Michael Cox

Background

About Michael Cox

I have come to value the role teachers and authority figures have played in increasing my overall quality of life. Throughout my education in the public system and then in University there were always those individuals who took a genuine interest in teaching and helping their students. It was with the help of a select few, who fostered a sense of self, while acting as mentors and taking a personal interest in my education, that I excelled through high school and, in turn, took a personal interest with me in learning and teaching to university and to my various jobs. In the employment field, I have come to realize that where I find my "best fit" is in educating others. I looked forward to my days as an educator during my summers at Neys Provincial Park as well as, earlier, at Tiffin Conservation Center. It was in two summers of my undergrad years that everyday I would work as a guide and educator at the Park, interacting with participants and watching them take in facts and concepts. I enjoyed that facet of the job. Programs at the Park were centered on mainly historical details. Through the stories and relics left behind by POWs and Japanese Canadians, many Canadian and foreign visitors have been exposed to the events that took place there in the past. At the same time as teaching these Sensitive Adult Themes, I enjoyed researching and composing children's activities and programs based on natural science, often focusing on the Park’s mammals, birds or insects and utilizing hands-on tactile learning to maintain the attention of younger audiences. These days I am fortunate to work at the Kinark Outdoor Education Camp under that title I serve the roles of educator, facilitator, big brother, motivator and confidant and friend to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.