Community Involvement

It has officially been two months since I have moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta to pursue my teaching career. These months have absolutely flown by! Since my first call on the first day of school, I have been blessed with many more opportunities. I have been in a classroom every day for the past four weeks. I can account some of that to luck - I happened to press "accept" on the online database first.. But, I recognize that my hard work is paying off as I have received many requests and some schools have certainly become a regular visit for me. All is well for me in my life as a Substitute Teacher!

However positive my career has become, I do deeply miss my family. With this in mind, I knew it was important to immerse myself in the community here. I was excited to discover a new place, as I was a community member in Dundas, Ontario for 23 years before moving! 

I have continued my passion for connecting with youth in the Catholic community by volunteering with the Medicine Hat Youth Group. I have joined a team of amazing volunteers who share my passion. We have had 3 great meetings so far with youth that are timid at first... it is so great to see them become more and more engaged with their peers in their Church. I see a new generation of community growing.

I am also volunteering my time two nights a week with the Rangers basketball league. I am coaching a camp that is basically skill development. Basketball is another passion of mine , so it is amazing to be able to share it with kids here! Some of them are even students that I have taught, and it is very cool to have them see Miss Graham as an active community member.. something I hope to bring out in all of my students. 

Being involved feels good! 

Cross-Country Move

In previous posts, I've explained that I am so eager to begin my teaching career that I applied for positions out West. Well... I gladly joined two school boards in Alberta as a substitute teacher! A few weeks ago, I packed my car and drove 32 hours across the country! I have arrived in beautiful, sunny Medicine Hat.

MY FIRST CALL - On the first official day of school, I anxiously answered my phone and gladly accepted a substitute job for the morning. Was the regular classroom teacher sick? Or running late? Or on vacation? Who was to say.. all I knew was that I was absolutely thrilled to help out and take on grade 9 Social Studies! I knew instantly my journey was worth it as I feel my passion for teaching in full force already.

Here is to the 2013/2014 school year being full of exciting days like that, and more experiences in the classroom!

Engaging Math Program

In 2012 and 2013 , I taught a summer school program for grade 7 and 8 students. It was a technology, math, and literacy program. I had 23 students in my class that were eager to use technology, but truthfully, not so keen on spending two weeks of their summer in a classroom. I knew right off the bat that in order to engage these students, I would really have to use programs of interest. Fortunately, the board provided MANY resources to help do so. One program that really stood out is seen below. I was reminded of this program while browsing math tools for students. 



One of the Reflex Math programs that engaged students

* Reflex Math:  This program is built to help students develop instant recall of basic math facts. It is unique because it uses several fun, interactive games for students to "play" while building their math facts. It continuously monitors each users scores and results in their games and individualizes what will come next. I, the teacher, was able to monitor student progress for each student to see how far they've come.

Ideas for Writer's Workshop

One Teaching Strategy Tip  While Using Writer's Workshop 
Include technology wherever possible! When incorporated properly, technology can assist in the writing process!  


Here's How 

• Record student  ideas on the computer for quick notes and easy translation to other electronic tools
• Allow students to communicate with peers (and wider audiences) through a blog
• Research online databases for student to safely send & receive authentic, relevant, real-time messages 

More Resources

Ontario Ministry of Education - Language Curriculum 

Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers 

Creating Young Writers Wiki

Guide to Effective Instruction

Catching Up

My first post in 2013 - WOW, I have been busy!

Let me tell you what I've been up to these past few months.Firstly, I have been taking my work with the Before & After School program to new depths - cleaning, organizing, sorting, and finally IMPLEMENTING some of the amazing resources we have that have been hidden away for who knows how long!
It feels great to be using awesome items that we have access to - some staff did not even know these items were there! A tip for any educator entering a new work space is to always explore your environment - you just never know what you may find!

I have also been trying to get my Youth Group for St. Augustine Church in Dundas up and running. It has proven to be quite difficult. I have launched a Facebook Group and will continue to meet at the local high school. Next week we are going to really amp up our advertisements within the Church so I do hope to report back with amazing news soon!

Lastly, I am on the job hunt! I have not had much luck in Ontario finding a position with a board - but am still actively trying. I recently applied to the Catholic board in Hamilton and have my fingers crossed that my passion for teaching came through in my application package! I am PLEASED to announce, however, that I have two interviews (one with the Catholic, and one with the Public board) in Medicine Hat, Alberta at the end of March. Can't believe I may actually break into a board and begin my professional journey. I am excited knowing that my teaching could take me across Canada! What an opportunity!

I came across this trailer for a film by Chris Jordan entitled Midway. It looks extremely touching and goes hand in hand with one of my biggest beliefs - we need to educate our students about pollution and it's extreme effects on our world, in hopes that they can make informed decisions and create change.

CHECK IT OUT! WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?

Consolidating Task

My past few posts have been related to the technology course I have been enrolled in. Well.. that is coming to a close this week. For our final task, we were asked to create a 15 slide presentation that showcased our ability to use digital tools effectively. I chose to use Sliderocket as my forum to create a digital story because I am most comfortable with it. From this assignment, I learned a great new consolidating task - have students create a digital demonstration of what they've learned in a unit! It is a fun and creative way to show what you know! 

This post is for everyone that took part in the AQ course! Enjoy :)  

Digital Audio Technology

Attached is a Sliderocket presentation that was created for my AQ course on technology. It is a visual representation of my written assignment on Digital Audio Technology, and includes an audio component. What better way to talk about this type of technology than to explore it for myself, and demonstrate what I've learned in the exact forum I am discussing! It is posted for my peers in the course, but as always welcome any viewers if they are willing to take the time to watch and listen!