| Year started at WPGA:  2000
| First position title: Grade 2 Homeroom Teacher and French Teacher

| Current position title: French Teacher for Grades 5 and 6

 

 

I remember feeling very supported and cared for by my colleagues here at school.  I remember having a personal family issue that took me away from the classroom, and I had several people jumping in to help in the situation.  Someone offered to cover my class, and someone else offered to drive me somewhere.  It felt like everyone pitched in to help at a moment’s notice. This, in turn, makes me want to do the same for others when they need the help from me.

 

 

The WPGA community is tight knit and supportive. I feel that people care about one another and that there are people who can help if help is needed. My colleagues are professional and knowledgeable and there is always someone who I can turn to if support is needed.

 

 

WPGA has become a lot more casual and less conservative since 2000. When I started here, only natural hair colours were allowed, boys’ hair needed to be kept short, girls could wear minimal jewellery, and girls had to wear skirts or tunics as there was no trouser alternative for the girls’ uniform. 

 

The school has been improved physically so much since I started here. The outdoor play equipment has been a huge improvement. There used to be a computer lab in the space that houses our JK space. Students did not have their own computers that they used independently. The library used to have walls and there were stacks of books. The Upper Gym was not here, and neither was the track or turf, of course. 

 

When I first started, teachers were expected to give homework every day to every grade level. Grade 1 was supposed to get ten minutes a day, grade 2, twenty minutes, etc. Parents used to crowd the primary wing hallway at the end of the day to wait for their children to get out of class—it was so noisy!

 

The focus on the wellbeing of the students and staff is much more of a priority now. This has to do with how society has changed over the years. The focus of WPGA is the whole person, be it student, teacher or staff member.

 

Everybody is responsible for making an institution successful. It takes people in every area of the school to come together to make it run smoothly and efficiently.  

 

As well, after having seen so many of my students grow and mature and become adults themselves, I see how quickly time passes by and how important it is to try to be a positive influence in my students’ lives.  

 

 

My hope for the next thirty years is that WPGA will continue to be a leader of the independent schools in BC and Canada. I know that WPGA will continue to only deepen its longstanding relationship with Musqueam, on whose land we reside and are fortunate to learn from.