Ximena Mejia Gonzalez

PSIII
Week 2 Reflection

This week was a lot calmer than last week. My classes began to settle, there was a. it of
shuffling of students around (to balance classes and to fulfill other administrative stuff) but
thankfully I didn’t lose many students, they just switched periods. I was very scared when they
sent out an email saying that counseling was moving students around because I had begun to
build relationships with my students, and I did not want to lose them. Like I said, I was very
happy that for the most part I got to keep working with my students. I do miss the ones who
left, but I know that it was something that needed to happen. This week we focused on
watching the movie Braveheart as a case study of nationalism. I watched it at home before I
showed it to the class and I liked it, but when I watched it with the kids, it was a completely
different experience and I loved it even more. I thought the kids were not going to like it/not
find it interesting, but boy was I wrong!!! Everybody loved it, one of the days my students got
upset that I had to pause the movie. I very kindly informed them that while I loved being
around them, they needed to go home. We had such a good time watching the movie,
analyzing it, and complaining about how unfair the Scottish were treated. We finished off the
week with a “Coat of Arms” assignment where students get to design, draw, and colour a coat
of arms that represents their nationalistic identity. The students loved this assignment they are
super excited to show me their drawings and show me all the symbols they have embedded in
their drawings. I am so happy with getting to know my students and growing with them every
day. One student came up to me and thanked me for being kind and patient with them, it made
my heart melted and showed me that I am making a difference in their lives, and that’s what I
set out to accomplish as a teacher.

Additionally, this week I stopped by the principal’s office and formally introduced
myself. We haven’t had a chance to talk 1 on 1 due to the craziness of the first week of school,
but I made it a priority to talk to him this week. We had a great chat and I told him he was
welcomed any time in my classroom to come in and observe. My relationship with Catherine is
fantastic and I have been in contact with Cara helping her with materials with the Canadian
Studies class! I can’t wait to get to that class and also help out there 