S h u l h a, J a s o n
Toronto, Ontario
[email protected] m
My name is Jason Shulha, and I would like to express my interest in teaching at your school. I am an
intermediate/senior English and drama teacher. I have taught successfully in four international American
schools in three different countries. I chose international teaching as a way to broaden and enrich my
personal and professional life. While I have loved the stimulating environment international teaching offers
my heart and my family are Canadian and I have returned home.
As an English teacher I am dedicated to helping students understand thematically and linguistically the
significance of all works studied. I also enjoy the process of helping students position literature within the
individual experiences of their lives. Through study, my goal is to help students develop a rich appreciation
for the power of English, and subsequently their power to communicate, illuminate, persuade, reflect, and
transport through effective and meaningful use of language.
As a drama teacher, I have become dedicated to creating a learning space where young people are
given the opportunity to discover their voice, live in their bodies, and play in their imaginations. When I
teach, it is my hope that students gain an understanding of themselves, and how their actions impact those
around them. In my classroom, I leverage the multiple and dynamic interactions that characterize ensemble
drama for the purpose of exploring and understanding both classical drama such as Medea , and the
every-day drama of being a teenager. Pedagogically, I find that the learning space of ensemble provides
students with creative and safe places for exploration. Ensemble drama first and foremost acknowledges the
creative and intrinsic value of others. It is a drama that challenges the student and at the same time supports
social, emotional, and artistic growth.
In drama and English, meaningful learning involves a great deal of personal risk. As the teacher, one
of my first responsibilities is to create a space where students feel safe to offer ideas and vocalize genuine
reactions to ideas and experiences. A risk that I continue to take in my teaching is the integration of
technology. Integrating technology as much as I do always brings with it the possibility that the technology
will not work, or will work in unexpected ways. The improvisation required when this happens is one of the
ways that I model not only risk taking, but also the resilience and the creativity that adaptation to the
unexpected often stimulates.
Each international teaching contract I accepted was a commitment to community: to my classroom
communities shaped by my students, to my professional learning community shaped by new colleagues, and
to the social fabric of the school community. In Istanbul, chaperoning student boarders allowed me to
access a part of student life and culture not accessible when the students were in my class. In Abu Dhabi, a
school of privilege, an extended trip to Nepal enabled me to support students as they helped build a local
orphanage and discover new levels of grit while hiking into the foothills of the Himalayas. I value
co-curricular and service initiatives because they allow me to interact with and learn from my students as
they engage with the world beyond the class. In these rich contexts, I also remain focused on understanding
and addressing the needs of my students.
With every new job comes the excitement of building new relationships and learning how to be a
contributing member within a school community. I am passionate about teaching and learning. The
breadth of experiences I was provided with overseas had me in classrooms from grade 6 through to grade
12. I am confident in my ability to relate to students, inclusive of guiding students towards positive and
contributing community behaviours. I come to work every day with a natural excitement for the job, a
strong work ethic, and a deep desire to make meaningful contributions to a community.