I Love That Journey for YOU

Please join us in officially welcoming Ms. Day to the VVA family! She comes to us with a broad range of skill and passion for working with children and being creative and fun in the classroom. She has this contagious zest for finding the little joys in each day that we absolutely love!  Enjoy this lovely blog post she created to introduce herself to you and her teaching. Welcome to the team, Day! 

Within all aspects of my life, I look at it like learning a new dance. Each individual learns and works at their own pace. Some pick up the moves quicker than others. There are obstacles that some can twist and turn around. Some will get easily frustrated, others will struggle and not ask for help. As a diverse learner myself, I know this all too well. But these things are perfectly fine.  Everyone’s journey is different. Not one is exactly the same, nor should it be. I love the journey that happened for me. It led me to Via Vita Academy, a couple times. 

If you would have asked me in my starting years of high school if teaching was a career choice, my answer would have been, “no.” At the time, other passions were more prevalent. I had envisioned becoming a professional dancer, a pastry chef or a jewelry designer. What a variety of passions, right? It never crossed my mind to become a teacher.

I’ve always loved working with children. Whether it was volunteering with the Girl Guides, being a teacher's assistant at dance or just playing with my baby cousins. It always brought joy into my heart being around them. I was always curious about the ways in which children learn. When I was younger, my confidence level was very low and I had put the thought of “I won’t be a good teacher” in my head. Throughout my life I was told that I was too quiet or shy, and I needed to learn how to speak up. Others had tried to plan my journey and I wasn’t okay with that. Telling me what I should and shouldn’t do only encouraged me to do just the opposite. I wanted to prove them wrong and exceed their expectations. 

I joined the Child & Youth Studies program at MSVU in Nova Scotia, Canada. Via Vita Academy was my final practicum placement during this undergraduate degree. To see such a small school with small class sizes, I instantly felt like this was an environment I could thrive in. This was a good path to continue walking down. And, so I did. 

I started to find my voice, more and more. During this degree, I started thinking about my next step. Should I stay in Halifax or go back home to Bermuda? But by the time I was completing my practicum at VVA, I knew what to do. I stayed and completed a Bachelor of Education degree. This boosted my confidence even more. If I were to become a teacher, I would strive to become a darn good one!

And, I would start my teaching career by working at Via Vita Academy. 
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Here I am now, a new member of the Via Vita Academy family. I love this journey for me, and I’m glad it led me back to Via Vita Academy. I hope for myself and my students that I bring a fusion of what I know and have learned from all of my experiences. Dance taught me a fair share of life lessons. I bring those lessons with me, in and out of the classroom, every day. 

-Daynisha Paynter
Elementary Teacher