My journey in becoming a teacher started at a young age as I was born into a family of teachers. I was fortunate that I had the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a teacher, my Mom. In my opinion it was the countless hours that I spent in the classroom helping Mom cut, glue and paste that led me towards this noble profession. Several years later, I began volunteering in Mom’s classroom. It was the joy, love, and compassion that she demonstrated that helped to show me that teaching is not just a profession. It is a way to truly change a child’s life and make a forever lasting impression, just one of the goals I hope to attain as an educator.
In high school, I was provided with several opportunities to thrive in my school community becoming involved in volleyball, basketball, track-and-field and band. Being part of all these teams strengthened my interpersonal and leadership skills, teaching me the importance of listening to all members, compromising and working together to obtain goals all qualities that are imperative in the 21st century. I was also given a unique chance to be part of two outdoor education programs that furthered my love for nature. I was able to act out scenes from Macbeth on the West-Coast trail, learn about geographic terms on top of Black Tusk, and re-enact history by hiking parts of the caribou gold rush. It was these experiences that opened my eyes to the benefits of outdoor hands-on learning. To this day I have a strong belief in bringing the classroom outdoors so that children are able to develop environmental stewardship and a sense of connection and respect to their local environment.
After I graduated high school, I started my undergrad at the University of British Columbia in the Faculty of Arts. My passion for international issues and learning about other cultures lead me to pursue my degree in Arts majoring in International Relations and minoring in History. I strongly support exploring students’ cultures as well as teaching about regional, national, and international issues in order to create students that are educated about the world they live in.
It was during my summer university breaks that I began my job working with children. It was this experience that solidified that I wanted to go into the teaching profession. For three summers I worked with Peadalheads teaching children ages 2-12 how to ride bikes. Originally I started as an instructor and gradually I became a manager. It was my affiliation with Pedalheads that put me in connection with the Canucks Autism Network (CAN). At CAN I also taught children how to ride bikes. Both these jobs helped me grow as an educator strengthening my skills in leadership, patience and flexibility. It also reinforced my perspective that every child learns differently and as educators we must find the best possible method to connect to every individual child.
One of my greatest passions is health and fitness. I love to be outdoors hiking, biking, walking and/or playing women’s fastpitch. I feel blessed to call B.C. home. I have loved growing up exploring and discovering this beautiful province especially the beaches! One of my favourite hobbies that I have loved doing since a child is to beachcomb as it always brings out my inner child. I want to encourage students to stay active and to get outside and explore their local communities, as there is always an adventure awaiting! Although I love fitness, I was also brought up listening to a variety of musical genres and today I enjoy playing my flute for recreational purposes. Music has become one of my therapeutic releases and I firmly believe that children need to gain an appreciation for the arts including musical instruments! That is just a snapshot of some of my pivotal life-moments to date and I look forward to making more as the year’s progress!