In 2015, after graduating from UNB with my B.Ed., I was in search of a full-time teaching position. At the time, the prospects were slim in Fredericton and New Brunswick as a whole. This was due to the abundance of qualified teachers in the province and the lucrative salary associated with being a teacher. 😉

A friend from UNB mentioned to me that she knew of a few teaching positions open at the Fredericton Christian Academy (FCA) where she also worked. At the time FCA was a small, private, Christian school in the area. This friend put me in contact with the leadership at FCA and they offered me an interview. 

Let me pause the story here and say that to this day, I am supremely thankful to that friend for connecting me with the leadership at FCA. I had two interviews, one with Lucas Candy (vice-principal) and Jon McAloon (headmaster). The other with Reta-Anne Best (elementary principal and early childhood program director). Both of the interviews were equal parts nerve-racking and exciting since they were the first that I had experienced with the potential of becoming a “real” teacher attached. Incredibly, a few days later, I received the call and was offered the position of ESL teacher, program coordinator, and after school program coordinator. I was ecstatic. On that day in July 2015 I could not have known how much impact my time at FCA would have on my education journey. 

Being hired as the ESL coordinator was exciting to me because I was inspired to pursue a certificate in teaching English as a second language by Dr. Paula Kristmanson while attending UNB. Staying true to a theme with my blog, I want to make sure to give praise where praise is due. Dr. Kristmanson is a tremendous educator who teaches brilliantly designed courses in ESL at UNB. She is also a researcher with the Second Language Research Institute of Canada. In my ESL class I was able to build meaningful relationships with students from Columbia, Korea, China, and Hong Kong. 

Another one of my roles at FCA was after school program coordinator. The program consisted of elementary aged students from FCA and other schools in the area. We had a lot of fun together! Building the tallest block towers, making musical renditions of favorite Disney songs, creating epic snow forts, ice skating, and dancing to silly songs. 

At FCA I was also fortunate enough to be an assistant coach for the varsity boys basketball team. The previous year, I had some coaching experience from my practicum at Leo Hayes. But my previous experience paled in comparison to being immersed in this school, coaching students that I taught, and being with the team from our fall training camp until playoffs in March. What a journey! 

Along with the relationships that I developed with students and faculty at FCA, I learned valuable lessons in mentor meetings with Mr. Candy & Mr. McAloon. They taught me about the importance of mentors and school leadership. They recommended books to read such as Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. And they continued to challenge my basic conceptions of what it meant to be a teacher and a leader of young people. 

Mr. McAloon inspired me with his vision for what he believed FCA could be. He had tremendous vision for the quality of student that FCA would produce, the level of educators that FCA would train, the programs that FCA would run, and the facilities that FCA would have. To this day, every time I speak with Mr. McAloon I am inspired about being an educator and fired up about making a lasting impact on each student that I connect with. I will further discuss the importance of mentors in later posts. 

In 2016, after one school year at FCA, my wife and I had a yearning to work and adventure internationally. So, in July 2016, we moved to Thailand. It was hard to say goodbye to the caring FCA community. They had invested so much into us and would have loved for us to stay. Although I am thankful to have this international experience, I know that staying at FCA would have been a rich experience as well. 

I wanted to take a moment to highlight just how special FCA is as evidenced by the growth that FCA has experienced in the five school years since I left. In 2016 there were approximately 125 students enrolled from K-12. In contrast, FCA is expected to have 500 students enrolled at the start of the 2021-22 school year! Isn’t that incredible? That is a whopping 400% growth in just five short years. What was once a “small school” is now bursting at the seams and quickly becoming a much bigger organization thanks to the tireless efforts of the leadership, faculty, and students. 

During one of our recent mentor meetings Mr. McAloon reminded me that Christian schools need to do three things well in order to be successful. 1) Strong spiritual training, 2) Strong academics, and 3) Use their money wisely. The recent growth that FCA has experienced is due to each of these three domains being done very well. I am excited to see the leadership, faculty, and students at FCA continue to grow in the years to come. Thanks to FCA, I understand the importance of vision, mentorship, leadership, and courage related to the present and future of educational institutions. 

Thank you, FCA, for your investment in me.

If you would like to find out more about FCA, follow this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. It was a pleasure spending time with you today.

Peace & Blessings, 

– Josiah