“SOMETIMES WE NEED TO STEP OUTSIDE OF OUR OWN SITUATIONS TO GAIN A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. EVERY TIME I APPLIED TO PROJECT OVERSEAS MY HOPE WAS THAT I WOULD GET BACK TO THE REASON I BECAME A TEACHER – TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS BY FOCUSING ON SOUND PEDAGOGY AND STUDENT-CENTRED TEACHING AND LEARNING.”
the realities of their situations. We may live in very different parts of the world but we face many of the same issues. Working with First Nation youth who are struggling with issues of their own, it was beneficial to see how Af- rican communities deal with similar concerns. Many First Nation schools are isolated and overcrowded. They lack the basic items needed to teach a lesson properly. Most have problems with the buildings such as lack of heat, not enough space or no running water. These real- ties make it very hard to get students focused on learning. The educators I met all had much larger class sizes than I could ever imagine. They are alone in their classrooms without the help of education assistants or tutors. They do not receive any help or extra money for special education. Many of them do not get a salary or receive very little pay. What I did learn was that you take it day-to-day and you do the best you can with what you are given. Once you real- ize that it is more important to connect with a student on a personal level you begin to see that all the money and resources cannot take the place of genuine face-to-face interaction. I brought back to my own classroom the idea that I am here today, in the moment, looking at my students, helping them in whatever way I can to reach their highest potential.
24 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2019
VOICE: What kind of work did you do in your host country?
MELISSA: During all my PO experiences, I worked closely with my co-tutors to create a subject-specific plan for the project. This in- cluded reviewing the host country’s curriculum documents, planning lessons, sourcing local supplies for activities and integrating tradition- al games, songs and activities into our lessons. As a team leader, I also worked closely
with the course directors prior to the start of the project and while in country to figure out logistical details. This included preparing speeches for opening and closing ceremonies, organizing access to teaching spaces, arranging the timing of activities and transportation and addressing issues of meals, accommodations and health and safety concerns.
PEGGYSUE: I taught the physical education component of our sessions. I had a co-tutor and we looked at why physical education was not a priority and why it was not being taught. Right from the beginning, it was clear that P.E. wasn’t being taught because it was not being assessed. With the classrooms as large as they were, it was easier for teachers to just focus on the subjects they were required to teach. My co-tutor was a wonderful man who was close
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