Hello! My name is Julie Knudsen and I am a student teacher in Kamloops, BC. I am originally from a small town in southern Saskatchewan and moved to Kamloops three years ago. I fell in love with Kamloops and all of the outdoor activities in the area. Since moving here I have learned new skills and gained new hobbies such as: hiking, kayaking, fishing, camping, snowshoeing, and skiing. I spend as much time in the outdoors as possible with my fiancé and our adventure pup Luna.
I have known I wanted to be a teacher since I was in grade 4 and had an amazing teacher that I looked up to. I spent my spare time making my brother sit while I would “teach” him things on my little whiteboard. Although I knew I wanted to be a teacher from a young age, my path to teaching was not linear. In high school I began to have doubts about my decision and I chose to go into the Business Program at our local college. I soon realized this wasn’t the path for me and I began taking online classes to work towards teaching. I then got accepted into TRU and began working on my general studies degree. Once I had 90 credits I applied for the Elementary Education program and here I am, with only one year left!
Throughout my journey to becoming a teacher I gained many experiences that gave me the knowledge and skills I needed in order to succeed in the Education program and in my future teaching career. The first opportunity I was given, was working for the YMCA-YWCA summer camp program and then later as an after school leader. This experience taught me so much about working with kids and gave me the confidence I needed in order to succeed. I was also able to volunteer at Marion Schilling Elementary. During my volunteer experience I was able to meet some amazing teachers and bond with the most wonderful students. It was during my time at Marion Schilling that I felt the most excited and confident with my decision to become a teacher. Additionally, in the fall of 2020 I was given the opportunity to work for SD73 as a Person of Raport in the after school programs. Within this program I have gained even more confidence in myself and have enjoyed working with a variety of age groups, while participating in a variety of activities.