With September fast approaching, I will be taking a break from classroom teaching. I’m keen on expanding my knowledge and experience within and beyond the education sector, and am looking forward to enjoying work in curriculum design or education policy writing and implementation.

As a little girl, I always wanted to become a teacher. But the closer I got to being a teacher, the more I wanted to explore the education sector and its intersections. In the last year, my classroom education has been supplemented with community-based education. Together, the two worlds have surely rounded out my practice into what I believe is  the perfect mix. I am so deeply compelled to engage students in their education, but perhaps not within the depths of a classroom’s four walls. When I think back to my own experiences as a student, I often found myself bored or unchallenged by the repetitive predictable classroom nature. I enjoy learning about theory, I enjoy discussion, I enjoy writing, but, I also love being challenged into see how these skills aren’t just theoretical constructs, but can be tangibly affected into something positively useful for society. Being comfortable within an educational space is indeed important for building and sustaining confidence in individuals, but what then with that confidence?

Throughout undergrad, I challenged myself to move away from that comfort and expand my literal and symbolic position beyond campus/ class/ school. Physically walking on the streets in communities I wasn’t familiar with, taking in the sights and sounds of that around, listening to those I wouldn’t normally interact with.. those moments were education.

I’m looking forward to continuing the pursuit of my inquiry question about creating a positive community space that takes into consideration varying dynamics and individualities.I would also love to continue my engagement with community-based education, to continue to push myself outside of my comfort zone, and to encourage others to try engaging in community-based education.

Lastly, a question that I’ve been asking myself lately is the purpose of the educator: to make complex ideas clear? Or to render ideas less complex? Whether in the classroom or not, I’m looking forward to exploring these ideas moving forward! Another inquiry, perhaps!