I am a new teacher – fresh from the University of British Columbia B.Ed. program! I am very excited to get going on my new career… but how did I get here?
Several years ago I taught a first grade class about animal adaptations. One of the activities was to observe a butterfly wing under a microscope. Many of the children had never looked into a real microscope before and were having difficulty seeing the wing clearly. I tried several techniques with one little girl until finally she was looking into the microscope but was very silent. After about 15 seconds she stepped back and exclaimed, “WOW, that is so cool! I see all the little scales on the wing! I totally get it!” This was clearly her aha moment of discovery… just as it was mine. I realized then that I wanted to commit the next phase of my life helping youth achieve their discovery moments – I wanted to inspire them. This is just one of many experiences that confirmed for me that I wanted to be a teacher. However, scales on a butterfly wing will not appeal to everyone, so finding the right hook that will inspire learning in all children is a challenge that I take, but I don’t underestimate. As an educator, I look forward to the challenge of trying to find that inspiring hook among youth and hopefully create lifelong learners.
My goal is to be a great teacher – to increase student achievement by finding and fostering their inspirational hook. I know I have achieved that goal when my students succeed in school, have fun doing it, and become critically thinking, social responsible, lifelong learners. However, I also know that my teacher education is ongoing and I look forward to a challenging and inspiring career of lifelong learning.
But there is more! I have an amazing, sports crazed, 6 year old son who keeps me on my toes and reminds me everyday how amazing learning is! I love to hike and go on multi-day backpack trips with my K-9 buddy, Koda. I love running and will finally try to finish a full marathon this year! When I am not outside I like to craft it up with different projects ranging from decorating to furniture redos to homemade cards and jewelry making. I like to stay busy!