Hi! My name is Barkha Dhanju and I was born and raised in Burnaby,BC. I graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. Although I’ve lived in the same place my entire life, I have never been able to sit still. I have constantly been the type of person to juggle a million things at once, and I love it! This is probably why I decided to go into teaching as you are doing a million things at once with a whole group of students. Currently, I run my own small business (two!). During the pandemic I turned a hobby of mine into my job, and I absolutely love it. I love being able to be my own boss and have the flexible schedule. Prior to my own business I worked 10+ years in retail. I loved this opportunity as I was put in situations in which I had to reflect on how to solve them. Which will all benefit me as a future teacher as it allowed me to reflect on situations and put myself in other shoes. It also allowed me to learn how to communicate with multiple different personalities. There was never a defiant moment in my life where I knew I wanted to be a teacher; it was just always there. The one thing I was 100% certain on was my career would involve children. From the start I always knew I wanted a job that would focus on children’s growth. The way children are so curious has always been the favourite thing of mine, they are so innocent and curious and are never afraid to say what’s on their minds. My ideal grade for teaching would be primary. I always enjoyed how primary students found the littlest things fascinating. As a child I always loved the morning routines such as calendar and all the other fun things you get to do in primary grades. The children are learning the fundamentals that will carry on with them forever and I would love to be a part of their journey. We all have those teachers that have impacted our lives in a positive way, and I hope to be that teacher for a future student. My goal as a future educator is to create a safe place for all my students. I want my students to enjoy coming to school. Every student will have a life outside the classroom, but when they’re in the classroom I want them to feel welcomed and important.