I have been a teacher in School District 57 since 1995 having moved here from Ontario. I am a life-long learner and believe passionately in a good education both inside and outside the classroom. I believe that knowledge is only one component of a good education but wisdom is one step up. Turning your knowledge into wisdom should be the goal.
I have travelled extensively, learned four languages fluently (English, French, Scottish Gaelic, and Spanish), and have learned bits of others to varying levels of ability (Italian, Mandarin, and Greek). I believe that one of the most important things a person can do is to learn another language.
I am a traditional Scottish Gaelic singer, singing and sharing songs in various places in various countries over the past 20 years. I have recorded 4 albums of music as well, with the vast majority of the songs being in Scottish Gaelic. Some songs that I sing are close to 1000 years old. The language is the ancient indigenous Celtic language of Scotland which is still spoken by between 70 and 100 000 people around the world today. I value traditional languages and cultures, and am always learning more.
I believe passionately that as Canadians we have a fundamental right and indeed a duty to learn both official languages in some capacity. I want to make that available to as many people as possible. This is one of the goals of my career as a language teacher.
I also believe in the need for people to be independent and to solve their own problems. If a student has a problem, I ask them to talk about it with me themselves at an appropriate time (ie not when I’m trying to teach a class or when I’m focusing on one specific task in class). Nearly 99% of the time, questions can be answered and problems can be solved this way.