Welcome to my Teaching Portfolio!
Here is a little bit about me!
I graduated from George McDougall High School in Airdrie, as the class of 2016, with honours. I am currently a fourth-year student at the University of Lethbridge. I am in the Faculty of Education doing the combined degree program; my B.A. is in General Humanities with streams in English, History and Linguistics, and my B.Ed will be Language Arts Education. My university experience has given me a very diverse understanding of the world around me. I have been able to take classes in sociology, psychology, art, Indigenous studies, and many more.
I have also been able to foster my passion and commitment to literacy through my degree, by taking part in Literature classes that challenged my opinions on the face value of books, as well as taking linguistics courses based around children’s speech development. I have also come to find a passion for Indigenous studies. Although I have only formally taken one Indigenous Studies class, I have been able to explore some of these topics within other courses. I was able to develop an appreciation for integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, learning and being into my daily life. I have had the opportunity to complete an Independent Study with one of my History professors called “Researching and Teaching about Residential Schools”. One of the biggest questions I had within that Independent study was how teachers can teach and introduce aspects of Indigenous history to children in early years of school, without causing undue anxiety in younger children. I then integrated my passion about Indigenous studies into a sociology class, “The Sociology of Family”, where I was able to research and understand the working of Blackfoot and other Indigenous family structures.
I graduated from George McDougall High School in Airdrie, as the class of 2016, with honours. I am currently a fourth-year student at the University of Lethbridge. I am in the Faculty of Education doing the combined degree program; my B.A. is in General Humanities with streams in English, History and Linguistics, and my B.Ed will be Language Arts Education. My university experience has given me a very diverse understanding of the world around me. I have been able to take classes in sociology, psychology, art, Indigenous studies, and many more.
I have also been able to foster my passion and commitment to literacy through my degree, by taking part in Literature classes that challenged my opinions on the face value of books, as well as taking linguistics courses based around children’s speech development. I have also come to find a passion for Indigenous studies. Although I have only formally taken one Indigenous Studies class, I have been able to explore some of these topics within other courses. I was able to develop an appreciation for integrating Indigenous ways of knowing, learning and being into my daily life. I have had the opportunity to complete an Independent Study with one of my History professors called “Researching and Teaching about Residential Schools”. One of the biggest questions I had within that Independent study was how teachers can teach and introduce aspects of Indigenous history to children in early years of school, without causing undue anxiety in younger children. I then integrated my passion about Indigenous studies into a sociology class, “The Sociology of Family”, where I was able to research and understand the working of Blackfoot and other Indigenous family structures.
I also have a huge passion for inclusive, accessible, and equitable learning. I was able to branch out this passion and complete another independent study with one of my Linguistics professors. This opened the doors wide and allowed for us to begin an inquiry into accessibility versus accommodation at a post-secondary level. I was able to learn exactly what it means to have an accessible classroom (accessible for both individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities, or even diverse ethnic backgrounds), and how that differs from accommodation. I hope that I can bring everything I have learned from these experiences and tie them into the work I do within my own classroom in the future.
I have had lots of experience with children for most of my life. I have a younger brother, who is in Grade 8 this year (2020-2021); having a brother so much younger than myself, I have guided him through learning some of the basics and assisting him with his homework in various subjects. Along with this, my Mom used to run a day home out of our home for a large chunk of my life, in which she has cared for children between the ages of 1-12. Being exposed to the day home, and the atmosphere of early childhood learning that she established, I was able to experience teaching younger children the basics such as the alphabet, the numbers in French and English, how to spell their names, some basic sight words to recognize and spell, art, and other preschool skills. My mom is currently an Educational Assistant in the Rockyview School Division at RJ Hawkey Elementary; I believe that most of my passion for working with young children and children with exceptionalities came from her. I have included a photo of me and my family from this past summer!
I feel that I am a very passionate person and I am so excited to pursue teaching. Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to be a teacher. I am excited to make a difference in the lives of students, as teachers did for me when I was in Elementary school.
I feel that I am a very passionate person and I am so excited to pursue teaching. Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to be a teacher. I am excited to make a difference in the lives of students, as teachers did for me when I was in Elementary school.
I have a few hobbies that I feel could bring something to the classroom. I am very dedicated to art, of all kinds- especially crafts, as well as baking and cooking- which I find helps with the learning of math and fractions! I also have two dogs, Bogart and Ginger, who are purebred Australian Shepards.
Along with these, I am very dedicated to reading and the development of literacy, and I believe that this love of mine will influence students, as it has my younger brother. As I mentioned earlier, I also have a deep-rooted passion for Indigenous studies as well as an inclusive environment. I had the opportunity to complete the “Education for Reconciliation: Assembling Strength” eCourse offered through ARPDC, as well as attend the “Reconciliation in Every School” conference put on by EdCan at the UofL in 2018. These gave me further perspective and allowed me to make many connections and learn from other educators on these topics.
Another fun fact about myself is that I am a member of Kappa Beta Gamma, which is an international sorority on campus; I have the opportunity this year to hold the New Member Educator position, as well as sit on the executive board. I feel like my involvement in the organization has helped me grow as a person both professionally and in my personal life. I have gained countless leadership and problem-solving skills within this professional environment that I will be able to take with me in my teaching journey.
I really am looking forward to beginning in the classroom and learning hands-on what it means to be an educator. I have always wanted to be able to connect and build relationships with my students and foster their love of learning.
Teaching is a profession in which empathy, care, commitment and passion are combined to create an environment where children flourish, and I am so excited to use the skills I have learned and finally start this journey. I am also really excited to explore the new TQS and dig deeper into the various standards and gain a deeper understanding of how you reach those standards in daily practice, particularly the new TQS #5; I can’t wait to see how Indigenous perspectives are integrated throughout the curriculum and presented to younger students.
I really am looking forward to beginning in the classroom and learning hands-on what it means to be an educator. I have always wanted to be able to connect and build relationships with my students and foster their love of learning.
Teaching is a profession in which empathy, care, commitment and passion are combined to create an environment where children flourish, and I am so excited to use the skills I have learned and finally start this journey. I am also really excited to explore the new TQS and dig deeper into the various standards and gain a deeper understanding of how you reach those standards in daily practice, particularly the new TQS #5; I can’t wait to see how Indigenous perspectives are integrated throughout the curriculum and presented to younger students.