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Charmain’s Story My journey of becoming the educator I am today. The Formative Years.
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Charmain’s Story My journey of becoming the educator I am today
The Formative Years The Laroque Family Farm- This is my happy place, my roots, my first teacher, my forever home. It is a place where my roots were first planted; it is a place where my roots continue to grow. Growing up on a farm required me to work hard, learn fast and look at life with a lenses that many do not see. It is a place that reminds me to always see the beauty in everything messy and reminds me to count my blessings. My Life Line- My familia- Growing in a family of six played a big part in who I am today. My mom and dad are the kindest, most hard working people I know. My oldest sister Amanda- she’s the one I turn to when I don’t know how to do something. Sister Pam, she’s the one I turn to when I need advice or to a shoulder to cry on. My brother Brent- he’s the one I turn to when I need a break from stress. My family is close. We are each others life lines. They have saved me more times than they’ll ever know.
It’s like a right of passage- we all learned how to skate out here on Grandma’s lake. The Laroque women- We are each other’s best friends . This wall in my parents home is a constant reminder of the family they have built out of love. Family camp out: Building memories for our children is one of ourfavorite things to do. “This is the best camp out ever mom.”
The land: It took me a long time to figure out how much the land I grew up on affected me. While growing up, you fail to take in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes it nourishes your body with. Regardless, it continues to produces its teachings. Through stories told by my father, my own successes and failures and watching my son play in the same dirt and skating on the same lake I did while growing up, this land has awakened my sense. I feel it pull my heart and mind out of its hectic mode and draw it into its peaceful sanctuary. When my personal life was falling apart, this land held me up- reminding me that change is beautiful- just like each season. When I feel my enemy-self-doubt- begin to lurkin the shadows, the land reminds me that doubt is a good thing, doubt keeps me humble- and humility will never let you down. When I begin to wonder if I have learned enough, this land reminds me that there is always more to explore, more to try and always, always more to learn. The land was my first teacher- As an educator- I believe teaching is like learning from the land. It should awaken senses, allow for exploration and reflection. It should not have one answer- but rather a vastness of endless answers. If you fail to pay attention to the land- it could hurt you; or you could hurt it. Learning from the land is when both the teacher and student are learning from each other- neither causing harm or doing harm; It should be authentic in its teachings about life.
Growing up My teenage years were nothing glorious nor horrific. I was a pretty typical small town teenager. Weekends were filled with random gatherings on main street and bush parties. I started working when I was 14 years old and continued working as a waitress in a restaurant in our small town of Duck Lake until I graduated. Growing up in a small rural town definitely influences who you are. You become a part of a community where everyone knows you and your family. (Unknown at the time, but this would become a huge part of my future) Being active on sports teams, school events and town events helped me develop a strong sense of community. I felt comfort in going anywhere in town and seeing familiar faces. But like most teenagers, you can’t wait to get out of there and get out into the real world. After graduation, I enrolled the SUNTEP program through the University of Saskatchewan. I was 18 when I started my first year of university.
Career choice When asked during my interview for SUNTEP why I wanted to become a teacher, I responded “Because since I was little, I knew I wanted a job that enabled me to work with children. I have always wanted to help children, so I think teaching is a good fit for me.” I wish at the time I was much more philosophical than that but in its simplicity, it speaks the truth. Reflecting on my life experiences, I have always naturally been drawn to helping anything and everything in need. If there was a sick calf, you would find me in the barn, caressing its head with reassuring strokes. Babysitting was my first full time job, I was an honorary big sister to many neighboring farm kids. High school gave me the opportunity to coach junior teams, be captain of the volleyball team– not because I was a talented player, but rather good at taking care of a team. Whether it was waitressing or being an alter server at church, I took care of people. I put my needs asides for the time to make sure their needs were met. Becoming a teacher was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I convocated from the University of Saskatchewan with my Bachelor of Education degree in 2006. I truly believe teaching is my superpower. It’s my gift from the Creator.
Influences, Inspirations and Changes We are a team. We are each others backbones- each others biggest fans. This is my family. A magical place where who I am aligns with what I believe. There are several events in my life that caused great transformational changes to the person and educator I am today. First: the birth of my son. Becoming a mother was a beautifully terrifying miracle. My handsome little boy stole my heart the minute I laid eyes on him. Some people dream of meeting their hero, I gave birth to mine. Second: teaching position. I started teaching at Stobart Community School in 2009. Teaching at my home school is something I never thought would happen. I was grateful for the opportunity to give back to a community that had done so much for me. Third: my divorce. My son’s father and I separated in 2011. The divorce was messy and difficult. At the time it felt like a nightmare, now I realize it was a blessing in disguise. ..and she loved a little boy very much, even more than she loved herself.
