Hi there! Thank you for stopping by my page. My name is Hannah Trombley and I was born and raised in Hazelton BC. I would like to acknowledge that I am living and learning on the unceded traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. My education background includes a Diploma with honours in Kinesiology as well as a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and minor in Psychology. I also graduated high school with a double dogwood in French Immersion- Bonjour! I am currently in my first year of the Elementary Education program at UNBC. Firstly, I’d like to share with you a quote from one of my favourite books, Tuesdays with Morrie, that had inspired me to become an educator. The quote by Henry Adams reads; “a teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” This is exactly the kind of impact I want to have on children. An everlasting influence that can be carried on throughout the lives of many. I believe teaching largely expands outside of curriculum requirements and that valuable life lessons and skills are to be taught as well.
Having a positive, kind and memorable teacher makes a world of difference in the classroom. I want to become a teacher who makes everyone in my classroom feel included, important, safe and valued. I have witnessed and experienced racism and oppression firsthand throughout my educative experiences. As a Gitxsan First Nations person, I recognize the significance a teacher has on one’s understanding and appreciation of self-identity. Every student deserves the right to the same education, resources and treatment. I look forward to the challenges I will encounter along my educative journey and how much I will be learning from my students!
Growing up in a small northern community has provided me with endless fun adventures outdoors. My hobbies and interests include mountain biking, hiking, paddle boarding, fishing and having fun with friends and family. I am a very social and outgoing person and cannot wait to incorporate the importance of physical literacy in my classroom! The north has so many beautiful opportunities to engage students outdoors and learn about the place in which we so humbly reside. I cannot wait to see where my teacher candidate journey will take me over the next 16 months!
Thank you for being a part in my journey 🙂
Hannah Trombley
Location Statement: November 26th, 2021
Looking back at my ‘about me’ page from the beginning of block 1, allot has changed. What I have noticed about myself as an educator is that I need to allow myself to enjoy educating more, as odd as that sounds. During my reflections of practicum 491, I spent a great deal of my time prepping the content, the lessons, the units, the learning outcomes, and the materials. What I have learned is that none of that stuff matters to my students. What they care about is having an enjoyable and engaging day at school. They need to laugh, they need to play, and they need the space to be creative. I learned to take myself less seriously. When I started laughing at myself in front of my students, they laughed with me. Nothing feels better than making an 8-year-old laugh about something silly you’ve done, and this goes across all subject areas. When I started taking myself less seriously, I also had more fun teaching. Being open to students about your needs as an educator is also important. I remember this significant moment where everyone was approaching me with questions while I was trying to hand back student work and I got overwhelmed from all the tiny voices around me. I had to step back and explain to my students how I was feeling, and they respected my space. On another occasion, I had set my weekly goal to not forgot my afternoon attendance (something I am still working on). By Tuesday, the phone rang at 1:00pm and my students and I knew exactly who was calling. I used it as a teachable moment, explaining that it’s okay if you don’t reach your goal, you can always try again. We all laughed together. Sometimes these little moments have more of an impact on your students then you may realize. These are the moments that have stuck with me, not the moments when I was teaching students how to estimate or identify landforms. My point is, if I could go back to first year me, I would tell myself to relax and have fun, because you’ve got this. This experience has been incredible, and I cannot wait for the next chapter and where my career will take me.