The First People’s Principals of Learning is an Indigenously inspired document that highlights what learning is. We must study and implement Indigenous knowledge into our teaching practice. Implementing Indigenous teachings into our practice can help minorities feel at peace and safe. Entering and partaking in schools can be difficult for many. Many ancestors are scarred from the horrific residential schools that took place on their land. Implementing and including Indigenous teachings can put those who are uncomfortable more at ease. Teaching is all about the students and putting their learning needs first. By including The First People’s Principals of Learning, we do so. The First People’s Principals of Learning is a remarkable document that explains how teaching should be; it is about the land, family, ancestors, how memory works, ourselves and our identity, ways of learning, consequences, and relationships. This document is so rich with knowledge and teaching practices we must involve it in our teaching.
The BC Curriculum is a document that instructs teachers on the content we have to deliver. It serves as a guideline. It includes Big Ideas which tell us what and why it is significant to teach students. This sets the tone for the lesson. This document describes what students should be able to do once we are finished with the lessons and what they are expected to know by the end of the year. This document helps us plan our lessons and guides us to what we need to teach them. The communication, thinking and personal and social headings and very helpful; it tells us what the students can do by teaching this content. For example, in Language Arts grade 1, under communication, “students communicate with intent and purposes.” This is what students will be doing and will be able to do throughout the lesson—these work as guides to know where to go with the lessons.
The Truth and Reconciliation Calls to ACtion is a BC government document that addresses the horrific residential schools and what we are doing to keep everyone safe. This document aims to protect indigenous peoples and create a goal and action. I understand reconciliation as joining together as a community and becoming one. This eliminates segregation and allows us to live together in harmony. This document is supposed to minimize racism. It proves that the government takes responsibility for the heinous acts inflicted on these innocent people and documents in the written word the rights and freedoms they are giving Indigenous peoples, such as health care, language and culture, education, child welfare, and justice. This document promises that we will never treat them how we did and treat them with equality and equity.
The Professional Sandardards for BC Educators is a document consisting of nine statements that teachers must follow. These statements are standards that must be met in every teacher’s practice in light of the students. This document includes the rules taught in the Education Program, such as putting the students learning first and acting in their best interest. These standards protect the students and the teachers. It sets guidelines for how we must behave and treat our students. This document holds teachers accountable for their actions and requires them to act professionally at all times.
https://pierson.trubox.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/1588/2022/04/Nicole-Resume1.pdf
Please download and open the URL to view my Education Resume. My resume showcases the volunteer hours that I have done. I have a plethora of tutoring experience ranging in age levels and academic abilities. My skills and abilities are targeted toward classroom skills. I look forward to building my resume. Once summer starts, I will have more time to build my resume. I hope to find workshops or seminars to further my experience and expertise. I wish that I had more professional development experience, but I look forward to gaining this experience and developing my teaching practice for the better.
EMPLOYMENT AND TRAVEL:
- In July 2019, my three sisters, mom and I went on a girl’s trip to New York, NY, for just over one week. This was a significant learning experience for me. I haven’t travelled very much before this. This trip taught me responsibility and how to have fun on a budget. As a future teacher, this is very relevant to my career. Teachers are responsible for the safety of their students and are only given so much money in funds per year per class. It is easy to overspend, and financial literacy is crucial for a teacher. We need to plan fun educational events but keep a budget in mind. This trip impacted my academic career because I saw so many different types of lifestyles. I believe travel is essential; you learn so much about the world, diversity and privilege. This trip taught me empathy. I saw so many less privileged people on the streets and subways. I didn’t have much to give, so I always offered a smile. Teachers need to have empathy for their students, and it helps create a safe and engaging community for everyone.
- From September 2019 to January 2022, I was employed at Fabutan Hush Lash studios. I was front desk/ secretary, lash/ brow artist and trainer. I had a lot of roles and responsibilities and always taught the new hires how to do their job. I gained a lot of people skills from this job. I trained many people with different learning styles, and this job was great practice for me to try new UDL and DI techniques. I quickly found that most people excel at hands-on learning. I also learned that many people would watch the instructor/ trainer do something once and then say they understand but don’t. It is so beneficial to say okay, watch me do this, and then you will do it and show me. I will take what I learned from this job and implement it in my classroom. For example, in science, I will do a demo, instruct my students to watch then do it on their own after. Often, they don’t recall or cannot do it correctly on their own. Group work in this situation would be constructive so they can problem-solve together.
- In July, I will be travelling to Alaska via cruise ship for my honeymoon. I have spent hours planning this trip. This trip relates to teaching because teachers are constantly planning. I have learned that taking the time to ensure that everything is planned, prepped and prepared helps alleviate any stress and hiccups. As a future TTOC, I will take my planning experience and have go-to lessons planned, prepped, and organized at all times to minimize hiccups in my teaching career. This could be useful if I need filler time at the end of a lesson; if I come in and a lesson day plan was not left for me, I can always rely on my prepared go-to lessons. I plan to have a Language Arts, Science, Socials, P.E. and a French lesson always in my back pocket that I can call upon.
