Professional Profile

 

Creative and innovative Environmental Educator/Programmer looking to work in the Calgary area. Possesses strengths in creating new programs and working with children and adults in learning and exploring together. As an educator, I am energized at the talent and the excitement that students have in learning. I look forward to working to deepen their understanding of nature. 

 

Career Achievements

 

• Return to school to complete Bachelor of Education and then completed the requirements to teach in Alberta.  Worked full time and successfully completed courses and practicum as well as raising two young children.

• Musician who has recorded and understands elements of presenting, producing and writing music. I have produced 3 CD’s, one CD Rom, one book, music videos and one commercial video.

• Recognized leader in permaculture locally, nationally and internationally having provided workshops in Alberta, Australia, Palestine and China.

• Has lived and worked abroad and brings an understanding and passion for diversity and working with different cultures.

 

Qualification Highlights

 

• Team player who has been fortunate to have worked across many disciplines and has chosen environmental education as where I want to be.

• Participates and takes on extra challenges such as: starting up a choir, produced music for the school “lipdub”, produced a video outlining my work in field-testing new environmental curriculum and participated in field trips.

• Passionate about the environment and who lives a sustainable life style by growing my own food and sharing this passion with my students.

• Resourceful, patient, diplomatic, positive, resilient, energetic, fiscally responsible and accountable, a proven performer.

• Problem solver who listens, who takes in the facts and works collaboratively to make decisions focused on solutions.

• Enthusiastic about the possibilities for learning opportunities.

• A varied background of teaching and learning from children through adults.

• Honest, trustworthy and excellent communicator who is a professional at all times.

• Passion for students; their personal growth and success in their education.

• Has developed and taken courses online so very comfortable with infusing educational technology into learning components.

• Lifelong learner who has linked, horticulture, permaculture, music and education in to my educational experience training.

• Excellent interpersonal and group facilitation skills

• Has lived and worked in Australia, Germany, and Canada.

 

Employment Experience

 

Teacher, Westmount School, Okotoks, AB (Sept. 2014-June 2015)

• Taught music to grade 1 and grade 2 students (4 classes of each)

• Taught Social Studies to grade 1 (4 classes)

• Volunteered and participated in a field test for the new “Curriculum for a Sustainable Future”

• Organized with colleagues and directed the Christmas Concert.

• Facilitated the first choir at Westmount School.

• Produced music for the school “lip dub”

• Organized and facilitated three field trips to Patterson Springs Farm, an urban chicken farm, and Okotoks Museum.

• Active in school activities working towards an excellent learning environment with students.

• Completed comments and supported students and parents in my learning environments.

• Passionate about music and environment and sharing that passion with my students.

 

Guest Teacher, Foothills School Division (2014)

• I had the pleasure to teach in a variety of schools upon completion of my requirements to teach in Alberta.

• Taught a variety of subjects at Westmount, DMG, Percy Pegler, Oilfields, Turner Valley School, C. Ian McLaren, Senator Riley, Red Deer Lake, Highwood High, Longview School, Spitzee and FCHS.

• I was fortunate to work with a group of great teachers and I learned a lot about teaching and working with students and from this I decided that my preference would be to develop environmental/science programs for children.

 

Business owner, facilitator and Educator: Gorgeous & Edible Landscaping (2008-Present)

• My husband and I have a business that we operated out of Olds, AB and then when we moved to Turner Valley we continued pursuing our business here as well.

• Teaching Permaculture (a sustainable design system for creating healthy human habitats) workshops through my business as well as at other institutions in Alberta (Olds College).

• Designed Permaculture courses to be taught online infusing a variety of educational technologies to facilitate learning and communication.

• Taught sessions for children about sustainability through growing their own food.

• Taught Permaculture in Alaska via Google Hang Outs and then by visiting Alaska three times to participate in hands on and direct instruction.  This training received excellent evaluations and it was a pleasure to work with this group.

