Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Thinking

I have been thinking about teaching here at Silver Oak School and thinking what a privilege it is to have been taught to teach in Canada. Not that I was privileged to go to University but from teacher workshops, teaching alonside real teachers, and just from having the opportunity, I have learned to be a teacher.  This morning as I prepared my lessons for Classes 1-4, I was able to find a lesson in a teachers manual, find a neat visual and also a coloring page for the children.  Yesterday we had the story of Jesus calming the storm and again I found a very nice set of pictures which I colored with bearutiful colors of canadian markers, found a neat picture of waves and a boat and by putting a brad (from Canada), the boat would rock!  The children were quite fascinated with that little item.  All in all the lesson went quite well and the children were able to use Canadian scissors  (kids ones), color with crayons, pencil crayons and markers, all from Canada.  Now don't get me wrong they do have some of these things here, but most teachers do not have the money to purchase them and maybe not even the creativity to think of doing it.  Sometimes I have been a little critical of teachers because I thought why don't they do something more than read out of a book to the kids.  I am sorry for that attitude and am just so grateful for the many wonderful helps I have to make preparation and teaching so enjoyable.  Thanks too to Laura and to Sharon for sending most of the things that I am able to freely use and to others who helped us buy the scanner and the printer that we so easily use.  If you are a teacher and I think many of you are, I hope you will not take for granted all the great teaching aids that you have available to you.  At Silver Oak we have cement walls so the first few days I thought why don't we put up some posters etc., so I proceeded to have the children make All About Me posters. Each one was stuck on the wall with good old grey tape.  Unfortunatley it didn't work well.  I guess that is why we don't put much on the wall!!  Be nice to have some bulletin boards!!  So we made folders to put our crafts and artwork in and will let the parents have them on Sat. when they come for visiting day.  Well that is my thinking for today.  Hope you are having a good day being thankful for all the good things that are given to you every day.  Love Ellen

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We take things for granted way too much over here. I'm sure your classes are brightening the days of those children, most of whom done live with their family or get to go home at night and show their school work. You are a blessing to the people over there just as you were here.
love ya Laura