The Early Years . . .

My story begins, at 4:36 a.m., on the cool summer morning of July 8, 1982, in the delivery room of Calgary Alberta's Grace Hospital. It was the early morning when I decided to make my entrance into the world with my two proud parents, Naida and Brian, standing by. I was a small baby weighing a mere 4 pounds 13 ounces at birth. This is likely due to the fact that I was born a number of weeks premature but my rambunctiousness in the womb (I liked to do summersaults), which ended in my umbilical cord being tied in a knot, did not help the cause. Nonetheless, I was healthy and happy.

After much deliberation, and a little bit of crying on my part, I was named Jeremy Phillip Louis Lang. I am not sure the reason for my given name Jeremy though it may be because the name Kristopher was already taken as my brother was born, on February 10, 1979, three years and five months earlier.

The next four years of my life are quiet unclear and the memories I do have may be mine or they may be from the many stories I have been told over the years. Nevertheless they are an important part of my life and thus should be shared.

Over the next few years I grew in size, strength, and intelligence.

I began climbing and exploring at an early age. Our house in Calgary had a fort attached to the top of the garage that my brother loved playing in. Even though I was only two I wanted to be a part of this fun so, by watching my brother, I figured out how to climb up the ladder to reach the fort. My mother was not fond of this new learned skill so she attempted to keep me out of danger and on the ground by boarding up one side of the ladder thinking that surely I would not be able to get up. Not to be outdone I carefully watched my brother in order to learn his ways. It was soon after that I attempted to climb up the back of the ladder as my brother had done and my perseverance paid off because I was still able to make it up to the fort. My mother, surprised by my ways, decided to board up the other side of the ladder in the hopes that only my brother would have the strength, and size to lift himself over the boarded up section. My attempts were futile and my time playing at the fort would have been over if it had not been for my brother. Kristopher, always looked after me and this time was no different. Once he secured himself above the boarded up section of the ladder he took my hand and pulled me up so that we could continue on with our mischievous ways. This is one of the first times, with many more to come, that my brother stood by me when I needed help or was in trouble and guided me through my impediment.

I recall seeing a picture where I am all bundled up, with skates and an Edmonton Oilers toque on, desperately trying not to slip and fall onto the ice during a family outing. Twenty-one years later, while visiting my mom I came across my toque, passed on to me by my brother, and decided that while living in Calgary I could handle being an Oilers fan even though my heart lies with the Vancouver Canucks.

My family was going through some rough times and we ended up moving to Kelowna, British Columbia shortly after my third birthday. It was nice to move to Kelowna, in the Sunny Okanagan Valley, as my grandparents, on my mom's side, lived there. We ended up living on Knox Mountain, only a few blocks away from my grandparents. Unfortunately, things did not get any better with my family and my parents separated about six months later, and divorced a few years after that. My brother and I stayed with our mom and my dad moved out. We only lived in that house for just over a year before moving into another house just down the road, where my mom still lives today. However, I do have a memory from the first house; well, actually it is a memory from the empty dirt lot that happened to be beside the house.

My brother and I spent many hours playing, digging, and getting dirty in that empty lot. However, the day that one of his friends came over to play would be my last digging on the lot. A few days earlier my brother and I began digging a hole horizontally into the hillside in the hopes of making a tunnel / cave / fort but we were unable to dig very far. With my brother's friend there to help things began going much quicker. Being the smallest of the three I was the one who had the responsibility to go head first into the tunnel, and to continue digging while passing the dirt backwards, through my legs, so that the other two could move it to a better location. Things were going well, the hole was getting bigger, I was in waste deep, and we were all dirtier than pigs in mud. Suddenly the walls of the tunnel collapsed and all I remember is feeling weight on my body and somebody pulling on my legs. There was my brother saving me again. I was easily pulled out but by this point I was in tears and had dirt in my hair, eyes, nose, and mouth. I ran inside crying never to return to dig on the lot again.

