May 6, 2010
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
Office: 604-864-4611
Cell: 604-302-6257
kim.lawrence@ufv.ca
Second year in Antigua for UFV student-teachers
Share the experience through their blog
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Faculty member Joanna Sheppard with
Antiguan Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer,
a supporter of the UFV program. |
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Fifteen student-teachers from the University of the Fraser Valley’s Kinesiology and Physical Education department are currently volunteering in Caribbean classrooms to promote physical and health education. Led by faculty member Joanna Sheppard and with the assistance of Dr. Greg Anderson, the students are all earning credit for their experience teaching hundreds of school-age children in Antigua/Barbuda, West Indies for four weeks.
This is the second year of the Champions for Health Promoting Schools program, which was created by Sheppard and built around the idea that every child is a champion. This international program is dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families through health-promotion initiatives. Working side-by-side with local educators, and with the support of the Antiguan Ministry of Education, the team is volunteering in schools across the island helping to deliver physical education programs that focus on the development of important life skills such as cooperation, problem-solving, personal and social responsibility, and healthy choices.
This year, the group is blogging about their experience daily as part of their class assignment.
“I had an amazing first day,” wrote Celine Charbonneau (affectionately called Miss ‘Sharpener’ by her new charges). “The students are so cute and I had a blast teaching and being with them all. They really want to be your friend, they want to learn, and they want to play. It was an exhausting day from all the heat, nerves, and running around but I can’t wait for the next one to come. This is going to be amazing experience and I can’t wait to experience every day.”
“The students are helping local students see opportunities to play leadership roles at school and in their communities,” says Sheppard. “They try to relate school work to care for self, others, and the environment, while integrating skills for reading, music, drama, storytelling, and art with health promotion”. Ultimately, they are building bridges between community health projects and school projects, for example, safe communities and environmental protection.
“This is not a holiday for these students,” adds Anderson. “They are working alongside Antiguan teachers to touch the lives of students, and in return, have their lives touched as well. Past students comment on the powerful experiences they have had while delivering lessons in a markedly different culture, with people who have different values and points of reference, and in a school system that is striving to improve the culture, content, and delivery of education to those on the island.”
The students pay their own way, with a small amount of assistance from the university. The UFV Student Union Society has given the program significant financial support for the last two years, allowing them to purchase the equipment necessary to deliver the curriculum they have developed. “This is the second year that Joanna and her students came to the SUS for support, and we were again more than happy to provide the funding to buy
equipment for the program,” said SUS president Jay Mitchell. “It’s a good program that offers solid experience to some of our members and brightens the lives of some deserving kids.”
A typical day for the UFV students includes catching a bus at 7:20 a.m., teaching four blocks of physical or health education, arriving home by 5:20 p.m., and having just a few moments to themselves before attending a meeting and doing lesson-planning at 8 p.m. “It is a job,” say Sheppard and Anderson, “and for many their first full-time job in education. This is their first exposure to in classroom teaching in a public school system…an exciting opportunity that also brings with it some healthy nervous tension.”
The students are blogging daily during their field study. Follow them and ask questions about their experiences at
http://ufvchampions10.wordpress.com-30-
