I am more than halfway through my stay in Regina and I could not be happier to be here. It has been a busy month and a half, but I have begun to form relationships with both the staff and the students. I learned about how to be a better teacher, friend, sister, and human being through my experiences here.
In my studies, I explored the works of Paolo Freire by reading his posthumous work titled “Pedagogy of Solidarity.” It documents a series of talks and interviews he gave before his death, along with commentaries by Ana Maria Araujo Freire, Norman Denzin, Henry Giroux, and Donaldo Macedo. In this work, he states that schools must be aware of the communities that they work and the situations that their students come from. The school exemplifies this belief and their example has inspired me to adapt Paolo Freire’s theories in my own teaching pedagogy and to explore more of his works upon my return to Toronto.
I learned about how to be a better friend and sister in my experiences here through my interaction with the students. It has not always been easy working with the students, and sometimes it feels so much easier to give up. However, I found that my prayer since coming here has been to become more loving towards the students and to everyone that I meet. I have found that I am learning to become more patient and to accept the students just as they are.
The academic year at Mother Teresa has come to a close and the activities in the school reflect this. We celebrated the Grade 8 Promotion Ceremony, where we acknowledged their time at the school and their accomplishments. The smiles on the students’ faces as they received awards and their certificates were priceless. I will always be inspired by the work that the school does to encourage the students to keep moving forward, even if the odds are stacked against them.
I also had the opportunity to attend a year-end party with the grade six class, where I was able to solidify my relationships with the students and to just have fun with them. Aside from getting soaked by students during a water balloon fight, the real highlight was the conversations I was able to share with the kids. The laughter was a great reminder to not worry and be happy.
Homesickness hit me worse in my second month than it did in my first month. I found myself missing the noise that is always present in my home in Toronto – be it my brothers playing their instruments or someone watching TV. It was a reminder that I have been taking advantage of the simple presence of my family around me. It led to a deeper appreciation of my family’s role in my life. In my preparations for this trip, I was informed that people who often travel to do volunteer experiences often hit some sort of stumbling block. To remember that it was a normal thing for me to go through, albeit a bit later than I would have expected, was reassuring. It took a lot of energy to continue doing what I needed to, but it was all worth it.
Despite this, I find myself dreading my return home. I want to be with my family and friends, but the people here have been nothing short of incredible. This is a reminder for me to enjoy every single moment as it comes, rather than thinking too much about what the future holds for me.
I will be spending the next few weeks preparing for the three-week summer programming that the school has for its students, as well as organizing the school’s library. One week in the middle of July will be spent in Medicine Hat, Calgary, Banff and Cochrane with next year’s grades seven and eight students. The end of July and early August will be spent at the University of Regina with the new grade six students and the rest of the school. All of these experiences will allow the students to build better relationships with one another and to develop their social skills. I look forward to spending more time and deepening the relationships that I have formed with the students in these three weeks.