Yes, Tiffany teaches! I teach a lot. It seems like most of my day is consumed with teaching in some way, shape or form. I teach my daughter her spelling words of the week, I teach my son to plan well so he can get all his homework done, I teach my husband to make grilled cheese the way the kids like it, I teach my kitten not to jump in the bathtub, I teach my mother to avoid clicking suspicious links she gets in emails, I try to teach myself new recipes, and last but certainly not least – I teach adult newcomers to Canada the English language.

My teaching career began in Japan in the year 2000 when I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, but began teaching English to students ranging from 3 to 75 years old at a private company. After gaining 4 years of experience, I returned to my hometown in Ontario and continued to teach EAL as well as adult literacy, until I moved to Vancouver in 2006. By that time, I needed to get a TESL certificate to teach EAL and I decided not to stop there. I did my BEd. at UBC in 2010/2011. Though I did my practicum in high school English, I was hired by SD43 Coquitlam Continuing Education where I have been teaching adults in  the LINC program – Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada – since early 2012.

And throughout this journey of mine, there is one thing I have come to realize – as much as I am teaching others (or trying to anyway) I am also learning. I am learning that spelling and time management are difficult for kids, I am learning that there are different ways to make a grilled cheese sandwich, I am learning that sometimes kittens need to test the waters, I am learning not to cry over spilled milk – or burned pumpkin soup, I am learning that as we age things may not be what they seem, I am learning about different cultures, countries and customs, and last but certainly not least – I am going to try to learn about teaching with educational technology!

Photo by Megumi Yoshida