Think Local

I am a huge fan of local history and always try to incorporate what is relevant (or sometimes irrelevant) into my classes - especially when I am TOCing.

It all started 9 years ago when I started working (as a high school student myself) at the Hope Visitor Centre & Museum Complex. I guess it must have been a pretty good "first job," because I'm still here today! As I did my history degree, I started working more and more in the Museum because that is where my real interest was.

First I worked as the Events and Activities Coordinator (National Aboriginal Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day, BC Day). Then I developed and ran the Hope Oral History Project. Then I undertook a whole bunch of different research projects, the largest being for Heritage Week 2012, with the theme "Energy in BC: A Powerful Past, A Sustainable Future."

For the Oral History Project, I interview longtime residents of the community to learn what Hope was like in the past (usually dating back to the 1930s). In 2010 I completed approximately 25 interviews. In 2012 I came back to the project and to date have completed approximately 10 interviews. I love talking to people, hearing their stories, and learning about how the town has changed over the years.

Whenever I am TOCing (especially Social Studies) I always try to incorporate local aspects into the lesson plan. Once I was in for SS10 and the topic was the building of the CPR. Those kids were NOT excited ("eww, Canadian history is BORING!") but after a good old fashioned "storytime" about railways in Hope, and especially telling the all about how the Kettle Valley Railway used to run right through their current classroom, they got, as you might say, onboard (pun intended!). With murmers of "okay, that was actually kinda cool," class ended and they were off for the weekend.

It may not be much, but who knows, maybe something resonated with one of those kids. It definitely kept them paying attention during class and really, what more can you ask for as a TOC last block on a Friday?