Current Year: Other Teaching Experience: PD:
This year, I achieved one of my long-time professional goals: I set up a wikispace for communication with students and their parents. Each day I post homework, special instructions for projects, and information about deadlines and report cards in a chronological, pared-down format. Parents love that they can check up on what their kids are supposed to be doing, and students like that if they forget the homework by the time they get home, they can check in online.
Grade 7 had an amazing opportunity to collaborate with Grade 5 for the FinS (Fish in Schools) project. Working with Mrs. Fentie has been fabulous. She is so dedicated and really understands inquiry-based exploration. Our students have journaled and drawn their observations, blogged on their wikispace about the experience, and hosted Jason Leatham from Alberta Wildlife for a demonstration and three-fish dissection.
Religion 7 focuses on the Apostle's Creed all year long. One way we helped students remember the Creed was via storyboards. Students broke the Creed down into pictorial episodes, and mapped them out in sequence with words and visuals on poster board. The art the students produced was smart, beautiful, funny, clever and thought-provoking, and it gave them their own personal visuals and mental sequencing to internalize the Creed.
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My first experience in education was teaching English in South Korea, at an all-boys high school, to over 940 students. I taught there for two years.
When I returned to Canada, I began a position as PLEP Worker (Positive Learning Environment at Minto Memorial Highschool in rural New Brunswick. Working closely with students on in-school suspension, or with behaviour issues that required an alternative learning environment, ignited my passion for a specific kind of education.
When that term position ended, I spent the summer teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in 1840, at Kings Landing Historical Settlement in NB. I used artifact textbooks and historically-accurate teaching tools and methods. I played my role, costume and strap included, striking fear into the hearts of a different group of camp students each week. On Fridays, after the students put on a recital of their learnings, I would "unmask" and reveal the act. It was a wonderful experience. I loved teaching them to love Roman Numerals, quill pens, the Natural History of New Brunswick and the importance of having clean morals, hands and straight backs.
HaiDong GumDo: The Way of the Sword
During my four years in South Korea, I trained intensively 4-6 nights a week at a Haidong Gumdo dojang. Before leaving, I had earned my 3rd Degree blackbelt. Part of this learning process included mentorship. As a student worked their way up through the belt levels, it was common to help out students who were less experienced. This evolved into an "English Class" one night a week, in which the Master allowed my husband and I to lead a group of younger students, training them solely in English. In addition, we routinely mentored students during our regular training times. Positive reinforcement, praise, critical feedback and explaining skills through language barriers were all important skill-sets for our success. We had a great working relationship with our fellow dojang members, who in effect became our Korean family. |
2013-2014:
I was so fortunate, as a new teacher at St. Thomas More, to be offered the opportunity of Differentiated Instruction Lead at this school. About once per month I attend a PD day in Grande Prairie at the Catholic Education Centre. Under the expert guidance of Annette Rouleau, I and the DI Leads from other schools learned new tools and ways of thinking, teaching and learning. Then on STM's next PD day, I would facilitate the same PD to my colleagues. Read 180
While working for Little Red River Board of Education, I received training for the Read 180 and System 44 Literacy programs. I then taught Read 180 to my Grade 7,8 and 9 students at Sister Gloria School. First Nations Education PD
During my two years at Little Red River Board of Education, I attended PD and workshops designed to increase awareness and sensitivity to issues of concern to First Nations peoples. |