I am still wrapping my head around the fact that PSI has come and gone.

It is
truly remarkable how quickly it all goes when you are in the moment. Many of the
teachers in my school joked about how 30 years will go by in a flash. Honestly, I believe
it. My time at Agnes Davidson School was amazing. I learned a lot, laughed a lot,
stressed a lot, and slept little. Every day brought new challenges, but every day also
brought new discoveries. Looking back on my goals, I am happy to say that I succeeded
in all of them. Although I would have liked to go more in depth with all of my goals, five
weeks just isn’t enough time. Right when we got comfortable with each other, it all
ended. However, what I did accomplish in this short time, I am very proud of.

Goal #1: To integrate FNMI ways of knowing and learning into a lesson every
week
This goal actually turned into my first pet-project at Agnes Davidson. I came into
practicum armed with all the resources available through the U of L, my own knowledge
of FNMI resources, and with a passion to make it work. I find that the thing that stops
many teachers from having meaningful FNMI integration is the lack of resources, and
the lack of knowledge. As teachers we are dedicated to lifelong learning, which means
that we all need to be at the frontlines of integration. However, before we teach, like all
other things, we need to learn. One of the first things that I noticed when I arrived at
Agnes Davidson was that their library had very limited FNMI books and resources.
Thus, I began what would become my focus for a few weeks: finding, categorising, and
listing diverse resources that the library could bring in. I worked with Lesley (the
librarian) to ensure that books were being brought in. Thankfully, many books were
ordered, and some even arrived before the end of PSI.
Throughout my practicum, I made conscious decisions to integrate FNMI ways of
knowing into lessons, work, and take-home activities. Out of all my lessons, the “FNMI-
What does it mean?” lesson was the most valuable FNMI integration I attempted. While
working through social studies, I realised that many students had no idea what I was
talking about when I said things like “indigenous”, “Metis”, or “First-Nations”. Thus, I
dedicated an entire afternoon to learning about the terms, diverse cultures, and unique
differences between the groups under the FNMI umbrella. Students found it valuable
because they could finally use the language that I had been using. We focused more
deeply on Blackfoot groups as they are the groups in our area. As a take home,
students brought a worksheet to show their parents. In my opinion, if we are serious
about meaningful reconciliation, it has to include students and parents.
Although I feel like I succeeded in my goal, I also feel like there is so much more
to be done. We had to start somewhere, but we are a long way from “succeeding” in
integration. Integration isn’t just a practicum goal for me. Integration is a career long
goal of mine. My intention is to continue to find, utilise, and share FNMI resources in the
hopes of being a part of the push for integration. It is our responsibility as teachers to
not only be aware of reconciliation, but to be at the forefront of it.

Goal #2: To know something new about each student every week.
This group of students was phenomenal. We had a few personalities in the
group, however I’m quite the personality myself. I spent almost every lunch hour with
the students. I really enjoyed getting to know them on a different level. Our lunch
conversations could be about anything. From my favourite movies, cartoons, and books
to my favourite dance moves, rides, and waterslides. Students just want to know that
you have a life outside of school. They asked about my roommates, what I did after
school, and about my family. I found that understanding my students and them
understanding who I am allowed us to have a mutual respect. This mutual respect
allowed for better learning because we knew what each other liked, what made us tick,
and what strategies worked best for each person. I cherish my time spent at Agnes
Davidson. Spending time with the students out at recess or in our class made every day
a great day. Through the stress, low moments, and sometimes anger, remembering all
these moments reminded me that we all teach for our students. I hope that I made a
difference in their lives.
I definitely reached this goal. I looked back on my goals during the third week
and found that perhaps I hadn’t connected deeply with each student. I became much
more aware of how I was spending time with students. Making sure to go to certain
students who wouldn’t make the first move. It is often easy to connect with similar
personalities, but it takes a lot of work to connect to different, or even opposing,
personalities. Looking back at my time at Agnes Davidson I would say that I had a
personal connection with each of my students. My goal for PSII is to extend this goal to
more than just my class. My intention is to know the names of all the students in
neighbouring classes, as well as classes that interact with mine. I think it’s important for
students in other classes to also get to know the new teacher. Overall, I am very proud
of the connections I have made to each of my students. For my next placement, I will
make a bigger effort to get to know the staff. I was well connected in my hall, but there
was plenty of staff in the school who I could not name.

Goal #3: To create a cross curricular project as a “special day”. (make a full day
lesson with a theme that touches on various subjects)
This goal was quickly adapted to a half day. The reason for that change of plans
was twofold. Firstly, my TA (Allison) warned me that a full day themed lesson is a lot of
work. She was right! I spent countless hours working on a half day event. I am really
glad that I only planned for a half day because the students needed a break. Which
brings us to the second reason that this goal was changed: The students (in grade 3)
can’t handle a full day of high energy activities. As I saw during the Amazing Race
morning, students became very tired. I am very pleased with how the events went and
am incredibly proud of all the students for their hard work, sportsmanship, and
dedication to the events. Most students were very happy all morning.

In this themed day I focused the entirety of the activities around the social studies
curriculum. We “travelled” to different Canadian cities and competed in activities at
each. In Meteghan we wrote French stories. In Iqaluit we did math operations to
uncover Inuktitut symbols. Those symbols could then be translated into spoken Inuktitut
and then into French. In Lethbridge we constructed our own bridges. Finally, in
Saskatoon we learned to line dance. This cross-curricular half-day was a superb way to
end my time with the class. We had a ton of fun, so I count this as a success.
My intention is to keep doing these types of things. Students love to do work in unique
new ways and a themed competition is a fun way to do it. In my next practicum I will
make another themed day. Perhaps this time I will make it an entire day.
My intentions for PSII (As stated throughout reflection):

1. Goal #1: My intention is to continue to find, utilise, and share FNMI resources in
the hopes of being a part of the push for integration.
2. Goal #2: My intention is to know the names of all the students in neighbouring
classes, as well as classes that interact with mine. I think it’s important for
students in other classes to also get to know the new teacher. Overall, I am very
proud of the connections I have made to each of my students. For my next
placement, I will make a bigger effort to get to know the staff and students from
other classes while maintaining strong relationships with my own students.
3. Goal #3: My intention is to create a full-day themed cross-curricular lesson.
(Survivor is a great theme, especially in higher grades).

I really enjoyed my PSI practicum. The end is bittersweet. I learned a lot in this class,
and they tested me a lot as well. I can’t even imagine having been placed elsewhere. As
Allison and I often joke, the stars aligned.

-Marcus Golczyk