I always seemed to be falling down, bumping into things, and getting hurt when I was young. Although my first major injury did not occur until the June of 1987, a few weeks before I turned five. I had gone to my brother's school, with my babysitter, the Bonds who were friends with my grandmother, to pick him up. While Mrs. Bond was looking for Kristopher and her own two children, I was left to play on the adventure playground. I approached the monkey bars in awe as I had seen other kids swing from bar to bar with ease and naturally I wanted to be a monkey too. Climbing up the ladder I reached for the first bar but could not reach so I jumped for it and was successful. I began swinging across the bars; life was grand. I reached the final bar but my legs were too short to touch the platform. I give it one last heroic swing to see if I could reach but instead I found myself on my back on top of the saw dust and in pain. After a trip to the hospital it was determined that I had a green stick fracture of my left wrist. This was the first of many broken bones.
 

The Elementary Years . . .

I began my academic career at Bankhead Elementary School in the fall of 1987, around the same time I started Boy Scouts. I attended Bankhead for seven year, Kindergarten to Grade 6, and during that time it went through many transformations as did I. The first day of school, well actually the first week or two of school, was hard for me and I ended up crying because I did not want to go. However, once I realized that I could play with blocks, colour, and learn to read I figured this school stuff couldn't be all that bad.

I made it through Kindergarten and entered Mrs. Campbell's Grade 1 class the following year. During the first few weeks of school I must have been ill because I missed some very important information. I have always done well in math, even at a young age, and I was asked to go around and help those classmates that had not yet completed their work. My friend Andy, put up his hand so I went over to help him with a few of the questions. On the way over to his desk I realized that I had to go the washroom so I placed my hand in the air. I started helping Andy making sure to put my hand in the air so that I could ask to go the washroom. Time went by and Andy was starting to get the questions but my hand was still up and I was too afraid to go and ask if I could go. So there I stood and soon enough there was a warm, wet feeling in my pants, and a small puddle formed at me feet. Somebody in my class must have said something because my teacher came over right away and said that I could leave to go the washroom. Luckily enough the school was prepared and made every student below Grade 3 bring a change of clothes just in case of emergencies. That was the first and only time I wet myself at school. I was embarrassed but it was a common occurrence in Grade 1 so I got over it quickly. Mrs. Campbell later told me that I must have missed the class where she mentioned that if anyone had to go and she didn't see their hand that they could simply leave.

The next year I was placed in a Grade 2 / 3 mixed class that was taught by Mrs. Beaudry, the Vice-Principal. She left just prior to Christmas because she was expecting a baby and a really cool art teacher, Mrs. Smith, took her place for the remainder of the year. Mrs. Beaudry returned for a visit in the spring with her baby Brett, who apparently she was going to name Jeremy, and shared with us some photographs from a trip to Mexico. She also taught us how to count to ten in Spanish. I think that she is one of the teachers that inspired me to become a teacher. In Grade 3 my teacher was absent minded and for the entire year she thought that my name was Jeffery. She even wrote Jeffery on my report cards. I saw her a few years later in a grocery store; she knew who I was and for some strange reason remembered that my name was Jeremy not Jeffery.

The primary grades went by quickly and before I knew it I was in Grade 4. I entered the intermediate wing of the school and was placed in a new teacher's classroom. She was younger, could relate to us and was also friends with Theoren Fleury, who at the time played for the Flames. Sometimes she was fun but I remember a number of occasions when she was quite mean. On this particular day we were given a Language Arts activity to work on and my teacher left the classroom to talk to another teacher. I searched my desk for my notebook that I was supposed to be working in but I could not find it. I waited a few minutes but thought that I would go into the hall and ask my teacher if she knew where it was. Trying to be polite I waited a few meters away hoping that she would stop talking and ask me what I needed. I waited for what seemed like five minutes and still no response so I politely interrupted and asked her if she had seen my book. She became angry, asked me why I interrupted, and told me to go back into the classroom and do my work. I tried to explain that I needed my book in order to do the work. I am not sure how or why this next event happened but it did. My teacher then asked me if I know when I would use "an" instead of "a." I had no idea so I told her that I did not know so she told me that "an" is used before a vowel and "a" before a consonant. She gave me a detention and told me to get back in the classroom. I ended up serving the detention and have never forgotten when to us "an" instead of "a". She found my notebook in her marking bag but never apologized.

