A Time for Education: My life in Elementary Education

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela

Why Elementary Education?

People will often ask me why I decided to go into education. If moving from a hot and busy kitchen to a classroom full of diverse and hyperactive children seems like a step into the wild direction, well, it is!

Since the early age of sixteen I had a passion to teach. The idea of taking part in someone’s learning development at an early age felt like the most rewarding job for me.

Having been brought up in France I knew I wanted to teach French. Teaching was always somewhere inside me; I finally realized 2 years ago that it was time to take a step in the right direction.

Was I nervous? Sure was – I had a few restless nights! Was it a step in the right direction – couldn’t have been a better one!

Elementary Education at UVic

Now I’m not saying the Elementary Education program is a breeze to get through, but it is probably the funnest faculty on campus (sorry everyone else….).

Think back to some of the best classes you had growing up – what were they? Science, PE, Drama, Tech, Art or maybe Math. This is what we do. We learn how to teach all of those subjects in various and interactive ways.

Everything is hands on from playing ukuleles in music, to playing pickle ball in PE, acting out scenes in drama and playing with plastic geometric shapes in math. You name it, we do it. You do have to be prepared to interact with children during your monthly school visits and create dozens of lesson plans for those subjects. It is challenging at times, but trust me if this is something you truly want to do, DO IT!

My Life in Education

I remember the first day of classes. Everyone was quiet, barely a whisper in the classroom. Little did we know we would all become very close. It’s amazing how far we have come as a cohort. Oh! I forgot to mention every year in the elementary education program you stay with your group of 25 students for the entire year. You will work collaboratively with one another, share ideas, jokes, phone numbers, food and drinks – the list goes on.

We have already had a start-of-the-year potluck, drinks at the local pub and we’re organizing a cohort Christmas party. I love my cohort life!! Sometimes I don’t know what I would do without them. It is truly an honor and privilege to work with such an incredible group of  students.

“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”
-W. Clement Stone