UDLS

Do I teach because I feel I am doing some good in the world or because school just prepared me to be good at school? Do I teach because I am good at it or because some part of me wishes I'd been a stand-up comedian? Do I teach because I enjoy playing a part in someone's learning or because I am scared of the real-world out there? Do I teach because I find immense joy in a classroom with engaged students or because I really like having an audience to listen to what I have to say? Or do I teach just because it supplements my research funding and Vancouver is expensive? This undistinguished talk is an exploration of how I got into teaching, why I continue to do so, why other people in the department teach, and why I think you should be teaching too. Caution/Trigger Warning: I will be (very briefly) touching upon the following sensitive topics; depression, a teacher physically hitting/striking a student.