Families
New Families
Alumni
What made you want to be part of the GNS community?
While living and teaching in Vancouver, I saw a tiny, little newspaper posting for an English and Social Studies 7 position at the “Boys’ campus” (as it was then) on Beach Drive. I remembered running by it all the time through my time at UVic and thinking it was the most beautiful place I could imagine to go to school. I asked a friend I was teaching with and she told me it was magical and that her father-in-law, David Auld (who taught PHE at the time), couldn’t say enough about the people and the community of the school. I was fortunate to be given an interview with Mr. Kiddell and Mr. Ollech and a tour with Mrs. Fosdick. Their warmth and humour set me totally at ease and I knew here was where I wanted to be.
How did you choose teaching as the right path for you?
I was on a path to study law, actually. I loved political science to be specific. A friend’s son needed help with math and he was in danger of not graduating that year. I started tutoring sessions with him and it was so satisfying helping him to understand the concepts and realize he was capable of doing something he’d initially thought was far too challenging. I found I could explain things in ways that made it easier so that he could relate to the material. After that, I was hooked.
What are some of your interests outside of school?
I love spending time with my family at our cabin. I’m always trying to learn something new or improve my skills, whether it’s knitting or an instrument, yoga, meditation or climbing in the trees at Wild Play. I’m a big Blue Jays fan and I love to read. I am involved in theatre outside of school. I’ve tried voice acting and I love being in a comedy on stage.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I love the bug zoo. I could hold a tarantula there all day if they would let me.
What do you like about living and working in Victoria?
I love that we live in one of the most beautiful, small cities anywhere. My commute to school is 7 minutes and in that time I can see mountains with the pink sky behind, the ocean and whales breaching, people walking their dogs and jogging, kite surfers and paragliders and even sometimes I have to dodge peacocks and ducks in the middle of the road. I know my neighbours well and we really all help each other to create a great little community on our street. I’m very lucky.
What made you become a Drama teacher?
I love the stage and the endless possibilities it offers for people to tell stories and to communicate what is important to them. I love helping a student develop confidence. I had a great drama teacher do that for me. Courage is contagious and when students see others willing to take a risk, they start to believe they can too. My job is to believe in students when they don’t yet believe in themselves. For a lot of people, doing anything publically, like speaking, is a real fear. It’s only by trying the things that scare us, that courage grows. I hope I create a safe place where students know I’m ready to do whatever I can to spark and nurture that growth.
Thank you, Ms. Pagett for taking the time out of your extremely busy schedule to answer these questions and for providing such great opportunities for our budding young actors!
