About

I am Stephanie Keon-Pinkerton, wife, mother, and teacher.

I was raised in Cobden; my dad is a retired teacher, and my mother is a retired nurse. I have two older sisters and a younger brother, and have a large extended family.

I attended Opeongo High School, and graduated in 1993. I headed off to Queen's University, where I studied Concurrent Education (which allowed me to complete my Bachelor of the Arts at the same time as my Bachelor of Education). I spent a year abroad, as an exchange student in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I graduated from university in 1997, and was hired to teach for the Kativik School Board which services the far northern reaches of Quebec.

I set off for the Arctic, with very little teaching experience, but lots of enthusiasm and optimism! I lived in a fly-in community (meaning, that the only way in or out is by plane), called Tasiujaq. I taught grades three, four, five, and six, with a class of eight Inuit children. This was a very unique teaching experience, and I likely learned more than I taught. We spent a lot of time "on the land", and I participated in a caribou hunt, did lots of skidooing, and caught lots of Arctic Char. I really loved the northern landscape, and enthusiastically learned as much as I could about the Inuit, from sewing, to how to serve beluga whale (sliced into tiny cubes!). Yes, I ate raw meat: caribou, fish, ptarmigan, and beluga whale. It was an unforgettable experience!

I've taught Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5, before settling into my role as Kindergarten teacher.

My husband is an Early Childhood Educator in a local Kindergarten class. We live on a small hobby farm where we raise our four young children, two ponies, and various cats. We hope to grow more of our own food in the years to come, and have plans to raise sheep and/or goats when our children get older.

In my spare time, I am an avid knitter, crafter, reader, photographer, and writer. Of course, caring for my children and home takes up most of my time! We enjoy watching movies, playing music in our kitchen, doing small home-improvement projects, and gardening.