Becoming a good reflector is one step closer to becoming an effective teacher. Teachers cannot improve the way they teach and connect to their students without reflecting on what was previously done. During my practicum, I kept a journal that I wrote in at the end of each day and wrote about how I was feeling, how my lessons went, and what I would like to improve on. I had the chance to go on a once in a lifetime opportunity to Antigua, West Indies to teach health and physical education at a public school there for two weeks. While I was there, I wrote a reflection on my experience so far. Attached below is my reflection, along with the link to the blog that it was posted on. I appreciate reflective practice because it allows one to showcase how one is feeling in the moment, and these moments can easily be forgotten.
 |
| Teaching health to a grade 2 class at Five Islands Primary School |
“A Change in View by Kasey Smith
Dear Family, Friends, and Followers
of the Champions for Health Promoting Schools Program,
We have now completed our first full
week of teaching at our schools in Antigua. Words cannot even begin to
explain how this week has been so far, nor can they describe how much our
students have impacted us and changed our lives. Each day has been
different for all of us and we are always excited to share stories at our Red
Couch meetings. Student teachers and undergrads have bonded extremely
well and there is continual excitement wherever we go together. As a
student teacher, my experiences so far in Antigua have changed how I view
education and it has been interesting to see how different it is when comparing
it to Canada. My TEP colleagues and I here in Antigua (also known as
STAMPers) have only completed our teaching practicums less than two weeks ago;
after our first day of being in our Antiguan schools, we have already seen huge
differences on how teachers control their classrooms, their classroom
management strategies, and their planning.
Marissa Lucas, Rochelle Smith and I
are teaching physical education and health at Five Islands Primary
School. We were instantly welcomed on our first day since Five Islands is
a large school and have been a part of the Champions Program for numerous
years. For those of you at home and who know me very well, I will share
with all of you that I did, in fact, shed a tear (I know, it is a shock!)
I could not believe how excited the students were for our arrival. It is
amazing to see how much these kids love being at school and how much they
appreciate teachers. After talking to the other student teachers here, we
could not believe how quickly we have made connections with our students after
one week of teaching as compared to our practicum classrooms back home.
My most memorable connection so far
was with a grade 6 student on my first day being at Five Islands. A group
of grade 6 girls came up to me and asked what my name was. After I told
them that my last name is Smith, their mouths dropped and they ran off to get
their friend; her last name is also Smith. Back home, this would not be a
rare occurrence, but I quickly realized that Smith must not be a common surname
in Antigua. She told me that she will never forget me, and we have
continued to grow our bond ever since.
Another great moment was when the
grade 6 boys taught me how to play cricket for the first time. I did not
know the rules of the game but these students were excellent teachers.
Once they taught me the rules, they allowed me to be the batter. Since I
am a female, they said that I will not be able to hit it far so they stood
quite close. After he threw a nice, soft bowl (which is what they call a
pitch in cricket), I hit the ball over their heads and to the fence. The
looks on their faces were priceless and then I told them that I played softball
back home. Ever then, they have had me play cricket with them each morning
and lunch time.
My teaching partners and I have
learned so much from each other. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing them become
so comfortable teaching our students. Each day has been interesting and
we created many memories. We have worked very well together to modify
activities on the spot and I am confident that they will be amazing once we TEP
students depart the island on the 11th.
After the Champions returned back to
the Anchorage Inn after school today, we all wore our green shirts and left to
attend the Fitness Street Jam in the heart of St. John’s. We joined in on
the streets and ran behind a truck that was playing soca music. Our group
worked up a good sweat by doing aerobics and dancing with a large group of
people. After heading back to our current home, we sat at the Red Couch
and prepared for Unity Games that will be held tomorrow at Jennings Primary
School and Greenbay Primary School; we also celebrated Hillary’s birthday!!
I wanted to end this post by
thanking each and every one of you for supporting all of us through this
amazing journey and helping us get here. We could not have done any of
this without you and we could not thank you enough. All the Champions are
doing an amazing job so far and we will continue to do so. We are making
an enormous impact on our students in Antigua and you have allowed us to travel
here and make a difference.
Sincerely,
Kasey Smith, Teacher at Five Islands
Primary School”
http://healthypromotingschools.com/2014/05/02/a-change-in-view-by-kasey-smith/
No comments:
Post a Comment