As of, May 2nd, I have officially COMPLETED my B.ED!!  (Cue the CELEBRATION SONG!)
​This blog post comes a couple week later because I truly wanted to let the experience sink in before I shared my reflection. I also took a quick vacation at the most magical place on earth to celebrate! 
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For those who haven’t been following my journey but are tuning in now. I have just recently completed my 2nd year placement of 10 weeks at a high school in Cornwall, Ontario.  (You can read about it in the previous 9 blog posts)!! Et si vous avez tenu compte de mes blogues précédents, merci d'être de retour! 

What better way to end off this placement than create a list of the 30 things I learnt during my placement? Why 30? Well, it just seemed like well rounded number… I could have written 100 things but time did not allow it. I had created this (before the blog) to hand back to my associate teacher, but then I thought: Why not share it? 

​​This is what it looked like: 

1. It is so important to know your students and show you CARE in order to help build positive relationships
2. Patience is always key (in any situation)
3. You do not always have to use the “Atelier” to make a rubric
4. *Sometimes* just winging it works wonders
5. It is important to know yourself (strengths and weaknesses) in order to be a better teacher
6. Being vulnerable and open with the students is very valuable (and will be reciprocal)
7. Your lesson plan might not go as planned and that’s OK!
8. Connecting with other teachers helps you in so many ways
9. Coffee is a necessity...☕ 
10. ​A calm demeanour helps the overall feel of the classroom
11. Always have your curriculum handy!!!
12. Respect is the answer to most of your problems in teaching
13. Positive and authentic reinforcement goes a long way
14. Letting the students be the experts is exciting!
15. Your attitude in the classroom reflects the student’s attitude. So smile, be happy and spread the joy.
16. Being on top of your game with marking is SO IMPORTANT (especially in English)
17. You should always let the students surprise you (not hold grudges)
18. Questioning and reflecting on your practice helps you grow as an educator
19. You have to be adaptable to change (at all times!)
20. Il ne faut pas toujours réinventer la roue...
21. Reward the students and giving them a break (sometimes with a good Kahoot is FUN!)
22. making the students be accountable for their learning is I M P O R T A N T
23. You can’t say yes to everything in your first few years of teaching….. Oops
24. Teaching is a full time job that you end up bringing home with you every night
25. Finding balance is absolutely positively important - but not easy.
26. Technology will not always work and / or be on your side (prepare for a PLAN B,C,D…)
27. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. x100
28. Being passionate about what you teach will always shine through
29. Taking the time to eat is beneficial (Still learning this one)
30. TEACHING IS A LOT OF WORK BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT

Overall, I think that this placement taught me more than words can describe. Having the opportunity to live a real and true placement by building units from the ground up, creating different types of evaluations, dealing with different types of behaviours, staying late after school and working during lunch really showed me the beauty, along with the blood sweat and tears of teaching.  I have reflected a lot and grown throughout this journey (and luckily have documented it all here!!) 

Au début, je dois avouer que je n'étais pas trop certaine si l'école secondaire était véritablement faite pour moi. Étant quelqu'un qui a toujours adoré être avec les petits, les "plus grands" m'intimidaient, par contre, j'ai rapidement grandi avec eu et nous avons créés de relations de confiances. Ces élèves avaient non seulement de la confiance en moi, mais aussi de l'empathie et du respect. Et puis, gagner le respect des adolescents n'est pas toujours facile. Mais à la fin de mon stage, il va sans dire que ces liens étaient très forts, car ils étaient tristes de me voir partir. Bref, j'ai travaillé très fort à  les connaitre, à parler souvent avec eu, les récompenser et leur montrer que j'avais à coeur leur développement en English, leur succès et leur bien-être. En fin de compte, j'ai essayé très fort pour toujours TOUT faire ce que je pouvais afin de garantir leur réussite et leur bonheur. 

J'ai aussi adoré le contenu. Ce n'est pas toujours facile enseigner les langues, mais cette matière est très flexible. J'ai capoté sur le fait que j’étais capable de faire les choses autrement en English et incorporer plein de nouvelles idées, technologies et stratégies d’enseignement. J'ai beaucoup appris de moi-même (points forts et faibles) de mes connaissances dans la matière elle-même. Les élèves m'ont aidé à apprendre des nouveaux mots, concepts, principes historiques, etc. Ceci m'inspire à apprendre davantage chaque jour afin de continuer mon développement en tant que nouvelle enseignante. 
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Finding balance. Finding balance. Finding balance. Finding balance. Finding balance. 

