Monday, March 17, 2008
Thinking of Teaching in Remote Areas?
I just wanted to write a brief note about the guest we had in Language Arts today. For myself, and others I know (wink wink Chantal) it was pretty enlightening to have the chance to meet an experienced remote communities teacher. It is definitely an experience that I have been looking forward to when I complete my B.Ed. and meeting someone who like I foresee for myself, went right into it as a first year teacher gave me confidence. I think based on what she showed us and told us about her students and the struggles, it makes it seem like for her, a job in the city would now be a piece of cake. Overall, I really think that if people have the courage to do so, they should try it for a year. If we can't even imagine living there, it must be so unstable for those children to try and get through school because teachers probably come and go all the time. I think that it would certainly test our knowledge, skills and passion, yet at the end, deepen all of these qualities.
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12 comments:
I agree with Rachel, today's guest was great. I had never before considered teaching anywhere but in Victoria. After today's speaker it's something I'm thinking about. She seemed to have learned a lot and had an amazing experience. I agree that thinking about going somewhere like that your first year after graduating does seem a little scary, but it seems like a great time to go. I may not head out to somewhere as remote as our guest today did. But I really think that going away to teach would be a great experience.
I definatley found the presentation interesting and informative.I thought it was really neat to see first hand accounts of teaching in remote areas. I know that to get a job within the next few years, we will have to move away from Victoria, and the presentation made this notion a bit less scary for me. I found the speaker's ideas about how to include language into everyday activities helpful. Like Ashley, I always thought that I would teach in or around Victoria, but after hearing these accounts I am now considering going away to teach for a couple of years!
I also really enjoyed the guest speaker in language arts. I found it very interesting to hear about her experiences in these remote communities and her emersion into their culture and everyday life. I think it would be a great experience to work within a remote community and I also think that as a teacher you would grow in compassion and empathy for your students. I also think by jumping into a school setting that has very little resources would cause you to become very creativity and would be well-prepare you for any work within a city.
I found our guest speaker had a great amount of information about teaching in remote areas! I guess I didn't realize how remote some of those areas can be!
I think getting the chance to teach students from smaller communities would be a very helpful and beneficial expereince! You'd learn so much about helping children who come from less privileged homes, or children who have learning disablilties. Also you'd get a chance to plan extracurricular activities.
I would love to go teach in a remote area for about a year or so. I think I would learn more from teaching my own class in a remote area, then I would from being a teacher on call.
At the same time, I know for myself moving to a remote area would be difficult. Now that I'm married, it's not as easy to pack up and leave. What would my Husband do for work?
I think when I do start looking for a job I'll try to keep my options open.
Yesterday's speaker in Language Arts, Joe Sargeant, was simply amazing. I listened to her in awe as she described (and gave hints) all of the unique ways she thought of to 'reach' the children she was teaching. She was able to provide us with a plethora of useful information for when we embark on our practicums and for when we too, are in the real world. The fact that she had the courage to go to these remote areas is a testament to her teaching creed and one that I learned from. It is going to work. A lot of work. But hearing how improved her children were from when she arrived to when she left, will make it worthwhile. Just like today's speaker in PE said, it is about compassion and without that, what good would we be as teachers?
I also am tempted by the idea of going north to teach for my first year. It would be an experience that you would never forget and would help you when you did come back home. It is a scary thought being all alone so far from family and friends, but if you have the strength to get through it, it could be an amazing opportunity. Definitely something to consider!
Wow! Yes the presentation from Joe was very encouraging and inspired me immensely! I have always intended on teaching away from Victoria, in a small rural community where outstanding teachers are really necessary (which we are all going to be!)
Far North, in a place like Repulse Bay is where I can see myself heading just like our guest speaker. Call me crazy but I think experiencing an hour of day light in winter and not being able to see my hand in front of me in a snow storm would be phenomenal! It is defiantly not something I could handle for more than a year or two but an experience I would treasure for life.
The reward of teaching Grade 5 children at a Grade 1 or 2 level would be my main reason for teaching up North and like Rachel mentioned, the instability of their education saddens me :(
Living conditions are so tough that children do not always have a guaranteed teacher for the next year most of the time! The percentage of illiteracy is far too high and I would like to perhaps try and change that even if it is just by a little bit :)
Who knows maybe I’ll even end up loving it and not coming back! As I always say “you can’t have the reward without the challenge!”
