Tell us about yourself!

I have been teaching for 21 years. In my first year and only for one year, I taught Junior Kindergarten, and after I had my third child, I taught grade 5 for many years. I taught one year in grade 7 before I began a new teaching chapter in Special Education, which I did for 13 years. In September of this year, I returned to the classroom. I am currently teaching grade 5 to 26 energetic 10-year-olds, hence my interest in EVERFI! My desire to teach stems from my parents’ experiences. Both my parents immigrated to Canada in the late 1950s from Italy. My mother’s education was equivalent to grade 5 and my father’s grade 7 or 8. My father was a very intelligent man and instilled the value of education in all 7 of his children – he was proud of his 4 daughters who became teachers.

What is your favorite part of the Future Goals™program? How do you see STEM in the game of hockey?

I TRULY appreciate the the dynamic, interactive lessons that EVERFI provides for my students, which not only keep them engaged while teaching them real-world skills but also allows me to observe them as they learn to navigate the lessons and interact with their classmates. One of many important STEM areas of study, is geometry – whether a bank pass off the sideboard to a teammate or to “dump” in the opposition’s zone, being able to see and calculate angles is as important in hockey as it is life.

If you played hockey, what position would you play and why?

It would have to be, my son’s position (one I know best) is right-wing. My son is a Junior A player and I’ve watched his passion for the game and talent and skill develop as a winger, and I think it is the position that I would play the best. I have learned a lot about hockey while watching my son and the NHL, and being a “hockey Mom”, I think a winger has to have good hockey sense which is key in making plays/goals happen.