OC Education Assistant grads ready to support learners in new and ever-changing world of education

By College Relations | June 30, 2020
           

Education Assistant Graduate Toby Griffin
Education Assistant Graduate Toby Griffin

The phrase “going back to school” is exciting on many levels for Okanagan College Vernon graduate Toby Griffin.

When she took the leap of returning to College at age 48 to pursue her dream of becoming a certified education assistant, Griffin never could have imagined she’d finish off her studies during a pandemic – nor could she have anticipated how much this experience would inspire her and her fellow students to support learners in new and innovative ways.

Education Assistants (EAs) are trained to help students be successful in meeting their educational goals. Griffin is one of a class of 27 new OC EA graduates who took time recently to show their appreciation to their instructor for helping them meet theirs.

On Friday, June 19, grads from the EA program at the College’s Vernon campus came together – in a physically distant way – to mark the completion of their program.

 

They held an informal graduation send-off at an acreage in the Vernon area belonging to the family of student Karissa Goodrum. Griffin gave the student address.

“I’m a proud mother of five children and I’ve always been passionate about supporting young learners,” explains Griffin. “I’ve been a Montessori pre-school teacher, a basketball coach, and held others roles in the community. It felt like it was my time to be able to go back to school to do this, to continue putting my love for education and supporting learners to work, and, hopefully, to inspire others around me to pursue their dreams.”

Griffin notes that while the pandemic presented challenges – such as the rapid shift to online learning in March – it brought students together and offered up lessons that will be invaluable for them going forward.

“Now that we’re finished, I can definitely say I appreciate the experience so much more, and took so much more away from it. I have a much deeper appreciation for children in the school system who have exceptionalities. I think we’ll all be better EAs for experiencing what we went through as learners during the pandemic,” says Griffin.

“We really built a bond as a team, and I know we’ll collaborate for a lifetime as professionals. It was very special that we could take this opportunity to have a kind of grad ceremony, to celebrate each other for making it through, for supporting one another, and to reflect on what we’ve all accomplished.”

Michelle Howe, the class’s lead instructor, also relished the opportunity to celebrate her students’ achievements.

“This truly was a special group of students. They faced the challenges that came their way, transitioned to online learning without missing a beat and supported each other in ways that left me so inspired and amazed,” says Howe.

Following the theme of celebrating diversity and inclusion, a topic that occupied many of their virtual discussions in recent weeks, the students swapped grad gowns for funky dresses at the celebration – giving them all a chance to showcase their individuality and perspectives, notes Howe.

“We talked a lot in recent weeks about the value of diversity and inclusion, and what it means for the future of the classroom and how we can all be champions and allies,” notes Howe. “I was incredibly inspired by the way they gravitated to that topic and carried it forward in so many ways.”

Christy Gelz, Program Coordinator for Continuing Studies at Okanagan College, says the students’ gratitude toward each other and their instructor was evident throughout the night – and was perhaps best exemplified in a kind gesture.

“The students dropped off gifts and cards at Michelle’s house to show just how much they appreciated the way she went above and beyond in getting them through the program during a semester nobody could have ever anticipated would turn out like it did,” says Gelz.

The gesture was deeply appreciated by Howe, who looks forward with interest to see what her students will accomplish as they step out into the new and ever-changing world of education in the Covid era.

“I look forward to see what they will all do in future when they step back into their next classroom, working with students,” says Howe. “They are going to be a phenomenal group of EAs.”

Education Assistants are in high demand across the province.

The College offers its EA Certificate program in Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, Salmon Arm and Revelstoke.

Over the past five years, the College has sent more than 700 EA graduates out into the world.



Tags: Continuing Studies, Education Assistant, Vernon

TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...