BC curriculum (c. 2014)

The BC curriculum and ON curriculum are very similar but the problem is that there is a constant struggle between which is better, any other province in Canada can have teachers easily earn their teaching certificate, BC and ON are the only two that require to jump through many long and mentally exhausting hoops to get verified with. 

BC and ON are two provinces that also cost you nearly a months pay cheque to get situated in.

When applying for any police cheque you need to have a reason for it, if applying for vulnerable sectors you need to provide a letter of request. When applying for BC verification, you would think you need VSC but you don't, stop wasting your time trying to get a letter from them because you don't need it. Just get a regular one and suck up the cost if they turn around after and tell you otherwise. OCT will also ask the same thing.

BC curriculum and ON are very similar, don't worry so much, when switching between the two, the biggest difference is vocabulary of technical documental terminology and the format of the strands or PLOs.

BC and ON have a high standard of English and knowledge in terms of Canadian identity and proficient English learners. The other provinces are obviously at a standard however due to regional differences and cultural needs, some provinces have a stronger focus on the acquisition of basic English language and post secondary preparation knowledge. All high schools and schools obviously are trying to scaffold and prepare you for what comes next, some aspects of culture thouj have made it harder for students to consistently scaffold from year to year. Places that are more rural or built around hands on communities, will need to breakout students from the intergenerational trend and move away or be educated elsewhere. This means students need a little more of a chance to develop their ambitions as well as their skills.

ON and BC use a lot of each orher's materials to build on skills and teaching strategies, assessment and evaluation are the big words up for discussion with teachers and boards, the reason for this is because they are trying to find a way to prove that students who require differentiated learning are getting it so they are not left behind.

It's very much like the standardized test theory; the animals school story? Don't remember?

So, there is a school all animals go to in order to learn how to live in the wild, each  animal had to perform in flying, swimming, climbing and running. An animal who can do one thing really well, like a duck swimming, may not be good at running and instead of being told to use their strengths to get better marks in other ways or just specialize, they are told to focus less on swimming and practice more running.

BC and ON certainly try to adhere to a level of differentiation but still heavily rely on a "non-invasive" standardized test, but really, it is super invasive and needs to be reworked a lot. Just like different parts of canada have different standards of education, each province needs to understand there is different needs between schools, every year.

Sometimes I wondering how long it will be till our reading circles are consistently outside around the fire, and more vocally reiterated/demonstrated between teachers and students.

I don't know I what else I could say about  BC curriculum that I couldn't say about ON other than the fact that I was trained in ON curriculum. 

Maybe I'll have more information after talking to a professor I had in University.

Ciao for now folks :)

CB

Maple Leaf Department meetings (c. 2014)

Oh my goodness. Had my first real department meeting; it gave me some mixed emotions. 

You ever have one thought about the person you are and then listen to other people talk about themselves and then you feel progressively worse and worse about yourself? Ya that slacker thing I have perfected over my many years, ouch. People talking about developing new courses and have taught everywhere and anywhere or people have have gone or are taking their masters, like uhhhh well I graduated from Lakehead andddddd ya happy to be here, wooo *awkward*

Just kidding, sort of...it's good and comforting knowing that you have strong colleagues and co workers, because hey if you are ever in a hard place, there ya go.

You learn a bit, a lot gets refreshed in your mind, the ones here China are a hundred times better than the ones back home, these ones are more active and...maybe it is the department heads, butttttt who knows, it's started with a lot of who are you, these are your new friends, and ya go English department! Well go, ten department lol. 

I'm excited to see what comes next, might join the pro-d committee, you can tell the old birds from North America and the young guns who are like really, are we discussing this information that we know? The old birds, always and I mean always have a comment about something someone else says, even if it is that they agree, it's nice don't get me wrong, but trust me, I wouldn't say what in saying if I didn't thinking was right :p just let's get through this please :p then you know who they are because they just complain about nonsensical hibgs, like really? You are bringing up the use of a pen on one of your tests as a good or bad thing discussion? What!? Idk, I can see the frustrations from folks back home about pro-d, here though, it's novel and a whole different psychology of these students, so there is always something new to learn!

Rant over and pro-d day has started...no! I would never have my cellphone out during pro-d! :p 

Ciao for now!

