent doors, but no actual closing thing.  In my room there are 40 kids and two teachers and they co-teach all those kids.  It is interesting how they are completely seamless in their delivery.  It amazes me that the kids can switch between two teachers without blinking.  We start at 8:20 and are done at 2:50.  It's nice to beat the rush home.  I was pretty much observing today, although I got to help keep some boys on task (they are way harder than girls....and way more immature.)  I can't believe how much technology is integrated into the classroom.  There is a Smartboard, laptops to sign out for the class in the library and two computers in the classroom.  They even have a LUNCH LADY!!! who does supervision in the lunch room and on the playground (a teacher is out there as well).  I felt kind of lost today, but I go back tomorrow and hopefully I will feel more at home.  I was told that I could just jump in at any time with something that I felt comfortable doing...I think that might wait till next week.  I am not familiar with the routine yet.  I wrote pages of notes and now I have to go through them all and dissect what I have written to form a journal entry for this week....should be interesting.  I might share a little of what I wrote on here.

You may be wondering why I only blog Monday to Thursday..well those are school days!! It wouldn't be relevant to blog about my days off or weekends! Unless it was school related of course.  Who cares that this weekend I got four kittens and we had sustained winds of 60km/h which prevented me from repairing the roof, but blew shingles off the neighbours house...no one is interested in that!! 

Day Eight: Do You Have a Sinking Feeling?

Today was a major day.  We actually LEARNED something.  Well, I guess we did.  I had Case Studies this morning and we discussed how these case studies need to be done.  Essentially, we are to read them, do an intitial response, research it with a group and then do a final response and add them to our Case Binder.  Mine's lime green, so it won't get lost and so it will stand out.  Today's case was about Diversity in the Classroom.  What does it mean to be diverse?  Is it a positive or negative experience in a classroom?  Do students learn better when they are all homogeneous? These questions can be answered, or not.  I could also just write about what I thought of the articles, so that is what I did.  I did not agree with one of the them and stated why, mostly because the author was touting the arts and the be all and end all of helping to assuage boredom and lack of individual thought towards diversity.  For example, if we could all just paint how we feel, everyone would understand.....yeah ok.  The author was also a feminist.  Not saying I don't agree with feminism, but it also won't solve the lack of diversity.   I also found out where I am placed, which is in the city...not sure how I feel about that, but I will deal.  I still do NOT have my freakin' books yet.  Today I found out there was a list that I was supposed to put my name on.  No one informed me of this magical, invisible list.  I even got an email saying the books were in, but then I was told it was only for people whose names were on The List.  Someone said to me 'your name is not on The List?'  I said 'no I was unaware of the existence of The List.'  So I am thinking that perhaps someone should be employed in the bookstore who can COUNT.  I know this seems blatantly obvious....I mean think how handy that would be.  'Let's see there are 1, 2, 3, 4,' and so one untill you get to 477 (the number of Ed students apparently).  Then this brilliant person (who has a degree in the Arts, by the way) would say 'Perchance we should print 477 books?'  And the supervisor will say 'Forsooth thou art so smart!'  How is it that thou art but a lowly counter?'  (I am not sure why they talk thusly, but it is the bookstore after all, and weird things go on there).  Anyway, I digress.  Point is I have NO BOOK! STILL!

Day Seven: The Legacy

Today in my lecture I learned about the legacy of Frederick Taylor.  He was a man who revolutionized industrialization by introducing methods of efficiency.  He compartmentalized tasks.  So for example, if you were building a wagon, one person would put on the sides, one the wheels, one the bolts and so on.  It made everyone apart from the whole.  This efficiency model has been applied to schooling as well.  Schooling has been compartmentalized and standarized, to the point where kids are loosing interest in their learning.  We have been encouraged to keep out eyes out for the legacy of Mr. Taylor and ask ourselves how we would deal with it.  It was quite interesting.  I am also the pround owner of a brand new red Dell computer from which I am typing this blog.....at SCHOOL!!   This morning I saw a lady who looked like a Romulan.  Short pants, tall boots and a wide jacket.  Here let me show you:


Now just imagine those short pants and black boots and you get the idea.  It made my day.
PS: I am still short two books and one I need for tomorrow's class.....argh.  The Bookstore never changes.  It's a good thing there is a multi billion dollar library extension going up...but we still can't print enough books for everyone....ah technology.

Day Five and Six: Craptasticly Crappy

I had class yesterday.  I have no idea what it was about.  I didn't go.  Instead I took my dog Zeus to the vet, and found out he has bone cancer in his leg.  I got nothing done yesterday except cry.  I rushed through my homework today, because it is due tomorrow.  I don't feel like going, but I will.  Today was a day off. Next week I start my practicum at the school.  I don't know where yet.  Maybe that was what yesterday was about.  I think I would have liked that better.

