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.
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