Thanks for taking the time to visit my page and read my bio!
My name is Joanna, and I am a Teacher Candidate living in Kamloops BC. I am passionate about the future, the future of our planet and those living here. Contributing to the future of society through education will truly be an honour for me. My personal background and interests will heavily influence my teaching style. Please allow me to introduce myself.
Professional Background
After receiving my Bachelor of Business Administration from TRU, I worked in Human Resources. My experience working in HR as an Employment Coach and Workshop Facilitator for persons with disabilities has allowed me to develop a deep respect for helping individuals meet their goals using strength-based approaches. While I found my work very satisfying, I did want to explore how I could connect other passions and interests with my career. Responding to my desire to move towards an even stronger career match in education, I began to pursue a new direction as a mature student. Through my volunteer roles as Coordinator and Tutor for the One to One reading program, I was able to take time to read and connect with students. These and other experiences have helped solidify that my desire to become a teacher will not only allow me to share my light with the world, but more importantly, will allow me the opportunity to help students shine their own light. After dedicating myself to the program prerequisites, my first application to the Bachelor of Education Program was accepted. As a mature student and teacher candidate, I welcome and respect the responsibilities of becoming a teacher.
Personal Background
Since becoming a parent, I have witnessed the positive impact that healthy adults have on the growth and well-being of children. Finding my strengths in motherhood, I realized my skills could be transferred into the context of a classroom. Embracing my volunteer roles, I became increasingly connected to this career direction. I feel natural and engaged during my time with children and enjoy the way the dynamic shifts from student to student, and from day to day. These experiences have felt meaningful to me on a very deep level, and I come away from my time in the school feeling fulfilled and motivated to do more. I have developed particular interests in the areas of guided play, healthy eating and leisure reading for children.
I consider myself to be a very family-focused person. My family loves to hike, camp and take day trip adventures. We are at our best outside and use these times to reconnect with each other. We have also been known to soak up as much magic as we can during our family trips to Disneyland! We consider ourselves to be honorary Disneyland citizens with particular interests in Star Wars and all things Marvel!
My favourite way to spend a day is in the garden. I have now been a vegetarian for 8 years and enjoy growing vegetables and edible flowers with my family. I have also been raising mason bees for the past few years and have developed a complete fascination with all pollinators! Learning about nutrition and food sustainability has evolved into one of my top hobbies. Other hobbies include collecting antique keys and tending to my collection of over 20 orchids.
I happen to be adopted and have recently been able to explore many facets of my Scottish ancestry. Reading the Outlander novel series by Diana Gabaldon and planning a family adventure to the Callanish Standing Stones near Scotland has helped me get through some of the long months in the past year. Reading is such an critical way that we can connect with our world, and I hope to make this connection a priority in my future!
I use Twitter as professional development tool. Feel free to connect with me!