Letter+of+Introduction

Who Am I?   You already know my name, but the answer to the question of who I am, is more complicated than that. I am a teacher, teacher educator, and student. I am a mother, a daughter and a life partner/ significant other/ wife. I currently live in the 905 area of Toronto, but I was born in the Caribbean, have lived downtown and was educated in Scarborough and London Ontario. I haven’t always been a teacher, although I think I have wanted to be for a long time. I worked in a medical lab for what seemed like far too long, although in retrospect it was only a few years. What’s important to me now… So many things… My immediate concerns are always with my family. I have 3 fantastic children, 2 of whom attend university in Ottawa, and one who is still in Gr. 8. They are a tremendous source of pride and joy but regardless of their age they still need parenting, advice, and as you can imagine, considerable financial support. Currently my own parents are also on my mind as they are facing some of their own challenges related to aging and they require moral and physical support of a different kind. What else is important to me? That the world could be a much kinder place, that there are still tremendous inequities in our education system, as in society; that people don’t communicate with each other and don’t care about each other locally and globally in ways that I think they should; that money dictates far too much of what gets done and who gets left behind. I’m sure you’ve already learned some of this about me. I have been teaching English as a Second Language since 1990 to adults and teaching high school English since 1996. I have had many different experiences with students and subjects and schools and yet I feel that there are still things I can learn. Perhaps you will teach me some of those things this year. I am passionate about the role of the teacher in education. I don’t think that teachers are given nearly enough credit and support for the work they do. This is something I would like to see changed. The education of teachers should be an on-going process, but it should not be left to chance, or to benevolent administrators or only to teachers with the means to pursue it. Like many of you I learn best by a combination of reading and discussion and listening to others. I do enjoy writing, but I tend to procrastinate about it, keeping many ideas locked in my mind and re hashing them for a long time without putting them down somewhere to be examined. I have begun the doctoral program here at York this year. I know I will have to do more writing, I hope that having deadlines will help me to produce. I really enjoyed reading your introductory journals. I share the excitement with you all as you begin your journey to become teachers. After 20 years of teaching I’m still excited when I have to teach new students or new classes. I also understand the anxiety about ‘getting it right’ and the worry about begin such a beginner, especially for some of you who are coming at this career after working for years in some other spaces. Some of this I am facing myself as I begin again as a student in a different way with graduate studies. I hope you will enjoy the process of becoming. It isn’t easy but it is so rewarding. I also hope that you will ask questions in the class and participate and contribute to what we do here on Mondays. Like most things, you will get out of it as much as you are willing to give. You will definitely learn a lot about yourself and about your students, your colleagues and the system we call education in Ontario. Welcome!
 * My Letter of Introduction: October 2010 **