Faculty of Education and You: Sunshine Willms

“I had the opportunity to teach with a letter of permission at an independent school prior to obtaining my teaching certificate. After obtaining my teaching certificate, I began as a teacher on call and recently got hired into a continuing contract teaching middle school.”

“The PLP program made the most sense for me considering my academic background and the 16-month length of the program. It provided me with the ability to maintain my lifestyle and have a balance between school, work and family.”

“Talking about inclusion, diversity and First People’s Principles of Learning in the program emphasized and reoriented my thinking around the importance of education for future generations. It made me realize that change really does happen through education.”

“Through the program and my practicum especially, I realized how important it is to engage with students at their individual academic level and also to recognize many students come from difficult home situations and are bringing external variables into the classroom with them.  As teachers, we must teach in an environment where the students’ upbringing, socioeconomic status and home life is taken into consideration when teaching and engaging with students.”

“I received lots of validation from colleagues and my faculty associates, Daniel Vecchio and Amanda Ballard, in the program. It was a supportive and encouraging program to be a part of.”

“I advise future Faculty of Education students to be open-minded and to let go of any preconceived ideas about education and the world around them, that they may have. This will help guide you when thinking about who you want to be as an educator.”