Standard 4

Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools.

During our Education 400, Numeracy course, our cohort had the opportunity to host a math night for Quinson Elementary School. We had the honour of inviting all students and their parents/guardians to attend an evening full of a variety of fun math games that covered all levels from K to 7.  Prior to this event, two very well-known educators in the district, Jennifer Dionne and Laurie Todd, attend one of our classes to discuss how the night would unfold and how we could implement fun, creative and enticing math games that could be then taken home for students to practice. Not only were we allowed to invent our own math game, but we could use this as an opportunity to view numeracy from a different angle, one that engages imagination and logic at the same time. My classmate Emily and I created a version of BUMP, called Scooping Sums, that involved dice, markers and a game sheet; simple and effective. It was geared towards the younger primary grades as it focused on addition and subtraction to 20. I found that many students were enticed to come to our table and try our game as the game board itself had ice cream cones all over it (hence the name).  This was my first interaction with student’s parents/guardian’s and I would say overall it went very smoothly. I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the student and their families through purposeful conversations, humour within playing the game and bonding over what flavour of ice-cream they prefer best.  It was really great to use this event as a way to encourage the school community to take part in our students learning needs and recognize the importance of numeracy. This was my very first introduction to Quinson Elementary as well, so it was lovely to meet the community and fellow teachers at this school. It was great to take part in something that felt impactful and meaningful as I know Quinson wanted to reinvigorate mathematics back into the school by hosting something fun and a bit out of the ordinary. I think it was great experience for our EY cohort, as it introduced us to a new community within Prince George, and allowed us the opportunity to interact with students and their families in a personal and creative way…plus who doesn’t love a little bit of competition in games from time to time.

During my three-week practicum at Peden Hill, I was also given the opportunity to create relationships with my students’ siblings, families and guardians at the end of each day during dismissal. I made a point to walk out of the school with my students each day so that I could let their trusted adult make a connection to my role in that classroom during the time I was there. Making eye contact, engaging in small conversations and ensuring that each student was with the right adult was important to me. I look forward to developing this skill further with my Education 490 and 491 practicum as I will have a bit more time to build and foster a deeper relationship with my students’ families. One way I hope to do this is by creating a short introduction sheet on who I am and why I am teaching in their classroom for the parents/guardians of my future students