The Voice Magazine recently had a chance to chat with Melveena Roberts, a part-time student from Cold Lake, Alberta. On a personal note, Melveena let us know that she lives with her husband and “four children on earth and two in Heaven.”
She is currently enrolled in EDUC 201: The Profession of Teaching, with the hope of getting her teaching degree “to be able to teach [junior] high school.”
She let us know a bit about her course. “Due to the nature of my course, there’s not necessarily studying but loads of reading and pondering. I’m truly blessed with the ability to read at the beach with my toes in the sand and not be stuck in a box (building) to study. I’m blessed with the ability to really breathe in the teaching experience with a clear mind because of the environment that we live in. I think that this has given me clarity to focus and take in information calmly and willingly.”
Melveena also had some great advice for new students. “Advice that I would give new students that are considering teaching would be that they really have to be honest and true to yourself. It takes nothing to be a terrible teacher, but it takes everything to care about student’s hearts. It takes a big heart to care for others. Being a teacher, you are remembered forever, and you leave an impression on hearts forever. Don’t choose this path if you have an unhealthy mindset or heart hurts from other teachers.”
When she is not busying studying, Melveena is “very passionate about coaching.” She explained, “I love to see students learn and succeed at being their best self. I coach all my athletes with encouragement, pressure to do their individual very best, and with the Bible verse Philippians 4:13: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ I love to train up leaders both on and off the court.”
She continued, “I feel like now was the time for me to start to go back to school to prep for teaching. I assist at the local youth group in our town and have the pleasure to coach sports in the fall and winter seasons. Besides my own life experiences, I have had the opportunity to learn from the young people around me. When I was in Jr. High, a teacher (and coach) I had wrote me a card at the end of the season. I have kept this card with me till this day and it has helped me along in my teaching journey. Her card to me contained many words of encouragement. Being a competitive athlete at that time, getting encouraged by this coach meant a lot to me. Now, over 20 years later, I read this card, and it has helped me continue to encourage my athletes. I write my athletes encouragement cards every season. Those athletes that I have been blessed to have for repeated seasons, mention that they wished every coach would write them cards at the end of the season and reference the card I have given in seasons past. In the end, my goal is to train leaders up both on and off the court. This can be accomplished by speaking to their heart. It’s easy to yell and belittle someone for making a non-perfect pass or play; however it takes the spirit of encouragement to uplift and encourage when you’re down 10-1. Students and coaches have been my greatest motivators.”
She also let us know a bit about an author who has influenced her life. “Currently the author that has been influencing me the most is Terri Savelle Foy. Bestselling author and success coach, I encourage whoever is reading this, to look her up and watch her videos. Be encouraged. Be empowered. Achieve your dreams and don’t let go of the life inside of you! You matter. Your voice matters. Your life matters. You are alive for a purpose. You are called for such a time as this. I’m cheering YOU on! Go achieve the dream.”
As for her experience with online learning so far? I have done different types of online learning in the past and present. I really appreciate the ability to be able to accomplish school online. With homeschooling most of my kids during the day and coaching in the evenings, I’m able to achieve the dream of becoming a jr. high teacher due to the flexibility of working on the go, whether from home or at the beach! I strongly encourage those who feel stuck at home or at their current job to reach back into their childhood and remember the question, ‘Who do you want to be when you grow up?’ and ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Be and do all that you have ever wanted to accomplish in life! It is never too late to achieve your dreams. Go and get them! They are just out of arms reach. Go achieve the dream – YOUR dream.”
She also had some thoughts about communication with her tutors. “Communicating with a person you have never met, never seen, never spoken to, can be really scary. When in a conversation with someone you can read different things about them. Things they believe in, what they like or dislike, what they would feel if you said a particular sentence or phrase. So when I submitted my first assignment with AU, I was really scared when I received my first mark. The entire comment section about my first assignment totally changed how I submitted my second assignment as I felt like now I knew what type of person my tutor was.”
She continued, “My second assignment did receive a higher grade. AU always says to reach out to your tutor before you start but how do you reach out when you have nothing to say? I think what could bridge the gap of the ‘scary unknown’ would be if each tutor sent intro videos out just saying who they are, why they are a tutor and their role in your journey as an AU student. Connection always provides comfort. What I really appreciate about AU is the online connect socials. I attended a Summer Bash event and loved how the staff connected to each other and the friendly atmosphere they exhibited to the students online. I enjoyed the connection of games, laughter, introduction, and prizes. All the ingredients of a really good party.”
On a final note, Melveena let us know about her most valuable lesson learned in life. “I’ve learned much about myself when I became a mom. With each child I had I felt like I had to deal with different hurts or stresses in my life. As soon as the reality of all my kids were off to school and the daunting question arose, ‘What I’m I going to do with my life now?!’ I felt like God really spoke to me about healing from all the hurts and closed doors from the past. I’ve learned to ‘let go and let God.’ I don’t need to control all aspects of everything but if I do my best then I believe that God will look after the rest. Getting married some advice that I was given, which truly is some of the best advice to all relationships, would be to forgive quickly. Someone says something mean about you, forgive quickly. Your teacher gives you a bad mark, forgive quickly. I have found I’m being unravelled like an onion to heal from past hurts from educators and coaches. The best advice truly is to forgive quickly.” Best of luck, Melveena!
At times, in an online learning environment, it can feel like you are all alone, but across the nation and around the globe, students just like you are also pursuing their Athabasca University (AU) studies! Each week, The Voice Magazine will be bringing you some of these stories. If you would like to be featured next, do not hesitate to get in touch!