The Evolution of a teacher In the summer of 2011, I read a book called Reading with Meaning by Debbie Millar. She is educator/ author who shares in her book how she successfully teaches reading strategies to her grade 1 class through a workshop model. First of all: NO ONE has ever taught me those reading strategies. I had no idea that mental images were a good thing, or that its ok to talk back to the text! Wow! MIND BLOWN and slightly embarrassed. I thought to myself- I can’t be the only person who was never explicitly taught reading strategies- I had a mission: to change the world of reading for middle years students. My superintendent Karen Campbell gave me abook called I read it but don’t get it by CrisTovani. Futher mind blown! CrisTovani became my mentor, my class room co-teacher as I got messy trying to figure out Reader’s workshop model in my grade 8 ELA class. I believed in the Reader’s workshop model because it taught something that I was not taught; Reading! My students began to change. They began to love reading. I modelled my reading- showed the students how I try to make sense of a text, then asked them to try. For the first time, their thinking was valued. I was not interested in regurgitation of a chapter, I wanted to know what they were thinking while reading .I was vulnerable in front of my students. I made mistakes, said I don’t know so many times I feared I would lose my teaching degree. But a strange thing happened, my students and I continued to change and we got smarter together! Our engagement in reading and thinking and learning was unprecedented. I changed as a teacher. Everyday I changed. I adjusted and readjusted my thinking about what I thought I know and knew about teaching and learning so many times, I felt lost and confused. I never gave up on the feeling that something about this feels right ;so I kept failing and adjusting and celebrating!
Alignment I was asked in 2012 to 2014 to be an Inspired Learning Opportunity lead teacher. About 10 teachers from my division would visit my classroom once a month, observe my teaching and spend the afternoon discussing, dissecting and figuring out professional educators like Patrick Allen, CrisTovani, Debbie Millar, KayleenBeers,Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher. Having people watch you teach, is the best PD I have ever gone through. It required me to believe in what I was doing. To have answers for those tough questions that I was surely going to be asked. It also taught me that sometimes you have to say “I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure that out.” I discovered that the teachers who visited my classroom could see an alignment in the way I taught to what I believe. I was the same person I was in front of my students as I was in front of them. I was so worried about figuring out what I believed; that I didn’t recognize my beliefs are written all over my classroom and my practices.
A mountain I would be willing to die on My journey has taught me this so far: I believe that showing students that life is hard and messy and devastatingly beautiful is something they will always remember. I believe every learner is capable of learning. It is up to me to figure out how they learn. I believe vulnerability is necessary in learning and teaching. ***I believe you can’t not model. I believe saying “I don’t know, I’m still trying to figure it out” is the right answer. I believe learning along side students in the classroom is key to developing relationships. I in listening and not just hearing. Conferring with my students may be the only time in a day where an adult listens to them. I believe making every student feel good about who they are is more important than a test score. I believe in developing my instincts and trusting my instructs. I believe in causing no harm. I believe in modelling everything I ask of my students. It’s the most natural way to learn. I believe teachers need to be life long learners. We should never feel comfortable with our practices. We can always do better; just like we expect our students to do. I believe family, friends, life experiences-our narratives are teachings we can not and should not separate those teachings. Our narratives make up who we are. It is our schema, our bias, our ignorance's and our gifts. These narratives absolutely have a place in our classrooms. I believe improving teachers practices improve student achievement. It starts with us, the teachers. *** I know that one was grammatically incorrect. It’s a saying some of us say in my school division.
Life Long Learner Obtaining my Master’s degree was a dream I always wanted to accomplish. I have a tattoo on my inner arm that reads “Hold fast to dreams”. It is a line from a poem written by Langston Hughs. Deciding to apply for the Community Based Masters program was one of the scariest decisions of my life. My mind reeled with questions and doubt. Would I be smart enough to go back to school? How would I pay for this? How will I manage my time? Mom, teacher, student?? I believe that the universe gives you what you need at the right time-this program what exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I have learned so much! I am a part of an amazing and supportive cohort group and my teaching practices continue to evolve. My philosophy of education is a quadrant that views education in a holistic way like the medicine wheel. I have learned more about myself as a person. Writing a critical autobiography is great therapy. I share my learning with my students; they see what life long learning could look like. I share my doubts, fears and successes with them-I hope by doing this- they will not feel alone on their learning journey. This program has also helped me in my role as our school’s Learning Facilitator. It has given me new learned/unlearned knowledge that gives me confidence to take on a leadership role in professional development. This program has fueled all four parts of my self. Mentally- challenges me to think and rethink knowledge. Physically- hands on experiences along with people who all genuinely love learning makes the time a treat rather than hassle. Emotionally- the course has required me to explore my emotions- to pay attention to them and allow them to create learning. Spirituality- philosophy makes you questions your values- I finally feel aligned- for me that is spirituality.
Final words: Instructional teaching practices I learn best by seeing something done first. I would argue most people learn best by seeing something done. I show this belief by modelling everything I do for my students. I show my thought process, my thinking, my struggles, literally learning process. I see how this helps all learners. I know it helps teachers as well. Every teacher that has visited my classroom gives the feedback that seeing something unknown to helps them visualize how it could look in their classroom. Because of this evidence, I feel strongly about working with teachers to help improve teacher practices. I would like to help teachers become reflective learners of their own practices. To help them see the value of taking risks with learning along side their students. My school division has composed My Prairie Spirit Classroom which provides teaches with statements in which our division encourages and supports teachers to strive toward having present in their every day teaching practices. Each statement is well support by research and curriculum connections. I believe when these statements are present in the classroom student learning excels. I have a deep passion to support and promote best teaching practices that enrich learning for all students.
