CEA Practicum Student
I did my practicum for my Education Assistant and Support Worker diploma in the winter of 2024. I was all over the place at RL Clemitson Elementary school and in every grade level. I was rotated through multiple classrooms throughout the day acting as a CEA while observing students and teachers. As a CEA, I saw the most challenging behaviours that I could have imagined and how different teachers/CEA’s dealt with them. There was definitely a range of what I would consider appropriate techniques with some more palatable than others. There were a few of the students with IEP’s (Individualized Education Plan) that I really bonded with in one classroom in particular. I was sad when graduated and I was no longer in their classroom to help them with academics such as math. I saw a lot of support and determination in some CEA’s and in most teachers there but I also saw a lot with a lack of patience or the ability to understand what the students were going through (a lack of empathy) perhaps from a lack of self-care or personal issues going on in their lives. I do believe that children are a product of their environment. They often do not have support at home so they need that at school. They need to want to come to school because they feel safe and loved there. As educators, we have the ability to change lives in small and large ways. There’s nothing better than to see a child’s eyes light up when they realize that they understand something. It’s amazing!
