One more Semester!

To finish my studies in education this coming term, I'll be student teaching overseas. This opportunity is part of the University of Calgary's TAB or Teaching Across Borders program. I am one of the last students in the final year of this program, and am very glad to have had the option of participating in TAB as it winds down. I'd like to thank all the professors over the years that have made TAB possible, starting with Gavin Peat and Jim Paul. It was through these two gentlemen that I first learned of TAB, and I was immediately committed to the idea of traveling abroad to volunteer as a teacher. I'd also like to thank Dean Sumara and Dr. Olive Chapman for their efforts to make sure that TAB placements were made available for me and several of my classmates.

I'll be heading to Tokyo next week to start my placement at a Canadian International School in Saitama. The school's name is the Columbia International School. Here is a link to their website, where you can get a great idea of what they're about. It follows the curriculum of Ontario, and employs teachers from Canada, as well as native English speakers from a variety of other countries. After several conversations with the principal there, I have been building a genuine sense of excitement to learn from the staff there, and to stretch my experience from general elementary education into the realms of my first degree, music! I hope to spend some of my time working on the school's music program, and have found a few local resources that will hopefully add to the school's current music repertoire.

The greater Tokyo area has a population which rivals Canada's - around 32 million people - Saitama being just one of the many cities that make up the Kanto plain. I last visited Tokyo over 5 years ago, and I'm looking forward to the beauty and busyness of Japanese culture. I also hope to visit some of the friends I have made there over the years.