about

Hello.
And welcome!
My name is Sandi.

Some of my favourite memories from my childhood are playing in forts made from old curtains hung around a fabulous climbing tree in the backyard, playing all sorts of games in the park just across the street from our house (hated it when the city workers came and pruned the bushes because it was not as  good for hiding and creating secret places) and reading.  Loved reading books - still do.


I went to a Montessori pre-school, which I apparently loved.  Mrs. Raj, my teacher wore a beautiful sari and I remember loving being the helper who got to help pour the milk (from bottles left by the milkman) for snack.


We didn't have kindergarten.  So, I guess I am making up for that now!


I was actually trained to teach high school English - my degree allows me to teach from Kindergarten to grade 12, with a specialization in high school English.


But I have never taught high school English (although it might be an interesting change and a lot of fun).


In 1988, I  started teaching grade 4 and 5 in a remote community in the Canadian Arctic.


After 5 years and the birth of our daughter, we moved to the other side of the country where I got a job teaching kindergarten.

I love being a child's first "school teacher".  I believe that young children learn best in a child centred environment where they learn through exploration, discovery, working with others, working by themselves and through play.  I believe that being outside and interacting with the natural world is important to children's cognitive and social-emotional development. I believe in teaching children, not curriculum.

In 2010 I got my Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Saint Mary. This experience gently nudged me out of the classroom into giving workshops, inviting teachers into my classroom, and now into blogging.



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This is a personal blog. 
The opinions expressed here are my own and do not represent those of my employer.


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2 comments

  1. Hi Sandi,
    Thanks so much for following my blog, and for your tips. I love your educational phylosophy. I wish everyone here in the states felt this way, especially our policymakers.

    Happy teaching,
    Jessica
    The Learning Metamorphosis

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Sandi,

    Shelley Rolston is organizing a BC Bloggers Meet Up with Susanna Westby over in Coquitlam in August. It would be great if you were able to go. If you know any teacher bloggers or TpT teachers that are in the area that might like to meet other teacher bloggers from BC, she is asking us to spread the word. Here is a link to the facebook group that she set up.
    I hope to see you there.

    Charlene/Diamond Mom
    Diamond Mom's Treasury

    ReplyDelete

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