Almost every teacher I spoke with told me that the first 1-3 years of teaching are always the most difficult. Don't get me wrong, teaching is already super energy draining and exhausting if you are a veteran teacher, let alone having to build units from the ground up, get to know your curriculum, build your resources and teach a full course load in your first years. That being said, since you spend a lot more time planning and prepping (and figuring your life out) in the first few years of teaching you can't necessarily take on 101 other projects (sigh). I know that this is going to be difficult for me (who is someone always looking to get involved!!). However, I know the importance of knowing your limits, taking time for yourself and not burning yourself out - because that is the LAST thing I want. So, I can admit that I am still working on finding that balance in my life (professional and personal). 

I am also still trying to figure out if I am suited for elementary, intermediate or secondary. ​I JUST LOVE THEM ALL, HELP! What level do you teach at and what do you love  about it? Let me know in the comments below... 
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Ultimately, I can say that this placement really made me excited to have my OWN classroom one day! It is never the same when you come into someone else's classroom, start teaching someone else's students and someone is watching you; it is never 100% natural. I look forward to the day I can say I have my ​everything! (This may be sooner than later, but who knows.. I am simply excited for this new journey!) 

Finally being able to say that I am wrapping up my 2nd degree.. But not only that, my teaching degree is exciting but nerve wracking and a huge relief but still overwhelming. I would have a very long list of people to thank who have mentored me, helped me, spoken with me and shaped me into the educator I have become and continue to grow into. You all know who you are - so finally - Thank You. 

​Sarah Anne Lalonde

I feel like I have been writing blog posts out the wazoo lately… but I am SO close to the end, why stop now, right? Ladies and gentlemen, we have made it to week 9!  Thanks so much for staying along for the ride.  You've all been so awesome and I truly feel as though I have a cheering squad behind me as I go through this placement. 
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Il me reste encore la semaine prochaine, ainsi que 3 jours lors de la semaine d'après à mon stage. Pour moi, il est absolument nécessaire de poursuivre avec mes billets de blogue et de terminer en force. Commencer et finir une tâche ou un but, pour moi, est fondamental à ma philosophie personnelle et professionnelle. Aussi, j'ai bien hâte de retourner lire ces billets de blogues dans 2,3 ou même 10 ans! 
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This week was my first week taking on all 3 of my English classes (4U, 3C and 2P). What a challenge it was. Thankfully, I had spent my whole weekend preparing and felt good about where I was at. The Monday I was originally supposed to start was a snow day; yes - in April. But it was a great opportunity for me to really catch up on my marking, plan my lessons more thoroughly and have some quality time with my AT's of course! That Monday night, I was utterly nervous... But it just so happened that I was watching Zootopia when this song came on (& I tweeted about it the next day): ​
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For those who are not as big Disney fanatics as I am... This song, I believe is the perfect representation of the GROWTH MINDSET. Disney - you always know what to say...
​Some of the uplifting lyrics are:

Il y avait de quoi avec le fait de donner le cours de 4U... Est-ce que je ne me sentais pas assez confiante? Peur de ne pas assez stimuler leurs intérêts? Peur de ne pas être capable de répondre à leurs questions... I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Par contre, après que j'ai entendu cette chanson, je me suis rappelé du concept de la mentalité de croissance.  Je n'avais rien à m'inquiéter parce que c'est correct si ça ne va pas bien ou comme on l'espère la première, la deuxième ou même la septième fois. Je dois avouer que c'est beaucoup plus facile parler de la mentalité de croissance, mais véritablement le vivre chaque jour à chaque instant est un défi.  

Entre autres, je crois que le tout s'est bien passé. Le beat est tellement différent avec un cours de 12e préuniversitaire que c'était plus familier! Les élèves ont aussi été géniaux avec moi, très respectueux et à l'écoute. Heureusement, le groupe a toujours envie d'apprendre! Ce qui fait en sorte qu'on peut passer à travers beaucoup de matière et avoir de bonnes discussions! 

Something I have been always reflecting on as these weeks progress is how comfortable I am in front of the class, in the content I am teaching and with the relationships I am creating with the students. I've noticed that I can finally, absolutely positively say that I have little hesitation, little doubt and little anxiety with (at least) the two groups that I have been with for the majority of my placement. We (my class and I) have grown so much since the beginning of my placement and I can attest that I actually feel like my student's teacher, and I think that they truly feel as though I am their teacher as well. Why has it taken this long? Well, I believe that good things take time. And, I feel as though everything I have build up these 9 weeks have finally solidified, (However, sadly there is not much time left!) So now, I am wondering how I should end my last 1-2 days with them ? Any suggestions? 