My Grade 5 and 6 years were also inspirational for me. I had two Vice Principals for teachers in Grade 5, Mr. Gloster, now the Assistant Superintendent, and Mrs. Watson, who shared the class and the administrative responsibility; and in Grade 6 I had Mr. McKay. All three really respected their students and allowed the classroom to be ours which made for a more enjoyable learning environment. By the end of Grade 6 I was glad to be moving to a middle school where I could mingle with more people and make some more friends.

The Middle Years . . .

Grade 7 was an interesting year as I was trying to figure out who I was and why I was at school. I did not have much trouble adjusting to my new school, Dr. Knox Middle School, even with a changing time table and new teachers and new classes for each subject. School was school, but it was the extra curricular activities that I was involved with that interested me the most.

That year I joined the Year Book Club who was responsible for creating the Dr. Knox annual. The club consisted of students from Grade 7 through Grade 9. This allowed me to meet some people and make some friends who were in different grades and different social circles than me. Plus, it had other perks like pizza parties, and discounts at the school store. The school also had its own bulletin board system (BBS) and needed students to help moderate it so I jumped on the chance because, well I am not sure really why I did this but I did. Nonetheless, the job was easy and again provided me with a few more perks, though it also came with the advantage / disadvantage, depending on how you look at it, of being a "Computer Geek." At the time this label was not really wanted but it has proven itself useful time and time again. I was also a "Sports Geek" and joined the basketball, rugby, and track and field teams at school that year while I continued to play club soccer with the Central Okanagan Youth Soccer Association.

Rube Goldberg, many of you may not recognize this name but he is solely responsible for one of the most interesting and enjoyable science units I have ever done. Ms. Libby, my Grade 8 science teacher, was able to bring simple machines to us through Rube Goldberg machines and created the Egg Project. The Egg Project consisted of using simple machines to transport a raw egg one meter up, two meters to the side, while eventually returning the egg to ground level. This may sound easy but all the inventor of the machine could do was start the machine and watch. Marks were deducted for inventor interference, damage to egg, inability to use all types of simple machines, and noncompliance with transportation requirements. Bonus marks could also be had for various things and some students were able to get well over 100%. However, I was not one of these students. My group worked for weeks trying to perfect our machine and in tests and trials everything ran smoothly but on the day of the presentation our egg made it up one meter, forward four centimetres, and then fell to the ground. We were given another egg and another chance but did not fare much better and we were not able to complete the task. I am not sure what went wrong that day but it did not really matter because we were able to explain the different parts of our machine and how it should work so we ended up receiving 84% and gained a new appreciation for eggs.

My Grade 8 year ended with my friend Dustin Owens approaching me and asking me if I would run with him for the title of School President. Our platform most simply put was "students first" and we used the slogan "two heads are better than one," with a picture of Alfred E. Neuman in hopes of capturing the student vote. We won.

I began Grade 9 hoping to make a difference as the Co-President of Dr. Knox Middle School. Our goal for the year was to determine what the students wanted most and make every attempt to bring it to them. In doing so I ended up attending school, Parent Advisory Council (PAC), School Board, and City of Kelowna Parks Planning meetings in order to try and make a difference for my fellow students. We created a student survey that asked questions about what the students liked and disliked about the school and what they would most like to see changed. At the time skateboarding and basketball were really popular so we proposed the idea of adding more facilities for these sports outside. The survey was a huge success as we had roughly 90% of the students return completed surveys for us to tabulate. A few weeks later we had all of the information organized and the students decided that they wanted a new outdoor basketball court. We then presented the information to the PAC to see what could be done. Once they approved the basketball courts we had to get funding. For that we went to the City of Kelowna Parks because our school was on Parks land and we figured that the courts would be for public use anyway. We were fortunate and we were provided with some funding. Once we were on track with funding we began talking to paving companies to see who could build the court for the least amount of money.

