WEEK SIXTEEN- Weekly Journal

This week was a very special week for me because it gave me an opportunity to analyze all that I have done over the past semester at my placement. I see how far I have come, and all that I have improved on. When I set a goal for myself, I do everything I can to accomplish it, and I can honestly say that I have done just that. One part of my job that I will miss are all of the students that I have gotten so close to. I have become very attached to all of the kids because they had the power to brighten my day. They made me laugh and really enjoy my days at co-op. Sometimes we had problems, but in the long run, it made our teacher-student relationship stronger because we had more respect for each other. The students have been awesome since the first day I was at my placement. They welcomed me into their environment with open arms, and warmed up to my presence very quickly. This past week has really put this into perspective for me, in that we have come so far. I have gotten closer with the students each day, and will always remember the good times we have had. I will also miss Mme. Mercer and the unwavering support she has given me this semester. She has always been there for me to ask questions and learn from. She has taught me so much, and her dedication and commitment to education has inspired me to be the same. Seeing her interact with the students has allowed me to see myself in the future. She has taught me so many valuable lessons; ones that I will take into the future.
I think the hardest part of the job has been the conflict resolution. I had trouble being an authority figure in the classroom because I think the students saw me as more of a peer/friend, and decided to take advantage of me. I did not enjoy yelling or being firm/assertive to the class, but I now realize that this is neceassary if one wants to be successful within the classroom. If I could talk to a student that will be coming to St. Andrew next year, I would tell them to not be afraid of diving into something new. You should not be afraid to try new things, because in the long run it results in you learning something new.
Saying goodbye this week was very hard for me. Not just because I have worked with these teachers for the past few months, but because I have known them for many years. These great individuals are my past teachers, and saying goodbye to them again was very hard for me. Over this past semester, they have all done so much for me. They have gone out of their way to welcome me into their work environment, and provide me with activities that will enhance my skills and work ethic. I hated saying goodbye, however, in all the sadness I saw how much I have truly accomplished. I have come so far, and met so many nice people during my stay, and in thanking them for everything, I became very emotional.
Looking back on my co-op experience, I feel that I am more confident and self-assured. I have become more outgoing, and self-assured. Co-op has helped me with so many other aspects of life, and I am looking forward to pursuing this career. I feel that I have done the best I could have done in everything I was assigned to do. I am a hardworker, and I truly think it showed in the work that I have done here at my placement. I cannot wait to use the new skills I have learned here. I feel so much differently about myself, and I think that these new qualities will only benefit me in the future. I believe that this experience will help me in the future because I have gained valuable experience in the field, and have pinpointed areas that need improvement, and those that I am strong in. I now have the opportunity/advantage of working on the skills I need to improve on, so that one day, I may have a head start. I saw how this career runs, and I can actually see myself being a part of it.
My last day ended with me doing one last task for Mme. Mercer and I was very sad to do this. It really hit me that I was not going to work at my placement, and I am very sad to go, because I became very attached to all those who have helped me. I said goodbye to all of these wonderful people, and was sure to thank them for all that they have done for me. I will never forget this experience, and I am so thankful I was able to have this opportunity. I feel that I have gained an insight into this career, and am more sure than ever that I want to pursue it. This reassurance is all thanks to co-operative education-thank you!

WEEK SIXTEEN- Daily Log: Thursday, June 14, 2007

• Today was my last day at my co-op placement, and I am so sad to go. It was really hard for me to go in today because I have become very attached to St. Andrew. It got even harder for me when two other teachers came to give me little gifts. Last night, I made sure to make Thank you cards for all the people who have helped me during my time at my placement (ie. Mme. Mercer, Mme. Colonna, Mrs. Malizia, Mrs. Cekota, Mrs. Hutchison, Mrs. Esposito, and Mr. Ceelen). I gave Mme. Mercer a gift as well, to show her just how much I appreciate all that she has done for me. I also made sure to buy some candy for the grade six classes I attend regularly. Being at my placement today really made me realize how much I have come to love being here and just doing anything I can to help.


