Intern Final Report: Professional Semester Three

During my final practicum, I had the privilege teaching at Coalhurst High School. I had the
opportunity to teach a wide range of grades, subject matter and class sizes. This experience has been
very rewarding. I taught grade ten social, grade seven social and grade seven and eight leadership.
Leadership was only once a week so much of my time was spent teaching grade seven and ten social
studies. Nicole Swen was my teacher mentor for grade seven and Michael Saad was my teacher mentor
for grade ten social. My grade seven social and leadership classes had twenty students ranging in
academic ability as well as emotional maturity. The grade ten social class started out with twenty-eight
students but as the year progressed, two new students would be added. All of grade ten social was in
the same classroom.

Due to the high number of students, varying personalities and abilities, this class was a challenge
to manage. It was decided to split the class into 10-1 and 10-2 to help the students. The smaller class
size proved very beneficial to the students and classroom management behaviours decreased. My
teacher mentor and I each took a section of the grade ten class and I taught the 10-1 stream and he
taught 10-2. It was great to have the experience of teaching both curriculums as well as focusing on one.
Moving the twenty 10-1 students to a different classroom helped the students to feel more comfortable
participating in discussion as well as allowing me to provide more one on one instruction for students
who needed it because classroom disruptions and behaviours were less. Also during my practicum, I was
the head coach of the senior high girls’ basketball team. This included some of my grade ten students as
well as some of the girls from grade eleven and twelve. This was a great way to get involved in the
school community and to get to know my students in a different way. Basketball season continues after
my practicum is over and I am excited to come back and continue to coach the team.

I was also involved in the We Create Change club was started this year at the school by Nicole
Swen. I helped create bulletin boards and helped plan monthly activities that the students who joined
We Create Change participated in. These activities helped benefit the school. In November, the students
put positive and inspirational notes on all of the lockers after school to be seen by the entire student
body the next morning. I also had the opportunity to take some students in my leadership class to the
WE Day celebration in Calgary. This was an amazing experience for both myself and the students. In
leadership, I helped the students plan a student of the month assembly. I facilitated the conversation
while the students planned the activity. Each month, a different grade was in charge of organizing an
activity that would occur during the assembly. It was wonderful to see students stepping up and
planning events for the school.

One thing that I tried to work on during this practicum was building meaningful relationships
with the students. It is one thing for the students to listen and respect a teacher, but it is harder for
them to trust a teacher enough to confide in them and ask them for advice. I have made meaningful
connections with my students and other students within the school.

Teaching at Coalhurst was an incredibly rewarding experience and I am extremely grateful to the
teaching staff and support staff that made my time at Coalhurst so enjoyable. I have gained more
confidence in my classroom management abilities and was able to gain more experience working with
challenging students. I am enjoying teaching all my classes and through this experience, I know that I
have made the right decision regarding my career.
 Teacher Mentor Final Report: Professional Semester Three
Jaime Hummel was a PS III practicum student teaching Social Studies 10-1 and 10-2 at Coalhurst
High School this past Fall 2017 semester under my mentorship. Jaime did an outstanding job this
practicum in dealing with a large, complex class of 32 students, the academic range of which varied
quite significantly in terms of the overall impacts on class behavior, performance, and diversity. That
acknowledged Jaime met the challenge quite admirably, and learned a lot about pedagogy and the
effectiveness in lesson planning, building student rapport, and effective discipline in the process of
dealing with the various issues the class provided for her.

Jaime was well planned for each and every lesson, demonstrating a strong competency and
commitment by having detailed, organized, and through lesson and unit plans for the group,
understanding that her planning would be an integral part of her success with the group. She adapted
her formative and summative assessments to meet select student need, and she varied her instructional
approaches in order to accommodate different learning styles. Often her lessons showcased a variety of
different teaching styles in order to offer variety and opportunity for the wide range of students – she
engaged in group work with the students (never an easy task with a large class, especially one as
complex as this one), created forums for discussion and formal debate, levelled in innovative projects
that had students use multiple technologies, as well as importing a variety of current events activities to
connect the curricular content to real world, revenant developments in the students’ lives. In terms of
building rapport with students, Jaime volunteered much of her time to supervise and/or attend
students’ volleyball games, assisted in organizing our Remembrance Day ceremony, and is currently
investing a significant portion of her personal time coaching our Senior Girls Basketball team, a
commitment that will take her well beyond the official guidelines of her PS III practicum. Throughout
the semester, Jaime maintained a clear and persistent commitment to help every single student in her
classroom, offering tutorials, after school completion supervision, and maintained regular
communication home with parents for any and all of her students whom there were issues or concerns
for.

