Where are you from originally?
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Have you lived in any other countries?
Only Canada and Poland.
Where and what did you study for your education?
I specialized in European and Middle Eastern History, International Politics and Cultural Geography (I completed a triple bachelor degree in History, Political Science and Geography). I then studied Secondary Education, specializing in Social Studies (Bachelor of Education). All of this was completed in British Columbia, within Simon Fraser Univeristy and the University of British Columbia. Finally, I have a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Calgary, Alberta, focusing on Curriculum and Learning in the classroom.
How long have you been at TBS?
15 years!
What do you enjoy most about teaching at our school?
The students are fabulous - for the most part the students are happy to learn, engage and be challenged. They are eager to "step up" and take on leadership roles, wanting to shape our school for the better. They are polite and generally a positive group of students that is really nice to interact with both in and outside of the classroom. I actually enjoy coming to work everyday to work with them, even on hard days, because there will always be at least one student a day that will make you smile or proud from their accomplishments.
What are you most looking forward to in the 2018/2019 academic year?
This school year I am really happy to be a part of building up the IB Student Leadership Team with Mr Clark and Mr Lennon. It has been a real pleasure to see the students grow in these roles and accomplish goals that they have set. They are both excited and enthusastic as a group and enliven me to want to do more in supporting student voice and action in the school. Some really great projects and initiatives from the student level are growing and making the students very happy to be a part of this school. This is just all very nice to see and in a small way be a part of.
Whose your favourite historian/scientist/literary figure and why?
I read a lot, so I don't necessarily have a "favourite" historian or literary figure - as this tends to change with my moods or the political climate at the time. A recent book I have read Spaiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari has kind of "stuck" with me. It has given me a lot to think about human culture and behavior, that to a certain extent explains some historical actions or even geographical behaviors such as cultivation, topics that I teach. As a result, I have been able to use some of the information from this book in my teaching of both History and Geography, which have really given some of the students in TOK type issues to think about and some interesting conversations in lessons.
What is your favourite thing about living in Warsaw, Poland?
The culture, the food, the history, the architecture. Warsaw is rich in these things, more so than Vancouver. While Vancouver's history is less than 175 years old and centers around a guy called "Gassy Jack", Warsaw's history is over a 1000 years old and steeped in legends, something that I have always loved since I was a child. The architecture is also interesting between the rebuilt 18th century styled buildings, the heavy communist style and the tall modern designs that are popping up, they all work together to tell a story about how Warsaw is a very diverse and active place.
What do you miss most from home?
The mountains and the sea accessible almost at the same time (Minimum 20 minutes drive North or West from where I lived).