Thomas Gallant

Background

About Thomas Gallant

I am a passionate high school teacher with a Bachelor of Arts degree focused in Kinesiology with a minor in English from The University of Western Ontario as well as a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. My Basic Qualifications include Senior/Intermediate English, and Senior/Intermediate Division Health and Physical Education. I also obtained an Additional Qualification in Teaching English Language Learners, Junior Division, and Guidance and Counselling. Over the past 6 years, I have taught a breadth of classes including English, English as a Second Language, Physical Education, History, Business, Social Studies, and Career Education. In these roles, I have found that creating a positive, inclusive, and supportive classroom culture is imperative to achieving student success and well-being. I believe that an optimal learning environment is one where students feel valued and secure, freeing them to be openly curious, creative, and willing to take the kind of learning risks that will enable them to reach their full potential. Through my varied teaching experiences, I learned not only how to consistently engage a wide array of students, but also how to be flexible and adaptable in order to respond to individual student needs. As well, I discovered that student questions are the beginning of any meaningful learning, and that precise and ongoing communication with educational stakeholders such as students, parents, community partners, other teachers, and administration is a prerequisite for success. One of the most important parts of each of the aforementioned experiences was the time spent with associate teachers and administrators listening to feedback and reflecting on every aspect of my teaching practice. Additionally, through my global experience with MEI International Academy, I learned valuable lessons about how to ensure students have a safe and positive experience while travelling abroad by combining excellent organizational and administrative skills both academically, athletically, and financially. During this time, I co-created and designed culturally relevant curricula and supplemental activities to support location-specific experiential learning and was in charge of finances and policy for large groups of students. Over and above my teaching practice, I have been fortunate to be involved in many extracurriculars, both athletic and academic, which has shown me the importance of teaching the whole student.