Career Opportunities

I have only just returned to Canada but I have never had any intention of staying long term.
After several Professional Learning Series (PLS) sessions, it seems I have made the right choice.
Canada seems a very inhospitable place for teachers and Ontario all the more so.

The elementary teachers federation has said rolling strikes begin next week in further protest of Bill 115, but the government maintains that they will simply order them back to work. No negotiations, no bargaining rights, anymore. It seems unreal that teachers are being so marginalized with such little upset.

In every PLS that jobs are discussed, we are told not to expect a job for many years and I keep asking myself: Why would anyone want to stay?

There are thousands of jobs in Northern Canada, and thousands more overseas crying out for qualified teachers. Salaries are high out there, and experience even richer.

Differentiated Instruction

Last week I finally had my first chance to get into a Canadian classroom. 

I went in to a grade 7/8 class at Jack Miner Elementary School as a representative of Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary. I was presenting a brief history of the site and what to expect on the field trip later in the week. 

My co-teacher, Peter, and I arrived about 10 minutes before we were expected and waited to be welcomed by the class teacher. Our nerves were running high, but we had mapped out what we would say, when to switch roles and really were pretty well prepared. The lesson was to last 50 minutes.

As soon as we met up with the teacher she had some instructions. The class technology was an important part. One of the students had just been diagnosed with hearing loss. He had been tested at pre-school age which showed slightly below average. Only recently, when retested because of increasing difficulty in class, the found that he is "living in a world of whispers." This day was the first day they were going to use a new headset that would ensure this student could hear the teacher by piping the sound around the class. She briefly, candidly explained the situation and the tool to the class. I was really impressed with how mature the students were and the matter-of-fact manner in which she laid out the situation for them. 

She handed over the headset. There was only one though. I gave it over to Pete, since he was scheduled to speak first. As the class got rolling however, I soon forgot to get the headset back when it was my turn to lead. The teacher whispered to me, "Please speak from the front of the class so he can read your lips." This is completely opposed to my regular teaching style, which is to kind of wander through the class. 

When I got back to the front, it was clear the student was grateful and relieved to be able to follow. I felt so awful for neglecting his needs. It became immediately clear to me how challenging it must be for students to provide differentiated instruction for students' specific needs. 

Making sure you know them and their needs is one thing, but making sure you make accommodations for all is another. Many of my classmates were in classes where all students were on IEPs. Figuring out how to meet the needs of all of the students seems like a full time job in itself aside from lessons and extracurricular.  

The Right to Pass

Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking and talking about the Canadian education system.
I am beginning to think that it is failing in a big way.

I have met a good few people in the Faculty of Ed. who really don't measure up to the standard of basic common knowledge I think is required for a teacher/adult. I am not excluding myself from this group either, as I am rather deficient in many areas by my own standards as well!

This implies two things:
1. Our education was lacking.
2. We will possibly be lacking as educators.

When I discuss this with classmates, they seldom have more to say than, "That's Canada."
In Canada, it is not okay to fail a student and poor standards abound; its a reciprocal cycle.
This is a disservice to Canada and our people.
Standards are so very low that parents who wish more from their student's education are forced to hire tutors, and those without that capability are out of luck, doomed to sub-par education.

How can teachers help this demarcation?
Studies are showing that failing a student does not work in ensuring their success.
But what will studies show in 15 years when a generation was not expected to succeed?

Teaching Math, "EEEEeeekk!"

Over the past few weeks, watching the posts of my classmates on Facebook about there placement has been annoying since I myself am jealous that I have not had the same opportunity at in-class experience.

The only bastion of joy has been when I see one of them has been asked to teach math and they are terrified. It's terrible, and perhaps means I am cruel, but I am glad it is them and not me in those cases.

My major in university was social-cultural anthropology. I graduated in 2003, so I am a bit rusty on the finer points, but I could teach a comprehensive class for sure. J/I students don't study anthropology though (unfortunately), so history is my next best forte. English, art, and health and P.E., while not subjects I am versed in, or even subjects I particularly enjoyed in school, are subjects I think I know enough about to teach effectively. Bring them on in my second placement, no sweat!

