My name is Binal Khakharia and this is my sixth (and seventh – taking 530 alongside) MET course. I guess I am just getting over the halfway point and have so far enjoyed each of the courses I have taken. I have been in Vancouver since 2008, but was born in Tanzania, East Africa. I also spent 2 years at a boarding school in Bangalore, India before coming to Vancouver for university. I have spent significant time living in and learning about the culture of three different countries in three different continents. I speak 5 languages – English, Swahili, Gujarati, Hindi and a bit of French. Vancouver is now my home, but my parents still live in Tanzania, so a part of me considers that home, too.
I love baking and have been doing more of that now that I am at home a lot more. Cinnamon buns and tiramisu loaf are next on my list – whenever I get to it. I have also been spending more time on puzzles, practicing piano, colouring and just completed my first ever “diamond painting”. Yep, huge Harry Potter fan here!
I have been teaching IB Chemistry at New Westminster Secondary school since 2015, and this year sure has been interesting. I miss my students very much! Since I primarily work with teens aged 16-18, phones and technology is a significant part of our existence. I try to use this to our advantage when it seems appropriate, however, I would like to be able to create those opportunities. I want to embrace mobile and open learning to be able to weave it more organically into my lessons. With the current educational climate, I feel this is going to be more necessary than ever to help keep students engaged with remote learning.
I look forward to getting to know you and learning with you all!
Hello Binal,
That is a lot of languages. I also like puzzles. I try to stay away from the computer because I spend too much time staring at the screen. While I am not teaching online I try to do non electronic device related activities. What games are u playing on your Switch?
S.
Hi Silvia! I just replied on your post. I know exactly what you mean about screen time. I did not think it would bother me as much as it does! I have found myself cooking more and exercising more regularly just to do something non-screen related!
Hi Binal, how nice to be in the same course with you again! I read from another post that you bought yourself a Nintendo Switch and I envy you since I’ve been searching for one to no avail. It’s a tough time for educators to move courses online with tight deadline and is/was there any learning designer from your school to help teachers with that? It’s nice to hear you now have some time to do things that you enjoy though so that’s the sliver lining I guess? ; )
“See” you in discussions soon!
Pei
Hi Pei!
I know what you mean! I had been considering getting the Switch for the last 2 years at least… then as we went on Spring break, I had a gut feeling we would be stuck indoors for a while and I thought now is as good a time as any to get one. Then, as I mentioned, they were sold out a week or two after I got it!
No, honestly, there hasn’t been much support to move our classes online, we are making things up as we go! I cannot imagine how hard it must be to be on practicum or be a first year teacher right now. The technology and resources I am fine with, it’s just the authentic assessment that has me worried. I am also going super slooooooow so as to not overwhelm my students, we are in the middle of a sort of crisis after all. It was overwhelming the first week of remote teaching, but making a plan for the day and sticking to it has helped a lot. Hopefully this and the rest of the MET courses will help getting through this phase and into whatever the new “normal” will be later on after this pandemic.
I’m guessing your job got a lot more difficult in the last few months?
Hi Binal
Great to be in the same course again! 🙂 I like how you’ve managed to take up more hobbies during this time- all of what you have done sounds great, especially the baking projects ;-).
Hey Carla!
So good to “see” you again as well! Congratulations – you’re almost done!!
Haha, thanks. I had to keep myself sane through spring break which then extended into isolation, so I thought I’d get back to things that made me happy 😀
I hope you’re doing well, and I look forward to catching up!
Hi Binal! We’ve been in a course before but I forget that you’re a fellow Vancouverite. I heard that it can be hard to get flour and yeast right now because so many people are baking to pass the time in isolation. My social media is a flood of people’s photos of sourdough bread. Haha.
Hello again Anne! Good to “see” you here. Yes – I’m lucky that I have some flour and old yeast in my kitchen. When we were in session, I hardly baked since I never had time to let things rise. I have not tried my hand at sourdough, but I did make some cheese bread 😀
Hi Binal,
Great to meet you! So nice to see someone else who has split languages/cultures/homes. I come from a British/German/Jewish/Greek household, was schooled mostly in Cape Town, am now studying in Canada. I’ve lived all over the world the last 5 years, and was meant to be moving to Canada next month but that may be changed to the end of the year considering the pandemic, but my parents are home in Cape Town so I suspect that will always feel like home too.
Your baking sounds amazing! And that diamond painting sure came out good 😀
Looking forward to learning with you too.
J
Hi Jamie!
Thank you! Wow – you have an amazing background yourself! What part of Canada are you moving to? I hope you love it as much as I do 🙂