Hear From Our Grads | West Kootenay Rural Teacher Education Program (WKTEP)

The 11-month West Kootenay Rural Teacher Education Program (WKTEP) is located in Nelson, BC and surrounding communities. WKTEP has a strong focus on rural and small school settings, recognizing that they offer exciting educational opportunities for teachers.

In fall 2023, six WKTEP graduates shared their experiences of their time as teacher candidates in the UBC Bachelor of Education program.

Click the accordion headers below to read their stories.

Tianna Page

I already had a degree in psychology and English and was contemplating going into counselling or teaching. After spending time with students in schools, I realized I wanted to go into teaching.

When you are using inquiry in your own classroom, it is vastly different. It helps to understand what inquiry looks like from the student’s perspective. Inquiry learning (or project-based learning) is an incredible way to create meaningful learning experiences that provide access points for all students. In diverse classrooms, creating projects that keep students engaged and learning is so important.


Graham Muncaster

Building connection and trust with your students and the community takes time, but it is my most rewarding aspect of teaching.

Outdoor education has been crucial to the success of my grade 9 class at Nelson Waldorf School this past year. As a group, we were able to build trust outside of the classroom, go to the edge of our comfort zones and grow beyond. This led to the students building confidence in both themselves and their classmates.


Theresa Gerritsen

We are the new wave of teachers who are tasked with truly bringing the innovative, inclusive BC curriculum to fruition in our schools.


Amy Stewart

The WKTEP program, deeply rooted in place-based learning, provided me the opportunity to learn to be a teacher while also considering this place I call home. Connecting my love for learning and teaching to the land and the community was important to me.


Colin Prentice

More than anything, I’ve learned that you MUST be responsive to your students and their emotional and physical needs. A hungry, scared student can’t learn math.  I’ve also learned that growth, not grades, is what should be reinforced.


Kaylah Lewis

I have a wide variety of life experiences to share and I see it as a valuable career where I can both have stability in my life and give back to the community.