Welcome to my Teacher
Portfolio
Who Am I and What is my Teaching Philosophy
Welcome to my teaching portfolio! I am truly passionate about education and life long learning. As a future Educator, I believe in building relationships in education by caring about the person behind the books, the child within each and everyone one of us, because in fostering a safe environment to reach our ultimate potential, this is how we as Educators can build trust in students. Success will follow when the foundation is built on trust. Life is about building relationships... in school, in work and in sports. I strive to make an impact in the lives of my students that I teach and the athletes that I coach, so that they each can reach their true potential and find their passion in life! It was a long process, various job positions in industry, a growing family, hours of personal reflection and an ultimate trust in that feeling deep in my gut to really know that I was always meant to be a Teacher! Looking back, I think teaching was always what I was destined for, but I took the path less travelled to get here today. My life experience, tutoring and coaching children, working with adults in industry, raising a family of my own and working with my youngest child with learning disabilities have really taught me not only about how students learn, but why they want to learn and why having a growth mindset is so important, both as a student and as a Teacher. Humans are meant to grow and evolve, and embracing a growth mentality and a life long learner foundation is the key to building a meaningful life.
Education
I am Mathematics Major. I completed my Undergraduate degree through the University of Calgary. When I began my post- secondary education, I pursued a degree in Engineering. I was always extremely passionate about Math. I enjoyed the challenge in Mathematics, the problem solving, strategy, creative thinking and execution. I completed a work term with an Oil and Gas chemical engineering company. After working in the field, I really felt like something was missing. That was when I decided to branch out and study a few languages at the undergraduate level, including French, Italian and Spanish, as well as take courses in Biology, Medical Science, Chemistry and Physics. I wanted to explore all areas and figure out where I fit. Throughout my academic journey, I have always pursued a commitment to excellence in Education. The consistency in my journey is that I really love to learn! I hope through my Education degree at the University of Calgary I will build a strong foundation in Pedagogy, continually honing my skills to provide an enriching learning experience for my students in the future.
Family
Family is so important to me! My parents, my Mother who is a retired Teacher and my Father who is a retired Administrator in the Calgary Catholic Board, as well as my Brothers and my sister in law, have all been an unbelievable support network these last few years as I made the decision to go back to school as an adult student and pursue my dream to be a Teacher.
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My three beautiful children are my why in life!
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I spent the last decade working as a Financial Broker, I had a home office as well as a down town office, and in addition I was the owner and president of my company, Math Minds Tutoring, that I had started when my oldest was a baby. I made choices in my career life that fit for my family. I made sacrifices for my family and my children so that I would be available when they needed me. I needed to have this work flexibility for the kids, Keira (18), Nathan (16) and Wesley (13), so that they could be fully involved in their sports and extracurricular in order to make it work well for our family. When the kids were learning from home during Covid, things slowed down and I finally had perspective and decided that there was no better time to pursue the nudge I had and go back to school to study to become a Teacher! My children have been extremely encouraging and supportive. They love watching their Mom pursue her own dreams. They continue to keep busy with their own educational paths and their sports that they are passionate about. My oldest Keira was accepted into the B.Sc. Honors Psychology program at Vancouver Island University this Fall, and offered a scholarship to play Volleyball for the Mariners. My middle son Nathan was drafted/listed to the Wenatchee Wild WHL Hockey program this year, and is currently playing U18AAA Hockey with the NWCAA Flames and practicing as an AP with the Calgary Canucks in the AJHL. My youngest Wesley is playing U15 Hockey with the Bow River Bruins, Senior Volleyball for his school team and he signed to play U14 Canucks for this Club Volleyball season. When I am not at the University, working Tutoring Math and Science with Math Minds Tutoring, you will always find me at the school cheering on Wesley's team, shuffling to afterschool extracurricular sports, at the Hockey arena watching both boys play the sport they love, or watching Keira start in Volleyball for the Mariners this 2024/25 season! Part of my passion in Education stems from always being involved in sports and activities outside of the classroom from a young age, because learning as I always say, is a life long process and about building these relationships in and out of the classroom!
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Employment
My professional career prior to education has been marked by meaningful experiences and impactful contributions in the financial industry and in business with my Tutoring company. Both careers have created opportunity to learn about the importance of building lasting relationships. I have had the opportunity to build my own tutoring company, Math Minds Tutoring, from the ground up, which has helped shape me into the dedicated educator I am today. Learning about the needs and diversity of students on a daily basis has encouraged me to pursue my career as a Future Teacher. ​​​​​​​
