During these first few weeks in global cooking, I have learned a lot about how to teach primary students cooking, and what methods get through to the students most effectively. Being a part of this activity and making sure I properly planned every week, and recipe tested before teaching the students definitely did take some commitment.
This is especially because of the regular school work and exam revision I have had to do at the same time. It was challenging to find the time in my schedule to take on another activity in this particularly busy time, however, I do realise that I am really enjoying cooking with the PS students. I also think it took some resilience because I found some students did not focus as I was speaking, and talked over me at times. At these points, I needed to practise my patience and be firm with the students to ensure they were listening. I think in this sense I have become more principled as a result of being a part of this activity. I have learned how to manage a class of students and how to be fun and kind, but at the same time, also firm with the students on my expectations for them. At times, I saw students fighting over things in the kitchen (eg. who gets to use a workplace, who should get the sugar first), and I found that I had to often resolve these conflicts by offering compromises to the students (eg. if one student gets the sugar first, the other gets to use the oven first.)
I think t
hat by doing this activity, I have also connected with my own culture. This week, we made the traditional strawberry mochi, and prior to doing this activity, I had never known how to make mochi but now I find that I have learned how to properly make mochi and how to present it in the traditional way I have always seen it be served in traditional Japanese sweet stores.