Dean's Welcome
Welcome!
Teaching is a fascinating and exciting career, though it is definitely not an appropriate vocation for the faint-hearted. As you contemplate embarking upon this challenging but rewarding quest, consider the fact that you will have many opportunities throughout your life to influence the developing minds and spirits of young learners. While some of the concepts that you will be teaching 10, 20 or 30 years from now may remain constant, the specific content will evolve from year to year, as will the social and cultural contexts of your students' lives. Whether you decide to teach in the heart of a city such as Toronto or Vancouver, or you plan to work with children in rural Canada, typically, as an elementary school teacher you can expect throughout your career to nurture the minds of more than 1000 students. If you teach in grades 7 to 12, you will have the opportunity to form significant relationships with more than 4000 students. So, before you take the important first step of entering a teacher education program, ask yourself the important question: "Do I want to dedicate myself to helping young people to flourish in their studies and in their lives?"
If you think back to the teachers who have made a difference in your life, you will realize that they devoted a great deal of their time and their hearts to encouraging you to complete challenging learning activities at the same time as they attempted to guide your spiritual, social, and intellectual growth. As a teacher in the 21st century, you will work diligently at the traditional tasks of preparing imaginative and creative lessons and assessing your students' many assignments. In addition you will grow over the years in your knowledge of the latest educational technology and resources with which you may enhance your students' learning experiences. Should you choose to study at UOIT's Faculty of Education, the talented professors you will meet here will be happy to help you to become skilled at teaching in a learning environment that is rich in technology.
Best wishes in your decision about where you would like to study to be a teacher, and please feel free to contact us at UOIT if there is anything we can do to help you with this important decision.
Jim Greenlaw, Ph.D.
Dean, Faculty of Education
