Dr. Rathwell
By: Hedia Davey
Currently in her 12th year of teaching, Dr. Rathwell is a new member of the Collingwood community who continues to make positive, long-lasting effects on the people around her.
As a young child, she moved around quite a bit with her family before settling down in Canada at the age of 11. She has spent time in England, Switzerland, Egypt, and even several African countries such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria. It is evident that traveling and exploring different aspects of the world became something that intrigued her, as she has since explored many other cultures, communities, and countries.
Throughout high school, she lived in British Columbia and attended three different high schools; Rockridge Secondary, Britannia Secondary, and West Van High. When asked about her high school experience, she noted that it was interesting to experience the different environments. She followed the IB Diploma Programme which provided her with many amazing opportunities and service activities, but found high school to be disengaging for the most part, and didn’t see the connection between what was being taught in school and the real world. This is one of the reasons she became interested in teaching.
Another leading factor as to why she tread down the path of English literature is her family. She was never allowed to watch TV growing up and instead was given books (evidently a good decision, as she now emphasizes the importance of reading as the best possible hobby to have). Her parents were both very literary-minded; her mother was a teacher and her father was a writer, and following along the same path, English seemed to be the obvious choice for herself. Her sister Aine has also had a large influence on Dr. Rathwell’s life. Dr. Rathwell explained that she has always been, and continues to be, a sort of teacher for her sister who has Down syndrome. Dr. Rathwell stated that a large part of her life is based around community inclusion and breaking down barriers for Aine. Her own five-year-old daughter, Ava, has also been an inspiration, as Dr. Rathwell recognizes how children can teach everyone a lot more than we presume. They see the world differently and with an open heart. They also find beauty in simplicity and don’t care for responsibilities, all of which are qualities that we tend to lose as we grow up.
For the first two years of her undergraduate program, Dr. Rathwell attended Concordia University in Montreal where she studied Fine Arts. She remembers being convinced that she would grow up to be a painter and pursue the arts. However, she transferred from Concordia to take an English Literature program at UBC, which she graduated from in 2009. She also pursued further studies and schooling at Trinity College in Dublin, Germany, where she got her Master's in Popular Literature and received her Ph.D. in Critical Masculinity in Literature at a university in Birmingham, England.
Shortly after, Dr. Rathwell started her teaching career in Saudi Arabia for three years, teaching English to an all-girls’ class of 18-year-olds. The connection between her and her students has been long-lasting as she still keeps in touch with them today. Since then, she has taught in schools ranging from North Vancouver, Canada, where she taught elementary school at a Grade 4 level; Qatar, where she taught for four years; and Swaziland, where she taught for three years. She would like to recognize Sue Bradshaw, a mentor in Swaziland, who she credited with being incredibly apt at making people feel valued. Even though Dr. Rathwell has been teaching for 12 years, she noted that she never gets bored of the subjects she teaches and loves interacting with young people who have fresh ideas, and look at the world from a yet-to-be cynical perspective. For Dr. Rathwell, the ultimate act of hope is the act of teaching. Every day is different and filled with humor, joy, and human connection.
Dr. Rathwell is a strong advocate for students and has sought to tackle Sexual orientation and gender identity barriers throughout her years of teaching. She is currently the teacher heading the Allies club at Collingwood and has always participated in gender-based activism through advocacy for creating policies against gender-based violence. In Swaziland, she worked with the United Nations and has always worked towards creating safe and diverse spaces for all. On top of that, she is a visual artist and draws cartoon representations of famous feminist artists and activists. The steps she has taken towards improving community inclusion and equality are outstanding, and have surely impacted many students all around the world.
When it comes to literature, Dr. Rathwell most enjoys the feeling of transcendence that comes along with it. She explained that we may live our lives confined by our own egos and identities, but when writing from a different perspective, we can put aside our egos and come into contact with something bigger than ourselves, ultimately realizing our own collective humanity.
All art forms can also be a form of self-expression, identity, and meaning. For anyone interested in following a literature-related career path, Dr. Rathwell’s advice is: “don't listen to anyone who says it's a bad idea; a life surrounded by beauty is never wasted.” Following a career path of education and literature has ultimately made her a more well-rounded person and she has been able to surround herself with like-minded people whom she learns so much from. She enjoys reading poetry the most as an adult, making sure to read at least one poem a day in order to spend some time by herself with something beautiful. She also reads books concerning topics like privilege and oppression, and partakes in literature from a social justice lens as it builds empathy. However, she also loves horror, and uncanny or unsettling themes. Outside of the world of books, she also teaches yoga, and likes to practice it a little bit every day.
In the future, Dr. Rathwell hopes that she will continue to build connections. Her multitude of rich experiences has taught her not to assume anything about anyone - a trait that she hopes to be enduring.
