My name is Maddie Irvine, and I am an aspiring elementary school teacher.
Although I was born in Victoria, B.C., I have spent the majority of my life in Kamloops, B.C. Kamloops was where my father was born and raised, and my mother spent the majority of her life as well. When I was 6 years old, my family and I moved to Kamloops to continue our lives where my parents grew up.
I am a gigantic nerd. My hobbies include watching anime and Korean dramas, creating my own cosplays, and playing video games and Dungeons and Dragons. I also really enjoy getting out of town and around a lake for a few days of camping. There is something about the fresh air and being surrounded by trees and water, that relaxes me.
I learned that going to university is not easy. After graduating high school, I enrolled at Thompson Rivers University with the goal of qualifying for the Nursing Program. I later decided to switch to the Kinesiology Program, as I wanted to stay in Health Science where my interests were. I learned that science was not my strong suit. I also learned that I experience test anxiety, so I can prove my knowledge through class projects, but did not do well with exams. I was 4 years into university and struggling to make the grade. I broke down to my mother, explaining that I was done with university, and that I was going to work, save money, and start traveling.
A few weeks later, my mother came to me with the idea of teaching abroad. She explained it as “hitting two birds with one stone”; I have always been really good with children, and I can still travel. I did some thinking and researching and decided that it would be a good fit for me. However, this did mean returning to university. I returned to TRU, completed my undergrad degree in General Studies, and entered the Bachelor of Education Program. I was still unsure whether or not this program was for me, until I was in my first practicum and I was teaching my first lesson in a grade 7 class. As cheesy as it sounds, as I was standing at the front of that classroom trying to teach the students about parts of speech, things seemed to line up, and everything felt right in that moment – I felt like I was on the right path, and it felt exhilarating.
I am realizing more each day that this is the right path for me. Even though I am currently undecided of where I would like to teach, whether abroad or locally, I have achieved my second degree, and I am ready to experience the next chapter in my life journey.