Science and math are where I fall apart. I only finished the general level of either, both only until grade 10. It was not for a lack of trying: I simply did not grasp the basics to proceed. I avoided all related classes from there on.

I remember a particularly humiliating moment when my inability was revealed. I was in fourth year and had room for an elective. I chose environmental science, a first year course, out of interest. I obviously had not considered what would be required and soon found myself in tutorial sessions desperate for help to pass the class. The teaching assistant, in one such session told me to divide something and I had no calculator. "Just do it long division," she said, puzzled at my look of bafflement. All eyes were on me. "I don't know how," was all I could say. Oh, the horror, the gasps... "You don't know how!?" in the same tone as one might ask, "You eat your own feces?" Thankfully she recovered quickly after seeing the tears in my eyes and kindly took me on as her personal project. I ended up with a 79% in the class. I am so proud of that, still. But I still cannot do long division.

How can I possibly teach math with so little understanding of the subject? How can I instill the basics when i myself do not have them? I do not know.

In anticipation, I have been practicing my basic math skills, and all the while hoping that I will not be the jerk next placement up all night, terrified about the grade 3 math lesson I have to teach the next morning.

Class, Chinese Style

As I mentioned is the previous 2 posts, there are about 20 teacher candidates from South West University (SWU) visiting the University of Windsor right now. As a part of the Reciprocal Learning Program between our universities, during 3rd year, they visit Windsor from September to December and the following May we go to Chongqing to visit for one month. 

I lived in South Korea for many years, and was lucky enough to go to China several times. I really loved it! I found something new that I liked every time I visited and welcome the chance to return and explore a region I didn't make it to on any of my previous trips.

When we have had time together I have spoken to a few of the visiting students, but mainly Longhen and Huang, who I have the most classes with. We have spoken a lot about education, of course, and I will share a bit of those conversations with you!

Currently at South West in the teaching program there are 10,000 teacher candidates. And we think  hiring competition in Ontario is fierce?? This is not unusual for such a big university as SWU, apparently. Before reaching university, competition is fierce. The average class in kindergarten is 60-70 and in elementary 30-40. When I heard 60-70, I wondered aloud how the teacher can cope and asked Huang, who was telling me this, if he was sick in his head for wanting to subject himself to that. Another Chinese girl commented, "That's just China!" 

Huang went on, explaining that the layout of the class is not like here; rows are standard for class arrangement and the students are dealt with in much more of a "jug and mug" manner. Teacher's assume much more of an authoritative stance and students just acquiesce. But, I don't think he was accurately describing the student response to those types of teaching strategies. 




Throughout my teaching experience in Korea, and with all the shared experience of my expat friends in other Asian classrooms, the traditional, teacher centered model of instruction was indeed prevalent. However, a factor bringing about change is language education and the students'reaction to it. 

To learn a language effectively, you have to practice it, you have to speak, and 30-40 kids speaking means noise! To get them to make that lovely noise, instruction has to be student centered - and there is the switch. 

    

Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary Pt. 1

For my first practicum I have been placed at Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary, down the road from Jack Miner Elementary School, in Kingsville. Because of the work-to-rule actions being taken by the public school board teachers, I had anticipated that perhaps and alternative placement would be possible, but I could never have imagined this. We are told our subject of focus through this placement is Curriculum Development, so myself and 7 other candidates, all but two also in J/I, have run with it and tried to make the best of a ducking miserable situation.

I know curriculum is an important part of teaching, but what can I possibly be expected to learn about it without instruction, simply by being told, "Go develop a curriculum"? Surprisingly, there are a few things I have learned.

Of most importance, I have learned people do not listen. As a teacher I know, repetition and checking are necessary as kids' minds indubitably wander, but adults are no better! The frequency with which my associate teacher has instructed us on what he wants only to then hear one of my co-teachers ask a question about a subject already explicitly covered has really stumped me. People do not listen. Add cell phones and laptops to the mix and its a shambles.

This has meant that when we have work to complete as a team, we have all surely heard only our versions of what is expected. Disagreements ensue at best and at worst work has to be completely redone and time is wasted all because we have not heard the same things.  It has been an extremely trying endeavor.

