Today in class, we had Valerie introduce EdCamps to us which are essentially work shops set up by students all around the world. How it works is participants choose a topic they would like to talk about or know more about and they write it down on a sticky note. The notes are then posted on a board where participants each have 3 votes on which topic they would like to see being discussed. The top topics that receive the most amount of votes become discussions that are being held at different places but at the same time. Participants are able to choose which topic they would like to be apart of and are allowed to get up and switch to a different discussion whenever they choose. The purpose of these EdCamps is to get individuals involved around topics in Education so that they may be able to share their experiences or learn new pedagogy attributes they would like to incorporate. It allows individuals who are from all different parts of the community such as teachers, parents, students, and principles all to connect with one another. The great thing with EdCamps is that there is no lead talker so everyone gets a chance to speak and share. The EdCamps are held on Saturdays and are open to the general public so anyone can attend.

In our class, we had the opportunity to set up our own mini EdCamp. The three topics that received the most votes were creating inclusive classrooms, mindfulness of students and experiences with our favourite high school teachers. The discussion that I chose to be apart of was elaborating on our experiences with our favourite high school teachers. Every individual in the group had a chance to share their experience and a key point that was similar to everyones story was that a teacher had gone out of their way and made the student feel appreciated. The teacher stood out because they were able to view the student as more than just a student. They were able to connect on a different level and create that positive student teacher relationship that students will be remember for a very long time. Personally, my favourite teacher was able to see potential in me that no other teacher could. He knew that I was capable of giving more effort but was just hanging around with the wrong crowd so I didn’t really take school seriously. I was succeeding academically but would put in minimal effort when it came to participating in the class. This EdCamp session in class really allowed me to reflect on the main reason I am here today, as a Biology graduate and now an aspiring teacher.