By the end of the year we had raised enough money for a full paved basketball court and hoops, but unfortunately it was built the following year. Furthermore, we did not receive any credit because the new student council was in power when it was built and we had moved on to high school.

The High school Years . . .

Kelowna Secondary School is the oldest and largest high school in Kelowna and during my time there it held over 1800 students. It was a great place for me, as it was for my brother, since it was made up of students from three other feeder schools which provided for a new mix of people and opportunities. However, it was a big change going from a grade with 180 students to a grade with over 500 students.

Like many youth I figured I would become a professional athlete and play professional sports so I figured I would continue on my way towards my goal by playing on the Junior Boys Basketball Team. To be honest I never thought that I would make it to the professional level but I enjoyed playing cooperative sports as a way of getting exercise, socializing, and releasing stress. I was fortunate to have gone to the OUC Basketball Camp during the summer before Grade 10 to hone my skills because tryouts were a doozy. Luckily my summer of practicing paid off as I made the team. What a commitment this was because during the season we had practices four days a week, two of those being morning practices, as well as lunch time shooting practice. I started off the year strong playing in the position of starting Point Guard though this did not last long and I found myself spending more and more time on the bench as the season went on. The coaches said that I was a good practice player but that I was not scoring in the games. However, the highlight of the year was when I won a free throw contest and shot over 80% for the year. I was disappointed with my year and did not bother trying out for the senior team in Grade 11 because I did not think I would make it. I decided to help out with the senior team and at the first tournament the coach asked me why I had not tried out. I explained my situation and he told me that I would have made the team because of my defensive and passing abilities and that coaches often see things differently. He encouraged me to try out the following year when I was in Grade 12 because he figured there would still be a spot for me. Due to other commitments I did not try out in Grade 12 though I guess this is one of those times when I should not have given up and still strived to achieve my goals.

Yes, I was one of those band geeks. But I was and still am very proud to call myself one because being involved with school bands opened my eyes and ears to new music and cultures. I began playing the tenor saxophone in Grade 7 as part of the Dr. Knox Middle School Concert band on recommendation of my brother. He said he could see me playing it. In Grade 9 our concert bad started playing jazzier songs. The Grade 10 Jazz Band Teacher from Kelowna Secondary School came by at the end of Grade 9 to have try outs for the high school band. I made the cut. Grade 10 Jazz Band was a blast as we went to the National Jazz Festival and received a Gold Plus, the highest ranking possible, which he shared with only three other bands at the festival.

Part of being part of the school music program also allowed for trips. The most memorable of these was a two week trip Europe. It took two years of fundraising in which we raffled off an older Honda Civic, mid 1980s, with an awesome Blaupunkt system in it. The trip was expensive but I managed to fundraise over $800 to go towards my trip. We flew from Kelowna, to Calgary, and then to London England's Heathrow Airport. From there we bussed and caught a ferry to France before heading north to Belgium. I had a unique experience in Belgium because my friend and I we were staying with the parents of our billet, who happened to be in their sixties. They were very nice though the father could not speak any English and the mother spoke only English that she had learned from watching British television. They were wonderful people though it took some time getting used to using a sit down shower and eating salami, yogurt, cheese, and bread for breakfast every day. During the trip I saw many things including: Big Ben, the changing of the guards, West Minster Abbey, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, Louvre, and the Palace of Versailles. All in all it was an absolutely amazing trip that allowed me to see a small part of the world while getting school credit.

Grade 12 was hectic. Working, playing sports, trying to keep my grades up, and preparing myself for what I was going to do the next year was more than enough to keep me busy. I counted on my friends to keep my sane and they did. One random Sunday evening a bunch of us decided to get together to play some road hockey up at the local outdoor multi-court. Soon word got out and before we knew it we had enough people to play shifts or King's Court. This was the beginning of Grad Road Hockey. As winter set in we wanted to find somewhere warmer, and not snow covered, to play. This place was the Okanagan Regional Library parkade basement. However, we soon realised that this was also where the police parked their vehicles as the police station was next door to the library. Most of the officers we ran in to were very nice though there were a few that were suspicious of our activities and kicked us out of the parkade ending our game early. When the weather got better we actually started playing in the Grad (Grade 12) parking lot during our lunch breaks at school. Some days we would even get a large audience as it offered something for people to do during lunch. Grad Road Hockey made it much easier for me to get through Grade 12 as well as the first year of University.

