Bio Resume From an early age the idea of being a teacher has always been on my mind.

When I was in third grade, my favourite teacher, Miss. Sherrard, had a big impact on that career choice. She was very encouraging, happy, loving, and even from a young age I could tell that she believed in me and my abilities. One day she complimented me on my reading voice and said that I could be a good teacher someday, and I have never forgotten her influence. I have also been working with children as long as I can remember: babysitting, cabin leading at Shiktehawk Bible Camp, Program Director at Green Hill Lake Camp, Summer Reading Club Coordinator, and even assisting in schools. Every single one of these experiences has only served to increase my love for children and solidify my passion for teaching middle school someday. It was through my many different experiences with summer camps that I really learned what it was like to work with various children. Every week there was a different age group with different needs and different interests. 5-7 year olds needed a lot of personal care and help, 8-9 year olds needed love and direction, and 13-15 year olds needed to have independence and an authority figure. I found that I enjoyed every week, but the weeks that I felt as if I really shined as a leader were the weeks when I got to work with children who were 10-12 years old. 10-12 year olds need to know that they are cared for while being able to express themselves and have fun. It was also through my camp based experiences that I developed skills in organization and activity development. As both a Program Director and Reading Club Coordinator I had to be able to plan and organize activities involving games, songs, books, and crafts that were appropriate and enjoyable for the children that I was working with. When I was a teenager I took the first steps toward my career as a teacher. I applied to the Bachelor of Arts in Christian School Education program at Kingswood University. As a part of the requirements for my undergraduate degree from Kingswood University I volunteered in churches as a Youth Group Small Group Leader and a Crew Leader. I also was involved with assisting in both a grade three class and a kindergarten class and I completed my first Student Teaching Experience at Valley Christian Academy (working with grades 4-9). I had the opportunity to work with many amazing children and teachers. One of the most memorable students that I worked with was Tyrese, a boy who I spent a number of weeks reading with. Through working with him I realized the importance of persistence and pushing students to do their personal best rather than just allowing them to give up on a concept that they dont understand immediately. It may take weeks longer than expected before a student will understand the lesson, but hard work, perseverance, and belief in the students ability will eventually show positive learning results. Through some connections that I have made in my home community and church, I had the opportunity to spend six months in Nepal teaching in a mixed grade classroom (K-4). The culture and lifestyle in Nepal were very different from anything that I had ever experienced before. One of the most important lessons that I learned was to be flexible and adaptable. Life in Nepal

brought me something unexpected daily, from power cuts to lizards, I had to learn to be ready for anything to happen in my classroom and be ready and willing to adjust my lessons when necessary. I also learned to use the resources that I have been given. There were many different resources that I could use when I was in Nepal, the majority of these resources needed to be used without a computer or electricity, so I had to be creative and use the books and supplies that were available for me. The best lessons were the ones the ones that I brought my creativity and expression into. We were doing a unit on Canadian History and I decided that it would be fun to have Canada Day in class, we had a mini-lesson about how Canada became its own country and we celebrate it every year in June with fun activities like fireworks, fairs, and face painting. The students took turns making their own flags and discussing what they know about Canada, while I set up a face painting booth. The lesson was fun for both me and the children. There are many characteristics that are essential for an effective teacher. I believe that through my experiences with playing on sports teams, working with children in the camp setting, working towards my undergraduate degree, and my experiences in the school setting I have been developing many of those characteristics. As an individual I am hardworking, determined, motivating, encouraging, organized, good at time management, set high expectations for myself and for my future students, caring, and I believe in teamwork. I believe that all of these characteristics are beneficial and important in a teacher. When I think about my long term goals and ambitions I think about how the possibilities are endless. I know that I want to be involved with teaching in the Middle School setting as a generalist teacher. I would also like to be involved with coaching basketball, soccer, or volleyball. I want to be able to create and foster in my students the desire to want to succeed and learn. I am also hoping to eventually be able to go overseas again and teach there. I know that I have been blessed with the ability and the desire to work with children and I hope that I will continue to work with children and have a positive impact on their lives my entire life.