Members promote and participate in the creation of collaborative, safe and supportive learning communities. They recognize their shared responsibilities and their leadership roles in order to facilitate student success. Members maintain and uphold the principles of the ethical standards in these learning communities.
– Ontario College of Teachers
Breakfast Club
During my third practicum, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at their breakfast club. Like several others in Windsor, this school has a very popular breakfast club. This program is implemented in the mornings prior to the first bell, allowing students a fair amount of time to come in and eat. The food provided in these programs varies depending on the day of the week, but always offer several options and a variety. This program supplied many students at this location with their morning meals, with Mondays often having the most students. This program allowed me to see firsthand how many students may need resources such as this on a daily basis. While I had expected there to be a decent amount of students who showed up for the program I was not expecting the amount that did. For me, seeing this has strengthened my previous knowledge and understanding that many students may come to school without their basic needs being met. This makes it very difficult for them to try their best and succeed in their learning. Programs like these are essential throughout many schools to help meet the basic needs of the students within that school.
IGNITE Academy
During my final year at the University of Windsor, I spent every Tuesday night volunteering in the IGNITE program. This program is run by the United way in several schools throughout the Windsor area. I was able to spend my time volunteering at the same school throughout the entire year, allowing me to gain knowledge and an understanding of both the school and the students enrolled. I worked with students from grades three to six on many different topics, including bullying, coding, media, etc. Throughout this time I was able to work both one-on-one with students as well as working with them as a whole group. This program has taught me how important differentiating instruction can be for individual students. I worked with some students who were having a difficult time meeting their grade-level expectations. This program has also taught me that engagement and understanding are essential for teaching. Throughout the year we worked to keep the students engaged and willing to complete the work. I also observed and worked with the students to portray mutual respect and understanding. These students spend their day in their own classrooms, before entering our room without going home between. Many of the students may be tired or stressed. This program has helped me see that there needs to be a level of understanding from both the teachers and the students. Many of the students in our schools have many other issues they may be dealing with that we as teachers may not be aware of. Understanding needs to be used constantly.
Junior Girl’s Basketball
During my final placement at Brock, I assisted in coaching the junior girl’s basketball team. We spent many days at lunch as well as after school practices. We worked with the students to gain confidence, work on their skills and learn to work as a team. The main focus for the team was to learn to work together and to work on their confidence. Throughout the season we ran into several times where the lack of confidence was clear. However, as the season ended it was clear the girls had grown to be able to work well together as well as built up their confidence in playing the game. We ended up coming in 2nd in our division, however, did not continue to the finals.
