As I stepped into the kindergarten classroom for the first time I witnessed the most difficult time of the day. Snow pants, coats, boots, hats, and mitts sprawled everywhere as the teacher attempted to help all the students get their winter gear off. I quickly realized the challenges encountered when the children come in from playing outside. Having not even met the children before, I questioned whether my attempts to help the teacher with the students was a good idea. One teacher’s efforts to help 15 children get their gear off was most definitely a scene of chaos. The teacher later informed me that the EA who is usually in the classroom every day to help a child with behavioural challenges would not be there today, and neither would any replacement to provide the support that was needed.
Once inside the classroom, a few of the students were quick to introduce themselves as well as some of their friends. I was quickly identified by my orange hair as I overheard some of the children talking while they sat on the carpet, waiting for their teacher to finish helping the remaining students in the cubby room. After the teacher formally introduced me she made a note to the children that they would not be having gym today due to an event taking place in the gymnasium. Many of the children appeared unhappy about this change to their daily routine.
During the lunch hour, the teacher played music for the children. This included Kids Bop and songs from the Disney film Frozen. The teacher notified me that she likes to do this for the students but it can be difficult because she has to make sure there is no inappropriate content in songs that may appear to be okay for children to listen to. As the children ate lunch some of the students in the older grades came to help supervise and play with the children. I thought this was a great way to provide support for the teacher as it was much needed that day.
Once the students got to know me over the few hours I was there, many of them struggled to understand that I was not a teacher. I told them that I was a student just like them and still had a lot to learn. Their response was to ask me why I wasn’t wearing a uniform, and why did I look like a teacher. I discovered that children rely heavily on their perception of people when deciding which type of individuals hold authority within their classroom.
Getting to know all the children in the kindergarten class was very exciting. I look forward to visiting them on a weekly basis. I am very passionate about education and my dream is to one day become a teacher. I expect to face challenges during my experience with service learning, but I know that these challenges will help me to become more knowledgeable about how biases and social structures have an impact on classroom environments.
Heather's Volunteer Placement 