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Jonathan Ferris

Jonathan Ferris

BEd Program Coordinator

Teacher Education

Abbotsford campus

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Biography

After a brief experience as an Educational Assistant, I knew right away that I wanted to make a difference for students, so in 1990 I enrolled at UBC to become a teacher. My teaching career began in 1992 when I moved to Chilliwack for a full-time job teaching elementary school.  For fourteen years, I taught students in grades’ five to seven before joining the district’s curriculum department as a helping teacher in literacy.  This role provided insight into working with adults in a leadership capacity and I decided to enrol in a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at SDSU in 2000.  With my deeper appreciation of learning and the impact leadership has on student achievement, I took on the role of vice-principal followed by principal positions at three different schools in Chilliwack.  My last school, Strathcona Elementary, hosted visitors from various parts of British Columbia, Quebec and Illinois to share our work with both Response to Intervention and a district wide numeracy assessment called S.N.A.P. (Student Numeracy Assessment  & Practice).  I was privileged to co-lead the development of two district assessments, one for numeracy S.N.A.P. and one for literacy, the A.C.T. (Assessing Comprehension & Thinking).

 

The central theme of ‘transformational learning’ resonates throughout all of my experiences in the education system and my passion is to make a difference in the lives of all students. I am guided by the ideals of: competence, character, compassion and continuous improvement.  As a servant leader, I aspire to use my gifts to serve others and foster community. I am honoured to work at UFV in the Teacher Education Department in an environment of inquiry, equity and collaboration where future educators are beginning their journeys toward becoming transformational leaders and purveyors of joy. 

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.  Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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"I had very engaging and passionate science teachers that made me passionate and interested in the topics."

Yuri & Suman share why they're pursuing careers in education, what they love about teaching, and advice for anyone who's interested in becoming a teacher.

  • – Yuri
  •    Teaching candidate
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