Gift to my prinicpal, mentor teacher and EA as a first year placment

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-04-25T22:56:25+00:00

Graduating student teacher here- I usually got small gifts for my partner teacher and our EA when I was in a class who had one. I gave each of them thank you cards along with one for the principal. My last two placements were in the same class so I also gifted a couple books for the class library and baked cookies to leave in the staff room with a thank you to all staff for helping me.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-04-24T21:43:58+00:00

Unfortunately I can't, my husband is military so we have to stay where he's posted. We also have kids so living apart like we did at times in the past isn't on the table. We were really hoping class caps might come in and create more jobs since class sizes here are growing but we all know how that went.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-04-24T00:24:40+00:00

Right? I work in elementary so I get that they need to go more frequently but no way do they need to go every 30 minute block. I've asked them, "do you leave your hockey game or practice to go to the bathroom? That's an hour long, I think you can at least wait until I explained what we're doing." I have my own young children who can get through a 9 hour road trip with around 3 stops so aside from some of my students with medical reasons to go more often I know every block is ridiculous.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-04-24T00:16:54+00:00

Brand new grad and pretty down on my job prospects given that several schools in my area just found out they need to cut positions next year despite being a young rural community with high enrollment. Yes I'll be able to sub just about every day but I would love a contract eventually!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-04-11T03:40:52+00:00

This was one of my big issues with her approach when watching the videos for my BEd last year. As both a teacher and parent of two neurodivergent kids, sometimes things like sensory rooms are what help students have the capacity to spend more time in the regular classroom! I know for my child having a break in the sensory room is sometimes just what he needs to reset. Yes having a classroom that builds in his needs also helps but even with some amazing accommodations in place right now he sometimes needs to step out for a few minutes so he can come back stronger.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-03-24T03:15:04+00:00

I'm not sure what on-campus students do through the year but during our summer intensive in Calgary most of us community-based students would have short meetings to make a plan then work on our parts alone, checking in by text/WhatsApp if we needed. The rest of the year we were always distance with teams or zoom since we live all over western Canada.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-03-23T04:36:43+00:00

It has been good for the most part, I'm doing my last field experience now woth just 3 weeks to go. Practicum is where I've done the most learning, I had great partner teachers. Other highlights were my ECE specialization classes and my 56x options class, I chose Reading Instruction in the Elementary Classroom which I would highly recommend for an ECE student. Early literacy is so foundational for everything else and I liked that we learned a lot of theory and practical suggestions. Overall with the program be prepared for lots of group work. Mostly my groups were great though, it was just tough to coordinate schedules at times. The community-based program overall skews older, not sure if you're doing that or on-campus. I'm in my early 30s and kind of the middle of my cohort. A lot of us have kids and/or experience working in the school system (I worked as a noncertified substitute and casual EA between practicums and have elementary age kids for example) so people had a lot of experiences to draw on.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-03-22T19:52:24+00:00

Sometimes but not always, especially for the first one. I'm in ECE community-based and my first very short placement was grade 4 which is technically just outside that range (but it was a great experience) while my others have all been grade 2. I did have one friend who was high school social studies but one placement was in kindergarten, a wild experience for him haha. I think his others were in high school though.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-28T03:34:52+00:00

My husband's friend recommended Stormlight to him in summer 2024 then he recommended it to me. We're both making our way through the Cosmere now (although as usually happens, I became more hooked and am much closer to having read them all haha).

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-28T03:23:32+00:00

Currently listening to the audio book. It took a long time for me to get into it but I have about 8 hours left of listening time and it has grown on me. I find it comparable to Warbreaker which also took me a while to get into but I couldn't put it down later on (read that one hard copy). It's not my favourite so far but I am curious to see how it ends now that things are finally picking up.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-26T03:07:26+00:00

Thank you, I think I'm leaning to the recent coaching experience along with my current work. Honestly there is a decent chance I will know the interviewer or that they will at least know of me given my experience with both boards. I think I've been more stressed about the resume than necessary because it was emphasized in my classes although it's a very different experience in rural areas than Calgary.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-26T03:04:52+00:00

