This week was really helpful for me and answered a lot of questions that I have had about getting a job. We started off our discussion talking about where to look for jobs and how to prepare your resume. It was suggested that you look for a job in newspapers, websites (such as The Education Canada Network, Apply to Teach Network, Jobs in Education and Canadian Association of Independent Schools), school division websites and career fairs. We were then asked to find a position that we would be interested in by using these resources. I found a 0.5 term position at Major Pratt which is in Park West School Division. This is about an hour drive from where I live but could always be a possibility.
Next our discussion moved to talking about resumes. I feel that my resume is too long for what most people think is appropriate. I think that next year before I start applying for jobs I will have to have it looked over by someone else again and some things may have to be cut out. I hope that next year we get more direction on what should be in your resume and what it should look like.
Finally, we moved into the fun discussion of interviews. I feel a lot better about being in an interview after being given these potential questions. I know that I will prepare some potential answers before I ever go into an interview and I really think that this will calm my nerves. I think that some of the class was intimidated by this process after listening to Jackie interview. She is really well spoken all the time and I know I could never talk like that in an interview. However, I think one of the most important things to do in an interview is just be yourself and talk the way you would normally talk. If they like you and they like your ideas, then it should be based on that. I also found it really helpful to know that there will always be an assessment question, a curriculum question, classroom management and philosophy question. I think that this will be really helpful when preparing for an interview because whatever the question is on those topics, if I have a good grasp on my procedures then I feel that I could confidently answer those questions.
After having seen my sister go through the job hunt process I am less concerned also because I know that I will more than likely interview for more than one job before I get one. This will be good practice and hopefully will help calm my nerves eventually when doing interviews. Also, when my sister was applying for one job in the Brandon School Division she emailed the principal directly and just said how she was really interested in the job that was posted and a little bit about her. She got an interview for the job (didn't end up getting the job though) but the principal told her that he would never have considered her had she not done that. He said that in this profession you have to be aggressive and you have to show people that you really want the job. I think that this is good to know, especially in a situation where you are just another name on the paper. I do think that it is harder to get an interview and a job if you do not have some sort of personal connection to the job such as: student teaching, subbing, volunteer etc. which makes you known to the hiring committee. However, if this is the case then you simply have to make yourself known. You need to get your name out there!
I am nervous about getting a job after I am done school, however I do feel a lot more prepared to do so after this class. The interviews were really helpful and I hope that we have more discussion in some classes next year about resumes, portfolios and other things that will help us get jobs in the future.
Monday 5 March 2012
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Long Range Planning
Long range planning is a very important part of teaching. Before this class I had no idea where to start or how important a long range plan is. In this class we discussed how it is a plan that you will hand into your principal at the beginning of the year and for the teacher it will be a road map of the whole year. The big question is where do you start? After having this class discussion I have found the importance of checking the school calendar and seeing how many actual teaching days you have. After you have figured this out you can go through and decide what themes you want to do and when. I think that this will really help you set up your outline of the units that you need to run because there are going to be some units that fit better in certain themes, or during certain times of the year. For example, a unit on soils would likely fit better in the spring or in the fall when there is no snow on the ground. However, I think that for Math and English I will constantly be rotating the outcomes for each curriculum throughout the whole year. One suggestion that was made was to use a calendar and pencil in the themes and activities you know you will want to do for each theme/unit. This calendar allows you to think about how much you can realistically do and what your priorities are.
I also was not aware before this discussion that there was a set amount of time for each class. I knew that you had to teach English Language Arts the most, then Math but I was not aware that it worked out to be 35% and 15% of the time. I really liked this structure and making a daily schedule makes a lot more sense to me after seeing this information. Also, this schedule tells how you have to fit Art, Science and Social Studies into your schedules and how you don't have to have these everyday, but you have to have a rotation with these courses so that you do get the allotted time in if you are not teaching them daily.
I knew that you had a to do a year plan at the beginning of each school year and this sounded a little overwhelming to me. After discussing this in more detail I feel quite a bit more relaxed about this. I think that by planning the whole year like this I will be able to do a better job of planning each unit and I will be more relaxed to do so. Also, during our class Jackie mentioned that if you have a year long plan then you can look for supplies for your themes and units in the off season so that you can get them cheaper. I love being cheap so this sounds good to me! I think that there are many benefits to long range planning and I do think that by doing a good job on your long range plan you will save yourself time throughout the school year.
