Volunteer Coaching
During the past three summers, I have been fortunate to volunteer with the “Janie Lax” minor girls lacrosse program in Sarnia, Ontario. This program, run by a Sarnia family provides young female athletes the opportunity to explore the game of lacrosse at no cost. One unique feature of this program, is the connections they foster with NCAA and OUA lacrosse teams. I was lucky to have the opportunity to establish a relationship between the girls I coach, and my own varsity lacrosse team at Western. This allowed the young athletes to choose a “buddy” who they could connect with and look up to as they grow older and begin to navigate the lacrosse world.
When deciding what career path I wanted to take towards the end of my undergraduate years, I reflected back on my most meaningful experiences over the past few years. It became clear my most meaningful experiences were working with these young learners. These athletes taught me the importance of relationships as well as the impact that you leave on each and every one of them. Volunteering with this program has instilled in me a passion for working with Primary-Junior aged learners and to value all they can do. I am constantly amazed at what these athletes have taught me, and the growth they experience every time I work with them. This program has been a highly relevant experience as I learned from a coach and mentor perspective that it is not just about learning to score goals or develop lacrosse skills. Rather, it is about guiding them to grow in confidence, to cooperate with one another to achieve a common goal, and to develop character, as a foundation for their futures. Not only are these girls learning the game of lacrosse, but they are developing competencies which will help them to succeed in their futures. This experience has been significant as it has inspired me to become an educator, to continue to work with young learners, and to guide them on their way to becoming productive and successful members of society.
Special Olympics Ontario
Rhythmic Gymnastics Volunteer Head Coach
Beginning in November 2016, for three years I volunteered with Special Olympics Ontario as head coach of the London Magic Rhythmic Gymnastics Team. In this position, I taught gymnastic routines to athletes with various exceptionalities. Beginning as an assistant coach, and moving to head coach, my roles included developing practice plans, modifying activities to include and benefit athletes of all abilities, and using various teaching strategies and approaches. Some of the strategies which I incorporated included games, technology, and cooperative learning. This experience has provided me the opportunity to work with children with various exceptionalities. I have grown and developed immensely as a result of this experiences in more ways than I would have ever imagined. This experience has instilled in me a strong passion for working with children with exceptionalities. As well, I have learned to successfully work with and support youth with varying physical, intellectual, and social abilities.
I have learned precise and effective skills for working with and teaching students with communication disorders. I am now able to facilitate effective communication among these children and their peers. This experience have gifted me with the ability to recognize the potential these children have and to assist them in reaching a high level of achievement. I have been fortunate enough to see first-hand the positive impact that participation, engagement, and inclusion can have on youth with exceptionalities, and strive to facilitate these opportunities in my future classroom. I have learned to appreciate that each child is unique, and learns in their own way, requiring individualized programs and support. This experience has taught me to be creative and flexible in my teaching methods and approaches. I have learned to identify when one-on-one teaching is necessary, and to provide it as appropriate. I believe these experiences will allow me to create a fully inclusive classroom where each child will become successful.
As an educator, I will continue to discover techniques for inclusion and advocate for these learners. By obtaining valuable skills from this experience, I will be able to successfully transfer my knowledge to my future classroom and students.