Mac Olsen
Express Staff
Their experience and backgrounds vary, but all are excited to be part of Ecole Routhier and working with the students in their respective classes.
Three new teachers – they are Melinda Brickwood-Dubois, Krystin Morin and Jeffrey Smith – have started working at the school this week. Here are their profiles and aspirations.
Melinda Brickwood-Dubois will teach the Grade 4 English class. She is new to the teaching profession, having completed Teacher Education North at Grande Prairie Regional College, which is part of a University of Alberta program.
“I’m very excited, it’s a new career for me,” says Brickwood-Dubois. “I look forward to having a positive influence on students and meeting new people.”
She taught English as a Second Language in South Korea for almost six years and came to the realization that teaching was her forte and decided to enter the profession.
Brickwood-Dubois is looking to help students learn new concepts and provide them with new opportunities, as well as work with the families
Krystin Morin is from Falher originally and attended Ecole Routhier as a student. Coming full circle, Morin is pleased to work as a teacher and looks forward to giving back to the school and community.
“I enjoy helping kids to learn new things in general, and to watch them succeed,” she says.
Morin will teach the Grade 2 French class and she has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta.
This is her first year full-time in the teaching profession, but she did substitute teaching for High Prairie School Division from January to June. Many of her previous jobs also involved working with children.
She was also a swimming instructor and lifeguard at the Falher Regional Pool, and a coach for the Smoky River Gymnastics Club.
Jeffrey Smith will teach the Grade 2 English class, and this is also his first full-time posting in the profession.
“I’m happy to be here and I hope I can be a positive influence with students and families,” he says.
Smith completed a Bachelor of Education at the University of Alberta and he also has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Lethbridge.
The education career has always been appealing to him, and other teachers inspired him in positive directions for life.
Smith is originally from Raymond, Alberta, which is near Lethbridge. He enjoys the small town/rural lifestyle, so working in Falher makes him feel at home.