Brittany Wall

What education have you taken?

I completed my Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and a double minor in Geography and Sociology in 2011. I am currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Education After Degree program. I am a few months away from receiving my teaching certificate!

What accomplishments are you proud of?

I have been very fortunate to receive scholarships throughout university such as the Board of Governor Scholarship, Brandon University Centennial Scholarship and the Dr. W.N. Hargreaves-Mawdsley Third Year Scholarship. In recent years, I am most proud to have graduated with Great Distinction and inducted into the Brandon University Honour Society when I received my Bachelor of Arts.

I am also going into my fifth year as a substitute and summer relief staff at B.U. Early Learning Centre. The whole atmosphere of the centre is truly a child centred approach. Everyone at the centre who has mentored me over the past 5 years has been admirable in how they interact with children and I am looking forward to carrying forth their practices into my career. I am very proud to say that I have had an opportunity to work at B.U. amongst an incredible, passionate and hard-working team of educators.

In my personal life, I was very fortunate to take 10 years of piano lessons and receive my grade 8 piano certificate. I am also grateful that I was given the opportunity through the family business to pursue my pilot’s license. I received my pilot’s licence when I was 17.

Tell me about yourself/ your background/ your history.

I was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba. During my schooling, I participated in piano lessons, the junior high and high school music programs, and flight lessons. I have had encouraging and inspiring role models along the way.

I began attending Brandon University immediately following high school. I also began working at B.U. Early Learning Centre at the same time. After three years at Brandon University, I was very excited to learn I was accepted into the Faculty of Education in 2011. During the past few years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working in the classroom for teaching placements and cannot wait to have my own classroom someday soon!

This spring I will graduate with my teaching certificate alongside my best friend and fiancé, Steven. I am also blessed to have had a wonderful family who have encouraged and supported me along the way!

How did you become interested in your field of study?

Originally, I thought I was going to make a career out of aviation. After three years of working for my father and 17 years of growing up amongst the family aviation business, I started to pursue my commercial pilot’s licence. That year, I enrolled in a career development course. For one of my five week placements, I was placed in a grade 7 classroom. I was hooked! I loved being in the classroom and interacting with students. A few months later, I enrolled at Brandon University to begin my goal of becoming a teacher. Even though teaching is my passion, to this day I still look to the sky whenever an airplane flies above. Aviation will always be a part of me and hopefully I can someday share that with my students!

What is your philosophy in life?

Perhaps because I am going to be a teacher, my philosophy of life is based off of my teaching practices. In classrooms, I encourage respect. Be considerate of others! I think that compassion, caring, and empathy can go a long way. Be responsible for your actions and how your actions can affect others. Be open minded to differences of opinions and healthy debates, but don’t forget your values along the way. Learning is a lifelong process: you are never too old to learn! I also feel that expressing gratitude for those that have helped you overcome a challenge, reach a goal, or have made a difference in your life is very important.

My late grandmother always used to tell me, “In a hundred years we’ll forget all about it.” I think this is one of the philosophies that resonates with me the most. Bad days will happen, mistakes will be made and difficult situations will occur. Rather than focusing on what you can’t change or can’t fix, figure out what you can do and carry forth into the future.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

In the future I see myself as a compassionate educator, who has learned a lot of things about teaching and who still wants to learn more about education! I will also continue to be a dedicated spouse, family member and friend. Lastly, I see myself striving to have an impact on education and hopefully translate my passion for teaching into inspiration for others, much like my mentors have done for me.

Nominator’s Comments

Britt has a deep capacity to suspend disbelief. She is willing to experiment and be the first to take a risk. She communicates very well.