Updates..
It's been a while since I've properly written here, so hopefully I do better today :)
Time has flown (as I keep mentioning) and I officially finished practicum on Friday. The students presented me with a Good Bye card that they had made and all signed. I got some hugs from most of the girls and some of the boys (surprisingly!) came up to me and said thank you for helping them. AWW! I think I would have been much more sad if I knew I wasn't going to be volunteering at the school later! (I'm scheduled to go back and help them with EQAO which is Ontario's provincial testing as well as go along on a few field trips with them). My mentor teacher Kristi, brought in cupcakes for everyone. I'm so thankful to have been placed in her class - I think our personalities and teaching ideals were well matched and the students are so curious and friendly (even though they are very low).
Yesterday, we were at the Wind Warriors 2006 competition. Hopefully I can find a newspaper or something to see whether any of them made it in. We came in 2nd for the highest voltage generated - yay! We could have potentially beat the first place people too because the amount of voltage (1.1 or something like that) was lower than what we actually were able to generate at home. Oh well, it was great that they got the recognition (though they didn't build most of it! (time restrictions... really!)) and that they got some exposure to a environmental fair because most of these students would have never gone to something like this on their own. I do believe that most of them learned a thing or two too! Heck, I learned a lot from this experience!
Besides practicum, I've been busy preparing my teacher's portfolio. I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself! After this last practicum, I'm feeling much more confident about my abilities as a teacher :)
Ok, back to what I was saying.. lately, I've been thinking a lot abouto the pending trip to Malaysia. So far, my parents are scheduled to go back for a trip next year and say that they want my brother and I to go as well. My grandparents health is not great and they want us to see everyone after not being back for 6 (going on 7) years now. In addition, last Friday marked a very sad day and it's made me really stop and think about my relatives.. so many changes - mostly sorrowful ones in the past few years. I still wonder what it would have been like if we had grown up closer to them rather then be the distant "stranger" cousins half way across the world? :(
Anyway, on a brighter note, for convocation (scheduled for June 7th, 2006), my Uncle in Scarborough has planned to attend and insists that he will be back from Malaysia in time to be here. Makes me feel very special :) Anyhow, I'm looking forward to being a full fledged teacher and getting my 2nd degree..hehehehe!! (Will there be another one?? Hopefully in the FUTURE but not right away!!)
Alright, I think this has been a good start for updates. I must get moving as my friends will be here any minute to pick me up for dinner!! (First real time out since Friday..hehehe).
Ciao and keep your fingers crossed that the weather will improve!
JY
Exhausted...
Yikes.. this week is flying! Two more days and I've completed my 2nd and last practicum. It's exciting (yet a tad scary) to think that I will be a full fledged teacher in 2 more weeks!!!!! (Now, if only I can find a job to accompany that certification...)
This past weekend was busy, busy, busy. I've been working on my teaching materials a lot and additionally been preparing some of the students in my class for the Wind Warriors 2006 competition. We are building two pictoturbines (wind turbines) for Saturday's competition put on by the Ottawa-Carlton District School Board. Wish us luck! I've been scratching my head trying to come up with alternate designs.. but so far.. it's been tough! Plus, time has NOT been a friend.
Anyways, I've heard a couple of things from the kids that lead me to believe that they like me..hehehe. For example, last week when my supervisor was in to evaluate me, one student gave me a testimonial by saying "Miss Tan is so cool!" and when asked why, she said "because she always does cool stuff with us!".
I wish I had more time this time round.. I feel like we've sped through everything. I could do so much more with them, especially in Math - 1 hour doesn't feel like enough time!! (Though I'm sure they feel that it's sufficient) :P
OK, that's it for now. Just a post to let you know I'm still alive :)
Can't Believe it's April
Well. Time has flown once again. I swear, teaching is like being in a time warp. In the blink of an eye, a month has flown by.. and in another 2 weeks, I'll be finished practicum. Wow. *Gulp*.
I'm having a great time at my school. I feel like I can help out so much more at this school than my last one (perhaps because the staff was bigger and it was a more well off school). There are just countless things I could get involved with.. now to find time to do it! I'm currently involved with getting the school website a new face (actually, more like totally making it .. it was pretty bare before). I'm thinking of helping my mentor teacher with organizing the resource room (a pretty big effort actually), and maybe asking some local companies for some donations in the form of sports equipment. AND, I'd like to volunteer for the rest of the year once I'm done all these workshops I have scheduled.
Anyways, hopefully all my work will pay off sweetly in the form of a job.. hehehe. Back to what I was trying to talk about. My class is working on a Motions science unit.. boy.. talk about slow.. we've been working on 3 labs (in the form of workstations) for about 5 days now!! I'm really behind in my schedule!! I'm going to get them to do these paper animations where there is a sheep standing on a box and it's nodding it's head.. it has to do with gears, cranks and different types of motions.. I think they'll be excited.. heck, I'm excited looking at it! (but it's so much prep!!)
In math the other day, I showed them a powerpoint about Improper vs. Mixed fractions. They were really excited.. in fact, they asked me to show it to them again because they didn't "understand".. heheh.. how adorable! It's funny though, in University, everyone is *YAWN* when it comes to Powerpoint, and in Elementary, it's "like watching a movie!!".. gotta love kids!
Anyways, I gotta get moving, 7:20, must go catch my bus. (Boy, I'm so impressed with myself, I get up at 6:30AM to be at school for 7:40AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Ciao!
JY
