Wanna know why I'm crying?

Because it was my last day at UHS, and I'm gonna miss my students so much!  

Look what they did for me...

That's an icecream cake!  From my Gr. 12's. 

The most sentimental bouquet I've ever received.
From my Gr. 10's.

   

This teaching block is killing me

Well, I've learned most of the students' names and I really like my mentor teacher.  I have a dedicated parking spot and my own desk.  I LOVE my students and the subjects that I'm teaching.  The only problem is, this teaching block is exhausting!

Don't mean to rant, and I knew it wouldn't be easy before I started this program, but here is a quick explanation for why it is not easy.  Wake up early, get the crazy kids ready for school, go to school, teach, leave school, pick up the crazy kids, go home, cook, have dinner, clean and bathe the crazy kids, play with them, put them to bed at 9:30pm and THEN I start working on my lesson plans.  Sometimes I'm up until 3am, knowing that in less than 4 hours, I gotta get up and do it all over again.

But guess what... this time, there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Cuz I only have one more week of it to go.  Then hopefully I will get a fantastic evaluation from my mentor teacher and start a 3 week break.  Yippee!

Wild about environmental education!

What a fun day!  A friend from class and I registered for a one-day course on environmental education, called Project Wild.  I got a certificate and an awesome book full of classroom activities relating to the environment.  Check this out!

Not a bright light at the end of the tunnel...

Looks like pre-service teachers graduating these days will take an average of 3 years before they can find a full time teaching job.  Gosh - I'm gonna be broke!!!  I found this out today at Federation Day.  Representatives from the union came to talk to students at the faculty and left us all with very little hope.  I guess I should appreciate that they were real with us.

Things to consider when I apply for a job (that I'm not crazy about):
- Pick the board carefully because if I move boards in the future, I will have to start all over again
- If I take a job teaching any subject other than Business, all my previous professional experience will not count when considering how high up in the pay grid I will start at
- If teachers go on strike, certain schools may get flagged (pink slip??) and we will not be allowed to apply even if there are vacancies.  If I want to put food on the table and go for it anyway, I will be looked down upon by other teachers... =(

It's definitely not a bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Period.

Edcamp Toronto 2012

Ever heard of a non-conference??  I went to one today, called EdCamp.  It's something that educators go to for exchanging ideas and discussing current and popular topics.  And when I say popular, I mean it.  The topics that are discussed during the event are proposed by the people who attend, and then chosen based on popular vote.  The cool thing is, participants are encouraged to move to a different room to join in on a new topic whenever they feel like it, because they are in charge of their own learning.  Oh, and everyone was tweeting all day long.  That was the first time I ever got so into Twitter.  #edcampto

During one of the sessions, the guy sitting next to me said he knew me from somewhere.  I thought he looked familiar too but we couldn't pin point where we had seen each other before.  Then, he remembered... he was one of the people who interviewed me when I was trying to get into York's Education program!  It was so great to run into each other like that, because I got a chance to thank him for giving me a passing grade, and he was glad to know that I was accepted!

Anyway, cool concept, enjoyed the day.  I'll go again next year!

First day of Practicum!

For my first practicum, I am placed at Unionville High School, which is known to be an academic and an artsy school.  I like that it's not far from home!  =)  My teacher is a big scary looking man... well scary as in don't mess with him type of scary.  But he was very nice and the other teachers in the department were friendly and welcoming.  Based on my first day's experience, I think it's going to be a good few months.

Now I just need to learn all those students' names... 90 of them!

I'm a student again!

It was the first day of school at the Faculty of Education at York today!  Wow... I felt so invigorated to be in the university environment again.  BEd students started earlier than other students so the campus wasn't as full as I think it usually is.  I was feeling so lost and disoriented!...  It's a big campus and I didn't know where anything was.  I hope I learn my way around soon.