About Me
Weyt-kp! (Hello!)
Astraea LaRue en skwekwst, te Tk’emlups te Secwepemc re st̓7é7kwen. (My name is Astraea LaRue and I am from Kamloops.)
The language you see in my introduction is Secwepemctsin, the local language of my community. I am a member of the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Indian Band which is located in Kamloops, British Columbia.
I want to share with you my life experiences which have shaped me into the person I am and the type of teacher I am hoping to be.
I began my post-secondary education journey with the mission to become a social worker. Since I was raised within the foster care system I have always known I had a deep connection to helping others, especially historically underserved youth. During my experience, I began to realize there are many different ways to help others and I started to view education as the key source for people to flourish. Upon this knew found understanding, I wanted to expand my experiences to see if there was a different calling for me out there a part from pursuing social work.
I applied at Thompson Rivers University for the Community Support and Education Assistant certificate. During this one-year program, I gained a lot of knowledge on the needs of diverse peoples and how to utilize this knowledge within a school setting.
I became an Aboriginal Education Worker and was grateful for the experience within both a high school and elementary school setting. It was during this experience, I began to see the importance of emotional and mental health for a students success in their learning. One of the main reasons I want to become a teacher is to put into practice the holistic approach.
As a teacher candidate, I believe in creating a safe, accepting, and encouraging environment. The way I want to build this for my future students is by incorporating the holistic approach within my lessons and everyday activities. I envision a space where mental and spiritual* (*whichever way the student views this aspect) health is at the forefront of their education experience. I believe a student will be able to retain more from their learnings when their whole being is in harmony.
Another element I envision including in my teaching practice is local indigenous knowledge. I hope to incorporate different practices from Tk’emlups and the surrounding areas. Some of these practices include the different interpretations of the Medicine Wheel, the Seven Grandfather Teachings, and the Circle of Courage. I will respectfully utilize the indigenous ways of knowing to support the well-being of my students, mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Overall, I see my experiences as the well-travelled path which led me to understand the type of teacher I aspire to be: holistic, understanding, and open. With this in mind, I am hopeful and excited to see how my journey as a teacher continues to grow and change, and how this will positively affect my teaching practice.
Kukwstsétsemc. (Thank-you.)
