I spent my 4-week practicum at Beaverly Elementary. My time there was wonderful and felt like returning home. I previously spent time at Beaverly as an IEW but spent minimal time in the classroom. It was exciting to be able to enter the building in a new way and learn how to teach a group of people that have previous notions of how I work.
Many of the students remembered spending time with me taking body breaks, or playing with rubiks cubes. I had to tread carefully earlier on in the practicum to avoid a lack of respect and to really solidify my change of position within the school.
There ended up being minimal tension within the classroom, and I was able to transition into the classroom environment pretty smoothly. This definitely boulstered my belief in myself. I felt like I could finally see myself as a teacher in an average classroom.
During this practicum I ran a 4 week long readers theatre style lesson that connected all subject areas. The students were given the opportunity to end school early and go to Fiji instead. This resulted in us learning about New Zealand and Fijian culture. We then went on a cruise that ended up sinking and thrusting the students into a survival situation. It was a very unique and eye opening experience. After seeing how a strong community culture and safe space can allow for diverse learning, I feel like I have been filled with a new sense of excitement and intrigue.