Good afternoon, y’all, my name is Melissa, and I’m a Texan living in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. You might be wondering what it is I’m doing here, far away from my beloved tacos, Tex-Mex, and darn near year-round shorts and flip flops weather. Every time I have to shovel snow, I wonder the same thing, too.
In Texas, I taught 100% English Language Learning students at a public high school and received a vast amount of professional development focused on ESL, social constructivist theory, social-emotional learning, and the integration of technology into the curriculum. My students’ dedication to improving themselves and zest for life encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone, take a leave of absence from teaching, and study Spanish in México. It is there that I met my Canadian husband, and why I am here now. Since immigrating, I’ve been busy recertifying myself as an educator and when my job search didn’t go as expected, I pursued a Greenhouse Technician diploma which brought me to Niagara.
Last semester, after a three-year hiatus from teaching, I landed my first gig here in Niagara as a Communications instructor, and I taught 15 hours of introductory-level research and workplace writing courses. Teaching in post-secondary gave me new experiences in using Blackboard, hyperdocs, learning modules, and open educational resources to help facilitate student learning and guide my instruction.
In my absence from the classroom as a teacher, my attention and interests have been divided, but my strength as an educator was using technology in the classroom with my students, and that is what led me to the MET program. I am enrolled in this course, in particular, to collaborate with others, share ideas, and develop them into something more.
My general interests are in photography, nature, gardening, food, sustainability, concerts and travel. I am a bit of a plant, insect and bird fanatic these days, so I’ll leave you with a few of my favourite photos: a goldfinch on a birch tree, monarch butterfly on a zinnia, and milkweed bugs on a milkweed seed pod.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to connect with you soon.