Day Four: Yeah....About That

I am slowly going crazy 1 2 3 4 5 6 SWITCH!! Crazy going slowly am I 6 5 4 3 2 1  SWITCH!! Now that I have dated myself...onto the important stuff.  I have no clue what is going on.  I feel so discombobulated.  Half my books aren't even in the Bookstore because they 'ran out'.  How can you run out?  Seriously?  I mean do they say; "well we aren't expecting anyone to take Education.  I mean it's not like being a DOCTOR or anything, so we'll only order a couple books."  So I don't have my Case book for Case Sem. next week and I don't have my Teacher's Handbook either which I need to read by next week as well.  Plus I have 6 textbooks to read so I can choose which one to do a presentation on in Pro Sem.  I can't keep this all straight.  Good thing I bought a write on calendar.  This is not like my Undergrad Degree at all.  In that there was concrete expectations and concrete marking schemes.  Here it is a pass/fail with a dialogue about how you are doing.  I feel I should chant 'OHM' and sit in the lotus position....but at the same time it is so EXCITING!! Everyone is so passionate about what they are embarking on and they are all from different backgrounds and experiences.  I think this semester will really challenge me and I am looking forward to it.  Now if only I can get my hands on some books.....
'

Day Three: The Journey to Your Inner Self

Did you know that part of becoming a teacher requires you to delve deep into your inner self and discover who you are?  Only when yyou know who you are can you truly help others.  That was the gist of this days ProSem.  Also there was something about everyone having their own song that no one else could sing.  I am not sure what mine is...maybe Don't Stand So Close to Me.  Although I am pretty sure that song is about a teacher that has a thing for one of his students.  So maybe in a twisted way that song is apropo.  Anywho, enough philosophical musings.  The seminar was interesting and it will definetly be out of my comfort zone to see who I am inside.  I also had a lecture on what to expect from my lecture series on the history of education and that it is important as beginning teachers to 'unschool' ourselves in the way things 'should' be done.  Very interesting.  And one last thing....skinny jeans and leggings are the devil.  That is all.

Day Two: A Day Off

So theoretically today I am supposed to be at a school learning how to teach from other teachers.  But since I haven't found out where I am going I get a day off....from going to campus.  I have just printed two lecture outlines, one is 17 pages and the other is six pages.  Maybe today should have been called Day One Redux: Information Overload, because that is how I feel.  Holy crap there is a lot of stuff I have to do.  My Professional Seminar (also affectionately known as Pro Sem) is called The Spirit of Teaching Excellence.  There seems to be a lot of self discovery in this class, which will be interesting, since I am not really comfortable with this kind of thing, let alone sharing my 'discoveries' with strangers in class.  Wish me luck.  The second lecture tomorrow is an Inquiry based lecture.  I think we are learning the history of teaching.  No philosophical stuff here.  Good solid history.  It should be an interesting day....I am excited by sort of overwhelmed at the same time but I will leave all this to be sorted tomorrow.

Day One: Information Overload

Today was the first day of the rest of my life....or so the saying goes.  I was up early (6am) to get a good start on the day.  Or so I thought.  Of course I had first day jitters which I thought were over since this is in fact my second time through the university.  I only ate a bowl of cereal...mistake number one.  I got on the train and arrived early for my classes after only getting kind of lost (there seems to be a lack of maps on campus).  I was thoroughly indoctrinated about how the program is revolutionary and one of the best in Canada and that the grads from this school are highly sought after.  Good news since there are potentially 400 teachers graduating in two years.  After this session we were invited to Mac Hall to partake of some free pizza.  I went and got my student ID card (which is now called a ONEcard or some such thing and can be used LIKE CASH!! on campus) and my UPass.  Mistake number two.  By the time I arrived at the 'free pizza' it was all gone.  I forgot how much free food university students can pack away.  I did get a free, warm Pepsi and bought a membership to the ATA for $20.00.  After this I ate a Larabar, and some spelt and sesame seed sticks.  MMMM.  I attended a Teaching Across Borders info session and became totally overwhelmed with opportunities.  It was at this time I decided to leave the university and go home to process.  I was lucky enough to sit next to a guy who thought I would like to read his text messages to his buddies.  He leaned way over and kept bumping my elbow and touching my arm....I love the CTrain.  Anywho, it was a good, long first day.  Two lessons were also learned:
1. A person cannot survive on a bowl of cereal, a Larabar, a handfull of spelt sticks and a warm Pepsi.
2. The university is unusually HOT....I forgot this.

So you want to know what it means?

So I am assuming since you are reading this VERY FIRST BRAND NEW POST that you have read the title of my blog.  You ask yourself...what does it mean?  Well let me enlighten you.  Pedagogy means the function or work of a teacher and the art and science of teaching, such as instructional methods.

If you haven't already guessed, I am in the process of learning to be a teacher.  I thought it would be interesting to blog my experiences at school...both at the university and in my field placement.  It will be neat to see how things progress and how I learn.

I am excited at the prospect of a new career and new opportunities that this degree will offer me.  I invite you to come along for the ride!!