I was a child who was always fascinated by tinkering and how things work. I could often be found tinkering with broken toys or building traps like Indiana Jones. I was the classic 80s kid who was caught up in the wonder of the growing technology generation of home computers, video game consoles, and the dot matrix printer! Alas this technology was always out of reach for me due to very impoverished circumstances. There was no home computer for the homeless kid. Because of this lack of exposure I really became a massive technophobe. I actually never used a computer myself until I was in my Grade 12 year of high school (1996 YIKES). When I finally owned my own laptop for university I used it to type out good copies of the papers that I hand wrote. I became the teacher who barely checked email, was terrified of my SMART board, and never used any form of tech with my students. In 2012 I was teaching a special needs program at an inner city school and was struggling to find ways to break free from the traditional with my students. I heard about this new little pocket sized computer called a Raspberry Pi for only $35 that could be programmed by children. I knew it was now or never to breakout of my fear of technology and find something that could change my students’ learning. So I was lucky enough to see a teachers convention session for the Raspberry Pi that was being offered at one of the local high schools. When I got to the door for the session the facilitator stopped me at the door. He told me not to come in because this was a Raspberry Pi session…I said yes I know…he then said “the computer kind not the eating kind”. I was SHOCKED. I looked around the room and it was full of male secondary teachers and technology consultants. The facilitator was also a male. And here I was the only girl trying to come and learn something about computer science only to be shamed and turned away. I was my own self fulfilling prophecy of being a female afraid of technology. That moment changed my career forever. I walked in that room and I was the first one to build my Pi and unpack my NOOBS all on my own. After that day that little computer changed my students learning allowing illiterate children to code stories, make math games, build animal security cameras and more. Then I dove head first into any and all technology, learned multiple coding languages, started my technology consultant position, and began my MET journey. That was six year ago and I have never looked back. Technology is my life and I love it. It took one closed door for me to open hundreds and now I make sure that I try and open doors for teachers and students everyday.
Wow Trish, that’s an incredible story. It’s inspiring to hear how so much can change in a single moment, as well as over the course of 6 years!
Your story is really a helpful reminder of how entire lives can change when we take a step into the unknown, that spooky area way outside out usual comfort zone.
Thanks for sharing. Always inspired by you – I wish you could come speak to my staff!
Wow. Your perseverance in the face of such blatant and presumptuous disrespect is applaudable. Seriously, congratulations.
Thanks for sharing your story- it’s incredible how much you’ve taken on in such a short period of time, despite having the odds stacked against you.
Looking forward to many more discussions!
Very inspirational story! Good for you for having the determination to walk through the door despite the looks and comments. It’s hard to believe that those types of stereotypes still existed only 6 years ago (and sadly, still exist today).
Looking forward to learning with you again in this course.
Nicole
With what is currently going in Hollywood (Time’s Up) — good for you for walking through the door.
As I was reading your post I was thinking back to all the teachers that I had fond memories –it was not the content but the time or the caring they took. The French teacher teaching us Russian; the math teacher talking about the water buffalo in India; The PE teacher/coach taking the time to show me how to pole vault. The kindergarten teacher giving me hugs when I could not sleep during nap time.
Is there a teacher in the past that made a difference to you?
Christopher
That is a very interesting question and one that I do get asked often. The unfortunate and somewhat complicated answer to that question is no. Actually I have had the opposite experience. Part of this was due to my family circumstances, I was a homeless child and have attended 10 different schools in my educational career. This does not give a lot of time to educators to get to know me. Part of it was teachers who did not have the ability to deal with a child like me. I was labeled as “difficult” and looked the part (I still have blue hair to this day). This put a barrier between teachers being able to see me for who I really was. This continued into highschool even when my grade 11 math teacher wouldn’t let anyone enter the room until they gave him a proper military handshake as a sign of respect. I made the error of judgment to refuse to do this, I wouldn’t shake his hand. I was not allowed to enter the room. This went on for weeks. The end of the story is I failed the class because I was not allowed in to write the exams. I was put in remedial math track because of the failure, that had nothing to do with what I knew or my ability. No adult ever intervened in this situation.
Now don’t get me wrong. This story is not to point blame or feel sorry. This story and really my whole educational career is what inspired me to become a teacher. I wanted school to be different for kids, I wanted to be a teacher that saw them and not their circumstances. I wanted to be part of the reform of traditional learning. My role now as a technology consultant allows me to work primarily with students who struggle, including a program for junior high students who are not allowed to return to their school environment due to mental health, violence, or being in between incarceration. This is where I thrive and we work together to show the world the tasks that were previously inconceivable, the things that know one believed kids like this could do. Technology helps me accomplish this.