Finally in terms of dealing with the day-to-day problem situations and issues common to the
profession, Jaime sought assistance and advice from all teachers within the school, and was open and
welcoming to constructive advice. She was firm when she needed to be in maintaining classroom
control and/or dealing with difficult students, and held students accountable for their misbehavior as
needed. I have tremendous confidence in her ability to take on a difficult class, especially in her team
approach and her willingness and ease to ask for assistance and advice from experienced teachers and
administration. I believe Jaime handled challenging situations with an effective balance of firmness but
also a compassion that is not an easy balance to strike, especially in a PS III practicum.

All in all, I felt Jaime did an outstanding job in her PS III practicum and I would certainly give her
my highest recommendation for a first year teaching position!
 Teacher Mentor Final Report: Professional Semester Three
I had the pleasure to be Jaime's mentor teacher whereby she taught my Social 7 from
September until the end of December. Jaime also took over my Leadership 7 and 8 near the end of
September. In doing so, she demonstrated great flexibility and coach-ability in taking on some courses
that were neither started nor designed by herself. This can be a difficult task, especially in a junior high
setting, yet she did it with ease.

Jaime went above and beyond here at Coalhurst High School. Upon arrival she immediately
made herself visible and present for the students. She promptly became involved in the starting up of a
student driven leadership group, We Create Change, and leant her support by attending meetings,
events, and helping out with student projects. In addition to this commitment, Jaime aided in the
planning and preparation of student of the month assemblies. Lastly, Jaime volunteered to coach the
high school senior girl's basketball team, showing an investment in the kids, and our school, that
extended beyond the obligations of a practicum student. I have no doubt that she will be a positive,
contributing force to any school lucky enough to have her on staff.

In the classroom, Jaime provided a variety of activities to engage students and enhance their
learning. She was incredibly coach-able and willing to try new things. Jaime was also very open to
constructive criticism and approached her teaching with an eagerness to learn, grow, and improve. My
grade 7 students related well to her teaching style and appreciated the variety of assessments, tools,
and visuals used to cover a content thick curriculum. Jaime was creative in her approach and as she
continues to grow as a teacher, I have no doubt that she will become even more confident in finding the
balance and pace necessary to successfully complete such a dense curriculum, without compromising
those authentic and memorable activities. Jaime had a strong grasp of the curriculum which enabled her
to provide multiple learning opportunities to ensure student success at all levels. It is perhaps her
knowledge of the curriculum that allowed her to be as successful as she was in the classroom as she had
some challenging students, and managed several difficult situations in an incredibly professional
manner. Jaime was able to keep calm in several situations involving a student who suffers from violent
outbursts and continued from there to treat the student with the utmost of care and respect. Jaime
even went as far as to shift things around in her classroom in order to accommodate for this student and
keep him engaged and learning. She clearly demonstrated her ability to see the best in ALL kids.

Coalhurst has some difficult demographics and Jaime immediately understood that the job of a
teacher often extends beyond the classroom. She sought out advice in dealing with difficult students
and made students feel valued and appreciated. CHS is passionate about providing a safe, welcoming
space for our students, and Jaime immediately appreciated the needs of our unique student body. In
doing so, she demonstrated that she is willing to go the extra mile to meet the needs of the school and
student population where she is teaching.

Jaime was respected by staff and students alike and adhered to the professional code of
conduct. She was a pleasure to work alongside with, and will be dearly missed. It is with utmost
confidence that I would recommend Jaime receive her teaching certification and wish her all the best in
her future endeavours.
 Administrator Report: Professional Semester Three
Jaime Hummel made an excellent start in her PS III Internship at Coalhurst High School. Since
her initial welcome to our staff, Jaime has made herself an integral component of our school team. She
has built relationships with staff and students as well as maintained contact with our school families.
Jaime has volunteered for extra-curricular activities including coaching one of our basketball teams,
accompanying a group of students to WE Day and various events for our Leadership groups.

In formal and informal observations, I have noted that Jaime has a strong knowledge in her
subject areas as well solid training in pedagogical methods. She also brings a great energy and
enthusiasm to everything she does. Jaime has also demonstrated her commitment to lifelong learning.
She successfully collaborated with her mentors and administration, as well as taking advantage of
professional development opportunities, offered by the district. Jaime is charismatic and creative, she
can think outside the box. She has shown strong classroom management skills and has developed a
rapport with her students that is characterized by mutual respect.

Jaime brings exciting new ideas to her classes and to the school, she is eager to help out and
participate anywhere she is needed, showing the flexibility that is required in our profession; I’m
confident that she will continue that momentum into her career. Jaime has all the attributes to be a
successful and professional teacher. She is a hard worker, very conscientious and determined to be the
best teacher she can be for her students. She is always positive and has been a great asset to our staff. I
would not hesitate in recommending Jaime Hummel for a teaching position in any school setting, where
she may make application.