Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! My name is Belinda Olij. I am currently a Teacher Candidate in the Junior/Intermediate Consecutive Education Program at Brock University. While French is my teachable subject, I also have a passion for History and Language Arts.

Since my first day of Kindergarten, I always thought it would be fun to teach. I loved going to school and discovering new things. I must admit that at first one of the main reasons I wanted to become a teacher was so that I could decorate my own classroom. I thought it would be so fun to choose colourful posters and create cheerful bulletin board displays! It wasn't until Grade 5 that my main reason for teaching changed as I was inspired by my Grade 5/6 teacher. Mrs. Van Bodegom was a truly exceptional teacher. She created a safe, welcoming, and engaging learning community where every student who walked into her classroom felt loved and valued. Mrs. Van Bodegom connected with each of her students and made every student, regardless of their learning ability, feel that they had something important to contribute and that they were capable of success. She incorporated creative ideas into her lesson plans as we built dioramas, performed skits, and sang songs with fun actions. Mrs. Van Bodegom truly sought to instill in her students a love of learning, a desire to discover, and an eagerness to investigate. Her care and concern for each of her students was always evident - I still remember being so thrilled to receive a birthday card in the mail from her during the summer. Her passion for teaching and love for her students always shone through.

Having Mrs. Van Bodegom as a teacher for two years helped me to understand the exciting challenge and tremendous opportunity that educators have. While decorating classrooms may be fun, what gives a teacher true joy is having the opportunity to help students of all learning abilities discover their potential. Teachers find joy in making students feel loved, valued, and capable of doing amazing things, and in preparing students to be productive citizens in society. Sitting in Mrs. Van Bodegom's class, I both saw and experienced the impact an outstanding teacher could have on her students and she quickly became a role model for me. In the years since then, I have developed a true passion for teaching and am so excited to help children develop a love for learning, exploring, and discovering. I feel privileged to have this opportunity to be an educator and look forward to continuing to learn how I can be an effective and engaging teacher.