The University Years . . .

I took a random mix of classes during my first year of post secondary education at OUC. My courses were made up from many disciplines including Anthropology, Economics, English, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, and Sociology. Some I enjoyed and some I endured.

Yikes! That was my reaction when I received my first essay back in University because I received just over 50%. This was a big wake up call and a realization that high school did not prepare me for University. I went from having an average grade of around 90% in high school to having an average grade of around 60%. It was quite the shock especially because I was trying to transfer to the University of Victoria (UVic) for my second year. However, this was not quite as easy because UVic had an entry requirement of 73% when transferring from another institution. I did not realize this and applied and was greeted with a letter basically telling me to try again. So I spent another term at OUC trying to get my grade up. That term I achieved an average grade somewhere in the 80s which brought up my average high enough to get in. So in January of 2002 I packed my bags and began school at UVic.

My first year at UVic saw me living in residence on campus in the Poole building which was for mature students. I find it funny that that I was considered a mature student because I was in my second year of studies. It worked out well though because I met a great group of people and one of the Residence Advisors was a friend of mine from high school. My second year at UVic, and my third year of University, had me applying for Cluster housing which is like a four bedroom apartment that you share with three other people. It is here that I met three great friends, Gordon Buck (aka Gordo, Law), Bryan Crosby (aka B-Dawg, Geography), and Joshua Cooper (aka Coop, Economics). Actually it is a funny story...

As soon as I arrived to move into the cluster unit I noticed a note on the door asking me to move out because someone named Josh wanted my spot. I ignored the note because I wanted to live in that building. Sure enough Josh showed up and asked me to move out because last year he had lived with the other three people that were to be living in the unit and he wanted to live with them again. I told him that I would see but that I really wanted to live in the building. I went out to get some groceries with my mom and when I had returned the other roommates had arrived. There was Josh, Gord, and Bryan confronting the other roommate, Chris, asking him to move out because apparently they had lived with me last year and Josh wanted to live with us again. Thankfully Chris was a nice guy and agreed to switch places with Josh. After this I was a little bit worried because they did not seem like nice people since they were doing whatever they could, including trickery, to get someone to move out. Yet, I am glad that they did this because these guys made my next few years at UVic enjoyable, and memorable. In May of 2004 Gordo had finished his Law degree and B-Dawg finished his Geography degree and therefore the four of us were to be no more. I completed my Psychology and History degree and was accepted to the Elementary Post Degree Professional Program (PDPP) at UVic. Coop still had one more year to go on his degree. Since Josh and I got along so well we decided to move in together off campus.

Thanks to Josh I met Amanda Starchuk, a good friend of his from High school. I met Amanda the first year that Josh and I lived together in Cluster though at the time I was seeing somebody else. A year later that relationship had ended and Amanda and I started hanging out. Things were great because there were not many girls that I knew that were like Amanda. She was girly when she needed to be but was just as happy watching the Canucks games with the boys. Plus, she enjoyed cleaning up, either that or she could not stand seeing a dirty bathroom or kitchen. Either way it worked out well for the four of us guys. Things between Amanda and I flourished but it took me a few years to come to my senses and ask her out. Don't ask because I am not exactly sure why it took me so long. I was lucky that she stuck around long enough and waited for me because she supported me throughout my Education degree. On December 2005 a year and a half later I was done my second degree and I began the working life.

The Recent Years . . .

