Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: After the Winter Session of 1992, I was ¿¿required to withdraw permanently¿ from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for poor academic achievement. Since then, I have developed a determination to advance professionally through learning. This learning has taken place in the workplace of my skilled trade, in the classrooms of Queen¿¿s University Faculty of Education, and in the Professional Learning spaces of my teaching career with the Limestone District School Board.

In the Fall of 1992, I began a career in carpentry. I worked in Edmonton and the Lower Mainland for several construction firms. I gained the knowledge and skills of renovations, residential framing, and both residential and commercial forming. In the Fall of 1993, I felt that I was ready to start my own construction firm. I chose to specialize in residential framing. Skilled workers are sometimes referred to as ¿¿journey men.¿ Framing led me on a journey that included stops in the Lower Mainland, Japan, Alberta and the GTA. In each place I had to learn and adapt to be successful.

In the fall of 2008, I began to consider a career change. I wanted to stay in construction, but I knew I would eventually have to reduce the physical toll of construction. Technological Education presented itself as a viable choice. In January of 2009, I enrolled in a program at St. Lawerence College dubbed Go Tech Ed. Go Tech Ed¿¿s rationale was to prepare trades people to enter McArthur to obtain a Diploma of Education. As it turned out, I would not complete the Go Tech Ed program. While at SLC, I connected with Don Votary, a teacher with the LDSB. Mr. Votary was teaching a dual credit carpentry program for high school students at SLC¿¿s School of Trades. Through Mr. Votary, I learned of an immediate teaching opportunity with the LDSB and was encouraged to apply.

Even though I lacked teaching credentials, I was the successful applicant for this position. I was hired on a letter of permission from the Ministry of Education. In order to continue to be employed as a teacher I would have to receive a Diploma of Education through McArthur¿¿s Technological Education Internship. I began my Dip. Ed studies in the summer of 2009 and completed the internship in the summer of 2010. Having begun my studies at Queen¿¿s University in 1990, I finally graduated 20 years later.

I am still employed as a teacher by the LDSB. From the first day of my employment to the present I have taught the students of the Building Construction Internship Program (BCIP). The BCIP is the LDSB¿¿s flagship Focus Program. Each semester the students build a house. This off campus program utilizes the pedagogy of both project- based and experiential learning. The BCIP enjoys much recognition among educators and has been analysed for more than a few PhD. dissertations. This September we will begin construction on the 95th house built by the students of the BCIP.

As a teacher, it is incumbent on me to continuously pursue Professional Learning. Every year I attend any number of workshops, information sessions, and conferences. The topics range widely and include learning strategies, mental health impacts on learners, assessment, classroom management, indigenous learners and socio-economic challenges to learning. In addition, I must stay on top of the rapid changes in the residential building industry. Every year, building codes change and necessitate the gaining of knowledge of new materials and practices. Lifelong learning is my reality.

Since leaving the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the demands my professional life have required a commitment to learning. I have not shied away from these challenges. Now I have set a professional goal of completing my BA. When my BA is completed, my Dip. Ed will upgrade to a B. Ed. This will open up further career opportunities. I respect that this appeal is a process governed by necessary and rigorous guidelines. It is my hope that I have made a persuasive argument for returning to study and that the appeal can be adjudicated prior to the course add/drop date that would allow me to participate in the Fall 2019 session. Thank you for your consideration.