Reflecting on the School Board Experience

Well, the night of the school board meeting is over. I was able to attend the meeting with some great friends which made the experience that much more enjoyable. All of my anxiety and hesitation of the night was unproductive. It was a very easy going and relaxed environment. It was so neat to see the type of issues addressed.
At the Catholic Board meeting that I attended, there was a very high tech screen which showed a variety of videos throughout the night. There were videos regarding the different sports teams that were successful throughout the previous year, as well, there was a video pertaining to the concerns of the representative of the parents council. The speech that the woman presented regarding the changes that should be made in her school was very intense and detailed. Coming from a small town, Midland Ontario, it was hard to see her perspective on certain issues. At my high school, where I was happy to attend, there were not as many luxuries as this woman was suggesting her school should have. There was a video that accompanied her suggestions/requests, and it seemed as though her school was very "well off". The weight room that she described as being "overly cramped and having not enough equipment" was leaps and bounds better than the weight room my high school could have ever dreamed of having. Some of her requests were legitimate, however some were far fetched.
The overall experience of the night was extremely educational and eye opening. There are so many issues that are discussed that I was not aware of as a student so many years of my life. As I enter the teaching profession, it was very beneficial to attend this meeting so that I can be aware of the differing concerns that members of the community have.
As I have stated in previous posts, each experience I have in this Pre-Service year is educational and I am grateful for each of them. As I progress through this year, I will continue learning and this blog is a great way to reflect.

Hope you enjoyed the post,

Sheila

School Board Meeting...What to expect!?!

Tonight at 7:00 a group of us are going to the Catholic School Board meeting for the Niagra Region. I am not too sure what to expect. This will be a very educational experience and will help to make me feel like a bigger part of the school system here in St. Catharine's. As I start on my own path next year as a teacher, this will be a great introduction into the "politics" and planning that is involved in running a school.
I am going to the first meeting of the year so I am sure that the topics and issues discussed will differ as the school year continues. I think it is a neat meeting to attend as I will be able to see the initial plans and discussions that take place which will predict the rest of the school year. It would be interesting to follow through and attend one of the last meetings of the year to see which goals were met, and which, if any, were not completed. It is a lot of work to have everyone in the board come together and establish a sense of unity and teamwork.
Well, it is about time to get ready to go to the meeting. I am sure I will have plenty of information to share when I return. I wonder if it will be as intimidating as I am picturing it to be...I doubt it! Either way, I will report back with some information and the impression I got from the first school board meeting of the year!

Until then,

Sheila

Preparation for the REAL DEAL

Lucky members of the St. Alexander's group will be presenting their micro-teaching lessons THIS Friday. It just so happens that I am part of this group. Although things will be stressful, I am actually quite pleased to present so quickly after my mini-micro experience. As it stands, everything is very fresh and new in my mind. I am in the "teaching mode" and hopefully this will be beneficial to my presentation of my topic. I am nervous about how my students will interact and react with the lesson. I am in a grade 8 class so the level of inconsistency amongst the class is left to be imagined. I am in a great class, however grade 8's are always unpredictable (but I assume each grade level can argue the same). Either way, it will be an experience in itself. Preparing the lesson plan is what I fear the most. It seems like a lot of work, and a lot of work that I have no experience doing! I assume other students are in the same boat, which is reassuring at best.

I know one thing for sure, and that is that I can not wait until the weekend comes. It will feel great to have another task completed and learn that much more along the way. Each lesson I teach I will gain much more than I put into it. This is the joy of teaching, you get WAY more out of things than what you put in.

Until another pressing moment discerns me, I think this post is complete!

Sheila

Micro Teaching Do's and Dont's!!

So, what an experience the mini-micro teaching lesson has been. Although there was an overwhelming amount of preparation for the day, it seemed to be successful. It was so interesting to see the other students present on something that defined them to a certain extent. Each person choose something that appealed to them, which in my eyes, is a form of self expression. I learned a lot more about each student in our counselling group. We have such a talented group of future teachers!!

Personally, I have learned some Do's and Dont's for the future.
1) DO have visuals and something to keep the class entertained with
2) DONT say "ummm"
3) DO keep the class interested by using jokes or fun stories
4) DONT ask questions that are too open-ended
5) DO love what you're teaching and practice what you preach
6) DONT expect things to run exactly as you expect them to

Overall, this mini-micro lesson was extremely helpful. The video is so beneficial as a means of self evaluation. It was so neat to see myself on tape. Since the last time I saw myself on video, I've aged quite significantly!!! This is a great way to monitor our progress from our mini-micro to our micro teaching!

Each experience I will take in strides and hopefully by the end of all this I will be OVER prepared for the work world (which is the ideal state to be in!!). I am so excited to see what lies ahead!!

Thanks for reading,

Sheila