Quentin D’Souza

My first call to the profession began in Grade 8, when my teacher made learning enjoyable. He was able to explain scientific concepts, such as aerodynamics, in a fun way. His lessons both interested and encouraged me to learn. He asked all the students to make paper air planes and with our hands-on experience, he explained why some planes flew better than others. He is still an inspiration to me, although he is retired now.

Teaching is in my blood. Many of my family members are teachers. My father was formally an educator and my mother still teaches today. Even my wife and her parents are educators. We have great discussions at the dinner table and I can bounce new and old ideas off them. I am surrounded by excellent role models, who have shown me the path to self-fulfillment in teaching.

The profession will always have its ups and downs. Many people outside the profession often do not see the value of educators or the impact they have. Teaching means the world to me especially when I see my students eyes light up - when they really understand something that I taught.

One of the major concerns I have is the amount of funds that are being removed from the education sector. This concern is a national one. Colleagues in other provinces have also expressed the need for education funds to be brought back into the classroom. When money is taken out of the education sector, dedicated teachers are making up the difference from their own pockets. I really cannot give you an exact number, but I spend hundreds of dollars each year on classroom resources, materials, and teaching supplies. It’s about time something is done about it.

I thought long and hard about what I could do to help other teachers like myself. The answer seemed to fall into my lap. I received a letter from a publishing company that was giving away a free teachers guide at their website. So I checked it out. Their website led me to other resources on the internet and my bookmarks continued to grow. I began talking to a web site manager. She encouraged me to continue with my ideas for free stuff for Canadian teachers. This web site was born out of those ideas.

I can help teachers connect to those free resources that are available to them and feel that I have created a valuable service to the Canadian Education Community. I really hope that you find this site helpful and if you have suggestions and comments to improve, please let me know.

Quentin D’Souza

I am a Teacher with the T.C.D.S.B..

I have also published an article and book review in Professionally Speaking. (March, September, December 2000) A journal that is distributed to members of the Ontario College of Teachers (30, 000 +). You can view the online version of “Searching for Canadian Educational Content On The Internet”, “Taking Your Kids Online”, “Teaching Kits For The Classroom.” I am also blogging at TeachingHacks.com