A FOCUS ON MEETING INDIVIDUAL NEEDS
According to Mountain View Academy principal Colleen Ryan, the focus at the school is on developing “learners and leaders for life.” Staff at Mountain View work hard to individualize student programming, “because we have such a diverse population of needs
Q How would your best friend describe you?
A Loyal, dedicated and passionate. We’ve been friends for 40 years.
Q What was your first job?
A Working in a daycare at a local fitness club.
Q Did you have a favourite class, game or sport as a kid?
A My favourite sport was floor hockey. I was asked to try out for the team when I was in upper elementary. We won the championship that year.
Q Did you ever consider any other careers?
A Never. My parents were both forced to abandon their schooling early to go to work to support their families. It was always expected that I would go to university, and my parents supported my education 100 per cent. My father passed away at the start of my second year of university and it was very difficult to get through that year, but I did because I knew that’s what he would have wanted. Our family never quits.
Q Tell me about your most influential teacher you have worked with?
A I’ve had the opportunity to have many great teachers throughout my lifetime; however, the most influential was my Grade 12 English teacher, Janneke Frank. She made you want to do your best because you wanted to please her; she made learning exciting, and her compassion and love for teaching was evident. I consider her my role model.
Q What is the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning?
A I am the one to open the school early in the morning, so in winter I usually clear the snow, check the heat, do a general survey of the building and then work for a couple of hours before students and staff arrive.
Q What does your school have bragging rights to? What do you wish people knew about your school and students?
A I’m very proud that our school really gets to know the students and their families, and creates programs that work with the students where they are. Some students need extra help to master their skills, while others need more of a challenge. Our teachers work very hard to ensure each child has a program that’s best for them. We’re really seeing the success of this in the primary grades. Kids are coming to us with major deficits in math but by grouping them by ability, they’re able to master the concepts and obtain the confidence they need to achieve success. They’re not just pushed through to the next level.
Q What most excites you about being a principal and the school you work at?
A It’s our second year in our new location in northeast Calgary at Whitehorn and the response from the community has been excellent.
Q What’s the best thing you’ve learned while being a teacher?
A I have been surprised as to the little things that help make a child’s life better. A former student, who now has her daughter in our school, said that she always remembered I had granola bars in my drawer in case anyone was hungry. And I still do! Such a small thing, but sometimes those little securities can help kids along.
Kids are coming to us with major deficits in math but by grouping them by ability, they’re able to master the concepts and obtain the confidence.