My name is Jonah Hunchak. I was born and raised in the small town of Revelstoke, British Columbia. I didn’t always want to be a teacher. I wanted to make video games and play them ALL the time. However, at the age of 15, I was able to go and lead at a summer camp. It was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I had always worked with children in Sunday school and such, but this was something entirely different. We were having so much fun! When I entered university, I knew I wanted to become a teacher, and it was only a matter of time until I was able to obtain my goal. I heard from a fellow teacher candidate that the teaching program dropped its requirements to only 60 credits and that I was eligible to apply so I did that as soon as I possibly could.
I really enjoy creating things, having fun with friends, and spending time outside. I love using many different mediums to create something. I created an entire desk once. I welded together a metal frame and then created a solid oak top. It is beautiful and I still have it at my parent’s house in Revelstoke. I also really enjoy technological activities like create presentations and videos. In the teaching program I found any reason I could to create a video for my assignment. Even if it actually created a lot more work for me, I found it easier than writing a boring paper about that topic. Spending time with friends brings so much joy and fulfilment. Laughter and the time to goof off are where the best memories are made. That is why I want students to feel safe enough to let their guard down and actually goof off to explore the strange world that they inhabit. Safely of course. There is so much potential with what we as teachers can do since we control how things happen and what they will be doing. We can foster situations that include the ideas of fun and learning in the classroom. The outdoors has always been a place of calm, experimentation, and fun. There is so much to experience and witness outside. I really enjoy place-based learning activities because of this. The outdoors truly makes me feel like I am connected to the land, and it makes me want to be an amazing steward of it. There is just so much that can happen. Even just fostering play outside leads to so much learning and ways of knowing.
I have many more interests and hobbies, but I do not have enough space in the world (and they are not relevant to anyone but me ha ha) to talk about them. Growing up in the small town of Revelstoke lead to many opportunities to create things, outdoors, with friends and that is why I decided to share about those. They played an integral role in creating the person I am today. We always talked about the importance of the land, and all of these is something that I want to take with me into my teach career.