About Me

My name is Connie Yiu and I am a UBC teacher candidate with a focus on Elementary Education. As a member of the CITE (Community Inquiry Teacher Education) cohort, I was shown a whole new perspective in teaching which is very different from what I was used to as a student. I did my practicum in a Grade 2/3 classroom at Hamilton Elementary School in Richmond which has confirmed my love for teaching and given me the direction to proceed as a teacher-to-be. I hope to make learning purposeful and bridge the gap between activities in the classroom to the real world that is meaningful to the students. My teaching philosophy can be found here.

My Teaching Journey

I have always known I wanted to be a teacher as a child as I would always make my sister pretend to be the student so I can teach. As I entered high school, I slowly steered away from my dream. I did not enjoy school as I felt very distant from the eight teachers I had in Grade 8. As someone who did not enjoy being a student, I never even thought of applying to Universities. My high school years slipped away just like that until my Grade 12 year. I took Geography 12 with Mr. Allan who was not only inspiring and engaging, but he also made me feel like I could succeed and that it mattered. I eventually did really well in the course and decided to pursue my undergrad degree in Geography; I found my love for school through my University years and rekindled with my dream to become a teacher. Here I am now; as a teacher candidate, hoping I can make every student I encounter feel the way Mr. Allan had made me feel–which is the confidence to succeed. My experience has taught me that students can reach high and succeed if you believe in them; this is also where my teaching philosophy stems from.