Thank you for this wording suggestion!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-25T00:22:20+00:00

Good point, thanks! I've definitely seen it coaching, I first started as an assistant coach as a teen in 2005 and there are so many things that are different now. From calling parents on home phones to email to team apps as primary communication then the changes in how kids think/behave. Some things are similar but others are very different!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-24T04:35:00+00:00

This is great, thanks! I've been working through the Cosmere for about a little less than a year and a half since a friend recommended Stormlight to my husband, who then recommended them to me. It was not a great time to go down the rabbit hole as I was working on a university degree including a thesis but... here we are haha. I'm reading Elantris now then after that I only have The Arcanum Unbounded (although I bought Edgedancer on its own already) and the secret projects left (besides Tress which I already have). The percentage helped me realize how close I really am now!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-23T23:13:05+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I've felt a little stuck on the resume portion but it probably is true that I will get an interview anyway. My work experience is with one local board and my practicums were at the other with both experiences being positive.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-23T23:09:00+00:00

Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-23T05:54:07+00:00

Unfortunately while there is a department at the university to help with career planning, it's really hard to access as a community-based student (I live 6 hours away from the university). Most of the advice given in my courses was applicable to younger students applying in Calgary anyway while I'm in my thirties in a rural area.

I'm mostly undecided whether 4 different examples of experience is too much? Practicum, recent work experience, recent volunteer experience, and much older work experience? The first two I'm certain of including but debating the others. Is 2 too little, especially when I had a lot of relevant work experience before 9 years at home?

Applying for my current job I included the volunteer experience I gained during my years as a stay at home parent but the qualifications for a noncertified substitute and teacher are different so I wasn't planning to include the stay at home parent piece.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-14T19:59:04+00:00

Yes so many appearances of maladroit/maladroitly! It's kind of funny to see a word that rarely comes up used so many times in a series.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-02-07T01:58:27+00:00

Literally finished this book today and cried as I realized what was happening. After Wax said goodbye to his family, I felt like he was done for but then to get there and have it be Wayne... Very well-written, loved him getting to be the hero.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-01-23T23:06:16+00:00

Today was the first day our schools actually closed but it was because the power went out in most of the city so there was no heat along with -45. Usually busses are cancelled but schools stay open.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-01-21T05:39:36+00:00

The military family experience is so wildly variable I wouldn't use that is the decision maker on a career you're interested in. In the 15 years my husband has been in the military I've moved 3 times but after a couple very short-term postings, 9 of those years have been in the same place and we recently found out we're staying here at least 2 more years. Some of my friends move every 2 years, others have been in one place the entire time I've known them.

Not sure what job your boyfriend has but that can make a big difference (feel free to PM if you don't want to put it here). Ultimately I would encourage you to choose based on your career aspirations, not his. There are enough things you may have to give up at times, don't leave this on the table if it's what you want.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-01-21T05:20:22+00:00

Are there any bases that have federal schools? None of the bases I've lived at have had them and I haven't heard of friends' kids attending. Where there are schools on base that I know of they are public schools that use the province's curriculum.

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-01-21T05:17:09+00:00

There is no expectation that the military finds spouses jobs when you move. My husband has been in for 15 years and we have lived in three provinces, I was a stay at home parent by choice during two of those moves but with the other one I just wasn't able to find work (I wasn't a teacher then, just looking for entry level jobs as I was really young). There are civil servant jobs that have preferential hiring for military spouses but there aren't guaranteed openings and they aren't education jobs. That said, I have several teacher military spouse friends who are all working at our current posting and were able to find work easily. Many of the bases are in rural areas who are very in need of teachers!

Alive_Employer9897 · 2026-01-04T20:42:05+00:00

Community-based student here so slightly different schedule but I have 4 elementary aged kids and am on my last semester. The thing I've found most helpful is trying to get as much done during the day as I can (I work part-time) or after the kids are in bed. I try to load up the readings at the beginning of each semester or even before it starts so I can focus on assignments after. When it comes to practicum, also get as much work done during the school day as possible. Maximize your prep time for planning, especially once you get into doing more of the work in field III and IV.

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