CB

Chinese holiday

Oddly enough I was looking up what the national holiday in October was based on and found out that actually the idea of a national holiday appeared in China first back in the western Jin dynasty. Usually it was a day that was ascended to te throne or was born.

September 27th - October 7th

October 1-7 is known as the golden week. Large scale activities are occurring throughout the country and people travel all around China. 

The 1st of October (1949) is the memorial day for the day the PRC was founded. The PRC is actually formed September 21st is the first appearance of the PRC (1949).

Tinammon square is the to-be-place during the golden week, there is aarge military parade. 

Shopping malls offer huge discounts and there are calligraphy exhibitions, dancing, many regular festival features :)

If travelling during this time it is really hard to get train tickets, plane tickets and hotel rooms, usually thy are a lot more expensive than usual as well, plan ahead.

Just a brief little bit if information anyone like myself who may be heading over soon.

Cheers :)

CB

Paid for work at MLS

Payment options are established monthly by the teacher and put into affect by the school. 

Salary is determined befor the. Contract and is strongly honoured along with the increases in payment over time served with the school.

So your payment each month allows you to put so many dollars canadian into a Canadian account as well as a Chinese account. The school will allow you to use your current Canadian account and ask you to discontinue a Chinese one (if you have it opened) because they will set you up with their Chinese bank account.

They are trying to scam the teachers, there are just too many unknowns with some bank accounts and to avoid any such problems as a liability and accountability issue, they just rather have all teachers going through the same problem. 

The maximum amount of money allowed to leave the country is around a million q. So, a million of their dollars.

Each month the school subtracts room and board which ranges to a maximum of 550.00$ (from what I understand). Utilities included. The residence (if that is where you are staying) are built to serve a more western culture and if you are not on campus, the school works with agencies around china that can find you a more western culturized home for your time in china.

Visa cards are not really useful there unless you are shopping online or something maybe.

I'm so excited, thanks for following and good luck in your future endeavours amigo!

Cheers! 

CB

Annual fees.

Ugh. Annual fees, you see them and pay them everywhere, you want

-be a fisherman

-have a job

-be a teacher....

-have credit

-be able to drive

-be able to shop

-be able to sell

-get help

...the list goes on. We are obsessed with money and I know you know this. It's no secret and if you can't see that yet, well, you should let me know and I'll do a blog series about it :p 

Every year Teachers pay I to their college, so for me I'm paying OCT and BCT because in order to call myself and become a certified teacher, I need to have money, not to mention a credit card to do so. Therefore I'm paying an annual fee to have an annual fee -_- I know you can look at it in different ways and be positive or negative about it, but the stone cold truth is, everything needs finding and instead of getting it from elsewhere they are taking it from the people who it goes to.

I used to work for the city, and even thouj I didn't pay taxes in the city or township I worked in, there were individuals who did. Now granted all taxes are divided up and what not or go towards different areas and what not but the people who lived in the city, were working for the city and therefore paying their own wages in a manner of speaking. See what I mean? It's a freaking loop. Add in this and that, deductions and rebates, whatever, the point is, there needs to be another way to earn. 

This other way that some people recognize is what gets people into trouble. Dubai has the right idea. I was looking at a job there for teaching. The pay was 10 to 12k a month....cash. I said wow. That is something else, I was telling someone about it and they told me it was to keep their countries money in their country. I'm not an economist or anything remotely professional in the realm of politics or policy. The reality that a gov't is able to self sustain is there, we see it in small scale socialism and our own personal businesses. 

I'm not trying to say we pay taxes for nothing, we do, we have that wonder healthcare, and ya...I guess our right to live here...even though we were born here and born with the perpetual health (some of us) that we should be allowed to keep. 

This discussion is more along the lines of, we pay for everything and I believe in paying it forward more than I believe in paying for sonethibg. I'm not saying go out and steal or pirate, but why can't we barter, why can't we exchange goods and services. The answer, no money in it. 

Here we go, I'm getting into my rant about our obsession with competition and excess. I was in Costa Rica. It was beautifully untouched in some spots. But then there were others where it was untouched, yet obviously it was not if they were able to build resorts and what not around there. I'm not talking down their way of living I just am trying to paint a picture for you, these people who vacation there and wherever constantly, fail to realize the repercussions of their "buying into tourism". 