• I went to class today, and they had made me a card with all of their signatures and little messages. I handed out my candy, and they were all very thankful. Some were actually sad to see me go, and this made me feel like I had accomplished a goal. I wanted to make an impact on these kids by being a role model in their life, and the way they reacted to me leaving let me know that I had done just that. The classes were very good today and worked on the activity they had been working on yesterday (le negatif). I walked around the class to help them, and some had made their own cards of thanks to give to me. I also made time to take a picture of each class for my culminating project. I took many other pictures as well today. When class came to an end, I said goodbye to all of the students. This was very hard for me, and I told them that it was a priviledge to be in their classroom, and I thanked them for giving me this opportunity. They responded well, and gave a very heartfelt goodbye.


• During planning time I worked on rolling some certificates for the members of the yearbook committee. I had to roll them so that their name was showing, and them tape them to keep them fastened shut. Once I did this, I cut some white ribbon and curled it with scissors after I had tied it around each certificate.


• It was then time to say goodbye to all of my colleagues. I thanked them all for the experience, and assured them that I had learned so much. It was hard to say bye to Mme. Mercer and I wanted her to know that she is an amazing mentor, and I will never forget what she has taught me over this term. If I become a teacher, I know I owe her a lot of credit. She has been a wonderful supervisor who has had a huge impact on my life- thanks Mme. Mercer! :)

WEEK SIXTEEN- Daily Log: Wednesday, June 13, 2007

• It hit me today that tomorrow is going to be my last day at my placement. It is going to feel so wierd not going to co-op anymore, and also very sad. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to all those who have helped me during the semester, because I become very attached to people. I intend to get these people a little something as a symbol of my appreciation.


• When I first got to co-op, Brian and I sat down to work on the poem power point once again. We decided to change the background, and both found one we thought was suitable. We then had to figure out how to save the power point for graduation night. During all of this, Mr. Tallevi came by to ask if Brian and I would like to go on the graduation lunch at Mandarin, then bowling. I cannot go, however because I have my law exam the next day. Mr. Tallevi also wants us to come the afternoon of graduation to help set up. I am going to come at about noon on grad day (June 22) to help get everything together/organized, as well as go to the actual graduation ceremony that night. I'm looking forward to attend this occassion and do anything I can to help make things run smoothly.


• My next job was to conference with Mrs. Armstrong about the Play Day activity Brian and I would be helping to set up. We were supposed to look through the Lost and Found and find seven items for each bag given (two bags). I found a couple shirts, shorts, boots, gloves, hats and a scarf. We then put all the clothing into the bags and put them behind Mr. Frenza's door for storage.


• Mme. Mercer then wanted me to go collect all the french textbooks from the three grade six classes. There were supposed to be at least forty-five of them, but I only counted forty. I had to search all the grade six classes for any texts that may have been misplaced. I did not find any, so Mme. Mercer and I will ask the students if they have any tomorrow. I then put all of the books I did collect into the french storage room.


• I then went to class and walked around to assist the students with the work they were given (le negatif). They were very pleasant today, and it was fun to be in class.


• Mme. Mercer and I then went to look for ribbon once again, and found none, so we will work on making the diplomas tomorrow. I then spent some time taking pictures of my placement, some teachers, and of course, Mme. Mercer herself. I am so not looking forward to my last day tomorrow...it is not going to be fun!! I worked for three and a half hours today.

WEEK SIXTEEN- Daily Log: Tuesday, June 12, 2007

• Mme. Mercer was back today, so I was ready to get back into work! I'm really trying hard because I want to make a great last impression on Mme. Mercer. She has been so good to me and I will never forget all that she has taught me. She surprised me with a gift today, and it really meant a lot to me. She also wrote me a card that commended me on all that I have accomplised and improved upon. I am going to be a mess on Thursday! My first job today was to go to the french storage room and empty out some boxes that had arrived. Mme. Mercer and Mme. Colonna had ordered some supplies for next year and they wanted me to empty out all of the boxes. I had to make room for some of the supplies by moving things around. I also had to take inventory of all of the supplies that were ordered. I did this as I took the supplies out of the boxes. When I was done doing this, I took the empty boxes to the A.V. room where I folded them for the janitor.


