January, 11th 2020 To January, 15th 2020

My Second week at North Kamloops Secondary was mostly spent exploring nonacademic classes including hairdressing, business, and a foods class. I was happy to see how passionate the teachers were about their discipline, even when it was outside their area of expertise. Amanda the foods teacher made quite an impression on me. She has a kinesiology background and was perusing a position as a physical education teacher, but feel in love with teaching nutrition and kitchen safety to students. Even though the class is quite small, she still brings her ‘gym teacher energy’ to her classroom. She reminded me a lot of Gordon Ramsey as she told kids they were fired when they mess up. At first, I thought this was a harsh approach, but many of the kids enrolled in her class want to end up in a kitchen environment. Amanda understands that by being a bit harsh at times she is preparing her students for a fast paste kitchen environment. She is also aware of her classroom and the school demographics. In fact, I was surprised to learn that many of her students take foods as an elective just so they know that they will have at least 3 meals a week. She often has granola bars and other snacks available to her students as only 1 in 9 are eating breakfast in the morning. I can tell she is extremely well respected amongst the student body. The students quietly listen as she completes her demonstration and once they are set free they work independently and safely. I am happy to know that students who are uninterested in perusing an academic career are still supported by such compassionate teachers.