Educators contribute to the profession.

Throughout the semester I have been dedicated to collaborating with colleagues across Northern BC, and, though difficult, it has been incredible to feel how connected our northern community can be if only given some time and energy. In particular, my EdTech group of 10 people (hailing from 6 different territories) worked very well together. Pooling our knowledge and acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses, we completed three major assignments and learned a lot from one another. We explored SMART technology together, developed an inclusive lesson plan using the Proloquo2Go app, and our final project was an ePortfolio and in-depth defence of our design principles. This is something I would like to continue doing. I think, as educators, we are stronger together, especially coming from different territories across the province, or even cross-country!

Speaking of which, my best friend is an arts educator, and currently works at a high school in Toronto. Over the course of my practicum, we had weekly discussions about our practice, giving each other tips, feedback, and sharing ideas. Though education is provincially run, we do live in a closely knit nation. Our learning together (though only over the phone!) has been very helpful and has opened my eyes, if only in the slightest, to national level collaboration.

Overall, my 490 practicum was not easy, and I could not have done it without the help of the septad (GOSEPTAD), especially one person. We drove to school together and back each day and supported one another in everything that we did, running lessons by one another, giving feedback and suggestions, celebrating victories, and figuring out how to use our failures for future teaching and learning. Thank you, friend! Two heads are always better than one.

Lastly, my coaching teacher and I had a discussion about all the ideas that I brought to the table during my four weeks of teaching, and he acknowledged my contributions, even taking some ideas to use for himself. This was a nice bit of validation for standard 8!