We are re-starting our ‘Teacher Spotlight‘ section with one of our new elementary teachers – Emma Wilson.
Introduce yourself using three words only, please.
Happy, goofy and helpful
What’s something most people may not know about you?
I played football (soccer) internationally when I was 13. My team won two tournaments in Sweden and Denmark.
Why did you decide to become a teacher? For how long have you worked in education?
I wanted to become a teacher partly because I had a lot of great teachers growing up who helped me to love learning and school. Coaching the Special Olympics is also something that inspired me to become a teacher.
What do you love most about your job?
I love the relationships I build with my students and colleagues, and I love being able to improve my teaching practice each year. I learn a ton of cool teacher things all the time and am always excited to try them in and out of the classroom.
Why did you choose AAS and what are your expectations?
AAS seemed like the perfect combination of academics and fun wrapped in a caring community package. All of the teachers and staff I work with are such kind, hardworking and experienced professionals. I know I’ll learn a lot from them and hope to share some of my expertise during my time here, as well.
How is AAS different from your previous school?
AAS is larger than my last school, so there are a lot of opportunities to try new things. I’m teaching a new grade this year; Gr. 5 is so exciting because I know my students are going to be ready to head off to middle school at the end of the year! And AAS has something called the Sunshine Committee which is a way for teachers to brighten other teachers’ days, and I’m very excited to participate in that once the football season is complete. There are also a lot of similarities between AAS and my last school so it has been an easy transition, and I feel very comfortable already.
Please, share an important lesson you learned from your work with students?
It’s important to listen to students when they want to share their thoughts, feelings, and struggles. This helps to build student-teacher relationships and student-student relationships, which makes a classroom community really strong. I love when a student wants to share a funny story with me, and I appreciate when they are comfortable enough to share challenges with me, as well.