• I then went to class to see what Mme. Mercer wanted me to do next. She wanted me to go around the primary classes to ask if they had silver or white ribbon to wrap the graduation diplomas with. I could not find enough, however, so Mme. Mercer said that she would bring some in for me tomorrow.


• I then went back to the french room to continue to work on the booklets I had been doing yesterday. It turns out that I had done a lot more than I had thought yesterday. So when I started today, I was refreshed and determined to finish. Within like seemed like no time, I was done, and I cleaned up the area I had been working on.


• Brian and I then had to work on the poem that the grade eights will be presenting at their graduation. I had to read the poem out loud so that Brian could time it so that we knew how long to make the power point for it. It took about one minute, so we made our way to the computer to find about fifteen pictures that went with the poem. The pictures went with each line, and significant themes with the poem. It took a while, but in the end it turned out to look very meaningful. I then did some little things for Mme. Mercer. Mr. Ceelen alo gave me some advice that I will take to heart; he told me to be solution-based rather than focusing on the actual conflict. This really makes sense to me, and I will most definitely put it to good use. I worked for three and a half hours today.

WEEK SIXTEEN- Daily Log: Monday, June 11, 2007

• Mme. Mercer was absent today, so a supply tacher was present instead. I introduced myself to her, and figured out that I had worked with her on a previous occasion. Before class time rolled around, I decided to work on some booklets that Mrs. Cekota (the ESL teacher) had wanted me to complete. The booklets were all to be cut into eight pages. They were about educational topics, such as plants and exercising. They were very basic books. The hard part was that the pages were not numbered, or in order. Therefore, I had to read each one, and make sense of the story in order to put them together correctly. This made the job extremely time consuming. I also had to trim the edges of each booklet, because they were not even.


• I then went to class with the supply teacher. Mme. Mercer had left lesson plans that said the students had to translate a passage in their textbooks. The supply teacher let the students use the dictionary on the computer if they could not find a word in their dictionaries. This would have been fine, if it wasn't for the abusers. Some students had decided to type up the whole passage and then let the computer translate it. When I saw this, I immediately told them to exit the program and get off the computers. They had abused the proviledge that we had given them, and so I decided to take it away. They responded quite well, as they got back to work very fast. It feels great to have the kids see me as more of an authority figure, because I now get more respect. I am so proud of myself for improving in this area.


• During planning time Brian wanted to show me the power point that he has been working on for graduation. The slide show is so good! I gave him my opinions, and he has done an amazing job on it. For the rest of the day, I worked on the booklets for Mrs. Cekota. There were so many of them that I felt like I was getting no where, but when I looked at the finished pile, I saw just how many I had done. I still have many more to do, but I'm sure I will finish them before my last day here at my placement. I have to start thinking about what to get Mme. Mercer as a thank you! I worked for three and a half hours today.

