Throughout my life I’ve always been involved with sports in one-way or another. Coming from a family with a strong sports background intrigued my interest and further fueled my passion to participate in sport and physical activity. I participated in almost every sport through either, community or school teams and it provided me with a sense of accomplishment and success through my best efforts. I remember getting my first pair of hockey skates at the age of four and my father taking me out to the dugout behind our house during the cold winter months to teach me how to skate. As time passed, I realized my father was my very first coach, teacher, and mentor. I’ll never forget one of the first pieces of advice he gave me when I started to compete at a higher level in sports, he said, “others are going to knock you down and it’s going to hurt. Control your emotions, get back up and be the best player you can be”. At the time I thought it was a simple sports reference, but as time passed I understood the deeper meaning behind his analogy and realized it was never about sports, it was about everyday life. Growing up as a hockey player, we were constantly told from a young age to “be a man, be tough, and never cry”. What terrible definitions of what makes a “real” man. However, my father’s guidance taught me to properly control my emotions, how to be a leader and team player, and to put forth my best effort in order to truly achieve success.

I’ve accomplished many goals in my past and achieved great success as an athlete, such as: winning league and provincial titles, ranked in the top 40 hockey players in Saskatchewan, received an opportunity to tryout for team Western Canada U16 (Under 16), and most recently recruited for the University of Victoria Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Although I was recognized through my abilities as an athlete, as a student I was never the most successful academically. There were certain classes I struggled with in school in regards to understanding the material, concepts, and topics. However, during my high school years I began to develop a deep interest and excel in social studies, especially towards Indigenous education.

As a social studies teacher, I intend to inform students about the dark history of Canada, which many people have made their best attempts to erase. When discussing the dark history of Canada I’m specifically referring to colonialism, cultural assimilation and genocide of Indigenous peoples, and the desperate need for decolonization. Colonialism is present and was not simply a sequence of historical events that occurred; in fact, it has affected the lives of all Indigenous peoples culture and identity. Currently in Regina SK, there’s a petition to relocate a statue of John A. Macdonald from Victoria Park for his role in the Residential School System to a museum. I believe this is the best approach to take for decolonization of the public park, as the history of Macdonald’s role in cultural assimilation and genocide isn’t being forgotten, nor erased, as it’ll be moved into a museum. I’ve recently had the opportunity to attend an event led by Saskatchewan’s Child and Youth Advocate, Corey O’Soup, who focused on redressing the high number of Indigenous children in foster care and suicide rates in the province of Saskatchewan. The event furthered my understanding of colonialism and made it clear that the reality of the Sixties Scoop is far from over. The fact of the matter is that more than 85% of children in foster care within Saskatchewan identified as First Nations. Overall, it’s imperative for social studies courses to provide our youth with a greater appreciation for different cultures, societies, and a deeper understanding behind the importance of history. Social studies classes are important as it defines who we are, how the present came to be and even allows us an opportunity to learn from our past mistakes.

As a physical and health education (PHE) teacher, I focus on promoting positive decisions to encourage students to recognize the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It’s essential to inform students about a variety of topics that will promote educated decisions, which result in an improved active lifestyle and a better understanding of others perspectives through meaningful activities, such as: health, fitness, confidence building, teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, safety, fair play, mental well-being, and individual activities. PHE is much more enjoyable when the educator is prepared and delivers class content through a variety of teaching techniques, such as Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU) and Sports Education Model (SEM). Moreover, I believe educators are responsible for providing a fun, inclusive, welcoming, and safe learning environment in order to meet the needs of all students. An essential skill for an effective educator includes the ability to develop lesson plans for diverse learners that meet each students learning needs, such as providing multiple options to complete assignments. By developing lesson plans for diverse learners, it can improve each individual’s willingness to learn and increase motivation for higher contribution in class activities.

It’s important to build an appropriate, caring, and trusting teacher-student relationship as this provides a sense of physical, social, and emotional security within the classroom and school environment. As an educator, one of my main goals is to ensure all students are comfortable and are included within a school setting in every possible way. For example, providing any additional support necessary to LGBTQ students who may need it the most in social environments. Furthermore, by monitoring and evaluating student progress I’m able to provide additional support where/when necessary and also able to improve myself as an educator by assessing and modifying my personal teaching strategies. I was fortunate enough to receive the guidance I required from my parents, teachers, friends, and coaches that helped me become the person I am today. I don’t take the support I’ve received over the years for granted and I’m excited to pay it forward to the next generation.

Overall, it’s imperative to understand that educators are responsible for motivating each and every student in their studies as well as facilitating their learning, development, and also need to provide mentorship. In order to be more successful as an educator, it’s essential to ensure proper planning and instruction are being delivered to meet each students needs as well as student progress is being monitored/evaluated. Furthermore, educators must also represent the profession in a respectable manner and be a role model not only in educational institutions, but also in the community. It’s also essential to ensure educators provide students with the proper care and support. By doing so, it allows for students to be more successful within a variety of areas such as social, emotional, and intellectual. Moreover, it’s important to build an appropriate, caring, and trusting teacher-student relationship as this provides a sense of physical, social, and emotional security within a classroom/school environment. Essential skills for an effective educator include understanding how a variety of teaching strategies can be utilized to meet each students learning needs. By using different strategies in a classroom it can improve the students willingness to learn and increase motivation for higher contribution in class activities. Moreover, by utilizing a variation of teaching strategies I intend to provide all students with an inclusive, exciting and positive learning environment in order to attend to each individuals needs. The educator I want to be is a role model and motivator who is able to provide any support necessary for students to not only be more successful in their educational studies, but also in life.