When faced with this again three key points I will remember:

1. Do not relay information or make requests of peers (or students) when you do not have their undivided attention.

2. Check that they have understood once you have instructed on something by asking them to paraphrase what you have said.

3. Do not assume that people have the same standards of courtesy to listen when someone is speaking as you may have. Assume they don't, in fact.

Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary Pt.2

Group work is not my forte but it is necessary part of the B.Ed program here at Windsor. I have about 4 groups in my regular classes, which is trying but manageable since we are all in the same section and on the same schedule. Before now I have been managing fine.

Out here at Jack Miner's though, it is a different flock of geese altogether. There are 8 of us, from three different sections. Also, I was placed with my husband, Niall. It has been our policy that we try and avoid working together so that we can retain some individual space, but alas birds of a feather... get placed together at the damn bird sanctuary, of all places!

What will I take from this experience of a large, unfamiliar group, and a pairing with someone too familiar?

First, small groups are better for larger tasks. Reaching a consensus among a group of eight who are each angling for a preening spot in the sun is an unnecessary headache. Smaller groups are more manageable as fewer egos are up for bruising.

Secondly, choose your group wisely (if you have a choice at all). Jumping in too soon with a group of friends can put strain on relationships when opinions and egos clash. If you and a friend both always need to have your way, maybe a less dominant partner is a better fit.

Who would've thought I would have learned something about classroom management at a bird sanctuary... maybe the faculty actually does know what it is doing??

Walpole Island E.S. Part 2

On October 19th, I should have been somewhere in the GECDSB, being awkwardly lead through the expectations of my practicum. Instead, I was at Walpole Island! An opportunity to visit a First Nations community was as interesting for me as it was for the visiting Chinese students, if not more so. It was not only a free trip out the city (which alone is great), and a chance to get to know my Chinese counterparts whom I will be visiting in May 2013, but I also had an ulterior motive. When we get done at UWin, my husband Niall and I are hoping to head to the far, far north to teach. This means we will likely be teaching on a First Nations reservation. Though every Native reserve is different, neither of us have much experience with reserves, so any experience is sure to be good.

When we arrived at the Walpole Island Elementary School (WIES), a K to 8 school, we were welcomed by the school principal. It was a P.D. Day and the mood was very mellow in the school. We were encouraged to explore. But first, the principal was asked to say a few words to us. What he had to say was one of the most memorable speeches I have ever personally heard. 

He introduced himself, telling us a little about himself, then floored us. Then, beginning by saying that WIES is appallingly underfunded, he explained the situation in detail: public schools are funded by the province and receive about $10,000 annually per student, but as a reserve school WIES is federally funded, and receives only $6,000 per student, yearly. He stated these things in such a matter of fact way. He went on to say, "We do not use this as an excuse." Each member of staff is charged with making the most of what they do have, but that this chronic under-funding is being brought to the Supreme Court as a human-rights issue.

When asked how this injustice could be so blatant, he nearly spat out the term Bureau of Indian Affairs. He said this was the most notoriously inefficient government body in Canada, which fails all imposed audits, yet is still responsible for organizing and distributing funds for reserves, and therefor schools on reserves. 

As an grad of a B.A. in Anthropology, I am no stranger to the poor reputation of Native Affairs, but I was staggered by this discrepancy. How can schools perform on par with sub-par funding? At WIES they somehow do, according EQAO scores anyhow. The principal, while disputing the usefulness and validity of such tests, used the EQAO results of his school to show that they are dong pretty well by Ontario standards, even exceeding them by 2 to 3% in writing.

As a teacher in school like WIES, I think I would feel pressure to perform that much greater, and impelled to get outstanding results from my students, in part because I view WIES as an underdog in the seemingly never ending role of David. It is a common correlation that low socioeconomic status often means poor academic performance, but fortunately the community of Walpole is not too bad off, and can make up for the lack of school funding independently.  

