Bianca's Year in Review: A Reflection on the Elementary Education Program

What time is it? SUMMER TIME! IT’S OUR VACATION! Well… almost. Being in university, we have the perk of finishing off the academic year in the month of April. As the months pass by, I feel like I haven’t had enough time to reflect a lot about it and the new knowledge and opportunities I gained this year.

The recap of my year starts off as a little first year education student who was very passionate about becoming a teacher. Over the academic year, I have exploded with new enthusiasm for learning and teaching and although some parts were overwhelming, I always went to bed thinking of what my future classroom was going to look like.

Experiencing teaching through a theoretical and psychological lens in my first semester had me thinking of how I could become a better teacher for my students as I gain all this new knowledge. First semester was great, but it was tough. We were all introduced to something called a unit plan and at first it was very daunting, but we all overcame it and grew. The unit plan was the bulk of what was eating at our time every day in the first semester but in-between the planning, we learned so much about differentiation in the classroom, how to teach English language arts, and more.

First semester was a very gradual introduction to the teaching profession for those who were coming directly from an undergraduate degree (like me), which is a totally different change. I am very proud and happy to say that if you’d ever like to see my unit plan, it has made its way into the King’s library!

Second semester rolled around and I could barely hold on to my chair because I was so excited to get cracking at the eight modules I knew we had coming. I was so excited for the music and art module and I couldn’t wait to get into practicum. I was very nervous for second semester but ready to take on whatever came my way. The modules were definitely a staple piece in my education because they prepared me in all the right ways. Don’t get me wrong, having to learn new information every week for only one week at a time was definitely overwhelming, but with each module, I walked out with a handful of resources that I could refer back to when the time comes.

Lastly, my first year wrapped up with being in practicum for the entire month of March! I wrote an in-depth blog all about my experience so if you’d like to check that out, click here!

Everything that I have learned in the first semester and in the modules have definitely helped prepare me with feeling like a teacher and acting like one during my practicum! It was so surreal and I couldn’t believe that I’m slowly becoming a teacher. Not to mention my kiddos were super sweet and welcoming which helped calm my nerves a little more.

That officially wraps up my year! 2020 has already brought me so many blessings and even more to come. Wishing all of you perseverance, motivation, and luck as you finish off the academic year and head into your summer vacation. You can do it!

Yours Truly,
Bianca