This was a nervous time for me because I had just finished six years of schooling and now had to do something with it. I was lucky enough to be hired on by three different groups at the same time. Sylvan Learning, Saanich School District #63, and the Greater Victoria School District #61 had me working six days a week often including evenings. I would work during the day as a Teacher on Call for the two school districts and then at night and on weekends for Sylvan Learning. School had left me with next to no funds and a desire to make some money so it was a nice change for me to begin making money and be so busy. On top of this I had to buy a cell phone so that I could be on call for teaching and I also had to buy a car so I could get to my teaching assignments. This was the first cell phone and the first car that I have ever owned which is a surprise to many of my students when they find out.

In February 2006, after having taught for only one month, recruiters from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) came to the University of Victoria to partake in a career fair and to interview new or soon to be new teachers. I dropped off my resume and application and that night I received a call from the recruiters asking me to meet them the next day for an interview. The interview only took about 15 minutes and at that point I was offered a Teacher on Call position with the CBE. I declined this because I was already a Teacher on Call in Victoria and did not see any reason to move. One month later a letter in the mail came from the CBE offering me a probationary contract for the upcoming year. I had only one week to decide before the contract would be void. So after some discussion with family members and others that are close to me we, Amanda and I, decided to move out to Calgary.

We came out at the end of June to look for a place to live and at that time the vacancy rate was below 0.1%. I contacted over 100 landlords hoping to view their properties. From those 100 only eight returned my call or email and of those eight only five were available to rent. We saw all five of the suites and only three of those we considered living in. However, at this time I did not know where I would be teaching. We were planning on heading back to Victoria on the Friday and I did not hear back from the CBE until the Wednesday stating which quadrant I would be teaching in. Sure enough that afternoon I received a call from the Principal at Louis Riel School telling me that I would be teaching there come September. I had the opportunity to visit the school and see where I would be teaching.

We moved out to Calgary at the end of July looking forward to a new and different life. After a year of teaching Language Arts & Social Studies 7, Social Studies 9, and some technology options I was offered a continuing contract with the CBE. The following year saw me teaching the same as the previous year with the exception of a few different technology options.

I just finished my third year at Louis Riel School and it turned out to be a great year with many wonderful students and staff and also year of a great deal of personal growth for myself. I will definitely miss Louis Riel School and hold all of the memories I have close to me as it was and always be my first teaching job and the place that started it all for me. Remember that I can always be reached at email for any of my old students that want to get in touch, have questions or need help with something.

After three years of teaching at Louis Riel School I felt that it was time for a change and hopefully a relocation closer to my home as I was getting tired of commuting for an average of 1.5 hours a day. In the winter months this could be much higher. I have also had somewhat of a desire to go more of the administrative route in the hopes that I could make a greater difference in education. There were also a number of huge changes to my personal life that allowed me to rethink what I wanted out of myself, my life, and also those around me.

As a result I applied for a Social Studies Learning Leader position at Tom Baines School and after my interview I was pleasantly surprised to have been chosen as the successful candidate. I am really looking forward to this position and all of the challenges and responsibilities that come with it. It will be great to be teaching Grade 7 and 8 Humanities, English Language Arts and Social Studies, and working with some amazing teachers, students, and parents at the school.

I had a wonderful year meeting new students, parents, and teachers. The beginning of the year was a bit rough as I had to adapt to the new environment, position, and expecations. However, I feel that I proved myself early on in the year by working hard and trying to make positive connections with those around me. This year also presented many positives for me as I now feel much more comfortable in a management/administrative type role and I think that this may be the direction I would like to head towards.

I was fortunate to meet somone new in Septmeber that makes me feel special all of the time. One of our first dates was a Vancouver Canucks vs Calgary Flames hockey game so I mean where could I go wrong. I am glad that I am beginning to take control of my life and move forward with Angie, as we have been able to do many firsts together and have lots of fun together.

This summer I went from sea to sea (technically it was ocean to ocean but that doesn't have the same ring to it) with a stop in the prairies. We began by visiting Manitoba for a wedding and to visit Angie's family. It was great to spend a week on Pelican Lake just relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. I forgot how much I miss the water and was glad that I could spend some time on a boat. After this we headed to BC to visit my family and to spend some more time on the water in Kelowna. I took Angie to Paul's Tomb which brought back found memories of my childhood. We then ventured back to Calgary to relax from our vacations. After two weeks of nromal life we jumped on a plane and headed to Halifax to attend a wedding of some of our friends. I had an amazing time as I was able to see eastern Canada and visit Peggy's Cove and Pier 21. We also spent one morning sea kayaking and venturing around East Dover, a small town between Halifax and Peggy's Cove. Back in Calgary I began thinking about the upcoming school year and how fast the summer had gone.

