Sharon's Bio - Making Every Student Count

I am a life-long learner. I have always believed in doing my best and learning from every experience. I started studying music at the age of five years. In my early teens, I became a student piano teacher at my own private studio. One year after high-school graduation, I completed the ARCT Teacher Diploma through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Shortly thereafter, I decided to work for a music academy in the Lower Mainland. I became a supervisor, then a manager, and eventually the Education Director for the two schools of approximately 800 students and 20 teachers. Throughout this experience, I also continued to teach piano full-time, in both classroom and private settings. I have developed and modified classroom curriculum, created new programs, and organized many successful events with the help of my teachers. The academy valued educational diversity and community leadership. I was proud to be affiliated with such a progressive school for more than 20 years.

While teaching and managing, I also embarked upon further formal education as a mature student. I began an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and won the Governor General's medal for academic excellence. The Dean recommended I pursue a Master's Degree through Royal Roads University. The experience changed my life. I completed the Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training in 2007. I met my husband during the first class and moved to Nanaimo in 2007. I completed my thesis on homelessness - a topic I had no previous knowledge about - and had the opportunity to sit on the street with individuals, learning about the services they needed, and to help a local organization improve and expand their services based on my study.

Currently, I enjoy being the Community Service Coordinator at the downtown Community Policing and Services Office. I serve on two boards - the Nanaimo Citizen Advocacy Association and the Nanaimo Arts Council. In addition, I am the President and VP Education in two Toastmasters groups. I am the Vice Chair of the Nanaimo Working Group on Homelessness; I am coordinating the 2008 Homeless Census and am actively involved in Homelessness Action Week planning. Community involvement is an important part of my life.

Although education has come quite easily to me, I recognize that there are many individuals that struggle greatly to learn even the fundamentals of our language and its applications. My interest lies in helping others to embrace the experience of learning and to find ways to feel successful in their experiences. I also want to help students learn how to set goals, modify them as necessary, and achieve success in individualized ways. I am a huge advocate for both formal and informal education, life-long learning, and personal empowerment. I want my legacy to include MAKING EVERY STUDENT COUNT....