Familiar Settings, New Perspectives

When she was making her decision for postsecondary studies, Leila Shapiro ‘22 chose Queen’s University's five-year Concurrent Education program as it allows her to earn both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Education. At the end of her first year, Leila chose to return to Greenwood for her first teaching placement. For two weeks, Leila provided teaching assistance in Grade 7 and 8 math classes and general support for Grades 7 and 8. While she may have returned to a familiar place, Leila has a fresh perspective now that she’s in a teaching role! 

“When I was a student, I didn’t pay much attention to how a teacher would engage with students,” says Leila. “Now I know there’s so much planning involved with designing the class material and scheduling in brain breaks.” Leila also reminisced about how her teachers at Greenwood built relationships and camaraderie with her and other students. “It is eye-opening to see how teachers engage with different students to help each of them succeed.” 

In her Concurrent Education program, Leila’s focus is on researching neurodivergence and learning how to support children with different learning styles. “One of the biggest things I learned in my research is that there are so many types of learners,” Leila explains. “Part of being a teacher is being able to adapt to different learning styles and situations.” 

Although this experience at Greenwood may be her first formal teaching placement, Leila has also spent most of her first year volunteering with a program called “Math is Might” which helps Grade 7s with their math work. “It’s very rewarding to help the kids reach their eureka! moment,” Leila says. “I thought I would want to teach senior math and English but this placement has also opened my eyes to the fact that I enjoy teaching younger children too.”

What’s next for Leila? She hopes that she’ll have an opportunity to do some teaching abroad in her program with her sights set on Australia. We wish Leila the best of luck on her teaching career and hope to see her in the future!