Introduction Module: All About Me!

     My name is Connor, and I am a 24 year-old Teacher. I have recently acquired a Long Term Occasional job with two schools in the Simcoe County District School Board (in Barrie, Ontario). I am teaching my first teachable subject (Physical Education), as well as Geography (not one of my teachables) and ASD! I have already been an uncertified supply teacher for the board for 6 years, but this is only my sixth month as a certified teacher in Ontario. I also have 6 years of experience from placements in the District School Board of Niagara, where I attended Brock University full-time while tutoring and working for the YMCA to earn money for school. 

     This is the third course that I am taking in the PME program, and I am super excited for the semester ahead! I have known since I was a little kid that I wanted to work for the school board, and curriculum and educational planning has always been a major interest of mine. In fact, I have (and still do) had aspirations in working for the school board at a higher level, in the future. Both my parents are teachers, and my grandfather was a principal. I have always wanted to follow in their footsteps and take on an extremely rewarding career in education. My six years at University have only enhanced my desire to be the best teacher that I can. Therefore, I have enrolled in the PME program and this course, in particular, to become more proficient at teaching, planning, instructing, and assessing. Ongoing, lifelong professional development, then, is another major aim of mine. My goal is to not only continue to learn and develop as a professional, but also to share this knowledge with my colleagues and the learning community.

     I believe that this course will contribute to my professional knowledge and inquiry in several ways. Firstly, I hope to increase my knowledge of theory and understandings, as they relate to curriculum, educational philosophy, and the foundation of schools in Canada. I also am interested in becoming better at designing curriculum in my own teaching practices and pedagogy. I took an Innovative Curriculum course last semester, and hope to build upon some of the knowledge that I gained. A third way in which this course will support my goals is by applying the foundational and theoretical understanding that I have gained within my own classrooms. Furthermore, I would like to share this knowledge and these applications with my peers, colleagues, and other stakeholders within the learning community. I expect that my classmates and Professor Shulha will be awesome supports to me as we embark through this course together!

     I am super excited to begin the course and for all the learning and dialogue that is upcoming!