It’s officially been ONE week this morning since I was on stage, microphone in my hand with 450+ pairs of eyes watching me and listening to me attentively during the Ignite speeches at the EdTechTeam #OntarioSummit in Cambridge at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School.

Some may wonder why I did not write this blog sooner, you know, when there was still some buzz going around the Ontario Summit. Still, I decided I wanted everything to sink in and see the “long term” ripple effect before I truly wrote down my impressions of it all.
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Let’s talk briefly about the weeks before the Ignite. I’ll be honest, sometimes, it wasn’t pretty. But, as I mentioned in my talk… You always have your PLN supporting you on your way down. Considering this, I need to take the time to give a ginormous shoutout to Stephen Hurley, Derek Rhodenizer, Kim Pollishuke, Emily Fitzpatrick, Sandra Chow,Jen Giffen,  Hélène Cormier, Joannie Girard, and Stephane Hunter who truly helped shape my Ignite into what it was last Sunday. I truly could not have done it without their support. You all believed in me when I didn’t necessarily believed in myself.

During the couple weeks before the summit, I lived a rollercoaster of emotions. There were low lows and high highs. Don’t quite understand what I mean? Here are some concrete example of things I thought / did…

• DOUBT: “Am I crazy? Why did I decide to do this? I am not capable. I can’t do it.”  
• FEAR: “What have I gotten myself into? I’m
• CONFIDENCE: “Okay, I can actually do this… I’ve practiced it a couple times without screwing it up. Maybe I will be alright?”
• ANXIETY: I would visualize myself on stage just simply screwing up, time after time...
• EXCITEMENT: “I can’t wait to be on stage and spread my message!! This is my chance!”​

​It’s funny because my Ignite was about taking the JUMP, taking the RISK, saying YES and how it’s not easy, you go through tons of emotions, your PLN will support you and in the end it’s worth it! Well, I lived that whole process from the moment I agree and said ‘Yes’ to Emily Fitzpatrick. That was my jump. Brainstorming, drafting up ideas, getting feedback, building the visuals, getting more feedback and practice, practice and more practice was the free fall until I presented it and I began to soar.

Now I was to focus on the summit weekend itself. My Saturday morning Starbucks run allowed me to receive a message from the universe that deeply affected me. Who would have thought, right?

​Have you ever seen those “Take what you need” boards? I found a message that resonated with me quite flawlessly; it said:  Inhale Confidence. Exhale doubt. I will admit, I believe in the power of “it was meant to be” and I truly believe that was meant for me to find and pick up.
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Saturday flew by! There was so much energy in the building. There were so many rich conversations being had. There were so many smiles brightfully showcased on everyone’s face. There were so many IRL meetups happening. There was so much LEARNING going on. There was so much coffee flowing… (I should have made that into a poem).

Considering how quickly Saturday came and left, that means that Sunday morning arrived even more rapidly. I hadn’t eaten and barely wanted to drink my Americano. I will always remember that morning, Emily asking me if I had eaten and how important it was to do so. I took her advice. (Who wouldn’t?!)

We did a full run through Sunday morning alone in the gym. I had the cold sweats. And, I was the last presenter. Everyone was going up, 1 by 1 and delivering their Ignites like experts. I loved, in this moment, that I felt as though we were a little family. Encouraging, supporting and clapping for one another. Although I had just met 80% of them for the first time, I felt safe to fail in front of them, because I knew they had my back. After I presented, I knew that next time I was going to be on stage, there was going to be a full house.
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Then there was me:

Throughout everyone’s presentations I was so inspired. I was also telling myself how EXCITED I was to go and speak rather than focusing on how NERVOUS I was. This was thanks to Chapter 14 of Mel Robinson’s book 5 second book that Helene Cormier had me listen to on the way up to Cambridge. What I learnt was the nervousness and excitement are the some feelings, so if you trick your brain by telling yourself how EXCITED you are, you will feel so so so much better - and I did.
I don’t think I can put into words the feeling you get when the person that went before you hands you the microphone. I took a deep breath, counted backwards from 5 and I jumped.

​After it was all done, I had goosebumps. The flood of congratulations and connections that I made was unreal. The best part of this whole experience was not only getting to talk on stage for 5minutes. Rather, it was all of the connections after the fact! I encouraged the educators in the room to be accountable and share their #Jump with me, and did they ever. As I mentioned, the connections after the fact was overwhelming. How could I, a Teacher Candidate have inspired educators to take action? I still wonder… 

Having been given this opportunity to make a difference and inspire others on such a large scale still gives me chills because my thoughts, my words, my voice actually inspire people to do something and that is the power of these summits.

