(It still blows my mind that I am now considered a teacher-candidate…)

Today officially marked the first day of my 8-month placement at Pinecrest Public School in Ottawa! Despite prepping my belongings the night before, waking up extra early, and grabbing a large regular coffee from the Tim Horton’s around the corner from the school (convenient, right?), I was still fairly nervous for my first placement of my Bachelor of Education.

The day started with a tour of school and its many resources. Albeit an “urban” school, Pinecrest is gifted with a massive property, featuring two soccer fields and scenic green spaces. What’s even better is that the classrooms have large windows that let in a great deal of natural lighting, which is something that not many schools can brag about. The school has two gymnasiums, one of which has a stage that the school performs plays on. Another amazing feature of the school is that has a woodworking shop – yes, Pinecrest is a K-8 school with a tech shop. Needless to say, I felt like I was in a high school! That is, until the bell rang and the students came inside…

“Was I that small in grade 7?” was the first question that ran through my mind. But after that thought left my mind, I was excited to see the diversity of the students that walked through the halls. I was very impressed with the sense of inclusion that the student population exuded, proving yet again that the younger generation is the best example of how we should accept and celebrate each others differences.
As the day continued, I jumped right into the role of a teacher, assisting students understand various concepts in Math, Language, and History. I also got to see the class in action as they had their music class. They were all learning how to play the ukulele – how awesome is that?! (Shout out to the recorder I got to play in grade 7…) I will admit that one of the biggest challenges I will face, no matter what class I teach, is remembering names. That skill just wasn’t a gift I was graced with, but I was proactive and requested a class list so that I could practice before next week!

Among the many programs that Pinecrest offers, about 6 students from my immediate class utilize the ESL (English as a Second Language) and ELD (English Literacy Development) programs. The ELD program is a new concept for me, but I am amazed with each new success story that I hear from the program. I am very interested to learn more about what goes into the program and potentially spend some of my CSL placement there.

The first of many projects that I will work on during my time at Pinecrest involves the school’s playground. Unfortunately, the playground was torn down 2 years ago when it was deemed unsafe, but has yet to be replaced. That being said, the kindergarten and primary students are left with a sandbox where the playground once stood, the extent of their “play area”. In an attempt to be awarded a grant from the Aviva Community Fund, I have taken on the task of creating a video of Pinecrest’s playground situation that will be submitted. Needless to say, I’ve been brushing up on my video editing “skills” and will be collecting footage next Wednesday, just in time for next Friday’s deadline. Fingers crossed that my video submission lead to Pinecrest being considered for funding!

Ideas are flowing, passion is ignited. I’m looking forward to round 2 next week!