We need to find balance. As educators, we hold a great deal of responsibility in teaching the next generation, how to learn, how to persevere and how to keep working a problem, even if it looks insurmountable. We have to be careful with our expectations in the classroom. I have observed with my own students in Practicum, that when they are too often faced with projects that are focused on their interests in an issue of the world, they are bombarded with implicit expectations that they must come up with solutions to “fix the world.” Our students are intelligent, but they are still kids.  We need to find balance of ensuring that our students are shown the issues of injustices in and around the world as well as shown what has made a positive and hopeful impact.

My favourite thing from this year is my Global Citizenship Project Unit and Lesson Breakdown , which are both living documents. The bones of the unit were provided by my AT and her co-teacher.* I created the above unit plan and all accompanying materials myself. The idea of this grade 4-6 project is to inspire hope in others about an inspiring person making a positive impact on an issue in their community (neighbourhood, country or world). The project takes students through research and creating a survey (to which they would survey their classmates), analyzing the data from the survey and creating an infographic and create a Hopeful Minute Movie and code a computer game that are intended to educate, sensitize and inspire hope in the viewer (player).

I am really proud of my  Professional Learning Chart (Webinars, additional learning etc.). I have been sitting in on webinars of a math series with Kyle Pearce and John Orr through OTF connects and they have been amazing. It has opened my mind to new and different ways of teaching and presenting mathematical concepts through observation (think and wonder), group problem solving and curiosity and manipulating numbers visually (looking at how a number line unfolded is a graph) etc.

I think it is really important to challenge different ideologies that have surfaced  since becoming a Teacher Candidate, including the amount of Christmas that is celebrated in our schools in comparison to all other faith celebrations, virtual learning for our primary/junior students, social justice, inclusion etc. I do feel it is part of our job to play devil’s advocate and to ensure we are actively challenging preconceived notions about learning and socializing, especially if it will better benefit our students.  We need to challenge our own biases and have the hard conversations and keep the doors open for being challenged; I think sometimes teachers are afraid of being challenged about something, when in fact, it is exactly what we are here for; to help students navigate their own questions.  The Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice explicitly state that Teachers are to show “Commitment to Students and Student Learning, Ongoing Professional Learning, Professional Practice, Professional Knowledge, Leadership in Learning Communities.” I think I am on my way, how well, will be determined by my students’ success.

*The bones of the aforementioned unit project were provided by my AT, Nancy McLaren and her PGL co-teacher, Deborah Quail-Blier.