About Me
Team Ride to Survive at the 2012 Ride to Conquer
Cancer
I was raised in Mississauga from a big family of six; I have two brothers and one sister whom of which are so important to me. My Catholic faith is the foundation of my beliefs and life philosophy; I am greatly involved in my faith life through Eucharistic ministry and organizing youth ministry. In my spare time you can find me cycling, hiking, reading or jogging with my dog. I have a great passion for the outdoors; I have done many adventure races, cycling races and marathons. A big philosophy that I live by is to 'Livestrong'. To me, this means to live with a positive and strong attitude; I believe that our thoughts shape our actions, thus it is important to always keep a positive perspective and a good sense of humor. I also enjoy traveling; I have visited many places including Maui, Italy, the East and West coast of Canada, Jamaica and I am currently in preparation for a teaching internship in Kenya. I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I have had my dolls to practice with. My focus is to work with primary and junior grades. I have a vision to teach for development, implementing values of social equity and justice not only within our communities here in Canada but also within our global community.
Teaching Philosophy
My passion to teach stems from not only my love for working with children but also for the opportunity to inspire, motivate and teach children how to be productive members of society. My primary goal is to teach for social justice and equity amongst all students in hopes that students will take and apply these principles into their adolescent and adult lives. As a lifelong practicing Catholic and Eucharistic Minister, I believe I have been called to be a teacher in a Catholic school. I am eager to work in a learning community that is shaped by Gospel values and Christ-like relationships. One scripture I strongly live by is: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It is my greatest commitment to teach the history and values of the Catholic Church. As a teacher, I believe in fostering a community setting within the classroom where students feel accountable to one another with care, respect, trust and integrity. In doing so, it is my ultimate goal for students to be critical thinkers and to take initiative in their learning.
I am greatly inspired by this quote by Marianne Williamson, Our Deepest Fear:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
While studying sociology as well as within my teaching experience, I have witnessed Charles Horton Cooley's theory of the 'Looking Glass Self', which states that we perceive ourselves how others view us[1]. I have witnessed the excellence of applying positive labels to students to reinforce their positive learning. For instance, within my first practicum I had one student who greatly disliked math and was failing. While teaching math there, I also taught the students the success criteria of organization and continuously told her she was very organized. By applying this positive label to her, she took more initiative to be organized in Math by completing her homework and by staying in to receive extra help after school. Before I left my practicum, she received an A on her math unit test—a goodbye present more rewarding than anything else. Thus, applying positive labels to students can work incredibly in their success as students.
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it’s stupid”
–Albert Einstein
[1] McIntyre, Lisa. The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006