By: Hedia Davey
Currently in her 12th year of teaching, Dr. Rathwell is a new member of the Collingwood community who continues to make positive, long-lasting effects on the people around her.
As a young child, she moved around quite a bit with her family before settling down in Canada at the age of 11. She has spent time in England, Switzerland, Egypt, and even several African countries such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria. It is evident that traveling and exploring different aspects of the world became something that intrigued her, as she has since explored many other cultures, communities, and countries.
Throughout high school, she lived in British Columbia and attended three different high schools; Rockridge Secondary, Britannia Secondary, and West Van High. When asked about her high school experience, she noted that it was interesting to experience the different environments. She followed the IB Diploma Programme which provided her with many amazing opportunities and service activities, but found high school to be disengaging for the most part, and didn’t see the connection between what was being taught in school and the real world. This is one of the reasons she became interested in teaching.
Another leading factor as to why she tread down the path of English literature is her family. She was never allowed to watch TV growing up and instead was given books (evidently a good decision, as she now emphasizes the importance of reading as the best possible hobby to have). Her parents were both very literary-minded; her mother was a teacher and her father was a writer, and following along the same path, English seemed to be the obvious choice for herself. Her sister Aine has also had a large influence on Dr. Rathwell’s life. Dr. Rathwell explained that she has always been, and continues to be, a sort of teacher for her sister who has Down syndrome. Dr. Rathwell stated that a large part of her life is based around community inclusion and breaking down barriers for Aine. Her own five-year-old daughter, Ava, has also been an inspiration, as Dr. Rathwell recognizes how children can teach everyone a lot more than we presume. They see the world differently and with an open heart. They also find beauty in simplicity and don’t care for responsibilities, all of which are qualities that we tend to lose as we grow up.
For the first two years of her undergraduate program, Dr. Rathwell attended Concordia University in Montreal where she studied Fine Arts. She remembers being convinced that she would grow up to be a painter and pursue the arts. However, she transferred from Concordia to take an English Literature program at UBC, which she graduated from in 2009. She also pursued further studies and schooling at Trinity College in Dublin, Germany, where she got her Master's in Popular Literature and received her Ph.D. in Critical Masculinity in Literature at a university in Birmingham, England.
Shortly after, Dr. Rathwell started her teaching career in Saudi Arabia for three years, teaching English to an all-girls’ class of 18-year-olds. The connection between her and her students has been long-lasting as she still keeps in touch with them today. Since then, she has taught in schools ranging from North Vancouver, Canada, where she taught elementary school at a Grade 4 level; Qatar, where she taught for four years; and Swaziland, where she taught for three years. She would like to recognize Sue Bradshaw, a mentor in Swaziland, who she credited with being incredibly apt at making people feel valued. Even though Dr. Rathwell has been teaching for 12 years, she noted that she never gets bored of the subjects she teaches and loves interacting with young people who have fresh ideas, and look at the world from a yet-to-be cynical perspective. For Dr. Rathwell, the ultimate act of hope is the act of teaching. Every day is different and filled with humor, joy, and human connection.
Dr. Rathwell is a strong advocate for students and has sought to tackle Sexual orientation and gender identity barriers throughout her years of teaching. She is currently the teacher heading the Allies club at Collingwood and has always participated in gender-based activism through advocacy for creating policies against gender-based violence. In Swaziland, she worked with the United Nations and has always worked towards creating safe and diverse spaces for all. On top of that, she is a visual artist and draws cartoon representations of famous feminist artists and activists. The steps she has taken towards improving community inclusion and equality are outstanding, and have surely impacted many students all around the world.
When it comes to literature, Dr. Rathwell most enjoys the feeling of transcendence that comes along with it. She explained that we may live our lives confined by our own egos and identities, but when writing from a different perspective, we can put aside our egos and come into contact with something bigger than ourselves, ultimately realizing our own collective humanity.
All art forms can also be a form of self-expression, identity, and meaning. For anyone interested in following a literature-related career path, Dr. Rathwell’s advice is: “don't listen to anyone who says it's a bad idea; a life surrounded by beauty is never wasted.” Following a career path of education and literature has ultimately made her a more well-rounded person and she has been able to surround herself with like-minded people whom she learns so much from. She enjoys reading poetry the most as an adult, making sure to read at least one poem a day in order to spend some time by herself with something beautiful. She also reads books concerning topics like privilege and oppression, and partakes in literature from a social justice lens as it builds empathy. However, she also loves horror, and uncanny or unsettling themes. Outside of the world of books, she also teaches yoga, and likes to practice it a little bit every day.
In the future, Dr. Rathwell hopes that she will continue to build connections. Her multitude of rich experiences has taught her not to assume anything about anyone - a trait that she hopes to be enduring.
