Megan Skentelbery

Background:

My partner and I live in the Ottawa area with our two young children and in my spare time I am a competitive dragon boat racer.

For my undergrad I completed the BASc Child Youth and Family Honours Degree from University of Guelph (with ECE Certification from Humber College). I then went on to complete my BEd from Queens University in the Concurrent program in 2012-2013 in the P/J panel in the Leadership strand. Since then I have focused on completing AQ courses virtually through QueensU and ETFO, which were excellent opportunities to connect and collaborate with colleagues in different school boards around the province. 

 

What they did with their degree:

I was grateful to be hired by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) right out of my BEd and have focused on teaching Kindergarten (both in the ECE and Teacher roles) and working in Special Education programs (K-8, as both an EA and a Teacher). Last year I moved into the Vice-Principal role and absolutely love having the opportunity to teach and learn from students at the district level and have been able to connect with education leaders on a different level, especially surrounding topics such as destreaming and equity work.

 

Piece of Advice:

The biggest pieces of advice I'd offer current students:

  1. Explore new areas of teaching and learning that make you uncomfortable because sometimes you find your passion in unexpected places and it helps you grow and become more empathetic to the struggles your students may face. It's important to challenge your current beliefs and also be willing to unlearn as you gain new information and perspectives, especially when it comes to checking our own bias surrounding student learning. 

  2. Never underestimate the power of connections. Never pass up an opportunity to learn from your peers, be inspired by your students, and empower your school community to be actively involved in the process wherever possible. Building connections with students, staff and families are always worthy investments! 

  3. Remember that at the core of what we do as educators we are given the privilege of caring for other people's entire world, and the future generation of change makers. Leave a positive lasting impression, smile as often as possible, and remember that you might be the only caring adult a student sees in a day. 

  4. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help and don't forget to take care of yourself along the way. There are many people in your corner who are there to support you throughout your future endeavours! Best of luck!