Ms. Bovey's Departure

Written by: Zara Ahluwalia

Photo by: Serena Chaudhary

Interviewer: What’s your favourite fitness activity to do yourself?

Ms. Bovey: Personally, I love to run, so that’s my thing and it's really connected to being outside. But I also love to participate in yoga and strike training as well. Running is definitely my go-to.

Interviewer: What made you decide to go into teaching students physical literacy?

Ms Bovey: Well, when I first started kind of figuring out what I wanted to do, I actually had gone to university for science, and I opted for (back in the day) what was called "

'physical health education', now it's called kinesiology. Then, I applied for physiotherapy and sports therapy, as well as teaching. I got accepted to teaching. I think it was probably a natural progression for me because I've always been active. I've always been interested in fitness and vitality and being healthy, so it seemed like a natural fit for me to be teaching health and fitness.

Interviewer: What is your favourite part about teaching?

Ms. Bovey: It's funny because I've just been reflecting on that. I already talked to the senior students; it's definitely the students. I really enjoy the chaos of kids, I really do. I know it sounds funny and sometimes I get frustrated, but for the most part I would say that definitely I enjoy the interactions with kids, building relationships in classrooms, and also outside of classrooms and just getting involved with kids at schools. And obviously, I love my colleagues as well.

Interviewer: What made you decide to retire?

Ms. Bovey: Retirement is bittersweet for me. I am eligible to retire and I think life is too short. There’s a lot of lessons I’ve learned this year that made me reflect on that, with staff members that passed away, with my ageing parents, realizing I can do other things. And you know, maybe, I'll be doing something in a different time. I want to travel and I actually want to get a little more balance in my life. That's been hard in teaching for thirty years, it's been hard to kind of find that [balance] for me. So now I'm ready for it and I feel confident that there are lots of great teachers that are able to fill my role. 

Interviewer: Do you have any plans for retirement and are you looking forward to anything?

Ms. Bovey: I do have plans. I have plans for Labour Day weekend because I think I'll be sad but excited. So, I have plans to be at my parents' cottage on a dock, having a nice coffee in the morning, maybe have a nice canoe ride. My [long-term] plans are to continue to be a learner. I want to get some certification in mindfulness and holistic health, so I think I can use my skills that I have honed as a teacher and maybe apply it somewhere else, even if it's just for myself. Then I also plan on travelling and just spending time with my own kids and my mom and dad.

Interviewer: Where would you like to travel?

Ms. Bovey: We have a family trip to Scotland this summer. We’re taking my three kids and my husband and I, we both have a Scottish background. My husband's family is from Scotland, he is a first-generation Canadian, so that's our first order of business in terms of having a little bit of time away. So, that's our one trip. And then, Australia in the fall. My husband's work is based out of Australia and the UK, so I plan to accompany him. Also, I have some former students who I'm going to visit when I’m in Australia. One of my very first students that I ever taught lives in Australia and we've kept a relationship over the years, so we're gonna visit her as well.

Interviewer: Lastly, what are you going to miss most about Blakelock?

Ms. Bovey: Hmm, well, it's funny because I have a journal and I have a list of all the things I miss and that I'm going to miss. It's little things and sometimes big things. As I was driving today, one of the things I looked at was the change of seasons and I go, “wow,” you know,  finally there's buds on the trees. Also just laughter.

I do think I'm a bit worried about pacing because I'm used to being very very busy and so I'll miss my colleagues for sure. And I'll miss the kids and the school itself. A lot of people kind of say, "Oh you know, Blakelock doesn't really look great." You know, it may not be the newest, nicest school, but it's really about the experiences you have for sure. And so there's the few things that I won't miss, just simple little things but there's such a wide variety of little things that I'll miss. I don't think there's been a year that I haven't taught grade nine girls and I love teaching the grade nine girls. It's a great way to get to know them. And I have a fantastic group of grade tens that I taught in grade nine and we had fun, so it's always nice to start building that relationship in grade nine and seeing them all the way through. Yeah I'll miss seeing the development of kids into fantastic human beings. I really enjoy that transformation as they progress.

I’m planning to visit [Blakelock] and I'm sure I'll supply teach. If I'm not too busy travelling and having fun, I will definitely do that. I have been enjoying each remaining day and taking the time to journal each day and write you know, “that's what a kid said” and all the little things. I have been also collecting my teaching photos. I've always been a picture taker and I've got all those memories that I've put into a digital album. And I laughed because I first started teaching in 1991 and I found a picture from when I first started teaching and was like, “Oh okay, hahaha, I don't look that different, a lot younger hahaha” but yeah, it's fun. I'll take a picture of my first and last day of school, and I've been in school since I was five years old. if you really think about it, so for me that's fifty years I've been in a school. Between being a student and being a teacher, I've been in school almost my entire life.

Many of Ms. Bovey’s students have contributed lovely messages about her, such saying how much of an inspiration she is, mentioning her strong initiative, and much more. One quote, in particular, stood out the most:

“Well, she's just been an amazing coach at track and field, she introduced me to hurdles which I had never done before. She's always very encouraging and she's just always sticking with us with 7 a.m. practices, I mean that takes some dedication, and just having gym class with her every morning has definitely been something to look forward to. And I mean, it's obviously sad that she's retiring but I’m glad that the school has had her for so long,” Brent Morris, grade eleven.

To conclude, Ms. Bovey has been a supportive and influential teacher to each of her students and team members over the years. We wish her nothing but the best as she voyages to not only Scotland, but the next phase of her life. Much love from T.A. Blakelock!