Lindsay Thurber High School

What a big school! The facility was huge and I was very overwhelmed when I walked in. Luckily, we were given a map but I still got confused. It definitely made me think that I would prefer teaching in a small-town school rather than a city.

The first room I was with was a foundations class consisting of grade sevens. This style of class was used to help students learn who struggle in a certain subject. Everything was related to real life experiences. First the class started with current events on CBC and every once in a while, the teacher would pause the video and make sure they understood by asking questions. Whoever was talking while the teacher was talking would have to answer the question. The setting was a lot more relaxed compared to other classes I was in. The teacher was more like a friend than a teacher. Many jokes were shared and discussions about real life experiences were presented. After the video four students were sent to another teacher for more one on one help with language arts while the others worked on a plot line. I was stationed with the four students and observed a unique way to have all students participate. The students were explained different roles that could be chosen but they would have to do each role eventually. There was a word wizard which found difficult words and explain the definitions. A voice master would describe a character’s pitch, tone and other qualities that defines the character’s voice. The summarizer would explain the chapter in 2-3 sentences and explain why they are important. The connector would have to describe how the chapter related to a real-life experience that the student might have had. A discussion director would think of a question that pertains to the chapter and possibly create a debate. Lastly, the illustrator would choose one scene and draw it and then explain the illustration. I thought this was a great idea and I think I’m going to use this when I become a teacher. It allows the students to understand certain vocabulary in language arts and share their ideas.

My second class was a math 10- C room and when another observer and I walked in I noticed all the students starring and asking each other who the new kids were. I was a little bit uncomfortable at first because I still felt like a student. The teacher then introduced us and we sat with the rest of the students. The teacher lectured for approximately 30 minutes and then they received an assignment consisting of trigonometric equations for them to work on. I then had to mark their work and instead of marking a question wrong I would have to circle the question. They would them go and try to solve the question until they got the right answer. The students would have to check their work with the teacher after each page to ensure they were doing the steps correctly in case they were practicing bad habits. The teacher had to leave to collect assignments for a student who would be missing class and another observer and I were left alone with the teens. A group of boys were misbehaving and I thought I would speak up. I told them “boys, that doesn’t look like math.” They went silent and the rest of the class laughed. When the teacher cam back one of the boys said to the teacher I got him in trouble and she laughed. She then turned towards me and said good for you, I was quite happy.

I loved the high school experience and felt confident when I was observing and assured this field is for me. Although I was mistaken for a student a few times it didn’t matter because by the time I graduate I will older and look professional enough so I won’t be mistaken for a student.