My name is Samantha, and I use the pronouns she/her. I am a Secondary Arts Education/ADST teacher in Coquitlam, and enrolled in the LITR Language and Literacy Education Diploma program in hopes of adding English Literature as a teachable subject. 

I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but received my B.A. at Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke, QC. I moved to Vancouver in 2016 to study at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. I later studied at SFU in the PDP program to obtain my B.Ed. I taught in Richmond from 2018 – 2019, and spent the last year in Nunavut teaching high school art, textiles, and food studies.

I have been an avid reader all of my life, and some of my best memories from high school happened in the English classroom. When I entered into PDP and took my first steps towards becoming a teacher, I realised I really wanted to have the opportunity to teach English Literature. In addition to reading, I enjoy drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography. 

My teaching philosophy has been greatly inspired by my role as an art therapist. Within my counselling practice, I follow the philosophy of person-centered therapy, which advocates that healing happens best when one is met with an authentic, non-judgemental, empathic attitude. I strive to make my art room a space for self-expression, pairing learning outcomes with mindfulness-based art activities that provide lots of opportunity for students to choose their subject matter.