Blog Post No.5

I strongly think that parents and other care givers are vitally important to the educational process of students. Yes the teacher is the 'professional' educator and their role is important in meeting criteria and expected standards at school and as part of a national education expectation. Parents and other care givers are important in continuing that learning with their child and supporting them in a variety of different ways. I believe that no one knows a child better than their parents, and because of this, the parents should also be involved with actively educating their child at home whether it be through helping with homework, tutoring in certain subjects, or simply applying what the student is learning at school into different day to day activities that may come up (e.g. maths/numeracy, english and reading, history, etc.).

Parents and care givers are important in encouraging the student in their learning and work ethic. different individuals will go through personal experiences that can disuade them from wanting to attend school or further their education and it is important that care givers and parents are there to support and push the child to try harder and keep going - helping to get through those tough times in their lives.

As for my goals from the start of the internship period, I believe that I have come a long way and have greatly improved in these three areas:

• Element 1 - Teachers know their subject content and how to teach that content to their students.
  I believe that over the 10 week period I have been able to gain a better understanding of the content of my key learning areas and the syllabus requirements. Through practice and feedback from accompanying teachers I have been able to learn and adjust my lessons and practice to better suite the needs of the class.
• Element 2 - Teachers know their students and how they learn.
  I think that over the practicum I have come to better appreciate and understand the individuality of each student and their specific learning needs in me class. I realize the importance for creating an engaging and personable environment for each student in my classroom and lessons.
• Element 5 - Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments through the use of classroom management skills.
  I have encountered a few obstacles and challenges throughout this time, and have come a long way in terms of managing the class much better and the logistics of each lesson. I know to look out for any potential risks or dangerouse behaviour and how to best deal with these situations.