I also was not aware before this discussion that there was a set amount of time for each class. I knew that you had to teach English Language Arts the most, then Math but I was not aware that it worked out to be 35% and 15% of the time. I really liked this structure and making a daily schedule makes a lot more sense to me after seeing this information. Also, this schedule tells how you have to fit Art, Science and Social Studies into your schedules and how you don't have to have these everyday, but you have to have a rotation with these courses so that you do get the allotted time in if you are not teaching them daily.
I knew that you had a to do a year plan at the beginning of each school year and this sounded a little overwhelming to me. After discussing this in more detail I feel quite a bit more relaxed about this. I think that by planning the whole year like this I will be able to do a better job of planning each unit and I will be more relaxed to do so. Also, during our class Jackie mentioned that if you have a year long plan then you can look for supplies for your themes and units in the off season so that you can get them cheaper. I love being cheap so this sounds good to me! I think that there are many benefits to long range planning and I do think that by doing a good job on your long range plan you will save yourself time throughout the school year.
Friday 10 February 2012
Funding of Education
This topic was really interesting for me because of the situation with the school in the town that I live in. I learned a lot from this topic as I never really understood where funding came from before.I knew that there were operating grants that were based on how many students are attending the school but then I did not understand how small rural schools were given enough funding to remain open. I understand now that rural areas do get more funding from the government because their taxes are not as high as some city areas, but yet they are still at a disadvantage with funding because they have less pupils and therefore "require" less funding [A (Total Amount per Pupil)-B (local tax)=C (amount given by province) concept]. Therefore, roughly 40% of funding is raised locally and 60% is compensated by the government.
The big issue for me with the way funding is set up is the inequality that it creates in education. I grew up in a rural area and I do not think that I did not get as good of an education as students in the city, however, I do think that there is an issue now when some rural schools are getting smaller. If schools do not get enough funding, then they are operating with a wider range of ages of children, and with less teachers. I believe that this creates a definite gap in education because it is doubtful for me that those students are getting the support that they need when there is one teacher per four or five grades. Therefore, I do believe that funding is one of the leading factors determining the quality of education that a student could have.
However, that being said, I would never want to be on the committee that decides how much of the budget goes where. I think that this will always be a big fight because people are passionate about all different things. For example, in our class discussion on reducing a budget, some people were really passionate about keep drama funded through the budget whereas others thought that was the first section to get cut. I don't know how these situations would be handled: what's important, what's sort of important and what is not important at all? How does a committee decide that? The reality is though that cuts are always going to have to be made. Therefore, I feel that this shows the importance of a wide representative board to discuss the budget every year so that funding is not cut where it will have drastic affects on the students.
The big issue for me with the way funding is set up is the inequality that it creates in education. I grew up in a rural area and I do not think that I did not get as good of an education as students in the city, however, I do think that there is an issue now when some rural schools are getting smaller. If schools do not get enough funding, then they are operating with a wider range of ages of children, and with less teachers. I believe that this creates a definite gap in education because it is doubtful for me that those students are getting the support that they need when there is one teacher per four or five grades. Therefore, I do believe that funding is one of the leading factors determining the quality of education that a student could have.
However, that being said, I would never want to be on the committee that decides how much of the budget goes where. I think that this will always be a big fight because people are passionate about all different things. For example, in our class discussion on reducing a budget, some people were really passionate about keep drama funded through the budget whereas others thought that was the first section to get cut. I don't know how these situations would be handled: what's important, what's sort of important and what is not important at all? How does a committee decide that? The reality is though that cuts are always going to have to be made. Therefore, I feel that this shows the importance of a wide representative board to discuss the budget every year so that funding is not cut where it will have drastic affects on the students.
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Governance Structure of Public Education
The governance of public education is a really interesting topic and something that I have never really thought about before. I did not know that the school board was in charge of creating the budget for the division. I always thought that the budget for the school division was only created at the provincial government level and I was not aware that the school board had input. Since money is an important component to any business, the school board really can set the direction of the division and therefore the schools within that division.
