Graham Muncaster came to WKTEP by way of Quebec and Kimberley, BC. As a WKTEP Elementary teacher candidate, Graham drew from his past experience working with autistic children and adults in and outside of classroom settings.
Building connection and trust with your students and the community takes time, but it is my most rewarding aspect of teaching.
Q1. How did you hear about WKTEP?
I heard about WKTEP when I was living in the East Kootenays. A friend brought the program to my attention as I was working towards becoming a teacher, and WKTEP was in line with my goals.
Q2. What inspired you to go into teaching? Why is rural education important to you?
After canoeing the Coppermine River in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, weather led to our group being unable to be picked up in Kugluktuk, Nunavut. I was able to spend this time meeting community members and youth who shared some of their lives and experiences with me. This formative experience led me to teaching and living in the Ehattesaht First Nation community in Zeballos during my WKTEP practicum. I am very grateful to have been welcomed by the Ehattesaht community and appreciate all the connections I made during that time.
I am also very grateful to WKTEP and my faculty advisor Tim Huttemann for setting up this practicum. This year in conjunction with high school teacher Chris Rolle and the Zeballos community, we set up an exchange between the Nelson Waldorf School and Zeballos Elementary Secondary School. During this exchange, youth and adults from both communities connected and shared their lives with one another. It is these connections, often made outside of the classroom, that I believe are important for our youth to learn and grow together.
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.
Q3. Did you have a favourite educational topic or class that you especially loved, or one that made an impression on you?
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. It was the most important aspect of my students’ preparations for grade 10 at LVR.
Q4. Have you encountered any challenges or learning curves and if so, how did you overcome them?
I have overcome challenges with support and connection to those around me.
Q5. What was your biggest takeaway from practicum?
Building connection and trust with your students and the community takes time, but it is my most rewarding aspect of teaching.
Q6. What is the one piece of advice you would like to give to a potential WKTEP student?
Request a practicum in a remote community. You will learn much more than you’ll teach.