What we love most about our work are the people we work with. We’re very proud of our education community here at Natural Pod and to celebrate some of the people in our community, we enjoy connecting with them to learn more about their work so that we can all learn from their experience and insights.

Our featured educator community profile person this week is: Kevin Jones, from St. Albert Public Schools in Alberta, Canada.

What inspired you to be an educator?

I was very fortunate to have had many teachers in my life that provided me with a great deal of support and encouragement. It was the wonderful relationship that I developed with these teachers that guided me to a career in education.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your work?

Whether it’s helping a student figure out long division, supporting a parent with a difficult decision to make about their child’s education or a encouraging a staff member to learn and grow as a professional, the most rewarding moments of my day is when I’m able to work to solve something that is challenging us. The opportunities that these challenges provide have been some of my best learning moments.

Is there anything better than the joy of children? It’s their joy for life, honest reactions and love they give so freely that makes coming to school each day so easy.

What best describes the unique aspects of the program that you offer?

At Lois E. Hole school we are working on and continue to develop a Nature and Forest educational focus for the school. Our goal is to look for creative and innovative ways to engage the children in the curriculum through a connection to nature and the natural environment.

How do you see education changing to meet the needs of children?

In this busy world we live in, being ever connected to our devices, the staff at our school are working hard to ensure that our students remain connected to their natural world. If we want our children to care about nature, they need to be connected to and see value in our world. If our students care about what’s happening “outside”, they will become great stewards of our natural spaces in the future.

What was your experience creating your learning environment(s) with Natural Pod?

The goals and objective of Natural Pod were a great fit with our school. From concept and design of our spaces, to delivery and product support, it has been a pleasure to work with this company. The design, sales and support teams all made sure that we were happy with our choices and that the products met our expectations. Everyone that visits our school comments on the beautiful elements in our library and early learning spaces that Natural Pod provided.