The EdD journey began with specific intention in mind... Following is the letter I wrote to the Education Department admissions as part of the application process.

Outline reasons for pursuing graduate studies, demonstrating scholarly and professional accomplishments.

At this point in my life and highly varied career, I am finding that my unique combination of: technological skills, others-echoed “out-of-the-box” thinking, passion for the process of education on both the experience and metacognitive levels, and my ability to effectively interpersonally communicate, is exactly that - unique.   I am committed to developing my thinking and understandings in the realm of education.  I know that I would benefit from, and be a benefit to, SFU’s EdD in Education with a Transformational Change focus.  I am, therefore, pursuing graduate studies to further expand and refine my thinking, and to engage with high-level thinkers specifically in this field of study who can push me to further develop my abilities to facilitate the development of, and engage professional educators. 

During my eight years as a high school teacher at Richmond Christian School, I was committed to actively engaging students with curriculum. I taught new courses each year - willingly - such that I would not become comfortable with ‘normalcy’, and always be in a position of broadening my perspectives and understanding of cross-curricular tie-in opportunities for students and faculty.  My principal (reference Anthony Jansen) quickly identified that I flourished most when I was challenged with new and increasingly demanding assignments.  I taught and re-wrote pedagogical approaches to departmental curricula for Information Technology 8-12, Physical Education 8-12, Biology, Science, Physics, Journalism, Foods, Stage Craft, and Drama.  I served as Department Head for three of these disciplines. 

In my seventh year, I began serving as a member of the administrative team while completing my Masters in Education through UBC, and for my eighth year served as Vice-Principal.  During these two years, I was fully responsible for the curricular objectives and methodologies of all of the departments. 

Opting for more time at home with my four toddler sons, I left the school and concentrated on my growing computer consulting company within both the education and corporate sectors.  Serving schools and companies as a network architect and systems administrator pushed me to attain new competencies and allowed me to utilize and understand my education background in new ways and perspectives.

With a combined deep understanding and proficiency of computer technology, and an intimate knowledge of pedagogy and traditional education technology implementation difficulties, I am situationally positioned with experience-based perspectives from which I articulate and help redefine approaches to classroom education.  My fresh and illustrative metaphorical approach of expressing and conveying these ideas and ideologies has been clearly shown during computer network and technology education assessments, the leading of multiple workshop presentations, and featured and keynote speaking engagements.  As such, these approaches have been embraced by school administrators and teachers and have subsequently led to my being invited to consult and work closely with those schools and staff.

I now work full-time with school administrators and kindergarten through grade 12 teaching staff in pursuit of facilitating the employment of methodologies that truly engage students’ learning.  

As a consultant, I am always working to redefine and isolate pedagogy strategies and philosophies that assist with helping teachers ‘reconnect with their latent creativity’. 

As a keynote and featured speaker at conventions and conferences, I have enjoyed sharing my findings, observations and subsequent theories on paradigms of education with large teacher groups.  

As a father of 4 young school-aged boys, I see and lament the shortcomings of our school systems first hand. 

I feel called to do everything I can to further all of ‘education’s’ ability to ENGAGE students.

I am passionate about education, and about being a leader in the “reform” movement.  I believe that the reform required is possible.   I am excited to engage with the SFU faculty regarding approaches to this highly recognized problem.  I believe that I have new, tested ideas and perspectives to offer.

My ultimate goals in engaging with the Transformational Change Education Doctorate program at SFU, succinctly put, is – to be better able to engage with, research, articulate then assist teaching staff in re-forming approaches to pedagogy such that learning becomes connected for students. Secondly, to set out on a larger scale initiative and engage with the development of a school that embraces these practices and delivers “experiential education” across all curricular areas.

In the future, I would also be very interested in engaging with the teaching and instruction of PDP students and education students at the university level as a professor of education.

Thank you for your consideration of my application.