The second concern I have about working in a school like this, with insufficient funding, but one that is in a less affluent community, would be stereotype threat. We just learned about this in psychology class and I think it is an interesting concept with real world applications. The theory speculates that people tend to fulfill the negative stereotype that they perceive others have of them or their social group. It is used to explain long standing gaps in racial and gender performance trends. By recognizing it though, you can combat it. Helping a school population overcome this is a huge task for teachers and administrators. Failure or success in getting a student past stereotype threat has lasting effects on self-image and therefor their life long after they have graduated! 

Thanks to the McGuinty government and ETFO for making my October 19th trip to Walpole possible! I am more determined than ever to make a difference in the lives of my future students!

Walpole Island E.S. Part 1

We were supposed to start practicum a few weeks ago, on October 19th. Due to the current policy of work to rule in reaction to Bill 115, we did not. Not all was lost though! Instead, I had the opportunity to visit Walpole Island that day with the Reciprocal Learning Program I'm currently participating in with China's Southwest University (SWU).

Walpole Island Elementary School was really eye opening. It was the first Canadian public school I have been in for over a decade and I really felt tall! There were many notable things about this visit, but in this post I will limit myself to those strictly relating to the school programs I observed.Walking around the school on a P.D. Day, it wasn't really representative of what things must normally feel like, but still it was really helpful. They have numerous strategies in place that I thought I'd like to adopt (steal)!

1. Kiss the Goat

Promotion for Kiss the Goat voes 

Scoreboard keeping track of votes: the kiss marks the staff member's name and the tally is beside

Above you can see an example of creative fundraising. I had never seen something like this and was really impressed. Students (and staff) can buy votes for a quarter each. They are voting on what teacher or staff member they would like to see kiss a goat! If an initiative like this is implemented a spirit of community and fun created in the school, except for poor Mr. Soney who was winning/losing, with 370 votes to Mr. Tooshkaugh's 313. It is a great idea for a laugh and for a good cause. 

2. Posted Learning Plans

This may be something standard in schools, but nonetheless I thought it was great. Writing out the week's plan and posting it all to see does a few things: sets out goals for the students; gives them warning about what to expect; gives them a thrill because they enjoy an upcoming subject or maybe the reverse. I like the idea of being able to check off a list as a class at the end of a week. A feeling of accomplishment was something I've often found less tangible in a learning environment, and this may remedy that.

3. Culturally Significant Materials

I saw a lot of examples of culturally specific material at Walpole Island Elementary. It is a reserve school and, as I will discuss more in a later post, they are very concerned about offering what was called culturally critical curriculum and an environment suitable to nurture this. I think this is something that is applicable in any school. All students should feel their culture is being respected and valued. At Walpole Island, I saw a few examples of this.

Using the feather as a symbol of success which is part of Anishinaabe culture in DRAs 

National representation of First Nations people and symbols to recognize groups by

Metric, right?

I remember as a kid thinking that my mom was SO good at doing quick conversions between metric and imperial. Offhand, she used feet instead of meters though, so, of course, us kids inquired why. My mom's education happened to coincide with the switch from imperial to metric, so she had to learn both in school. I really think this was lucky for her, but she claims it was a major inconvenience and caused no end of frustration for her.

I am extremely fond of the metric system, and that grateful that this is what we use in Canada if for no other reason than its universality. I'd chuckle blithely at American friends, forever fumbling with rough conversions to get  Fahrenheit from Celsius. The picture below shows the rate of voluntary metrication.

I can't laugh to hard though as I'm am not beyond this frustration, since in Canada we have yet to pick a side and stick to it! For example, personal height and weight are always expressed imperially. While living in Korea, I had to relearn my height and weight metrically and was always a little uneasy describing myself in centimeters. As a cashier at Loblaws, customers often got exasperated attempting to get accurate price for the items they bought. Prices were quoted per pound, but then rung up in kilograms, meaning costs inevitably differed from their estimates.

Smart phones and quick online searches (like the one pictured below) are a big help now, but they are not helping us understand the mixed messages us Canuks receive. A few benchmarks should be memorized (e.g. a meter is about 3 feet, a kilograms is about 2 pounds), as should a few rough formulas for quick assistance (e.g. to get Fahrenheit from Celsius multiply by 2 and add 30).