OK Tom - since you asked...

...and I want to procrastinate, so here is a quick entry to give you an update of what I've been up to over the last week.

My first practicum is in physics! I have been put in with a teacher who has all senior level courses (3u, 4c and a mathematics 3m) - so overall, I am enjoying the classes. The dynamics are all very different, but I find that it is still easy to relate to these students.

I think the funniest moments have definitely been when they call me "Sir" or "Mr. Morson". One of the students kept calling me in a class for 30 seconds before I realized she was talking to me. "Oh sorry, I'm not used to being called by my last name," I answered. I've gotten used to it now, but it still makes me laugh (both my parents were teachers...they were the Mr and Mrs Morson as far as I'm concerned).

Anyways, I was observing for only Mon/Tues of last week, and started teaching the physics 3u class last Friday.

Wed/Thurs was an amazing opportunity - I was invited to attend the student leadership camp that was being organized by the school. We went off to an outdoor ed. center nearby for an overnight, filled with teambuilding activities and school-focused discussions. What a great way to get to know the students and assert myself as part of the school community! I couldn't be happier with my placement...since I am in the OEE track, it was really nice to immediately be a part of some outdoor programming and see the difference in many of the students behaviour and attitude (at school vs. being outside). This only furthers my belief that we are happier outside - the kids did the high ropes courses in the pouring rain on Wednesday!

So we got back and I taught my first class on Friday - how did it go? Well.......you see, everything was fine until the end. I was introducing electricity (I'm teaching the whole unit) and I was derailed by a student's question. So I didn't get to my demo and left feeling defeated.

Well, today, after a weekend of rest and reflection, I planned a class that went amazing today! I taught the kids circuits POE style today! I used gummy bears as voltage, drew a big circuit around the class on the desks using chalk, and with a few simple instructions, we were discussing the difference between parallel and series circuits and answering some complicated circuit problems by mere observation (of course, with some pretty ideal conditions, too). But I was amazed! I had the kids give their definitions for each term used, put them on the smartboard and voila! Class was over!

Tomorrow, we take up Ohm's law, go over circuit diagrams, do some more analysis and I'm assigning a project for them.

Overall, things are going very well! Anyways, that's been enough time for a distraction...

Back to planning!

André