Terry Bridges

Background:

I did my B.Ed. at Queen's in 2004-2005, with physics and math as my teaching subjects. I was very inspired by Tom Russell, who taught IS Physics. I previously had an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Queen's in Astrophysics. After getting my B.Ed., I tried without success to get a teaching position in the Limestone school board. I later did an Education Ph.D. at Queen's, graduating in 2015; my dissertation involved documenting teacher collaboration in a nearby school board. During my Ph.D., I enjoyed teaching several sections of Elementary Science, and one semester of IS Physics. 

 

What they did with their degree:

I was an occasional teacher in Limestone for several years, which I found quite rewarding. In 2014-2015, I taught physics at a private school (Robert College) in Istanbul, Turkey. This was an amazing experience: I was able to teach at an excellent school with keen students, I had wonderful colleagues, and Istanbul is an incredible city. I have now been teaching physics and astronomy for 5 years at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC. While I'm not teaching in the school system, my B.Ed. and my school teaching experience have been very important in helping me to better understand my college students, and to make connections with local high school teachers (for instance, I'm involved in an outreach/citizen astronomy project with local teachers and amateur astronomers: see tnorecon.net).

 

Piece of Advice:

  1. Teaching positions aren't easy to get, and it really helps if you're able to look broadly for positions. Please consider teaching internationally-- I found it very rewarding, and many other teachers I know feel the same. If you decide to teach internationally, I strongly recommend working with a company like Search Associates, who make everything much easier. 

  2. While occasional teaching has its drawbacks (e.g. 6:00 am phone calls, and working with students who don't know you), it also has advantages-- it gets you known in local schools (which helps when long term and permanent positions come up), there's no planning, marking, or prep, and the pay is decent! Occasional teaching also allows you to check out schools and see which would be a good fit for you. If you're an occasional teacher, I encourage you to contact the teacher you'll be replacing, if possible, so that you can do a better job of working with their students. Also, try to meet as many teachers and staff as you can at the schools that you go into. 

  3. You may find that teaching in the school system isn't for you, or that you're not able to find a permanent position. Please remember that there are lots of other things you can do with a B.Ed …

  4. Finally, you might want to consider going back to do an Education M.Ed., or even Ph.D., at some point. Doing this allows you to explore in depth educational topics that you're interested in and can rejuvenate you. There are so many research areas in Education, and you will be funded during the degree.