In this past week I have now completed my fourth day in the classroom and have experienced two different schools. At this point I have been in both a grade 3 and 1/2/3 split classroom. One thing that I have really noticed is how much of educating these age groups is about teaching students on how to monitor and appropriately express their emotions. For a lot of these kids, they are still getting used to the classroom setting and how to handle this very structured, but social setting.

One example of developing these skills was when last week in practicum. There was this girl, Sarah (not her real name for privacy purposes) who was having some troubles with her friends during class and recess. During the day, Sarah was not in a good mood, she was cutting off her friends when they were trying to talk to her and was being a little snarky. Later, during group work and recess, her usual friends expressed that they needed a break from her. Sara was devastated by this response. By the end of recess, she was in tears in and I went over and tried to comfort her. She expressed that it was unfair that her friends did not want to hang out with her and how it made her feel very angry. After telling her that it was okay to feel the way that she did, I also asked her if she would have wanted to hang out with someone who was being rude and raising their voice at her. After a few moments, she said that she wouldn’t want to, and it would make her feel uncomfortable. Then I went on to explain that sometimes, when we are having a bad day, (like Sarah was) we take it out on those around us and this behaviour wasn’t okay. If there is something bigger going on, let’s talk about that instead of putting it on others. We can only control ourselves and so we need to make sure we are treating others the way we would want to be treated (an old, but golden lesson).

Now, I am not going to lie and say that Sarah was happy to hear this from me, however, self-awareness is a tough lesson to learn. Even throughout that day I saw improvements in Sarah’s behaviour. Knowing that we cannot control other people is also a hard lesson. I know that when was going through similar growth to Sarah, I wasn’t happy about it at first, but empathy was a great lesson that my parents and teachers helped me learn and it made me a better person. What I am trying to say is that there is much of the curriculum that is ‘unseen’ when looking at education. These communication and self-regulation skills are crucial in life, and a lot of the time we don’t give enough credit to teachers and educators for having to teach and implement them in their classrooms.

In these early grades, students are learning how to appropriately convey their feelings, communicate with others and self-regulate their own emotions. Like my earlier example, sometimes learning that they can’t control others and are responsible for their own actions are tough lessons. Interacting with others isn’t always easy, especially when you spend all day with the same people in the classroom. Luckily, these same interactions can also teach valuable lessons. For example, both schools I have attended have implemented what is called WITS. This acronym stands for ‘walk away’, ‘ignore’, ‘talk it out’, and ‘seek help’. These steps provide the students with the groundwork to handle these problems by themselves and improve their own communication skills before seeking help from an adult.

Thinking about these skills has caused me to reflect on how I want to be an example to my students. For me, this means that I am going to try my best to express my feelings both appropriately and in a way that makes my students comfortable to do the same. This approach might mean that when a student or classroom is loud and disruptive that I do not snap and take my frustration out on them. Instead, I might state how “this current classroom behaviour is making me frustrated, so I need us to be quiet and respectful to whoever is speaking”. This might not be the best example, but what I am trying to convey is how I express my own feelings, and then as a class we work together.

I have seen examples of this in both the classes that I have been in. For instance, in my first practicum placement, Mrs. E was very aware of her own emotions and actions. When things were not going as planned, she would say things such as “I am feeling overwhelmed right now because of this current noise level, I would appreciate it if we could all use out inside voices” or “It makes me sad when we talk over each other, lets each respect one another when we raise our hands to speak”. In setting this example for her students, they often did the same. Many students felt comfortable saying things such as “Mrs. E, I am not having a good day, I think that I would like to work alone” or “I am very angry that I don’t understand this lesson and I might need more help”. Also, in playing or communicating with their fellow classmates, the students began to use the skills that they were taught to express their happiness and discomforts.

It brings me such joy to see these kids being able to express themselves and increase their comfort in the classroom. After these first few weeks I am so thankful for these opportunities and all that I am learning during my time in the classroom. Bring on next week!

 

Note: Interested in my practicum experiences? Find these posts under the practicum section in the menu. Thanks for reading!Â