WEEK ELEVEN- Weekly Journal

Since starting co-op, I feel very differently about myself because I see that if I put my mind towards something, I will almost always accomplish it. I see that I have become very diligent and dedicated towards my work, and I know that I must continue to see myself in this way if I want to be successful. Co-op has taken me beyond my comfort zone, and pushed me in a world where I must adapt to change and jobs that I may not be familiar with. I have seen that I am very set on doing the tasks I am assigned to the best to my ability. I want to work at a high degree of effectiveness so that my work pleases those who assigned it to me. I find that I have become more confident in myself because I face every challenge that is given to me as an opportunity to prove myself to others. I like knowing I can do anything I set my mind to. I've learned so much about myself, and it makes me feel good when I complete something that I originally thought was going to be hard. I have also learned that teaching is something that I can genuinely see myself doing as a career. I love being around kids, and I love the responsibilities of teachers. I think that being able to touch a child's life is an amazing perk to the job because you somewhat influence their morals and could ultimately help the student see what they are interested in.
I have also learned a lot about the responsibility that supervisors have. Mme. Mercer is already so busy with the responsibilities she has at school, and yet she takes my presence very seriously and takes time out to help me with anything I need. She is responsible for giving me jobs, and explaining them to me, not to mention signing my time sheets and giving me marks based on my job performance. Mme. Mercer also goes above and beyond her responsibilities in that she cares about what goes on in my life. This results in me getting more motivated and doing the best that I can do. Mme. Mercer is not only a french teacher, but she is the health and wellness rep, the OECTA rep, and takes care of a bunch of other things.
I have learned a lot about how to work with others because I am constantly around people, and I have to compromise with them. I must learn to teach kids with different learning abilities, and I get advice pertaining to this from different teachers. Mme. Mercer and all kinds of teachers have given me advice on how to teach, and in doing so, they have also taught me how to treat colleagues. I see that I should be open-minded and willing to let people help me. I am now more comfortable with speaking in front of a group of people. I am not self conscious, and this results in me delivering a very effective lesson. I am so much more comfortable with assisting students, and I want to continue to improve and enter a new comfort zone. To show initiative at my workplace, you have to do get things done, even when you are not asked or told to. You must show that you take work seriously and that you want to help in any way you can. Initiative means that you go above and beyond your regular workload, and do things that exceed the expectations that people have for you. I try to do this by finding work that needs to be done, or asking teachers other than Mme. Mercer if they need any help. What I remember most about this week is teaching a whole lesson to the class. I loved doing this because I think the kids see me in a new light in that they see that I am too a teacher ( more or less). The lesson went very well, and took me out of my comfort zone. I handled the situation very well, and progressively got comfortable. I am proud of myself for doing so well, and hope to teach again.