I always leave Pro-D feeling inspired and filled with new ideas. I left the Spring Fling Conference in Prince George with concepts and reminders that will be extremely helpful during my formative practicum as well as my teaching practice. Jody Carrington was the keynote speaker for the conference, and she was so fun and engaging to listen to. I left with three main takeaway from the keynote that were excellent affirmations for me personally.
- Building relationships and being authentic is a top priority
- The importance of being an empathetic educator
The importance of forming a relationship has been a major theme throughout the education program. After going through two practica it is evident that taking the time to build a relationship is the most important thing. Learning does not happen in its full capacity, if at all without establishing trust between all learners in a particular learning space.
We also need to establish a safe space where they can be themselves. These elements work towards getting students to a place where they CAN learn. Jody Carrington spoke to the importance of teaching our students how to acknowledge and regulate their emotions and that setting our learners up with strategies to self-regulate is the best gift that we can give them while they are in our care.
We talk about preparing our students for life and giving them the tools they need to acknowledge where they are at emotionally and act accordingly so they can protect themselves and the wellbeing of others in the process. It is inevitable that students will have moments where they are dysregulated as they are still learning how to process their emotions in a healthy way. This is where being empathetic comes into play.
During Block 1, we were asked to name our superpower we have as future educators; I chose empathy. After each Pro-D that I have attended, the speaker has always suggested to leave with a plan in place and the try it out the following week. This will ensure that the learning will be as effective as possible following the Pro-D. My plan of attack is to remain empathetic towards the students I have the pleasure of working with at any stage of my learning journey. For many learners, school is a safe space for them. It is important to take a step back an acknowledge that certain behaviors may be coming from somewhere that is out of the student’s control. It does not excuse what may be happening, but it does give us an explanation that if we listen, can help us better understand and support our learners.
I am writing this blog post from the beaches of Haida Gwaii on May 28th, 2024. I have my toes in the sand, it is fairly sunny outside which is nice because it has been raining sideways throughout the day, and I’m pretty sure there is a whale that keeps surfacing in the water. Every once and a while there is a puff of water into the air and a creature that keeps surfacing.
Although I am writing this blog post after a month of gaining this knowledge from the conference I have learned something from the class that I have the pleasure of learning alongside during my formative practicum. My coaching teacher hosts a “check-in” every morning using the zones of regulation. Every student states what zone they are in and then they answer a question of the day that the students decide upon together. It is such an amazing way to start the day as it connects us and is great for relationship building. When students say what zone they are in, it is extremely helpful for everyone in the room to know as it creates pathways for empathy. As a teacher, if a student tells me they are in the blue zone, I can adapt accordingly to make sure that students feels safe and supported. It is clear how close everyone is in the class and how important those classroom relationships are. This is something that I intend on taking with me into my practice. I want to create that same feeling of safety
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