Hello, Bonjour, Hadih!

My name is Adrianna Ochitwa, but students know me as Ms. Ochitwa, Ms. O, and sometimes, Mme. O. I was born and raised in Prince George and graduated through the French Immersion Program. I speak English and French, and love to learn languages.

Image of a person in front of a cliff wall covered in ice.
Image from February 2022, myself in a tuque and winter coat in front of an icy rock wall in Jasper National Park
Image of a person in front of a cliff wall covered in ice.
Image from February 2022, myself in a tuque and winter coat in front of an icy rock wall in Jasper National Park
Image of a person in front of a cliff wall covered in ice.
Image from February 2022, myself in a tuque and winter coat in front of an icy rock wall in Jasper National Park

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in the 3rd grade. When I was in grade 11 and 12, I was a Peer Helper in an extra support class and I found myself getting asked for help with social studies work a lot. One student told me that when I would put the events she was learning about in context with other events she learned about it helped her understand how things led to, or had influence on other events. She said history became more of a story than facts on a page and that it helped her to understand the course content.

From there, I knew I wanted to teach and I knew that I wanted to think of new and different ways to teach. I think that learning should be fun and collaborative, that learning does not just happen inside a classroom but everywhere. I believe that we learn something new everyday, whether that be from a lesson, outside at recess, or at home. No type of learning is above another, and I strive to bring all types of learning into my practice.

My dad always said “Learn something new every day” while I was growing up and it became words I live by. I try to learn something new every day, no matter the subject or topic. I think this is where my belief that learning can and should happen anywhere and everywhere came from.

Image of two children standing in front of a painted white rock that is much larger than both of them
Image is of myself and my brother Alex in front a fake white rock in White Rock, BC. Photo was taken by our mom while we were on a hockey trip.
Image of two children standing in front of a painted white rock that is much larger than both of them
Image is of myself and my brother Alex in front a fake white rock in White Rock, BC. Photo was taken by our mom while we were on a hockey trip.
Image of two children standing in front of a painted white rock that is much larger than both of them
Image is of myself and my brother Alex in front a fake white rock in White Rock, BC. Photo was taken by our mom while we were on a hockey trip.

I grew up in a hockey family and travelled all around BC and Alberta watching my brother play hockey. I often joke that growing up this way left me with 20 little brothers. Boys that I’ve known since they were 5 that became my brothers best friends. Missing Fridays and going to school on Monday morning after a late Sunday night arrival home from tournaments was something that became part of my Winters. Because of this, I find that I have an understanding for kids who play sports, and the siblings who are along for the ride. While missing school was a cause of nervousness for me, I also got to have some of the best experiences of my childhood. Schoolwork and reading was the pastime for the time before and after the games, and I learned from every parent of the kids on the team. I also got to experiences historic places and museums that I never would have gotten to otherwise. I often got to use the things I saw and experiences in classes to help myself contextualize things or would show pictures to my classmates from places like Fort Langley when we were learning about those places.

At 18 months old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and grew up being the only chronically ill person I knew. I did not see anyone like me working or living openly. I worried that I would grow up and not be able to pursue my dreams and passions because I had Arthritis. I was told things like “50% of people with Juvenile Arthritis have to drop out of post-secondary because it’s too hard for them,” or that I might need knee surgery or be in a wheelchair by 40. I got lucky, even having Arthritis. I found medications that helped and I live in a country where they are accessible. I will always have Arthritis, and I want to be someone that chronically ill kids can see living their life openly and just as non-chronically-ill people do, hopefully to help less kids feel the way I did when I was young.