Colby Lindseth

Week 5 has been one of the best weeks for my development as a teacher. I taught some

full days, had some shaky moments, and dealt with some hard news. Teaching full days has been

such an awesome experience, and such a fun one. Being in charge and being able to run through

lessons smoothly, being able to answer kids questions, and feel like it is my own room, has been

a great feeling. It has given me so much confidence and reassurance that this is the career path I

would like to go down. Teaching grade 6 has opened so many possibilities for myself I never

thought I would have. I was adamant about not doing middle school ages, grades 6-9, but this

experience has really opened me up to it. I was also adamant about doing gym, yet I love

teaching the kids social and english. There has been so much positivity up to this point and I am

loving every second. I am also loving the moments where I might not deliver the best lesson, or

have moments of struggle, because I know it is an opportunity to grow as a person and as a

teacher. With this I also had a hard day, hearing the news of a student's father who passed. We

were informed a couple of minutes before the bell rang to start the day. Stuck with an

overwhelming amount of emotions, I was thankful the students had gym first period so I could

gather myself and my feelings and begin the day. The kids did not see it that day, but I was on the

edge of tears for the majority of it.

In terms of the TQS, I believe I am excelling in fostering effective relationships, with the

kids, the staff, and myself. This is evident in my ability to be able to talk to the kids about their

lives, their days, what they did on the weekend and they respond positively. It took 5 weeks but I

am finally enjoying healthy relationships in the staffroom with other teachers. Lastly the

relationship with myself as a teacher is at an all time high. The confidence I have in myself is at

a level I could not have imagined. This is important for student learning because if they have a
Colby Lindseth

positive relationship with a teacher, they are more likely to be engaged and active in class. It is

also important to have good relationships with the staff because they can be your life lines

sometimes. They can help with lessons, help with ideas, and just be good support. Which can

help students because if I am struggling and not at my best, I know I can ask some staff to help

me.

In terms of demonstrating a professional body of knowledge and engaging in career long

learning. I believe I am also achieving this. This is through my desire to be able to teach great

lessons. I have studied grade 6 social more now as an adult, than I did when I was in grade 6. It

also shows in my planning, as I spend nights studying and planning for the next day's lessons. I

see this happening for a long time in my career. I want to be as prepared and knowledgeable as I

can for my students to succeed. This is important for students because having a knowledgeable

well prepared teacher will allow students to have success as well.

In terms of having inclusive learning environments, I believe I am achieving this as well.

This is shown through the relationships I have with kids, which allows them to be comfortable to

be themselves in my classroom. I have students with individualized personal plans, kids with low

reading levels, ELL students. All who have seemed to be doing great work with me at the helm.

They are comfortable in asking for what they need, and I have also gotten good at circulating

towards them when I notice they seem to be overwhelmed or not knowing what they need to do.

This is important because these kids can feel vulnerable with the hardships they face with

academics, so being able to create an environment they can have success with, can allow them to

enjoy school and work hard.

Colby Lindseth

In terms of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit perspectives in the classroom, I know I can

always do more. I did not have the opportunity in the gym, but I love the idea of having an

indigenous games week or unit. Implementing this to have a better understanding of their sports,

can tie into a classroom session about beliefs and who they were as peoples. I just missed the

Iroquois Confederacy in the social unit, and I know I have lacked the discussion surrounding

indigenous perspectives. I know I need to do more to incorporate these perspectives into the

classroom, and look forward to finding and learning more ways to do that. Lastly, I believe I

have done a good job to adhering to policies and legal frameworks.