I also did not know that the school board sets the policies and priorities but then the principal decides on the goals within the school depending on these priorities. I think that this setup can really work as long as the connection is still made with the layers below the school board.The teachers are the ones that are directly involved in what is happening in each school and the quality of education that is occurring so, they should for sure have a say in what happens at the board level. However, I do think that the board could really go against what the principals are saying and make bad decisions, but such is life. Therefore, I think that there needs to be strong people in all positions including the principal position and superintendent position. If the principal relays the messages and what is happening in his/her school and what his/her teachers are saying, then it is more likely that that school's input will be heard. Also, the superintendent plays a major leadership role in the school division and he/she needs to be sure that they are actively involved in the initiatives that each school is taking and be able to support them.
This is sort of a confusing topic to discuss but I think it is important for us as pre-service teachers to know. I feel like some decisions can be made at the board level that teachers, principals etc are not in favor of however, if the person in the principal position is vocal then I do think that more will be accomplished in the favor of the schools and the people who work there.
I also did not know that the school board sets the policies and priorities but then the principal decides on the goals within the school depending on these priorities. I think that this setup can really work as long as the connection is still made with the layers below the school board.The teachers are the ones that are directly involved in what is happening in each school and the quality of education that is occurring so, they should for sure have a say in what happens at the board level. However, I do think that the board could really go against what the principals are saying and make bad decisions, but such is life. Therefore, I think that there needs to be strong people in all positions including the principal position and superintendent position. If the principal relays the messages and what is happening in his/her school and what his/her teachers are saying, then it is more likely that that school's input will be heard. Also, the superintendent plays a major leadership role in the school division and he/she needs to be sure that they are actively involved in the initiatives that each school is taking and be able to support them.
This is sort of a confusing topic to discuss but I think it is important for us as pre-service teachers to know. I feel like some decisions can be made at the board level that teachers, principals etc are not in favor of however, if the person in the principal position is vocal then I do think that more will be accomplished in the favor of the schools and the people who work there.
Sunday 29 January 2012
History of Education in Canada
As a former History student, I find the history of education to be very interesting. It is amazing to see how education started and how much it has changed today. The one part of the history of education that amazes me the most deals with the Scottish tradition. I think that it is fascinating that almost all of their children were educated. In many other traditions you see that only the wealthy children were educated and that boys and girls were educated separately. In the Scottish tradition however, they educated boys and girls together and your class structure was not an issue. When the Scots immigrated, they had great influence on how the education system should be run in each country, which was likely because they were the most educated.
I do believe that the Scottish traditions really have had the most influence of what the school systems have developed into today. Most of our schools include boys and girls educated together and no one is rejected education today. Therefore, everyone in Canada is given the opportunity to get an education no matter what social class you are from. This opportunity for education has been very important to Canada and has allowed it to develop greatly by giving people the opportunity to get a career and support their families.
Another thing that I find interesting about the history of education is the Manitoba Schools Question. This stated that English would be the primary language taught, however, if ten or more people required a different language, then an adaptation would be made by the school. I think that this has had a huge impact on Canada also because it has allowed Canada to remain bilingual and has allowed for the French language to be preserved. It makes you wonder if this was not passed years ago whether or not Canada would have more than one official language.
I do believe that the Scottish traditions really have had the most influence of what the school systems have developed into today. Most of our schools include boys and girls educated together and no one is rejected education today. Therefore, everyone in Canada is given the opportunity to get an education no matter what social class you are from. This opportunity for education has been very important to Canada and has allowed it to develop greatly by giving people the opportunity to get a career and support their families.
Another thing that I find interesting about the history of education is the Manitoba Schools Question. This stated that English would be the primary language taught, however, if ten or more people required a different language, then an adaptation would be made by the school. I think that this has had a huge impact on Canada also because it has allowed Canada to remain bilingual and has allowed for the French language to be preserved. It makes you wonder if this was not passed years ago whether or not Canada would have more than one official language.
