About meMy name is Lee Bensted and I've been teaching high school Spanish since 2009. I didn't grow up speaking Spanish but I have always had a passion for learning languages. I studied French in high school and then in France for one year after graduation. The next year I entered university with a plan to study sciences and medicine, but after two years realized that my interests had shifted toward languages and the humanities. Three years later I graduated with with a double major in Spanish and Latin American studies, having spent two unforgettable semesters living in Chile and Cuba. Before becoming a teacher I worked as the Program Director for an incredible NGO (non-governmental organization) called CoDevelopment Canada where I had the opportunity to travel extensively in Latin America and meet many inspiring and courageous people working to make positive social change in their communities and countries. These experiences made me think about what kinds of educational opportunities motivate us to become more engaged and responsible citizens, and led me to purse an MA in Education with a focus on Transformative Learning. It wasn't until just after the birth of my first son that I took the plunge and "officially" became a teacher. Even then, I managed to sneak in one more semester abroad in Oaxaca as part of SFU's teacher education program where I taught English in a Mexican Public High school. I was thrilled to be hired as the Spanish teacher at Tupper Secondary in 2011 and absolutely love being part of the Tupper family!
|