On the second day that we were in the school, there was a lockdown drill. The students figured out that there was a drill that day, but they didn’t know whether it was a fire drill or a lockdown drill. We were in the music room at the time of the drill and there were some students that got really nervous knowing there was a drill but not knowing which drill it was. It was interesting to watch these students anticipate the drill and how it consumed their thoughts and actions until it occurred. As a teacher candidate, I never would have thought drills would cause anxiety for some students. It was interesting and very informative to be in a school during one of these drills.
The class we were in during the drill, the students did not take the drill seriously, they were giggling, chatting, laughing, and not following the instruction of silence during the lockdown drill. The music teacher reminded them a few times to be quiet, but they continued to chat and giggle. After the drill was over the music teacher stood in front of the class and stated that all the students who were making noise during the drill were to stay after class. She also reminded them that in music, you will perform the way that you practice and that it is the same in real life, especially in drills like the lockdown. She told them that however they practiced the lockdown drill would be the way that they act during a real lockdown. After class she kept the students who were talking and giggling, and she spent time reminding them that their actions would endanger all the students in the classroom. This point was made several times throughout the day, as our teacher mentor kept those same students for a couple minutes before they went out for lunch and reminded them the importance of being quiet and how selfish it was of them to put their fellow students in danger, if it had been a real lockdown.
I have never been in a school during a fire drill or lockdown drill while I was volunteering, so I was really beneficial to be have experienced this and witness the seriousness of these drills and how teachers’ behaviour changes and their focus is on safety and making sure all the students know what the expectations are. To hear the teachers, remind the students that they would be putting the rest of their classmates in danger by talking and giggling, was a great way to put the expectations back on the students, because I would think that a lot of them would not have thought beyond themselves during the drill.
The safety of students is very important for teachers and students to acknowledge and it is not always the focus in the classroom. I will take this experience and apply it to whatever classroom I am in, because it is important for students to remember that they will act how they practice, and their actions affect those around them and sometimes it can compromise their safety.