Co-op Student of the Week

Co-op Students of the Week

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Week of April 29, 2024

Student: Hannah Briedenhann, Grade 12

Placement: Adults In Motion Oakville

My main responsibilities at AIM are to help prep for the day like print out worksheets, clean and organize. I also help support staff in activities or work one on one with participants. Furthermore, I have created one of a kind activities and lead workshops. 

I’ve learnt how the crucial roles that communication, organization and teamwork play in an environment such as AIM. Because we are always on the move and jumping from task to task it’s important that we talk before our day starts to set clear expectations for everyone, and it’s important that things are in it’s right place so it is easily accessible. 

Originally I was taking a gap year once I graduated to work and get a better understanding of what I wanted to do with my life but with this co-op I’ve changed my pathway. While being at AIM I realized that I loved working in that type of atmosphere and I wanted to do something like that so I decided to apply to Sheridans Social Worker Program as a foundation degree to start off my educational journey to be able to work with people with disabilities. 

Week of April 22, 2024

Student: Rotaj Amer, Grade 12 

Placement: Unique Alterations

For my placement I usually stay 3 hours. I use an hour and a half of my time helping my supervisor with customer orders. This task includes hemming pants, repairing zippers, patching and many other things. During the rest of my time I practice on my skills and work on little mini projects.

Most of the sewing I already knew beforehand but I got to work on having a more stable hand which I needed. Practicing my sewing every day has helped me become more time efficient. Every day I'm trying something new and I'm slowly getting better at my sewing skills.

In the future I hope to work in the fashion industry. I need to understand all the different fabrics and how to work with those fabrics so it's very beneficial to understand this. As I'm doing co-op in an alteration shop I have the privilege of being able to freely play around with many fabric scraps. Having this has helped me explore and create new things!

Week of April 15, 2024

Student: Reilly Hall

Placement: Captain R. Wilson P.S.

My main tasks and responsibilities include:


The most important skills I have learned through my co-op placement are:

Before I started in the co-op class I knew I wanted to work with younger children but I wasn’t set on what I wanted to do. After having experienced so many wonderful days at Captain R Wilson with Ms Fraser's students in her classroom I am sure that I want to be a kindergarten teacher in the future!

Week of April 8, 2024

Student: Jaslyne Marek, Grade 12     

Placement: Nature’s NEAR

At Nature’s NEAR, I have developed an educational environmental program along with my fellow co-op students. This includes researching and putting the program together, and now presenting them into classes in grades 4-6. I am responsible for setting up our outdoor activities (an outdoor game and seed ball making), and engaging the kids to get them excited to learn about nature! Additionally, I make weekly social media posts to create easily accessible online resources to learn about the environment.

During my placement I have learned how to make information and research easily understandable for young kids, as well as how to be engaging and implement experiential learning into lessons. I love getting the kids hyped for playing games by bringing energy into the classroom. Because of co-op I also know how to identify certain bird species, and I have grown my knowledge about plants and animals in my local environment. I have gotten the chance to go on many nature walks and learn how to use binoculars correctly, while also developing skills on how to notice identifiable features on birds such as their physical appearance, behaviour, songs, etc. 

Co-op has allowed me to meet and network with so many people who work with the environment and sustainability, and see the path they have taken to get to where they are today. I have been able to spend more time outside in the environment and apply my learning to real life. My placement has only made me more excited to pursue environmental science in post secondary.

Previous Co-op Students of the Week

Week of January 22

Student:  Olivia Goodstadt, Grade 11       

Placement:  Anne J. MacArthur Public School, Grade 1 Classroom

During my Grade 1 placement, I am responsible for working one on one with certain students who need assistance, conducting small group activities, leading the morning meetings and circulating around the classroom during independent work time for extra assistance. When I am not busy with the tasks directly involving the students, I also do several things around the classroom to prepare for upcoming lessons and maintain organization, such as photocopying worksheets, marking student work, updating the word wall, creating seating charts and using the laminator.

One of the most important skills that I have learned during my time at Anne J MacArthur is the importance of building relationships with the students and getting to know each student individually. This is so important for creating and fostering a caring classroom community. Additionally, I have been able to significantly improve my classroom management skills using several different tricks and strategies to help. This is very important in maintaining a calm and organized classroom. Finally, my placement has allowed me to continue developing my problem solving and adaptability skills. The majority of the time in a grade 1 classroom can be very unpredictable, so it is important to be able to adapt to any situation.

My co-op experience has taught me so many valuable real-world lessons that I can apply to future jobs in education. I have learned so much about what it means to be a teacher and the work that it entails. It has also helped me to solidify my passion for becoming an elementary teacher and has confirmed that I definitely want to go into teaching after high school.

Week of December 18

Student:  Victoria Naemsch, Grade 11       

Placement:  Captain R Wilson, JK/SK

At my placement, I am responsible for directing the students with activities throughout the afternoon, reading with them to build up their motor skills and helping out around the classroom by adding pictures and students' work onto the walls of the classroom and making sure things stay organized. I build connections and relationships with the students and make sure that they feel safe and welcomed in the classroom when they come in every day. 

The time that I have been at Captain R. Wilson has taught me a lot and how to deal with situations as they come even if I am not 100% sure of the answer. I have learned how to improve my presentation, communication and observation skills within a classroom and outside on the playground. Not only this but I have learned to improve on my patience because sometimes the students are not as fast at something or it might take them a while to comprehend what is being asked of them and I have learned to take it slow and help them when they need it. I find my responsibility has also grown as I am in a class full of students and when things happen such as a fire drill I am responsible for making sure that all the students are out on time and doing what is asked of them. 

Co-op has given me practical classroom experiences and assisted with the issue of real-world exposure. It puts me in professional situations, for me to develop a professional attitude and a good work ethic. It also helps me better grasp what it would be like to be a teacher and confirms that this is still something I would want to pursue for postsecondary.