What path led you to become an Early Childhood Educator?
As a young mom with two active little boys, I wanted to learn how to be a better parent. I decided to earn a diploma in Early Childhood Education. Then, after working with children at the Child Development Center for about 10 years, I went back to school again and earned a Child and Youth degree to learn how to better work with children with diverse abilities. I also took additional training to work with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and those who exhibited severe behaviours.
What inspired you to become an instructor?
I wanted to help students gain the education they seek in their own community. Many families feel they must send their students away for a quality education, but this is not the case in Quesnel.
What are some of your goals as an educator?
I learn from my students every day, and I constantly revise lesson plans to meet their needs. My teaching methods are always changing because I have a remarkable Centre for Teaching and Learning support team that introduces me to innovative ways of teaching. Even though I teach at a regional campus, I am fortunate to have the same curriculum development opportunities as my colleagues at larger institutions. I have a responsibility as an educator to also be a lifelong learner, and I am committed to improving my own teaching.
I believe it is important to take time to build relationships with my students. To do this, I offer diverse learning methods and use various media to meet learners’ needs and make the courses interactive. To me, it’s important that students are able to connect knowledge to real life experiences, where the most valuable learning occurs.
I also believe it is important to teach with emotion and show genuine feelings to help me build effective relationships and communicate with students. It also models for students that I am human, make mistakes, and am learning along with them.
What do you like best about instructing?
The most rewarding aspect of teaching for me is seeing students make learning connections in their hearts and minds and apply them to their own lives. The Quesnel campus offers smaller class sizes, giving me the opportunity to actually see light bulb moments in my students, which makes teaching very exciting and so worthwhile!
What do you do in your free time?
My friends tease me because I read textbooks when we’re out camping - I love to learn and am committed to lifelong learning. I also like to spend time with my grandchildren, particularly because I can still beat my grandson in hockey. I also volunteer for the Quesnel Kangaroos Hockey Club.