My name is April Barnes, welcome to my ‘About Me’. I was born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, alongside my younger brother Jack, my mom Janice (who grew up in PG), and my dad Peter (who grew up in Uganda and England).
I grew up playing various sports and coaching elementary school volleyball, and from age 13, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I began teaching swimming lessons at 15, which only solidified how I felt. I moved to Ottawa after I graduated from high school in 2016 and got a job at the University pool, continuing to lifeguard and coach swimming lessons there. I spent my weekends coaching private swimming lessons and gaining more one-on-one teaching time and experience.
I moved back to BC from Ontario in 2020 during the pandemic and started working at an elementary school in West Vancouver from September 2020 to June 2021. It was an incredible experience to be working hands-on in a Grade One classroom environment, working with a teacher my mom had delivered when she was a family doctor. After my time at the elementary school ended, I went to work at a boarding school on Vancouver Island, fully immersing myself in the high school environment. This job position was advertised as the perfect position for people to see if the teaching profession was right for them. I worked in a boarding house and a support classroom for students with learning exceptionalities, as well as coaching high-level volleyball and rowing. This job only confirmed that teaching was the correct career path for me and it was an invaluable experience for me.
Using my personal experience and my work experience, I want to create a supportive and engaging classroom for my students, where they feel supported and heard, and have their needs met each day.
