Below is the first analysis of my education story, as well as my later interpretation.
September 19, 2017.
My Elementary Education: Worst & Best Years
Miss Bell was strict for a grade 2 teacher. There was a lot of silence and not a lot of room for fun. She was a woman from PEI who ended up teaching in Prince George, BC. It was an odd experience being in her classroom, there were no posters on the wall, only 2 chalkboards at the front. I remember feeling trapped and intimidated in this room, I felt very small and insignificant. Mrs. Bell made the rules, recited the lessons, made the questions and chose who could speak; school seemed to be all about the teacher. Everything was right or wrong, and the lessons were simply questions and answers; English was knowing grammar and verbs, math was simply addition and subtraction. That year I became very shy inside and outside the classroom. The intimidation and strict atmosphere compelled my fear for teachers as well as school. Though now when I look back, I respect the lessons I learned in that class because it taught me to respect the people in charge and push through situations that might feel uncomfortable. My knowledge also sky-rocketed this year because there was limited free time, we were constantly learning.
Grade 5 was when I learned the Arts is my forté. This is when I broke out my shell,but only because the opportunity was given to me. My traumatic experience in grade 2 was faded away when Mr. Pepin focused is teaching on drama, art, and poetry. We did many projects, such as poetry books, clay pottery using a kiln and even created out own play. We performed this play for our parents after we served them a steak dinner… and it was all organized by the students in his class. We wrote the play, did the choreography, rehersed the songs… it was my dream come true! He had faith in our abilities and challenged us to find what we were good at, whether it be singing, dancing, cooking or making the brochures, everyone had a job. My perspective of schooling changed this year because school was fun and I was learning out of the ordinary things. I was exposed to subjects I did not even know existed, I was forced to be interactive and think for myself rather than be told what and how to do it. I learned the beauty of the Arts, and after this year I began dancing full time and participating in local musicals. We may not have spent as much time on science or math, but being a little behind in those subjects the following year was completely worth every other lesson I learned that year. I also built a strong relationship with this teacher; to this day, when I visit Prince George we go and play pickle ball.
November 15, 2017
My childhood education is not something I often think back on, therefore trying to remember experiences which illustrate my learning has been a difficult task to accomplish. When I look back at my experiences I recognize two learning environments: confined and open, and it is evident each environment influenced not only my learning but also my personality. In my grade 2 classroom intimidation forced me to conform because I feared consequence. Although I became very shy, my knowledge and learning abilities peaked. I was at the top of my class and was very driven. In grade 5 I was immersed in a completely open and safe environment. My teacher disliked math and had an incredible appreciation for the arts, so we spent an abundance of time writing poetry, acting, drawing, and sculpting. This new form of learning made me uncomfortable at first, but forced me to change and find comfort in it. My grade 5 year lacked algebra and history lessons, but in the scheme of things the alternate lessons I learned were much more valuable to me.
My two elementary experiences prove that learning is an ambiguous term and come in a multitude of forms. In grade 2 I learned discipline and facts; whereas in grade 5 I learned to value freedom and independence. I do not believe any educational experience can necessarily be “bad” because you learn something from every experience. I believe you take something away from every situation and these build the foundation for your identity and future. I don’t see either as being better than the other.
At the end of writing in September it was a no-brainer that my grade 5 year was better than my grade 2 year, but when I look back I realize grade 2 taught me respect, discipline, and failure. Although the year was not particularly fun, it was an experience that I am thankful I went through.
