Meet the Team: Tassy Davidson, Language & Literature, Individuals & Societies, Physical & Health Education

October 22, 2021

Academics

GNS

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

I was in Vancouver and had just come back from a year away, touring around Central and South America with my husband. I was offered a job at St. Georges, and at the same point in time GNS had asked me for an interview. David Brooks told me that the view was worth at least $5,000. So, there I was looking out the window at the Beach Drive Campus thinking I will actually be teaching on the beach. The view definitely had to do with the decision I was about to make, I thought ‘this is a pretty incredible place.’

What is your favourite thing about teaching Social Justice?

I love it! I love the fact that current events are often front and centre of the lesson, and the curriculum allows for change every year. This year for instance, we started with a focus on what is happening in Afghanistan, whereas last year we began with a focus on Hong Kong. The course materials really allow for a lot of diversity.

What are some of your interests outside of school?

My interests outside of school filter into my school life. I love playing ultimate, and of course I brought ultimate to the school years ago and continue to be the ultimate coach for Senior and Middle School—I love that. It gives me a lot of joy to see students learn a new sport, and become better at it.

I am also a huge downhill skier. It’s probably a tie between ultimate and skiing. I don’t know where I would prefer to be, but at the top of a powdered hill with three-feet of fresh snow—also a good place to be.

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

I got married in the Malaysian part of Borneo where I eloped. We were supposed to be hiking a mountain, and we ended up getting married instead.

Why did you want to become a teacher?

The fact that I could combine my love of history, learning about the world and be around energetic students. It’s part of my joy just being a teacher and being a learner myself.

What is your favourite part of your day?

I have a lot of different favourite parts about my day, but I would say I particularly like watching a student do something that they have never been able to do before or seeing their abilities grow. For instance, a student who I coached soccer in Grade 6, is playing for the senior team and I have had the privilege of seeing their skills improve impressively. Or, my Social Justice 12 class now has students from one of my Grade 6 classes. To see their growth as a learner and see how they have improved is just something that is amazing to me. I really do like seeing growth and change.

What is it about ultimate that you like?

I like the fact that ultimate brings different people together. It brings students who already like team sports together with another group who haven’t yet found a team sport that works for them. It’s fantastic when teams form this way.

The other thing I really like about ultimate, is that there aren’t any referees. You are actually having a conversation with your opponent, saying ‘you played really hard but that was your foul.’ You are having a conversation with them without a referee making that decision. The need for discussion—even when you disagree—develops relationships. The referee often gets in the way of that important relationship creation. Friendships can develop out of disagreements. This has proven itself over and over again in my life. Teaching and learning to communicate is a very important skill and I believe ultimate does this extremely well.