• Sustainability consultant-Food Production/Landscaping consultant-involves helping people to become to become more self-sufficient. Have many clients that I worked with in designing and completing their landscape for their yards.

• Supervised two employees to design and implement landscaping projects.

• Taught short and longer courses in gardening and preserving.

 

Other Employment Experiences:

 

• SSICE (2012-2013) part time working with a client who was disabled-I provided home care as well as taking him out to activities.

• Project Assistant at Olds College in the International Department (April 2008-April 2009)-worked with a group of students from Mexico and I assisted in finding work placements, coordinating and supervising the students.  Worked with employers to ensure that the experience was beneficial and rewarding for both the students and the employer.  Provided support to the Mexican English Teachers who were studying at Olds College.  I assisted in designing foundational numeracy and literacy educational modules to assist them when they went back to Mexico to use with their students.  I worked with the teachers as well in developing assessments with their students.  The teachers were working with students of all ages.

• Organizer and Teacher at Australia’s inaugural Hurdy Gurdy Music Conference (2002)

• Organizer and facilitator for the Australian Communities Conference (2000)-I organized 10 specialists to teach 75 people arts classes for four days using a broad range of educational technologies and adaptations.

• Lived and worked in the Aboriginal community of Doomadgee (far North Queensland, Australia 1997) working on contract with Cooloola Institute of TAFE. I taught Permaculture, cooking and video production. This was differentiated learning for people with very little formal education and low literacy levels.

• Provided differentiated learning for Palestinians by teaching two Permaculture Design courses in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, Palestine with my colleague Peter Wade from the Permaculture Institute in Tyalgum NSW Australia. We provided this training in 1995 & 1996.

• Instructed courses at the Murwillumbah (Australia 1993-94)-Technical and Further Education (Australian College System) Permaculture practices and herb production. Assessment practices included portfolio and hands on strategies.

• Instructional assistant, Olds College (1992-93)-worked with adults who were developmentally delayed in preparing them to work in the horticultural industry.  I worked with the students in the greenhouses to provide entry level job skills for the horticultural industry.

 

Education

 

• Bachelor of Arts, Southern Cross University 2006- 2008

Major – Music

Minor - Composition

 

• Education - Post Graduate Diploma 2008

Education-Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW, Australia

 

In order to fulfill the requirements to teach in Alberta I completed 5 University courses: Curriculum Design and Development K-6; Behavior Problems in the Class; Educational Issues and Social Change: Historical Social Perspectives; Computer Based Instruction and Field Experience.  These courses were taken through Ambrose University and Athabasca University (2009-2014). I have two small children so took courses over five years, while working and raising my children.

 

• Gala Education Design for Sustainability Certificate 2011/12

Open University of Catalonia, Spain

 

• Diploma Permaculture Teaching, Implementation and Design 1996 – Permaculture Institute, Tyalgum, NSW Australia.

• Diploma Horticulture 1994

Other Educational Experiences

• One year of Studies at McGill University (Mandarin studies)

• One year at the University of Alberta (Arts-Philosophy)

• One year at the Trebas Institute of Record Arts (Music)-Vancouver

 

Volunteer and Community Development

 

• 2012-2013 Founding President and fundraiser of the Olds Community Garden Guild-this was the first community garden in Olds

• 2013-Present-Active member of the Turner Valley School’s Parent Teacher Association (my son is in grade 4).

• Active as an organizer in all the communities that I have lived in both in Canada and Australia. I always work towards making my community a better place to live through volunteering, sharing resources and networking.

 

Personal Interests and Hobbies

• Focus on my family with my husband raising our two children Sol (9) and Willow (5).

• Avid traveler having travelled to over 33 countries and across Canada.

• My husband and I grow a large portion of our food every year, which we store for the winter.

• Avid hiker, yoga enthusiast and enjoy an active lifestyle.

• Musician-I play the Hurdy Gurdy and sing-I use to be a touring musician in a few different bands.

• Love to research and find out about better ways to teach, to grow food, to play music.