Connections

Over the course of my education and field experience I have been able to bridge the gap between who I am as a person and who I want to be, and enjoy being, in front of the classroom. I have found myself and figured out how I can best be myself for myself and my students in a way that is professional and productive to our success. That alignment of the self with the content and expectations for teaching has helped me to avoid burn-out and to keep my heart in the job, as it is proven to do (Kendrick, 2019; Palmer, 1997).

I was deeply fortunate to be afforded the opportunity to volunteer in many classrooms across different grade levels, and to learn from many fantastic teachers. The common denominator among all the classrooms that resonated with me the most is that there is no one “perfect” way to foster relationships, or engage in career-long learning, or to demonstrate a professional body of knowledge. Each of my mentors showed me the ways they do it that exude who they are as people. Everyday when they taught they were unapologetically themselves, and that is what made the biggest difference. In Field III when I was able to settle in, get to know the students, and loosen up I had the most effective lessons. I suddenly saw myself adapting and pivoting like it was second nature, something I used to worry about being able to do. There is a magic to being an engaged and connected educator (Emdin, 2013).

I still have room to grow, and I know I always will which is really part of why teaching is so amazing. I am committing to being a better Indigenous Educator, to managing my pacing better during the lessons, to more precisely evaluating using carefully methods of gathering evidence, and to giving myself grace and prioritizing my own wellness. To be healthy is to be whole, and I will endeavour to model that wellness for myself and for my students (Tingle, 2022).

Through this experience I have also learned about the power of peer feedback. At my Field III experience I was so fortunate to be working in a truly collaborative school, relishing in every lunch hour when I could soak up the advice and anecdotes from the in-service teachers around me who all saw my potential and sought opportunities to help me, even if they were not my mentor teacher. Within the University, in my professional development class I was able to understand the power of a critical friend (Mat Noor & Shafee, 2021) and what having a dedicated person who understands where you are at and where you want to go can be. I eagerly anticipate returning to my students for Field IV to show them just how good of an educator I can be, and to teach with this incredible support system around me.

Emdin, C. (2013). Teach teachers how to create magic [Video]. Youtube. https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_emdin_teach_teachers_how_to_create_magic

Kendrick, A. (2019, December 4). Love, heartbreak, and teacher emotional wellbeing: Protecting the “heartwork” of teaching. Education Canada, 59(4), 22-24. https://www.edcan.ca/articles/teacher-emotional-wellbeing/

Mat Noor, S., & Shafee, A. (2021). The role of critical friends in action research: A framework for design and implementation. Practitioner Research, 3, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.32890/pr2021.3.1

Palmer, P. J. (1997). The heart of a teacher identity and integrity in teaching. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 29(6), 14-21. Doi: 10.1080/00091389709602343

Tingle, E. (Host). (2022). Lesson planning with well-being in mind with Dr. Michelle Killborn. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Podclass: Conversations on School Health.
University of Calgary, Werklund and Ever Active Schools.