Teaching is something that I have always found intrinsically rewarding. Growing up with a younger brother and several cousins, I assumed the role of family babysitter from an early age. When I started attending an elementary school in South Vancouver, many of my friends were new immigrants to Canada, so my earliest experiences with editing essays and tutoring began in grade six.
From those early beginnings, I learned to pay attention and think critically when observing my teachers and how they conducted their classrooms. For better or for worse, I internalized the habit of asking myself, “How would I handle this situation in my teacher’s place?” and “If I become a teacher, I would/would not….”. I continued to actively pursue volunteer and job activities that would allow me to put my observations and teaching notions to the test.
Honestly speaking, although I believe that I have the right mindset and potential to become a good teacher, I do not intend to pursue the teaching career in elementary/middle schools that my current program is preparing me for yet. My interest in and drive for teaching children is a large part of me–I continue tutor five students throughout my full-time studies because I cannot overlook my desire to see them improve–however an even larger part of me is devoted to psychology and advancing psychological research.
I graduated from UBC with my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Asian Studies (Japanese). My dream is to obtain my PhD in Psychology and work within academia as a lecturer and researcher. I am interested in investigating cultural differences in personality and social situations–particularly those differences between Eastern collectivist and Western individualist societies. I believe that, in order to understand why people approach social situations differently, one must consider another person’s cultural upbringing and influences. Culture is an integral part of everyday life, and in the growing face of globalization and intercultural marriages, understanding and respecting cultural differences is essential for building inclusive communities. I hope to one day contribute to this dynamic field of research, and then to share my knowledge with others through the classroom.
Please join me in this blog, as I delve into the realm of education and what it means to be an effective educator to children–however, keep in mind that this is only a part of my identity, and bear with me when I as I try to ascertain whether teaching children in a classroom is actually where I belong.
If, for some reason, you still wish to know more about me, please see my (growing) list of entries about myself: