Jasmeet Kaur EDUC 450

  When I read Dr. Susan Gerofsky’s paper about Math gardens at campuses, I started to rethink how we can utilize spaces in high schools. A school garden is not a cozy space to just have lunch and watch flowers or plants grow, it can be used as a classroom setting.  I stopped when Dr. Gerofsky pointed out how traditional planning thinks of learning outside. Schools often try to create classrooms with whiteboards outside. Real garden learning means letting the weather, plants, and soil actively mentor the students alongside the teacher. It’s not about setting up a classroom, it is about letting nature shape the lesson. The teacher doesn’t just walk and talk, they listen, observe, and adapt. The garden isn’t a place, it acts as a co-teacher. I learned something from the lesson provided by the Evergreen Foundation. Decorative gardens or cafeteria gardens rarely stay around for long. When money is tight or space becomes an issue these extra projects are usually covered with pavemen...

For my sit spot activity, I ended up sketching a pencil, a garden bucket, a grape leaf, and a butterfly moving around nearby. I picked the pencil and the bucket as my two non-living things because they were right there in front of me and felt super practical. The pencil is literally what I was using to draw everything, but when you look at it closely, it's just straight lines, a 3D hexagonal tube, and a sharp point. The bucket was sitting in the dirt, and even though it's just a basic piece of garden gear, its shape is a classic 3D geometry problem, designed with a wider top and narrower base so it holds a bunch of water or dirt.  For the living stuff, the leaf and the butterfly just kind of stood out while I was sitting quietly. I drew the spruce tree leaf because of how neat its vein patterns looked up close, branching out from a centre line like a tiny tree. The butterfly was hovering nearby, and watching it move was super cool as I figured out something that I never noticed...

 1) Does this article 'speak to you' as a new teacher candidate in Vancouver in 2026, even though it was written in a different time and place? What in this article reaches or touches your life and ideas as a teacher candidate, and why? What seems dated or irrelevant, and why? I am now learning what it takes to be a teacher, therefore yes, this essay connects within me. Prior reading the arrticle by Grant and Zeichner, I mainly saw teachers as people who pass on knowledge to students. I learned from the article that educators must be lifelong learners. I'm discovering as a prospective teacher that I won't always know what is most effective for every student. I must pay attention, keep a sense of curiosity, and be prepared to adjust my approach if needed ( not every strategy work on every student, some might need different approach). As a teacher candidate, I am now learning in classrooms equipped with technology and filled with students from diverse backgrounds. However...

What really caught my attention from the classroom discussion of Teacher Man by Frank McCourt is the idea that if a teacher is not open to learning, they may not be truly committed to teaching from the bottom of their heart. This challenged my previous understanding of the role of a teacher because I had mainly viewed teachers as people who provide knowledge to their students. However, in the video, McCourt demonstrates that learning is the foundation of teaching because it involves understanding students’ needs and responding to them. I was particularly impressed by how he handled students who were refusing to read certain textbooks. Instead of forcing them to accept the texts, he asked the students to share their frustrations and used their responses to create meaningful discussions. This showed me how teachers can maintain authority and structure while still allowing students to question ideas and express their perspectives. I think this is important because when students are give...