About Cheryl
My Story
I am an educator living and learning in London, Ontario. I am a certified member of the Ontario College of Teachers, qualified to teach I/S General Science and Biology and currently completing Additional Qualifications courses in Special Education and Health and Physical Education. Since I graduated from Althouse last June, I've been supply teaching for the Thames Valley and Avon Maitland District School Board and I taught two courses in Kinesiology at Western. This site is my space to share what I’m working on and what I’ve achieved, and a place for me to reflect on my career as it unfolds.
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Why teaching?
My friends and family tease me about how long I’ve been in school. With an undergraduate and masters degrees in Kinesiology as well as my B.Ed, I spent a long time time in school–without complaints! Though I thoroughly enjoyed my graduate studies, I decided after some formative experiences volunteering with young people through Growing Chefs! Ontario (a charity that is near and dear to my heart) and working with youth as a camp counselor at Sport Western camps that I wanted to take my career in a direction that would allow me to be a part of kids’ lives. As a lifelong learner and someone who truly values education, what better option than pursuing a career as a teacher?
Teaching Interests
Problem-based learning
Experiential learning
Cross-curricular programs
Environmental education
Mindful education
Computational thinking
What do you teach?
On paper, I look like a General Science and Biology teacher, with a specialization in STEM–Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. With my Kinesiology background and my experience working in the faculty of Kinesiology as a sessional instructor, I am eager to branch out into Physical Education at the high school level. But my interests don't stop there.
A placement at Jaffa Environmental Education Centre opened my eyes to the possibilities and power of environmental education–and had me learning and teaching students about GPS, working with students as young as kindergarten, and learning a lot about the world around us! I spent time in phys ed classes, developmental education theatre classes, and took the opportunity to sit in on any subject I could during my school placements. My volunteering, alternative placement, and summertime work with Growing Chefs! Ontario inspired me to see the potential for cross-curricular learning, using food education as a way to bring together concepts related to numeracy, literacy, geography, science, health, and history. It also introduced me to individuals extremely passionate about education who don’t bear the moniker of teacher. In short, I don’t want to teach any one thing…I want to teach people. You can read my teaching philosophy for more on the topic.
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What else is important to you?
I have always loved learning. From being sad about snow days away from the classroom to racing through historical fiction as a little kid to spending all of my budget at the bookstore as an adult, I am passionately curious about the world around me. I am fascinated by people and how they make change in their life to make the most of their time–so much so that I spent a year between my degrees completing my life coach training through the Coaches Training Institute. I have worked as a personal trainer and fitness instructor for nearly ten years, and I absolutely love triathlon and cycling, using challenges like half Ironmans and 24-hour bike races to keep myself balanced and motivated. I share my knowledge and passion as a freelance writer for Canadian Cycling Magazine and other publications. You can check out some of my writing in my separate online writing portfolio.
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Please enjoy this website, which is dedicated to showcasing all that I am as a teacher and as a person.