Hello! So this is the spot where I get to tell you all about me! Where to start, well I was born on Vancouver Island and then my parents had the chance to move for work either to Hawaii or the central interior of British Columbia…this is not where I tell you I grew up in Hawaii, but rather on the end of a large ranch. Sometimes I wonder about the experiences that I might have had if I had become an honorary Hawaiian, but then again I was able to experience so many amazing things growing up where I did that I am almost okay with not learning how to surf off Waikiki….yet….it is part of my bucket list!
In my middle years I was home-schooled allowing for a number of family trips that included: England, Holland, Scotland, Israel and Iceland. These trips provided learning opportunities that I believe I would have missed had I been in school and not home schooling at the time.
In Grade 9 my junior high took the Grade 9’s and 10’s to Alberta to physically see the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology; in Grade 10 we took the same trip to see the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. While I loved the University of Victoria, it was the Butter Dome from the University of Alberta that I had fallen in love with in Grade 9 and so that is where I decided that I would go to school. It helped that at the time I was planning Kinesiology/Sports Medicine for my life work and that the Butter Dome was part of the Physical Education building at the University of Alberta. All of that changed in Grade 12 when I took on a roll as a peer tutor in a Grade 9 English class and I realized that I wanted to pursue an English Degree. It would be a number more years before I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a teacher, even though I explored a number of other educational opportunities in between. On more than one occasion I have said that if education were free that I would always be in school, so as a life-long learner and book-worm, I am doing just that, I am becoming a teacher!
I love to be outdoors and spending time in nature and know the powerful effect that it can have for me personally. Being in the mountains puts life into perspective. I took this picture on the top of a mountain in Jasper National Park after a particularly windy and steep climb. It serves to demonstrate that I persevere regardless of the challenges that I face, and I hope to instill that same perseverance in my students.
I am a certified Yoga instructor and practitioner with a personal mindfulness practice. I believe that this knowledge and awareness will serve my students, my colleagues and myself in my role as an educator. I am passionate about holistic health and wellness, making and using essential oils to create the majority of the products that I personally use which means that my house always smells delicious!