Nanny in Regina, Saskatchewan

Hi there! The first thing you need to know about me is that I absolutely love hanging out with kids. I find their sense of wonder and ability to interact passionately with the world around them incredible. I love learning from them, and I love it when they learn from me. I was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT. I attended french-immersion Catholic school from kindergarten - grade 12, and although religion is an important part of my life, it isn\'t something that I\'m comfortable sharing with children until they\'re able to critically reflect on what religion is and what it means. That being said, I do love speaking french with children! After high school, I studied a 2 year Certificate of Social Work program in Yellowknife through a local college. After completion of this degree, I moved to Regina, SK (where my parents are from!) to complete a Bachelors of Social Work program (which I\'m completing in December! Two weeks left!). I absolutely love social work, it inspires me to help people make change in their lives. But before I wanted to be a social worker, I wanted to be a babysitter. Since then, I\'ve found that I use feminist, queer and anti-oppressive theory to influence my interactions with children. I strongly believe in a culture of community, consent and honesty, particularly around children. Through feminist theory, I make sure that children understand their own autonomy and ability to choose how they interact with all people physically and emotionally, as long as it remains respectful. Through queer theory, I make sure that children have the space to develop their own identities as boys or girls, allowing them the space to figure out what their gender means to them and how they express it. I don\'t support ideas of forcing boys to play with certain toys and girls to play with certain toys. I encourage young girls to claim their space, and not let boys speak over them. I encourage young boys to be in touch with their emotions and feel comfortable expressing them, and not let girls treat them as if they are stupid. Through anti-oppressive theory, I make sure that children understand how power dynamics exist between different kinds of people, and the ways in which they can ensure that they are staying safe, despite these dynamics. I teach children about race, and disability, gender, and the different ways people love each other. I teach children about the diversity that exists within our society and why it\'s important that we appreciate and respect one another. Most importantly, I encourage children to critically reflect about the world around them. Why did they make the decision to kick their brother when they were mad? Was this a good decision? What other decision could they have made? Why do they like watching tv instead of doing crafts? Is it because of laziness, or because they find passive interaction easier than other forms of interaction? Why did Cinderella\'s step-mother treat her that way? What can we do when people treat us in similar ways? What does a healthy family relationship look like? I believe that children have the brains and intelligence to reflect about the world around them and to grow into good adults who respect themselves and their environment. Outside of working with children, in my spare time I enjoy watching television, writing poetry, reading feminist non-fiction, staying up to date on national news, philosophy, sociology and discussing political events. I also work hard within the feminist, queer and french-language activist communities. I\'m currently living in Regina, however plan to relocate to Yellowknife in April. I have babysat for numerous families for long periods of time (over 7 years), staying with the children as a sitter while they grow up. For the two families I worked with most, one family had one son who I looked after after he was finished school from when he was about 8 until he was about 11. For the other family, I have looked after their first daughter from birth and she is currently 8 years old, and when they gave birth to their son (who is now 6) I continued to watch over them also. They now have a third child, a new born who I have watched over as well. I am used to spending time with children and transporting them to wherever they need to go (dance class, hockey, etc), while also spending time with them doing their homework and teaching them new skills. I have also worked as a substitute teacher with Yellowknife Catholic Schools on and off for about two years (during 2011-201...), so I have experience with large amounts of children in a school setting. I have a Certificate of Social Work (2 year program) and am finishing up my Bachelors of Social Work through the University of Regina this December.