If you’d like to hear the other inspiring Ignites, you can find the audio below, thanks to Stephen Hurley! 

This week, I wanted the focus of my blog to reflect on The Profile of a Modern Teacher (created by Reid Wilson @wayfaringpath) that look on the habits of mind. This is an image I have had saved on my phone for quite some time. On Monday of this week, I looked at this graphic of a modern educator and throughout the week I tried to work on 1-2 of these aspects. It was kind of fun!

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​For example, on Tuesday I focused on “Allowing students to teach each other” and “Step outside of their comfort zone”. I did this by creating Literary Device experts, where students represented their literary device and had to lead a discussion on an element of their device in the novel. This was empowering not only for them, but for myself, to see them take the lead and explain the device in their own words showed me mastery.

I would love to take a deeper dive into each of these different habits and aspects of a modern teachers (Wilson), but due to a time crunch and a Hamlet Unit waiting to be constructed, I will simply showcase two aspects of that I believe to handle well and 1 that I need to improve on. A fun name for this is: 2 GLOWs and 1 GROW. I want to start doing this with my students… Having them reflect more. I do it, but I realize that I do not have them do it enough.  

This one was a no brainer. I have been reflecting / questioning / thinking about my practice, my lessons, my conversations, my interactions, my time management, my enthusiasm for my lessons, the way my body is feeling, etc. My brain has been working overtime! But questioning everything, not only fits in with reflection. But just asking more questions about everything. Whether it be in the content your teaching or the way you’re delivering it. Literally asking yourself, why am I doing this this way? How can I improve on this matter? What could I have done differently? What should I have asked that student instead of…. Questioning things is a skills I have improved on!
 

​This habit of the mind is something that I have essentially embodied. I have come to terms with just not knowing everything, not knowing what is going to necessarily happen during a lesson, while students are working on a project, etc. I’ve embraced the fact that you can’t prepare for every question the students may ask. For example, while giving a lesson on capitalization this week, I was asked “Why season were not capitalized, while days of the week and months were?”. What a great question! And I wasn’t prepared for that question and I didn’t know the answer. I believe that being comfortable not knowing what’s going to happen also goes hand in hand with the other aspects like: being vulnerable when something does happen and you don’t know what to say or have the answer.
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​Here is the thing… It’s not that I don’t believe I can learn anything with the right attitude and effort. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very open and growth mindset. However, I believe I need to improve on this habit because I often feel very overwhelmed with the AMOUNT of things I need to learn (for a certain lesson for example). I know this is just the reality of starting out as a teacher, but it can definitely feel as though you’re trying to overcome a very large mountain in a very short period of time. So, continuing with the right attitude and effort will allow me to overcome these feelings!

I want to know, what your your 'GLOW' and 'GROW' when considering this profile?
 

​This week was short and so is this reflection. I have to give an IGNITE Sunday and that is where my energy and brain power is currently going to. 

​This week, I learnt that walking into your classroom every day and treating it like a blank canvas is so important. That means, not bringing in the feelings from the day before, not bringing in the conversations you may have had a lunch, not bringing in the emotions from your personal life… You have 75 minutes per day with these students. You have to make them count; giving them 100% of yourself: your energy, time and love. Not starting with a blank canvas does not give the opportunity to surprise you and inspire you. All I can say is, let things goes…

​Spring has sprung, well.. kinda… which means I have started to re-appreciate all of the little things I took for granted before winter, like the grass and the warmer weather. That being said, I also realized that appreciating these little things the earth gives you, as an educator can be a great strategy for combatting stress!  
  
It is so easy to be overwhelmed by all the things that we have to do as teachers - dare I name them all? No. Because of all of this worry to accomplish everything looming over your shoulders and checking off our To Do List, we often forget to appreciate the little things in life. I live this constantly. I often become stressed, but when I overthink all of these things and feel my anxiety building up, I simply take a big deep breath and be grateful. I think about all of the things I can be thankful for and appreciate. 

​Here is a list of some of the things I have been appreciating recently:

• Hearing birds singing outside my classroom window
• Holding a warm coffee cup in my hands
• Smelling the warm FRESH spring air
• Standing sunshine, rays of light, getting
• Taking the first sip of coffee in the morning
• Being able to listen to the radio when I get into my car and drive home
• Coming home to a hot cooked meal  

 
Actively feeling grateful for these things make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside; they seem to give me the energy to be perseverant and carry on. I want to know, what are some things that you can reflect on and be thankful for?  Inspire others and let me know in a quick list below :)