Friday 20 January 2012
Code of Professional Practice
As a teacher, I now have to always keep the Code of Professional Practice in the back of my mind.One of the codes that I was not as familiar with, or did not understand quite as well was code #13 "A teacher or group of teachers makes only authorized representations to outside bodies on behalf of the Society or its local associations. Without the express permission of the Society, no member(s) conferring with outside bodies may explicitly or implicitly claim that they represent the Society or its local associations." After our discussions in class, I discovered that this means that you are only representing the school when you are dealing with school issues and you can never say that you are speaking on behalf of the school about an issue when you have not got permission to do so. For example, if you are at a public meeting and you are expressing your opinion but you were not asked by your employer to attend this meeting, then you must make it clear that you are speaking on behalf of yourself and not the school.
Another section of the code that I find really interesting is code #7 "A teacher first directs any criticism of the professional activity of a colleague to that colleague in private. Only after informing the colleague of the intent to do so, the complainant may direct in confidence the criticism to appropriate officials through the proper channels of communication." I found this one interesting because I don't believe that this happens all the time. This code means that you should not talk to the principal about any problems that you have with a colleague before you personally approach that colleague and talk out your concern with him/her. Likewise, if you have an issue with your principal you must go to him/her and talk about it privately before you direct your concern to the higher up. An example of this, is that if you have a colleague that you both teach the same students and you overhear the colleague talking about this student in the staff room and about what he heard is going on with her at home and how it is affecting her marks and behavior in his classroom. Since you teach this student also, you have also heard about what is going on at home with her and you have seen a change in her marks and behavior in your classroom, however, you know that it is not right for him to be giving out this information to all the other staff members at your school. In order to address this situation properly, you need to privately meet with your colleague and explain to him in a polite way that you don't feel that that is information that needs to be spread across the whole staff. If your colleague continues to chat about this student in the staff room then you can tell him that you are going to speak with the administration about the issue because you don't feel that his behavior is appropriate. The whole time you are speaking with your colleague however, you must be sure you are doing so in a professional manner and not insulting him in anyway.
Personally I feel that it will be easy for me to get used to abiding by these codes of conduct. I think that each one will come naturally to me as a professional. Also, as a professional I just have to remember that I will always be looked upon as a teacher and that I must act accordingly all the time. I think that the Code of Professional Practice is a good list of practices for teachers to have because it does not exclude the idea that potentially you will have issues with a colleague and it explains to you how to handle these situations professionally. Also, it reminds people that all information that they encounter is confidential however, you are not breaching the code of confidentiality by reporting child abuse. This is a good tie to have into the code because as teachers, it is our responsibility to report such behavior that we believe is inappropriate and harmful to a child. As professionals, this code will eventually, if not already have become natural to us and we will have no troubles implementing it into our daily lives.
Another section of the code that I find really interesting is code #7 "A teacher first directs any criticism of the professional activity of a colleague to that colleague in private. Only after informing the colleague of the intent to do so, the complainant may direct in confidence the criticism to appropriate officials through the proper channels of communication." I found this one interesting because I don't believe that this happens all the time. This code means that you should not talk to the principal about any problems that you have with a colleague before you personally approach that colleague and talk out your concern with him/her. Likewise, if you have an issue with your principal you must go to him/her and talk about it privately before you direct your concern to the higher up. An example of this, is that if you have a colleague that you both teach the same students and you overhear the colleague talking about this student in the staff room and about what he heard is going on with her at home and how it is affecting her marks and behavior in his classroom. Since you teach this student also, you have also heard about what is going on at home with her and you have seen a change in her marks and behavior in your classroom, however, you know that it is not right for him to be giving out this information to all the other staff members at your school. In order to address this situation properly, you need to privately meet with your colleague and explain to him in a polite way that you don't feel that that is information that needs to be spread across the whole staff. If your colleague continues to chat about this student in the staff room then you can tell him that you are going to speak with the administration about the issue because you don't feel that his behavior is appropriate. The whole time you are speaking with your colleague however, you must be sure you are doing so in a professional manner and not insulting him in anyway.
