Standard 6 – Educators demonstrate a broad knowledge base and an understanding of the area they teach
For my final Practicum, I had the opportunity to teach English First Peoples 11/12, English 12 and Appreciation of Film 12 and while I very much enjoyed working with younger grades in the past, it was amazing to be able to work in senior classes!
I was given the novel study as my starting point for both of the English classes. In English First Peoples the novel that I chose for the class was the dystopian somewhat apocalyptic novel The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, while for English 12 I chose dystopian speculative-fiction of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. As an avid reader, I was excited to share both of these novels with my classes, not just because I had read them before, but because I wanted to have my students discuss and breakdown challenging ideas not only about themselves, but also the world around them. And while I had read both of the novels before, I found myself re-reading them chapter by chapter with the students, gaining new insights and understanding as I did.
My love of literature runs deep, I honestly do not remember ever learning to read, I just read. So it should have come as no surprise that I chose to major in English when completing my Bachelor of Arts Degree. Throughout that program and even after, I have sought to take courses that will give me the most breadth and depth of knowledge. I have included the photo of part of one of my book shelves, let’s just say if I ever move far away, I’ll need a boat….