I had this conversation with someone close to me and I think we came to a stale mate. Yes it is their way of earning, no they don't need much cause they are just trying to make a legitimate living, unlike us who are obsessed with excess and everything else that money can buy. But when we are going to places like this and buying into this way of living, we are condoning this lifestyle they have. I just fail to see what gives us the right to a life of whatever the hell we want, where they struggle to make half the living we do. I just fee more often than not, there is a power distance between two entities everywhere. I use my trip to Costa Rica as an example because instead of just seeing it and reading about it, I was apart of it. Ya I had a great time on vacation there and I would never say these thoughts to someone unless I knew they could handle it but, there were points on vacation that I felt like shit cause I'm enjoying myself in their homeland without a worry while they are forces to sit there and accommodate. Granted ya some of them can earn in other ways. But I'm saying most of them, are in tourism. How is a country supposed to become their own country and a strong country, a recognized entity to the world when they are constantly worrying about serving the rest of the world. I knownhownjpnest sounds and no I am not saying they are less than us, or anything like that, they are of the same world as is, but when you think of these places, what do you think of? Seriously, if said anything other than white sand and beaches, bite me. You think of vacation because that's what they are known as, when the reality of it is, there is corruption like everywhere else, if not worse; there are health problems, prevalent poverty (in our terms) lack of resources in some areas. When we think of china, we don't think vacation, we think of industry, electronics, maybe fast and furious (even though that is wrong!). But do you get it now, do you see how we are he ones who decide what a place is known for. How we are the ones determining the next five years of industry for certain places. It's no frikin secret certain countries are at the top of food chain and will always be there because we are so wound up in our own lives that we are not seeing the forest for the trees.

As I said before I'm not an expert on politics and policy or even financial well being, I'm a dreamer and if you ask me, I'm not the only one. 

Job market in canada

No jobs. That is all. 

Nah, there are jobs. And lots just, very hard to find, costly to have or further from home. Some jobs are exactly what you are looking for, if you have the qualifications for it. 

I am a catholic highschool teacher in the subjects of English and social science. There are very, and I mean , very few jobs for me here in Ontario. Across canada though there are lots of jobs, the problem with these jobs is the cost of living as well as the fact that I have a student loan I need to clean up. Jobs here on canada will not allow me to clean up my debt quickly or work where I would prefer. Granted beggars can't be choosers but, if I am moving away from friends and family; might as well go big! 

Overseas. This is where a lot of beginning teachers are going, you need to be careful when going overseas to teach though. See next post.

In Canada's more urban areas if you are lucky, a starting teacher can be looking at 35-40 ish thousand a year with benefits. As a French teacher, you are probably entitled to a wee bit more. 

If you are a beginning teacher going north, you can certainly make a pretty penny. However be prepared for small community living and harsh winters. A worth while experience, but you need to want to go. 

In Alberta, and some other booming places, you can reach around 60ish thousand, however you need to realize this is because of the cost of living is higher. This is something to be aware of no matter where you go, this is a big part of the reason I was not overly enthused about working overseas, my biggest  offers  were from England which can be extremely expensive, not only to start up but to live as well. 

In the name of experience, just go with it. I'm heading to china. Stay in touch and remember to keep following :)

Cheers!

C.B.

Punishment

No such thing. You are simply conditioning or reinforcing good behaviour. 

No child needs to have the heck slapped out of them. It may feel like that sometimes but that is just simply enough, our patience wearing thin, it is a sign that we are beginning to be burnt out, people who work with behaviours all the time say they get used to it, and in a sense this is true but in reality, they are just built on such a way that their patience is higher and it only continued to get higher with every misbehaviour. 

Misbehaviour also is not always a product of want, children don't always want to misbehave, someone's it is their nature or instincts acting as mandated. 

People are made to defend themselves and their bodies are made to keep themselves healthy. Of a child feels threatened they may lash out to keep distance between themselves and anyone who can remotely resembles danger, based on the level of protection their mind feels they need. 

People's bodies Are created to protect themselves instinctively and keep themselves healthy through signs and symptoms. A number of children all around the world experience hunger pains because parents either don't or can't afford to feed their children. Children will react thusly by acting out or lashing out unknowingly. Their bodies are irritated and worn out. They need energy, probably more energy giving foods than older folks.

We need to keep this in mind and always as a prepared teacher, know the morning breakfast program at the school we work at, have a spare nutrigrain, or something else that is also nut free, on hand or in desk. Even thigh most schools have a breakfast program implemented, some students get shy or nervous and will not go.

