I am an aspiring K-12 teacher in School District 57, with a passion for Indigenous Education and making learning relevant through play, inquiry, place and land based education.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me. My name is Kelsey MacDonald and I was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. My passion for teaching began at a very young age mostly due to the influences of my parents and past teachers. Both my parents strongly value education and connections with community. I have appreciated the Prince George community in being able to experience a wide variety of activities (especially sports), its history and culture. Connections with people, places, and land are very important to me, especially with my strong passion and desire to continually build positive and lasting relationships with all ‘walks of life.’
I decided to become a teacher when I was working as an educational assistant. Being in the schools has made me realize that I hold the greatest passion in making a difference in students’ lives. I call this my “path with heart.” I see my greatest asset as being able to see and interpret the world for what is truly going on with someone and to be able to make a difference for that student. I am known to deeply connect with students by building strong relationships, being empathetic, and to understand their realities. By understanding those realities, I am able to influence them by helping to break down barriers that some students may experience.
I have just finalized the Bachelor of Education program at the University of Northern British Columbia. I am looking forward to beginning my career path as an elementary school teacher. I have recently been inspired by the concepts of a fixed and a growth mindset. Throughout my schools years (secondary primarily), I had a fixed mindset. My struggles in math gave me the feeling that I could never succeed in that subject which made me want to give it up. It wasn’t until college when I took a math and a statistics class (I needed those to get in the B.Ed. program) where my instructors challenged me to succeed. Essentially, I grew from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. My instructors believed in me. I have a renewed attitude for learning which I will keep for life.