One of Stratford’s most beloved and respected teachers has ended her official teaching career, but education is sure to play a part in her retirement.
Christine Ritsma spent 40 years in the teaching field, first beginning in the museum field at Historic Fort York and the Waterloo Regional Museum, before transitioning into education in 1990 with the Avon Maitland District School Board.
“One of the things I tried to do when teaching history was to provide hands-on activities. I planned a lot of field trips, I brought in props to teach with,” said Ritsma when reflecting on her career. “The last few years I was able to flip the script a bit and get involved in a tech course focusing on green industries. That’s where my passion ended.”
Ritsma is also the co-advisor of the award-winning SDSS Eco-Club, recognized by Pivot Green and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, and she plans to continue in the role during retirement.
“I’m pretty proud of this group of kids and I have a lot of neat stuff planned for the fall,” said Ritsma. “We have other advisors who are going to be in the school, but if I can help out some way, that’s what I’m going to do.”
One of her concerns for the future of education and the teaching field is the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom.
“Kids are using it a lot, even for basic reports. It’s become too convenient, and right now, we don’t have the tools to deal with it properly. Just like when the internet launched, everyone was on it, but we didn’t have the protocols and checks to help both the student and the teacher use it properly.”
Ritsma explained she plans on travelling and getting involved with environmental groups in the city, and she has an idea of how to use her land to educate people.
“I’ve got a really nice property here, and part of me thinks that I maybe I could set up some sort of forest school or something in a few years and provide instruction about the environment.”
