My First Day at My New School

To begin with I had an excellent first day at my new school!!! My nerves have subsided about teaching the upper juniors grades as my students seem wonderful and are still very much excited about learning. Unfortuntely my associate was away today, however, the supply teacher was still very heplful as she supplies at the school and in our classroom a great deal. Just figures that my associate had to be away on 1 of our 3 observation days!!! Plus the fact, I am anxious to figure out what I will be teaching.

The one thing which I noticed immediately was just how independent students are at this age. I think I had forgotten this after spending so much time with the grade one's. My students knew what was expected of them and got right down to their work. There were a couple of questions here and there, but overall, they are very independent. What a change from grade one, where the students need you at every moment of the day!!!

As a result of the degree of independence, I am excited to work with my students and implement activities and tasks that I believe my students will really become engaged in. I'm not sure what age group I will prefer, but time will tell.

I hope everyone else had an excellent first day of their second block!!

Just Requires A Little Patience

We all know that the teaching profession is quite competitive with far fewer jobs than there are teachers. At times I know I feel discouraged at the prospect of getting a job, so here is some good news to brighten up some spirits.

I have two friends who graduated last spring, one of whom got a contract position with a January start date and the other has just been placed on the supply list with the Peel board. She is working almost everyday!!!

It took alittle bit of time but they are both working now and are extremely happy.

Stay positive!!!

My Out of Region Placement

I just recently found out that my out of region placement was accepted, which I am so excited about. The school I will be teaching at is in a small community called Port Syndey just outside of Huntville. It's also only 10 minutes from my parents house so it will be nice not having such a long commute. Although I have become used it!!!!

I will be teaching a grade 1/2, another combined grade, which I am also happy about as I feel the more experience I have with combined grades the more comfortable I will be when the time comes that I will be teaching my own combined class. This will also be an asset to my resume.

As I completed my first block in a grade one class, I am interested to see the growth and development of students at this age. My previous associate told me that there is significant growth in grade one students as the year progresses. In fact, she commented several times that when they come back after Christmas it is like a completely new class, as the students have matured and finally understand (get) the routine of school.

I am very much looking forward to observing this development, as well as just the whole experience in itself.

Some things we should keep in mind...

Things to keep in mind when working with people (young or old).....

10. Everybody tries to hide the REAL them.

9. Even good people have bad days.

8. People will always remember how you made them feel.

7. People trust the people who trust them.

6. Everybody is good at something.

5. People like to talk about themselves.

4. People only hear what they understand.

3. People will do anything if you're nice to them.

2. Everyone wants to belong to something.

1. Everyone wants to be like by someone.

Teaching a Combined Grade

When I found out that my next teaching block was in a 5/6 split, my immediate thought was, How am I going to do it? I had feelings of panic initially for as a beginning teacher it is difficult enough familiarizing yourself with the curriculum and planning around it. Now I would have to plan for 2 grades.

Since then, however, I have spoken to many teachers who have provided me some really good advice. What has really eased my mind about teaching a split grade class is the fact that there is the opportunity to integrate the curriculum from both grades when looking at the BIG IDEAS. There is also the opporunity for teachers to work as a team, coordinating their timetables to allow students in combined classes grades to join together for sujects like social studies and/or science.

Furthermore, no matter what class you are teaching, there will be a wide range in abilities, perhaps spreading across various grades. As teachers we have to plan for individual needs. When I think of it this way, combined grades aren't so scary.

A good resource to read up on if you are teaching a combined grade is Combined Grades: Strategies to Reach a Range of Learners in Kindergarten to Grade 6, which we received in September. There are many excellent strategies and ideas!