tradesinstructor

[tradesinstructor]

Phone Call with my awesome learning partner, Shaun.

Shaun and i had a great first conversation. We chatted on the phone for over an hour and told each other stories about our lives and work. we both ended up describing why we are enrolled in the 3100 PIDP course and what we will be using it for. For Shaun it was going to be work related around management and business related. I chatted a little bit about how I am going to be using the information in this course to teach in different ways in the classroom. Different ways in which we flip the classroom, working within a group and playing games with the information for the student to hopefully learning and retain the information. I wish Shaun the best of luck with his path way of PIDP.

Kurtis

[tradesinstructor]

This is my first blog post, and I am nervous about blogging. I hope all who read this will come back and read more about the trials and tribulations with being a new trades instructor.

My name is Kurtis S. I currently live in Nanaimo BC and Instruct at Vancouver Island University.

I am Super excited about taking this PIDP 3100 Thru VCC. I hope I can complete all tasks with ease and learn all the ways to teach adults in different ways.

I am going to add a quote that really hit home for me. I have had those challenges in live to try and learn something and could never get it but, when I read this quote, I fully understood and can relate every time I read it.

“Adults are not empty vessels to be filled, but candles to be lit.”

— Adapted from Plutarch who was a Greek Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at a Temple in Delphi.  This version captures the essence of adult education: it’s about igniting curiosity, building on experience, and fostering autonomy, rather than just delivering information.

I also would really like to write to all of you on who I am. I grew up as the oldest child, which was not what it was all cracked up to be. I could write for hours about my childhood on how “that” went. I grew up in Nanaimo BC, which is where I am currently living with my beautiful wife and amazing 4 children.

We as a family are very passionate about camping and spending time with family and making memories in the forests where the ravens call home and deer keep getting spooked by my kids trying to sneak up on them to see how high they can jump. Kids in general are the next candles to be lit.

My Schooling started with kindergarten all the way thru to grade 7 at Rutherford Elementary and then I was off to a big scary high school, which was Dover Bay Secondary. The scariness soon was chased away by some amazing friends I still have to this day. I then continued my studies at Malaspina University College and took my Automotive Service Technician Pre-apprenticeship program and studied there for 10 months to then receive my completion diploma for Pre-apprenticeship. I found employment at a local auto parts store and learned even more about the automotive trade by answering the phone and helping the public at Lordco Auto Parts. I found that I was not going to be going anywhere in live if I stayed there trying to make a career of it.

One afternoon I was cruising craigslist looking for whatever jumped out and said buy me, when I came across a job posting for a RV Dealership on Vancouver Island. I called and inquired about the posting and soon found out that with only talking to them for 20 minutes I had a job interview. I went for the interview and landed the job as a RV Service Technician Apprentice. I continued working there and completing trade school in Kelowna at Okanagan College. When working for 17 years at Arbutus RV and Marine Sales. I gained so much more knowledge about the RV Industry and customer service experience that I finally found my career. I spent most of my career there repairing all shapes and sizes of RV’s. I also had the pleasure to teach so many apprentices on how to repair RV’s

When I found out about the new teaching posting at VIU I promptly built a resume and applied. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak to the Associate Dean about the Job Posting and What the University was all about.

I nervously went into an interview and came out successful to receive the job.

I was the newest employee at VIU. My title was RV Service Technician Instructor. I am still continuing with that role and also have the chair position.

I really want to thank you for reading this little story about me.

Pls like and subscribe and come around again.