Teaching Related Experience
Student Literacy Intervention Practicum
January - March 2014
During the practicum portion of the Student Literacy Interventions course at Brandon University, I was able to gain hands on experience with a Grade 5 student that was experiencing difficulty in literacy. During this practicum I was responsible for using the Fountas & Pinnell benchmark assessment to determine the student's literacy level. After finding the strengths and weaknesses of the student I then used that information to develop strategies to assist the student progress in her literacy abilities. This was an amazing opportunity to gain experience and confidence in Fountas & Pinnell assessments as well as incorporating various differentiated learning strategies.
Manitoba Text Book Bureau
June - August 2013
The summer of 2013 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the Manitoba Text Book Bureau in Souris, MB. The opportunity allowed me to gain experience and confidence with the Manitoba curriculum documents and the resources that are available to both teachers and students. I know that this summer position will allow me to confidently understand and navigate curriculum documents as I enter my teaching career.
Math Marker
September 2012 - April 2013
During the 2012/2013 school year I was able to gain additional confidence in my math skills while marking math labs for the Brandon University Math Department. This experience also allowed me the opportunity to mark mass quantities of papers in a short amount of time, still maintain accuracy and organization. I know that these skills will allow me to be a more proficient teacher in my own classroom.
Home Daycare
August 2008 - December 2010
I was fortunate enough to have a home daycare for 2 1/2 years. This experience allowed me to work one on one with children in a casual setting. I enjoyed spending time planning crafts, baking, activities and meals for the children in my care. This experience allowed me to gain confidence dealing with issues that arise with both the children and parents in my care. Scheduling for different children's levels and needs is also a skill that will carry over into teaching.
Family Visions
2004 - 2005
After moving back to Brandon from Lethbridge, AB, I had the opportunity to work with Family Visions, first as a support worker and then as a team leader. My work focused on two specific young adults in the agency, one with severe autism and one who was legally blind. This experience provided me with skills that I can use to work with many different students with both learning and physical disabilities. Adapting regular schedules and learning to be flexible will be skills that carry over into the classroom setting.
YWCA Harbour House
March 2000 - February 2003
While attending Lethbridge Community College, as well as after graduation, I worked at YWCA Harbour House as a Crisis Counsellor at the women's shelter. This experience was an amazing opportunity and allowed me to work with many different women and their children in a very intimate setting as they were going through very traumatic events in their lives. Seeing the daily struggles and obstacles that these families go through will allow me to have a high level of empathy and understanding for families in my classroom who are experiencing the same situations. This position was also an amazing learning experience for me. I was able to see families that came from many different walks of life and learn their cultures, traditions and daily habits. Being able to see first hand how other families live and deal with different obstacles will allow me to be able to look at students in my classroom in a different light and not expect everyone to be the same. Having a school on site at the shelter also gave me insight into the struggles that students face academically when they are going through traumatic events or transitional periods in their life. The understanding and awareness that I will be able to have for students in my classroom in similar situations will be facing.
Youth Justice Committee
1995 - 2002
I had the opportunity to sit as a student representative on the Neepawa-Gladstone Youth Justice Committee when I was in high school. When I moved to Lethbridge, I joined the Lethbridge Youth Justice Committee as a member and then as Vice Chairperson. This experience allowed me to work directly with youth in the community who had committed crimes but were given the opportunity to do community service work and have mediation with their victims. I was able to see first hand the impact that crime has on the community and victims as well as the change that can occur with students who have chosen a tough road in life, for many different reasons.
January - March 2014
During the practicum portion of the Student Literacy Interventions course at Brandon University, I was able to gain hands on experience with a Grade 5 student that was experiencing difficulty in literacy. During this practicum I was responsible for using the Fountas & Pinnell benchmark assessment to determine the student's literacy level. After finding the strengths and weaknesses of the student I then used that information to develop strategies to assist the student progress in her literacy abilities. This was an amazing opportunity to gain experience and confidence in Fountas & Pinnell assessments as well as incorporating various differentiated learning strategies.
Manitoba Text Book Bureau
June - August 2013
The summer of 2013 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at the Manitoba Text Book Bureau in Souris, MB. The opportunity allowed me to gain experience and confidence with the Manitoba curriculum documents and the resources that are available to both teachers and students. I know that this summer position will allow me to confidently understand and navigate curriculum documents as I enter my teaching career.
Math Marker
September 2012 - April 2013
During the 2012/2013 school year I was able to gain additional confidence in my math skills while marking math labs for the Brandon University Math Department. This experience also allowed me the opportunity to mark mass quantities of papers in a short amount of time, still maintain accuracy and organization. I know that these skills will allow me to be a more proficient teacher in my own classroom.
Home Daycare
August 2008 - December 2010
I was fortunate enough to have a home daycare for 2 1/2 years. This experience allowed me to work one on one with children in a casual setting. I enjoyed spending time planning crafts, baking, activities and meals for the children in my care. This experience allowed me to gain confidence dealing with issues that arise with both the children and parents in my care. Scheduling for different children's levels and needs is also a skill that will carry over into teaching.
Family Visions
2004 - 2005
After moving back to Brandon from Lethbridge, AB, I had the opportunity to work with Family Visions, first as a support worker and then as a team leader. My work focused on two specific young adults in the agency, one with severe autism and one who was legally blind. This experience provided me with skills that I can use to work with many different students with both learning and physical disabilities. Adapting regular schedules and learning to be flexible will be skills that carry over into the classroom setting.
YWCA Harbour House
March 2000 - February 2003
While attending Lethbridge Community College, as well as after graduation, I worked at YWCA Harbour House as a Crisis Counsellor at the women's shelter. This experience was an amazing opportunity and allowed me to work with many different women and their children in a very intimate setting as they were going through very traumatic events in their lives. Seeing the daily struggles and obstacles that these families go through will allow me to have a high level of empathy and understanding for families in my classroom who are experiencing the same situations. This position was also an amazing learning experience for me. I was able to see families that came from many different walks of life and learn their cultures, traditions and daily habits. Being able to see first hand how other families live and deal with different obstacles will allow me to be able to look at students in my classroom in a different light and not expect everyone to be the same. Having a school on site at the shelter also gave me insight into the struggles that students face academically when they are going through traumatic events or transitional periods in their life. The understanding and awareness that I will be able to have for students in my classroom in similar situations will be facing.
Youth Justice Committee
1995 - 2002
I had the opportunity to sit as a student representative on the Neepawa-Gladstone Youth Justice Committee when I was in high school. When I moved to Lethbridge, I joined the Lethbridge Youth Justice Committee as a member and then as Vice Chairperson. This experience allowed me to work directly with youth in the community who had committed crimes but were given the opportunity to do community service work and have mediation with their victims. I was able to see first hand the impact that crime has on the community and victims as well as the change that can occur with students who have chosen a tough road in life, for many different reasons.