Meet the Team: Ms. Simpson, Coordinator of Curriculum Planning and MYP

What made you want to be part of the GNS community?

This is my 22nd year at GNS. I started at GNS as a brand new teacher when an opportunity to teach IB Diploma Geography opened up at GNS in late September of 2003 that year. My undergraduate degree was in Geography and Environmental Studies so the stars aligned for me to be able to teach the subject that was my specialty! I went in on a Friday and interviewed with Mr. Harvey Thorau (who was the Individuals & Societies department head at the time) and started the following Monday! As the youngest faculty member at the time, I immediately felt incredibly supported by the faculty. The students were awesome and I was able to teach my favourite subject. Every year that I have been here, my gratitude grows for being able to be a part of this special community and I feel lucky that my kids get to attend what I believe to be the best school in the city.

How did you choose teaching as the right path for you?

To be honest, I feel like it found me. After my undergraduate degree, I intended to take a year off school and study to take the LSAT and go to law school. But a detour led me to the one-year Bachelor of Education degree at UBC. During my teaching practicum, I got the chance to work with and witness the “lightbulb moment” for students (when they start to understand a new concept), it was thrilling and I was hooked. Even after graduating, I thought I might continue to law school, but then GNS advertised the perfect job for me and it seemed that the universe was telling me something!

What are some of your interests outside of school?

I love animals, gardening, cooking, and reading, and am currently teaching myself embroidery. I owned horses for many years—one of my resolutions for the year is to get back in the saddle.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

Most people don’t know that I have a fraternal twin brother. I don’t find this particularly interesting but it always seems to surprise those around me!

What do you like about living and working in Victoria? 

What’s not to like about living and working in Victoria?! I was born and raised on the island and initially came to Victoria for university. I am much more of a “country mouse” so Victoria is just the right size for me in regards to a city and I love that you are never more than a 15 minute car ride from the ocean or from a hiking trail. And by “hiking,” I mean a great trail to walk my dog!

If you could go back to teaching in a classroom, what is your favourite course to teach and why?

If I were suddenly back in the classroom I would love to bring IB Diploma Geography back into the course offerings! It was such a diverse course that covered both human and physical geography—so not only would we study the mechanics and causes and effects of various natural disasters, but we would also analyze the impact on communities, resources, and trade. I may have been known to get very excited teaching about the formation of hurricanes and tsunamis! The cool thing is that even though we don’t offer Geo anymore, a lot of the topics are covered in DP Economics, Global Politics, and Environmental Systems and Societies.

Ms. Simpson, I was fortunate to interact with you for this article and found your presence to be warm, inspiring, encouraging and positive. Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions amidst your many meetings and for your contributions to making our school the best in the city.