Teacher Identity

“Easy is flavourless. Relaxation is forgettable. It’s a big job being curious. Life is exhausting, if you do it right.”

- Kathy and Craig Copeland

Creativity and Curiousity

Curiosity is the cornerstone of learning. I am passionate about developing curiosity within the classroom and because of this I have become an advocate for inquiry and project-based learning. Activities in class do not need to be front-loaded with information; in fact, they can be used as a way to learn by doing. This allows for more creative and critical thought, which leads to more insightful conclusions. Students should be motivated in discovering their own knowledge through inquiry, problem solving, and collaboration. Here is a Google Doodle that I created as a way to demonstrate my views on 21st Century Education and to show that knowledge can be expressed in a creative way.

Experiential Education

I believe that connecting concepts to the world around my students is vital in making learning relevant. My passion for outdoor pursuits and environmental education has allowed me to constantly infuse society into my lessons. Shown here is one example of how I seized the opportunity to create an outdoor classroom to teach a group of students about biodiversity during the Grade 9 Sailing Trip. Here, we were learning about different organisms that live in tide pools and discussing why particular animals, such as the sea star, were not present. As an educator, finding opportunities for authenticity is crucial in allowing students to see the relevance in learning, while providing opportunities for maximum critical thought.