COURSE WORK
- I took the intro to Natural Resource Science (NRSC) a few years ago, and it was an excellent example of teaching and learning for me. We did a wetland field trip and a pond study at Dufferin Elementary School. We almost did the same activity in EDCO, but the NRSC class was more thorough, and we had to do a lab report. I envisioned myself doing this with my future science and social studies class. It was a fun learning activity; we got to wear rubber boots and waterproof pants to go waist-deep into the wetland. I learned so much about our land and the critters in the pond. Experiences like these get me excited to teach activities like this to my future class.
- The first sociology class I ever took in university was Race and Ethnicity. Before this class, I was very naive and had no idea how prevalent racism is around the world today. This class opened my eyes, and I fell in love with the discipline of Sociology. It has so much to teach us. Once I started engaging in this class, I couldn’t get enough and soon was enrolled in almost only Sociology classes. My heart hurts for minorities and those who are punished due to inequalities. From this time, I have made it my life mission to make a difference in students’ lives and educate them about the problems in our society concerning racism. I became an activist and will always stand up for people’s rights.
- In grade 4 French class, I remember thinking how interesting it would be to teach French class. In my grade 12 year, my French teacher told me that I would make a great French teacher or drama teacher. Skipping forward to my French university classes, I really enjoyed them. I planned on being a P.E. and French teacher within elementary schools because I’ve always enjoyed teaching, learning and engaging in both subjects. I have recognized that I mainly enjoy subjects that challenge me to use my brain and do my best work. I think that my positive educational French career has persuaded me to pursue teaching.
CERTIFICATES, AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS
- From age 16 to 18, I was involved in a Seminary program. Every weekday before school at 6:30 AM, fifteen other students and I would meet. We were engaged in doing a bible study. It was a lot of work, and I did not enjoy it. However, I graduated from the program and hardly missed any days. It was a challenging commitment, but I was so proud of myself for staying true to who I am and not giving up even when I wanted to. My teachers weren’t always the nicest to me because it was apparent that I didn’t necessarily want to be there, and I had a bad attitude from being so tired. Every day I remember thinking that I would never make a student feel how I was feeling. Everyone is going through something in their own life that the teacher probably is not aware of. When I become a teacher and have problematic students who have bad attitudes, I will always treat them with kindness and respect even if it may be hard at times because every individual deserves to feel accepted for who they are.
- When I graduated high school, I won five scholarships and bursaries for post-secondary. I worked extremely hard on the applications and was beyond excited and proud of myself. I knew that my hard work finally paid off. These awards proved that commitment and hard work pay off in the long run. Experiences like these help me become a reliable source when I try to convince my future students that the hard work will all be worth it if you just preserve and try. Experiences like this help me gain a passion for teaching because I want to help others succeed and do better than I did.
- In one of my school soccer tournaments, I was awarded MVP. I won this award because I was a team player. I shared the ball, scored most goals, and helped with assists. This award taught me that looking out for others and ensuring that communication was happening on the field made all of the difference. This example is relevant to teaching because if the teacher and students are not communicating and learning and working together, not much learning will be happening. I learned that as a teacher, I would need to check in on students and give them the ball. I need to provide them with all of the opportunities they need to score and become MVPs in their studies.
BLOG POSTS: TEACHING & LEARNING
- Teaching and learning are a crucial part of my life. I believe that education ad learning is a lifelong process. I learn and remember content best if I practice teaching it. My favourite way to learn is to teach my partner or Mom the content. Every day after school, I call one of them up and tell them everything I learned that day. This helps me store the content in my memory better. It almost works as if they are my journal entry for the day. I view teaching as one of my learning strengths.
- One of the most essential teaching practices that we can implement in our classroom is UDL and DI. I think teaching for our student’s needs is pivotal in the student’s ability to comprehend the concepts and remember them. Teaching to the students needs to spark interest and curiosity, which ultimately furthers their learning. I have noticed that when students are interested in the topic, they are more engaged in their education and more learning takes place. I also think multiple means of expression and teaching methods make a tremendous difference in student learning. It helps keeps students engaged and focused.
- Reflection is a significant part of teaching and learning for both the student and teacher. Reflections such as journals or KWL charts are essential pieces that help students think about what they just learned and what they can work on to further their learning. If the teacher collects the reflection, it is an excellent way for the teacher to gauge where their students are academically and if the lessons have been successful or not. However, I believe that journals should not be a part of assessment and grading. By grading journals, we are telling students that their thoughts are wrong. However, reflection is a great tool for monitoring student comprehension and teaching approaches.