Personally I feel that it will be easy for me to get used to abiding by these codes of conduct. I think that each one will come naturally to me as a professional. Also, as a professional I just have to remember that I will always be looked upon as a teacher and that I must act accordingly all the time. I think that the Code of Professional Practice is a good list of practices for teachers to have because it does not exclude the idea that potentially you will have issues with a colleague and it explains to you how to handle these situations professionally. Also, it reminds people that all information that they encounter is confidential however, you are not breaching the code of confidentiality by reporting child abuse. This is a good tie to have into the code because as teachers, it is our responsibility to report such behavior that we believe is inappropriate and harmful to a child. As professionals, this code will eventually, if not already have become natural to us and we will have no troubles implementing it into our daily lives.
Wednesday 11 January 2012
The Teacher Who Inspired Me To Teach
Who was my favourite teacher?
There is one person that definitely stands out in my mind and that was my grade six teacher. I did not like this teacher because she gave me the best grades or because she had the easiest class, but I liked this teacher because she was strict and always pushed me to do my best. She did not accept work that was not done to your full potential and she rewarded success in her class on a regular basis. In this class we had a "Waldo" program, which was a certificate if you truly succeeded on a test or assignment. We posted the Waldos up around the room and when they made it completely around the room we had a celebration. This was a great motivator for me and it made me strive to succeed. This teacher set high, yet attainable expectations and by knowing this I think it made me feel better when I succeeded in her class.
Not only did this teacher help me succeed in the classroom, she also got me into volunteering and becoming a community member. Looking back, I feel that this was one of the most important things that she did for me. I feel that from volunteering in my community and getting involved I found a much greater appreciation for being a member of a small community. In our community most major events do not run without the help of a committee. From volunteering with committees (ie: Triple H Rodeo Committee), I have learnt how to plan, organize, communicate, work collaboratively with people of all ages, and be a leader. These are all very valuable attributes that I will have for a lifetime. Shortly after leaving this grade six class I got involved with the Midwest Recreation Association in my hometown and volunteered for their events, many of which were with young children. I continued to volunteer and in grade 12 I received two monetary volunteer awards. Not only did these volunteer opportunities fill up a page on my resume, but they lead me to find my real passion - working with children.
Therefore, this teacher was by far my favourite because she taught me what doing your best means and feels like. She also taught me that volunteering your time can shape you as a person and lead you to where you truly want to go in life. If I ever have the opportunity to teach higher grades I will for sure encourage my students to volunteer because I think that my volunteer experience has lead me to my career choice of being a teacher.
There is one person that definitely stands out in my mind and that was my grade six teacher. I did not like this teacher because she gave me the best grades or because she had the easiest class, but I liked this teacher because she was strict and always pushed me to do my best. She did not accept work that was not done to your full potential and she rewarded success in her class on a regular basis. In this class we had a "Waldo" program, which was a certificate if you truly succeeded on a test or assignment. We posted the Waldos up around the room and when they made it completely around the room we had a celebration. This was a great motivator for me and it made me strive to succeed. This teacher set high, yet attainable expectations and by knowing this I think it made me feel better when I succeeded in her class.
Not only did this teacher help me succeed in the classroom, she also got me into volunteering and becoming a community member. Looking back, I feel that this was one of the most important things that she did for me. I feel that from volunteering in my community and getting involved I found a much greater appreciation for being a member of a small community. In our community most major events do not run without the help of a committee. From volunteering with committees (ie: Triple H Rodeo Committee), I have learnt how to plan, organize, communicate, work collaboratively with people of all ages, and be a leader. These are all very valuable attributes that I will have for a lifetime. Shortly after leaving this grade six class I got involved with the Midwest Recreation Association in my hometown and volunteered for their events, many of which were with young children. I continued to volunteer and in grade 12 I received two monetary volunteer awards. Not only did these volunteer opportunities fill up a page on my resume, but they lead me to find my real passion - working with children.
Therefore, this teacher was by far my favourite because she taught me what doing your best means and feels like. She also taught me that volunteering your time can shape you as a person and lead you to where you truly want to go in life. If I ever have the opportunity to teach higher grades I will for sure encourage my students to volunteer because I think that my volunteer experience has lead me to my career choice of being a teacher.
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