Alumni Spotlight – Jonathan

We recently asked alumnus Jonathan, originally from Canada, to tell us what he has been doing since leaving the program, and what some of his fondest memories were from his time teaching in the United States. Read below for Jonathan’s responses!

Reflecting on his experience teaching in the U.S.

Q: What schools did you teach at and when?
A: I taught for two tours with Participate Learning. The first tour was from 2000-2001 and the second was from 2002-2005. For both tours, I taught high school at Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Q: What inspired you to apply to teach in the U.S.?
A: What initially brought me to teach with Participate Learning was my search for a full time teaching position. Then, once I was accepted to teach, I chose a school in North Carolina because I am a big UNC fan!

Q: What did you enjoy most about your time teaching in the U.S.?
A: The most enjoyable part of teaching in the U.S. experience was my school and the people I met while living in Fayetteville. I still keep in contact with many of them today and one friend was the best man at my wedding.

What life looks like now

Q: Where are you now? Are you living in your home country, another country, or did you go somewhere else?
A: I am living back in Canada – in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Q: Are you currently teaching? If not, what else are you doing?
A: In 2013, I left the teaching profession and am now the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Q: Do you have any other life updates that you would like to share with us and the Participate Learning network?
A: In 2010, I got married to my wife Rachel and we have two daughters, Zoe and Nya.

Share 3-5 facts about your time teaching in the U.S. Think about favorite memories, travel experiences, special moments, accomplishments, or other things that happened during your time with the program.

• I was nominated as the VIF Cultural Educator of the Year.
• One year, a group of VIF teachers rented a house in the mountains of North Carolina and we had a great time.
• I went to my first NASCAR event. It was very loud but a lot of fun!
• While coaching basketball, I met Michael Jordan’s high school coach from Laney High School at a basketball tournament in which Jordan’s alma mater was another team who competed.
• Every week, a group of friends and I would meet at a local sports bar to watch Monday Night Football.

Interested in learning more about Jonathan and other members of the Participate Learning alumni family? Check out all of our Ambassador Teacher Alumni Updates here!