I also really enjoyed the presentation. Although it sounds like an amazing experience, there is just no way I could do it. I can't imagine living like that for even just a year, and the fact that it is some peoples way of life blows my mind! A part of me would like to try it, but when I think that the only way out is by plane, there are two stores, the temperature drops to -70, I start feeling anxious. Other than the lack of shopping, I have to think that I would be moving my family there and the fact that a medical emergency would require a 2 hour flight, made working in a very remote area something I would not consider.
Having said all the negatives about it, I really do think it would be an invaluable experience for the teachers that go to these areas. These teachers are given a difficult job and have the ability to make a big difference in these students' lives and these communities.
When we first started this program I thought that if we wanted to teach, and not stay on a sub list for seven years, we would have to travel up North, to the Yukon. I had heard from various people that we would need to move to rural areas or up north to find work. After growing up in a big city my whole life, at first I felt like how Nadine feels, I thought I would never be able to handle such an extreme like that. As I got accustomed to the possibility the idea started growing on me, and I realized what a life changing experience it would be.
I think it is important to have an open mind, and just see where this job can take us. We are just starting out and who knows where the future will take us. Now I am leaning towards staying nearby in BC but it’s not set in stone. I still want to keep an open mind though and not close any doors or lose out on opportunity for an amazing experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed Jo's presentation. It was extremely informative and it would be amazing to have such a life changing experience. Her presentation was great because she gave us a taste of the communities, the school system, her position and the children. She gave us hints and ideas about some of the biggest things that helped her. Although Im not sure if I want to go and do that myself I really admire her and all the other students in our cohort that are seriously considering this. Im not sure if I plan on staying in Victoria but Im also not sure if I want to head to a community as remote as that. I really learned a lot from that presentation and Im very thankful that Alex thought it would be valuable to bring her into our LA class.
Joe's presentation was very interesting and surprisingly held my attention the whole time. Venturing up North to teach is something that I am not keen on, simply because I cannot stand freezing temperatures. Call me a wimp, I’m cool with it! But the presentation really showed me how important teachers like Joe are. The positive impact that she has had on these children and their village is incredible. The living conditions for these children are very disheartening and they need all the support they can get. I found it amazing when Joe mentioned that she got a morning and afternoon snack time implemented into the school day. It’s critical that children are not learning on empty stomachs!!!
Overall, the presentation made me rethink my feelings on teaching up North or in a remote area. Knowing that I will most likely have to go somewhere else in BC to teach it was good to have Joe share her experiences with us.
How cool would it be to live in a place where there was only one hour of darkness a day! Of course, for me to live in a place like this, a golf course would have to be minutes away.
I agree and have always wondered what it would be like to teach in a different community where the culture is very different from what I am used to. I think that it would be challenging to work in a region that was extremely secluded and poverty stricken like that of Repulse Bay, NU or Klemtu, B.C. Although it would be a bit of a struggle to teach in a rural area like Repulse Bay, NU or Klemtu, B.C., I think that the benefits would definitely outweigh the hardship.
It is an extremely valuable opportunity for a teacher to teach in a variety of settings and to experience working with a wide range of cultures because as a teacher you would learn so much and have a better understanding and appreciation when working with cultural diverse students. I was able to recognize how these kinds of experience allow you to grow as a person/teacher and develop your true teaching pedagogy from listening to Jo Sargeant’s presentation.
Jo Sargeant talked about how when she arrived in Repulse Bay, NU the children could not speak a word of English. This alone made me quite hesitant to considering the possibility of working in an aboriginal community sometime in the future. Although I was unconvinced at the beginning of her presentation I began to “see the light at the end of the dark tunnel” and realized how great it would be to have an experience like that of Jo Sargeant. She said when she started teaching in Repulse Bay, NU she was using sign language to communicate with her students. Surprisingly enough by the end of her time spent at this school she made some huge strides/ progress with these children. Some children were even able to write small sentences and speak several words of English. I think that is particularly amazing seeing as the majority if not all of the students at her school had no concept what so ever of any spoken language. I think she must have left Repulse Bay feeling like she really accomplished something and made a difference in these children’s life.
I was really touched by the story Jo told about the little girl who did not communicate or understand anything in English when she arrived to teach in Klemtu, B.C. but by the time she left she was attempting to write her first few words and was beginning to show some real progress. This is what teaching is all about, making a difference in a child’s/ children’s life and being able to be proud when reflecting on all of the hard work you spent making someone else realize their potential and grow from it as a person.
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