Grade Eight Retreat Reflection

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!