An interview with Erin Moore, a grade two teacher at Kerrisdale Elementary School Interviewed by Barb Mikulec* *Director of the Provincial Retired Teachers executive   *First Vice-President of the Vancouver Branch Retired Teachers Association Photographs by Noriko Nasu-Tidball Q: What interested you in becoming a teacher?   A: I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. My mother and aunt were teachers and I saw how much of an impact they had on their students’ lives. I wanted to be able to show each child that they can succeed and reach their goals even when faced with challenges. The journey so far has been even better than I could have ever imagined. Q: What are some of the creative things you enjoy doing with your class?     A: I love showing the students that there are many ways to learn and understand new concepts. Due to the various learning styles, using manipulatives, technology and hands-on experiments can really be beneficial and helpful. Fine Arts is also a way for the students to show their creativity.  I like to use many different types of materials and techniques to produce pieces of art that center around  class themes or holidays. Q: Where did you go to university, and why did you choose it?  A: I went to UBC Vancouver, as I was living in the area and knew they had a great Education program. I also did my Bachelor of Arts degree there. Q: What can a class do to promote harmony and prevent bullying? A: Discussing and preventing bullying is one of the most important concepts I focus on each year. It really is important to do so at an early age so that it does not become a problem later on. I...

‘Bridging the Gaps’ An Interview with Ph.D student Hana Al-Bannay By Trina Moran When it comes to improving the lives of fellow community members, the story of Hana Al-Bannay outshines the rest. Hailing from Qatif, Saudi Arabia, Hana is pursuing her Ph.D in rehabilitation sciences at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation focuses on improving the health of Saudi Arabian Muslim women through education related to lifestyle conditions with special reference to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hana began her academic career at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, and finished her first degree with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Language. Shortly after finishing her English degree, Hana worked at a military based hospital as an interpreter. It is here that Hana became interested in the medical field. In addition, working with a large number of international employees inspired her to study abroad, leading her to Canada. In 2003 Hana completed a BA in Sociology at the University of Victoria and went on to pursue a master’s thesis at Royal Rhodes University focusing on the B.C. Arab community experiences with the Canadian health system. Aiming to finish her doctoral thesis by 2013, Hana hopes that the impact of her research at UBC will aid in designing health education programs suitable for the lifestyle of Muslim women in Saudi Arabia, empowering Saudi and Muslim women to pursue healthy living, and decreasing the prevalence of lifestyle conditions including type 2 diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia. A recent medical study notes that since the late 1980s there has been an increasing trend among adult Saudis of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, the rate being one in five. Other studies have concluded that a rise in obesity, hypertension, and coronary artery disease are the most...

My passion        Written by Lindsay Gibson My name is Lindsay Gibson and I am from the Musqueam Nation in Vancouver BC. I am 28 years old and have lived in Vancouver on the Musqueam reserve since 1990. My family and friends are extremely important to me, as it is their love and support that has made me who I am today, I admire each and everyone of them. My number one goal in life is to positively contribute to other people’s lives, Aboriginal youth in particular. When I am not at work you can find me walking, reading, kayaking, enjoying a live show, and camping when I have the time. For the past three years I have been combining my passion of kayaking and helping by participating in Kayak for a Cure Vancouver. Where we paddle from Jericho to English Bay and back and donate the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. I have done many things as I got my first job when I was thirteen years old, and had a summer jobs in Musqueam everyyear since. Before I even started to work my friends and I started a Creek Clean-Up Crew where we would clean up the local creek in Musqueam. One summer two other youth and I taught Musqueam’s traditional language to kindergartners to grade fours. I have done everything from Musqueam Bike Patrol, receptionist, treaty researcher, to landscaper. I was even hired as a youth carver to work on a totem pole outside the Musqueam Band Office. In 2005 I participated in a Haida Gwaii field studies course with Langara College, which started my interest in world culture, travel and experiential learning. The following year I went to Ecuador as a participant on an Aboriginal exchange project, called the...

Ms. Marilyn Teresa Yee is the School Counsellor for Kerrisdale Elementary, whom I, through multiple courtship, convinced to contribute a piece of wisdom to this issue. As Marilyn likes to say, “We all have the capacity to continue to give love and echo life.” ~ The Editor-in-Chief   Written and Photographed by  COCO BIKADOROFF   Q. How long have you served for Kerrisdale Elementary?  A. This will be my 5th year. Q. During your 5 years of working at KE, what has attracted you to staying with serving at KE? A. The main thing is the creative and professional staff I work with. For a school this size, the dedication to learning is fantastic. Everyone gets along so well. The teachers are very inspiring to me. I love being in a dual track school; I love having the French and the English. It just really stretches your creativity. Q. Do you speak French as well? A. I don’t, I speak enough to get by with the kindergartens and grade one’s but I understand a lot more. Q. Do you have any special training/experience that has prepared you to be a better counsellor?  A. Well all of us are teachers, all the counsellors are teachers.  I have a Masters degree in counselling Psychology.  An interesting sidetrack is that I also have a Diploma in Theology, because I always had a whole lot of questions about the meaning of life, why do people suffer, and how do they find happiness.   Q. Please tell us about any special projects that you’re currently working on. A. The most current project I’m working on is to understand something called ‘Social Thinking’ and it’s the work of Michelle Garcia Winner from San Jose California.  She started working with autistic children and how to...