Introduction: My Life as a History Text

Things That Happen Along The Way

Luke Nakonechny

My Life as a History Text

GDPI PME 810: Innovation in Teaching and Learning

I was born and went to school in Edmonton and attending the University of Alberta in my home city seemed like an easy decision.  After earning my degree from the U of A it gave me the opportunity to start the only career I really thought would work for me and that was one in education.  

I do have to acknowledge that I have been lucky to have had a positive experience as a student throughout school.  I understand that that is not the case for everyone. At the same time, that positive experience as a whole did not necessarily contribute to academic success.  However, those hurdles in high school and university along with a support system of family and teachers helped me get to the place I really wanted to be and on to the path of working as a teacher.

The last part of my post secondary life at the U of A was participating in the international field experience program in Ghana.  This program focused on the role of globalization in education with coursework completed both at the University of Alberta and the University of Ghana.  

During my time in Ghana, our group had the opportunity to travel to observe multiple schools in urban and rural areas also included time spent teaching in a small rural village.  In this community we had the opportunity to observe, work with, and teach with teachers and students (K-9). My time also included volunteering at the medical clinic, opening the small library and reading to kids after school, spending time with our host families, and playing soccer until the sun went down.

This opportunity broadened my global perspectives of education and global citizenship.  

My first official teaching position brought me to Bonnyville Alberta.  While not a large geographic transition, it did represent the beginning of my life as a teacher.  This is the place where I started to build my identity as a teacher.

I spent five years at Bonnyville Centralized High School and my experience here taught me how important how important building relationships is to a fulfilling teaching life.  I was able to build relationships with students through simply listening to their stories, interests, and passions. It really showed me that just because I was the teacher in the classroom did not mean that the kids were the only ones who had to learn.  At BCHS it was also a privilege to work with colleagues who could act as mentors and caring friends who were able to guide me as a new teacher.

Any challenges that I did come across in Bonnyville are just overshadowed by my overwhelming positive experience in this small Alberta town and I do miss it!  

My next stop in my teaching career landed me at Michael Strembitsky School in Edmonton.  To me, this was a move back home to be closer to family and friends and I was lucky get picked up by a forward thinking school with an awesome team already established.  This position involved working with junior high students in Social Studies, Physical Education and leadership classes which is pretty well my dream teaching assignment.

At MSS I have been fortunate enough to receive a crash course in project based learning and have really seen the power of inquiry based learning and student initiative when done right.  Being part of projects where students create, make, market, and sell their own chocolates as well as campaigning to be the first government on Mars has taught me that when you raise the bar for kids, they will often fly right over it.  

Growing up, I was also fortunate to be involved and participate in a variety of different sports.  From hockey to basketball to curling, there was not much that I would try. As I started to get older I found myself in an interesting middle ground position in the world of amateur sports.  I was good enough to make the team but not necessarily good enough to play. Not to be overly cliche, but these experiences taught me so that there is far more to life than winning and losing and that there is more than one way to contribute to the success of a group.  

These experiences have had a huge impact on my life and I am always excited when I have the opportunity to be a coach.  I was very lucky to have leaders take the time out of their lives to support me in my experiences and that has always motivated me create those same experiences for others as best I can.  

It is impossible for me to turn this page into one particular moment, but the idea of creating positive experiences for kids and working with others plays a huge role in my life in and outside of school.  

Authorial Biography

Luke Nakonechny would be someone who would really find it challenging to pick specific events, people, or moments that contributed to his life.  There are plenty of specific moments that have played a role in shaping his life, however, it is the environments which have included those influential people and the meaningful events that have holistically influenced the happenings in Luke’s life.

Luke was born and went to school in Edmonton Alberta eventually graduating with a degree in education from the University of Alberta.  After graduating he found himself teaching in a small rural Alberta town where he was able begin to build his teaching identity that centered around fostering relationships and pushing others to reach their own personal potential.  After five years in Bonnyville, Luke moved back home to Edmonton where he is currently refining that identity to incorporate inquiry based learning philosophies and new strategies to build help students build skills in the classroom.  

Luke is passionate about sports and loves working with teams.  He is inspired to see how others can rise above a challenge and push themselves to be the best they can be.

He is currently enrolled in the GDPI program at Queens University and looking to pursue his masters in the near future.