From the Shores of Stuart Lake
My name is Deirdre Houghton. I was born and raised on Vancouver Island, in the communities of Sooke, Duncan and Victoria, respectively. I attended the University of Victoria for my Undergraduate Degree in Arts and Science, with a focus in History, and also my Bachelors of Education. I am currently taking my Masters in Technology in Education, at the University of Victoria, with two colleagues from Fort St. James Secondary School. My hope for this Master’s program is to improve my knowledge of technology and implementing it in the classroom to enhance my teaching practices.
In 1997 I graduated from university and married my best friend, Craig. We moved to the community of Fort St. James, BC located on beautiful Stuart Lake. It is here that I have developed my teaching career for School District #91 Nechako Lakes over the past twenty-three years. My initial teaching position was at Eugene Joseph Elementary, north of Fort St. James, in Tache, BC on the Tl’azt’en Nation. I worked here for three years, teaching grades 2,3,4 and 5, before obtaining a teaching position back in the community of Fort St. James itself. My second teaching post was at David Hoy Elementary School, where I taught kindergarten, grades 1 and 2 over the course of two years. Due to district layoffs and teacher movement, I was bumped from my elementary position, thereby leading me to a position at Fort St. James Secondary School. I never thought of myself as a high-school teacher, however, I love it! I have had the opportunity to teach multiple grades and courses, including Alternate Education, Social Studies 8-11, English 8-9, Advisement 8, Planning 10, Grad Transitions 12, Career Life Education 10, Career Life Connections 12, Librarian, and most currently Career Coordinator. All of these teaching assignments have provided me with great learning opportunities and experiences.
In 2003, my husband and I welcomed our son Sean, an only child, who is now currently in grade 11 and starting to drive! The three of us all attend Fort St. James Secondary School – my husband is the principal, myself as a teacher and our son Sean as a senior student. As a family, we are active and spend a great deal of time outdoors. My husband coaches speed skating, trains for distance running events, and also runs sled dogs. Our son is a competitive speed skater, enjoys skiing, running sled dogs, snowmobiling and camping. Myself, I enjoy running and training for half-marathons, walking our pet dogs and paddleboarding. Living on the shores of Stuart Lake enables us to take advantage of many water activities, and the surrounding area itself is home to a variety of hiking and running trails, mountain biking trails, x-country skiing tracks, quadding trails and downhill skiing.
I am looking forward to continuing my learning journey through this current Master’s of Education program and working with both my colleagues and the cohort as a whole.
