Here is the photo that should have been in my last post.

Photo taken by Paul Self

Postcard

As an elementary school teacher I am interested in exploring the education system’s role in helping to develop healthy children.  In particular I would like to examine the connections between physical, emotional, and social well being and how health relates to the growing disconnect between people and nature.  This picture of my twin girls expresses for me the joy of childhood and the immeasurable benefits of an outstanding school experience combined with a balanced home life.

A little bit about me

My name is Paul and I have recently returned to school as a Master of Education student at Simon Fraser University.  Having taught elementary school for the past 21 years, I feel I have reached a place in my career where delving more deeply into any topic would be wonderful.  I am a gardener, a bird watcher and a runner and the obvious connection to my activities is the outdoors.  I have been involved in track and field and cross-country running all of my life in a variety of roles. I have been an athlete, coach, club president, meet director and BC Games chairperson.  Much of my spare time is divided between working as a coach with young adults as they search for athletic success in track and field and working on the organizational side of athletics in my community of Coquitlam. I am extremely interested in health as it relates to children but I am also interested in lifelong health and wellness.  I wonder about what are the key factors that lead to a happy, fulfilled day-to-day life and ultimately, as we age, what brings us joy as we reflect. 

I am currently teaching a kindergarten/grade one combined class in the lower mainland and I have been teaching early primary for the past seven years.  It is very interesting to try and expand my intellectual vocabulary in a university setting again when I have spent so many years trying to simplify my language to communicate with young learners who are often just beginning to learn English.

I am the father of twin girls who have just entered grade four and I am married to their amazing mother who is the key to the privileged life I feel I am having.  As my own children become immersed in activities outside of our home, I find I am wondering more and more about what really matters to their development as caring, kind, productive and successful members of our community.  I have always felt that one’s physical well being is a key component of emotional well being because this has always been the case for me.  I am starting to question this belief.  The sense of well being I get from running is likely available through other avenues such as artistic expression.  This concept of wellness and the general sense of whether a person feels a deep contentment of who they are and possibly what their purpose is on our planet is a topic I find intriguing and I plan to explore it more deeply during my time at SFU.  I hope to bring a reflective approach to our class discussions and to learn many things as we go. I look forward to an exciting and fulfilling journey.