So much more to misbehaviours than we are aware of. Be careful and remember to always be compassionate.

Regards,

C.B.

New chapter.

Here we are. 

Please raise your hand before speaking and don't speak while others are sharing their thoughts. 

Always use your words and make sure the words you are speaking all make sense and are used properly. 

Everyone has the right to education. Everyone deserves to be heard and everyone needs the chance to be corrected as well as correct others. We all are apart of each other's learning process.

Have strength, patience And compassion as others had for you.

Welcome. The world of teaching has much to offer and even more to give! Good luck out there and give them your all!

The Teacher Candidate: "The CALM Model "

Excerpt from Classroom Management Textbook I read back in 2014 (?*)

-Still applies today. (receently reviewed-2024)

The CALM strategy provides the following steps as a general guide for handling classroom-management issues...

Level 1- Consider
-When a student's behaviour becomes disruptive, the teacher should consider the following question to initiate a response process. "Does the behaviour change, affect or disrupt the classroom learning environment, teacher, or students?"

Level 2- Act
-Once the behaviour has become a "distracting" force for the teacher, the next level of intervention is introduced. This occurs when it becomes necessary to act.

Level 3- Lessen
-Lessen the use of invasive responses in dealing with a situation that require action in order to avoid distracting a class by intervening one student's behaviour

Level 4- Manage
-If there is a problem bad enough to interrupt your class for, manage it quickly to avoid over distraction of other students.

General Notes

-When teachers  describe children using negative labels and react to children negatively, these same children may seek to continue this type of response because a negative response is better than no response

-Behavioral problems: any that disrupts the teaching act or is psychologically or physically unsafe, such as running in a science lab, using unsafe tools or laboratory equipment, threatening other students, and constantly bullying classmates.

-When deciding on your teacher intervention ask these questions:
1. is this interfering with the act of teaching?
2. does this interfere with the rights of others to learn?
3.are students psychologically or physically unsafe?
4. is there destruction of property?

-Sometimes, motivation can be the problem for students, students may have on of the following symptoms if they are experiencing motivational problems:
1. low levels of self confidence
2. low expectations for success
3. lack of interest in academics
4. lost feelings of autonomy
5. achievement anxiety
6. fears of success or failure

-Working with students who have motivational problems sometimes requires long term individualized intervention and/or sometimes even referrals to professionals outside of the classroom

-It is important to properly approach a motivational problem with a student by addressing focus on the student's expectation to success and and the value placed on the learning activity, this way the student will not develop behavioural problems

-Anecdotal record keeping are wonderful for all sorts of reasons in the classroom but certainly a great tool to use when working through motivational problems

-Ways that students can be helped is by generally getting them more engaged; technology is a great way to get students involved more with their work

-Home environment is an important part of s student's life and ability to learn

-Maslow (1968) believes that there are five things needed to have a successful life:
1. physiological needs: hunger, thirst, breathing
2. belonging and affection needs: giving and receiving love, warmth, and affection
3.safety and security needs: protection from injury, pain, extremes of heat and cold
4. esteem and self-respect needs: feeling adequate
5. Self-actualization needs: self-fulfillment by using one's talents and potential

-Things from home life that create divide between pro-social and disruptive students
1. Parental supervision and discipline were inadequate, being to lax, too strict or erratic
2. The parents were indifferent or hostile to the child; they disapproved of many things about the child and handed out angry, physical punishment
3. The family operated only partially if at all, as a unit, and the marital relationship lacked closeness and equality of partnership
4. The parents found it difficult to discuss concerns regarding the child and believed that they had little influences on the child. They believed that other children exerted bad influences on their children

-In the school environment positive self esteem helps the student motivates the students to learn which helps them further develop self-actualization

-Students need to feel safe in schools, if they are too concerned looking out for their well being then how are they concerned with their marks

Pilot.

Here are some things I learned throughout my years, and things I am learning. Some things are reworded from works of both academic and non-academic texts.

If you ever need anything or if you ever have questions, please feel free to message me at csbono@lakeheadu.ca

I have resources on resources and love creating resources, if you ever need assistance making resources or coming up with ideas, message me, nothing makes me happier :) I love brainstorming and working with individuals :)

Sincerely,

Mr. B