Autobiography

Who am I?

I grew up in a small town on Vancouver island. My parents both moved to the West Coast from Ontario as medical professionals in the armed forces. My mom’s parents moved from Holland shortly before she was born. My dad’s family has been in Canada for many generations. There is a street in Latchford, Ontario named after my great-grandfather Napoleon Proulx. I went to an elementary school that was next to a reserve so I had many First Nations kids in my classes. I think this is what sparked my special interest in Indigenous Knowledge which you can read more about on the “Philosophy” and “Practicum” pages. I was not particularly academic in high school as I was more concerned with social endeavours. When I graduated I went to BCIT for the television broadcasting program then worked in TV for a year. I realized that I hated working at a computer all day long and I needed something more social. I decided to go to UBC and get a bachelors. I considered the education program as I had always loved spending time with kids and adolescents. I decided to give myself some time to think about it after graduating. I got a job at an ESL school and that was where I realized that teaching was definitely what I wanted to do.

What led me to want to be a teacher?

When I worked at the ESL school for two years I found that I had a particular affinity for adolescents. For some reason I had more patience for them than I did for adults. I think it comes from having higher expectations of adults. It would really annoy me when adults would ask me really basic questions that they could easily look up on google but when teens would ask me questions it was like I had all the time in the world for them. I think it was because I understood what it was like to be doing something for the first time and what a difference it can make if someone treats you with patience and respect. I knew that enjoying working with youth was a unique talent so I decided I should capitalize on that skill.

For more information on my educational values, please see my “Philosophy” page 🙂