I personally believe that the grade eight retreat
was an experience that we all learnt from. Overall I think the activities went
well, people were engaging in the activities and were having fun while doing
them. I also think the lunch part went very well. It was very well organized
and everything was done properly. I would definitely want some of the things
more organized for next year. There was a little lack of organization in some
leader roles and with some games; there was a lack of explanation. Some of my
strengths were that I treated everyone equally; I didn’t favor anyone. I was
also very involved and made sure everyone was enjoying himself or herself,
while also making sure that the naughty kids were being controlled. I think I
was also a loud speaker and was able to project my voice in a good way. There
is always room for improvement and one of the things I think I should improve
on is explaining activities, I felt a little weak in that. I didn’t really
explain much and would always get someone else to most of the time. Another
thing I think I should improve on is always having a back up plan. There were
some things that didn’t work out, so I feel there should always be a back up
plan incase something goes wrong. A moment I had as a teacher was when there
was a kid who was injured, and was trying to hide it. He was crying and
grabbing on to his wrist but he wouldn’t move and refused to get ice. I gave
him some strength and assured him it would all be okay, and he agreed to get
ice. I felt like a true leader there because it was definitely a tough time,
but I was able to get through it. A time where I felt like a learner was when I
was spending time with the younger kids. When you are young you don’t see
yourself the same way as you do when you’re older. Looking at the young kids
you see how different things are when you grow up. Now that I’m older a lot of
the time I’m just thinking I have this much work, or I need to complete this.
These kids taught me to enjoy myself while I have it. I learnt to enjoy myself
when I spent time with these kids, and all in all it was just such a wonderful
experience. I learnt to just let go, and have fun for a bit. One of the most
challenging things was probably to get the kids to listen. Kids are very hyper
and filled with excitement so it is hard to get them to listen and get in
control. Although they were hard to control, I was still able to go with the
flow, and just keep on going no matter what happens. All together I think this
was a great experience and I would love to do it again!