I almost forgot, Angie and I picked out some new paint colours for the house and I spent a good week and a half, working 18 hours a day, to paint the entire house. I am glad we did though as it is now fresh looking, brigther and a new start for us.

We will see what this coming year brings for me as I will also be teaching Grade 9 Social Studies, I have moved to the Blue Pod, and I am in a new classroom. I am looking forward to working with a new group of people and seeing how we can work together to make learning engaging and successful for all of our students.

2010-2011 - What a year! It was interesting teaching Grade 9 students again after having not done so for two years. I forgot how much I enjoyed the conversations I had with them as they always seem to want to open up more as they continue to discover who they truly are. I should also mention that I had an awesome group of Grade 7 students this year with some challenges here and there but for the most part lots of fun and growth.

The start of my year was busy as I was setting up our school blog, Tom Baines Learning Community, and integrating this with our D2L site. Overall, I think that it worked well and really allowed our school to use online learning environments. Being in the new pod this year I found myself doing some tidying and organizing so that it would be a more productive area for students and staff alike. I met, and worked with a number of new teachers, both in the pod and Humanities depertment. I also took on two student teachers.

I was not sure if this would be too much for me but I soon realized that I was given the opportunity so I guess that I should return the favour. However, I would recommend for anyone else out there thinking about taking a student teacher to only take one. I couldn't believe the growth that they both showed during their time with me and also the amount of learning I did as well. The constant questions and reflections about my own teaching hopefully will relate into some improvements in my teaching and apporach to learning. It has a been a while since I wrote my philosophy of teaching and though I still believe it to be relevant it could use a revisiting. I believe that everyone involved, my students, the student teachers, and myself all benefited from having them in the classroom.

I was fortunate that one of my student teachers, Mr. Kuwahara, offered to help my coach soccer. This year we did not fair as well as we did last year even though I believe we had a more well rounded team. I might have to wait until next year to win another championship. For some crazy reason I also decided to take on the Grade 8 badminton team. This was a blast as I did not teach and Grade 8 students this year and used this as an opportunity to say hi to some old faces and learn some new ones. The team placed second overall in our tournament and I was very proud of how they all performed and worked together.

Last year I went on the "I am Canadian Trip" with the Grade 9 students, and this year I had the opportunity to join them on one of the two Quebec trips. I found that things went a bit smoother on this trip as I knew many more of the Grade 9 students this year and also for the fact that last year was the first year for the "I am Canadian Trip." However, while I was on this trip Angie signed me up for a six week fitness boot camp(a little plug for my friend Josh and his fitness company in Kirkland Washington) It kicked my butt but for some strange reason I really enjoyed going and being active. It was also nice to be able to do this with Angie. Unfortunately, I stopped going for the last two weeks because of some exploratory surgery and because the Vancouver Canucks were in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Blue Pod also piloted a new end of the year project that incorporated the four core subjects. I was really pleased with how everything turned out even though there was some grumbling from some staff and students about the work involved. I hope that we try this again next year because I believe that it is a much better way to assess the students learning.

Angie and I decided to add to our little family in June by getting a Minature Australian Labradoodle, basically a desinger mutt, named Tosko. He is the best little thing and has already brought so much joy to our house. It is now the end of August and he has grown a great deal and is already well behaved considering he is only five months old.

He was a great addition to have over the summer and travelled really well consider we went to Manitoba, for a wedding, Kelowna and Kaleden to visit my family, Edmonton, to see Angie's sister as she is about to burst with her first baby, and then Tofino, for a nother wedding.

I am looking forward to another year at Tom Baines and will have to wait another few days to see what my third year here will bring.