WEEK FIFTEEN- Weekly Journal

This week put a lot into perspective for me because I reflected about all that I have learned. I compared myself and the abilities I can presently do to what I was capable of doing at the beginning of this semester, and the amount that I have learned and improved upon is unbelievable. I have been so determined to improve upon many skills so that I better understand the educational system, and can ensure that one day I will be completely prepared to teach. I have realized that I can do anything I put my mind to, and I have accomplished everything that I intended to upon arriving at my placement. I cannot believe that my term is just about up, and I will try my absolute best to make my last week at St. Andrew my best.
I took a risk this week when I was left alone with the class. I consider this class to be the more direspectful class, so I took this as an opportunity to be firm and show the class that I have authority. I took a risk in that in being more assertive, the kids may not accept me into their environment. However, after raising my voice, and letting them know what the consequences of their actions would be, it was as if the class have even more respect for me. This was a great risk to take because they now see me in a new light and recognize that I have authority in the classroom as well. This has taught me that in being assertive I gain the class's trust and respect. In the future, I will act in this fashion so that more will be accomplished in the class.
This week, I learned that being an active member in a work environment can be very rewarding. I did so many jobs this week, and they all varied immensely. This helped improve my transferable skills and really showed me that hard work can pay off. Being enthusiastic about working can also result in a fantastic job performance, because you put a lot of extra effort into the work. I have also learned that to be successful, you have to dive into the jobs you are assigned without fear. Not being afraid of jobs is a huge part of success because this allows you to be yourself which will shine through the work you are assigned. I have also learned that graduation is a very important aspect to Mme. Mercer and I will do anything in order to relieve the stress that this causes her. I love working on projects that pertain to the grade eight grad because I want to make their grad as special as mine was.
I was surprised this week when I realized how much I have actually improved in all aspects of my life. Not only have I improved in areas that are related to teaching and education, but my personal characteristics have also transformed. I have surprised myself at my new found confidence and determination to be successful in life. I have been so much more confident in class, with friends and even with my family. I see life in a different way because I have accomplished so much at my placement. My people skills are one of the skills that I have improved on the most. I don't care what people think of me anymore because I am more than satisfied with the person that I am.
Others at my placement see me as someone they can trust to complete tasks to the best of my ability. They know how particular I am about doing my best work. I take my time on each task, however I work very efficiently and complete several tasks each day. The people at my placement see me as a very responsible, mature, cheerful, and helpful person. I think that I am very trustworthy and honest. I always ask questions when necessary, and display responsibility and cooperation in all that I do. During my time at my placement, I have discovered that Mme. Mercer is extremely dedicated to the school. She is involved in so many of the activities, and this has motivated me to be this active in all that I do in the future. She is a very hard worker, and really organized. These traits have also rubbed off on me, and I will carry them into my future trials. She has been an amazing mentor, one that I will always remember.

WEEK FIFTEEN- Daily Log: Friday, June 8, 2007

• Today was a very graduation-centred day because almost all of the jobs were based on the ceremony. My first job of the day was to photocopy some sheets depicting graduation art. I left all of the sheets on Mme. Mercer's desk.


• My next job was to finish making the flashcards for Mme. Colonna. I had to first find some navy blue construction paper to mount them on. I mounted them with glue, and let the laminator heat up while I did this. I then used the laminator very carefully, and made sure that the papers were coming out nicely, without air bubbles. After I finished laminating, I had to cut out the flashcards, and I put them on Mme. Colonna's desk.


• Brian had been working on the power point today, and at random times he would ask for my opinion on something. We watched it a few times, and I gave my honest opinion, suggestions, and input pertaining to the powerpoint.


• Mme. Mercer then wanted me to put the grade eight graduation pictures into picture frames. However, before doing this, I had to fish out the eleven students who were on honour roll, because they would be put in other frames. For the other students, I had to pick a new picture of each person from a roll, and trim it down. I then would tape it to the frame to keep in place and then close the frame up. I had some help from about four grade seven girls, and they were amazing. This work was very particular, and was very frustrating at times. Once we finished putting the pictures in frames, I picked the honour roll students' pictures and set them aside in an envelope. Mme. Mercer will purchase their frames this weekend.


• I then worked on putting stickers on the recipes that the grade sixes had been working on. The stickers were of food, and were therefore very appropriate for the unit. I also put some stickers on some work that the grade eights had done. Today was a lot of fun because I got to see the behind the scene action in what it takes to plan a graduation. It makes me apprecitae my own grade eight graduation even more, and I'm sure that next year I will be even more reverent (high school grad). I enjoy helping out Mme. Mercer in any way that I can, and relieving any stress that she may have. This was a great week, and I'm really going to miss coming here every day. I worked for three and a half hours today.