My name is Madeline Baker, and this is my first year as a student at the University of Regina. I am honoured to be a part of the U of R education program! I am specifically working towards becoming an elementary school teacher. One day, I hope to be teaching in a K-5 classroom. I have always loved children, and am looking forward to helping them achieve their goals in a classroom.
I grew up in the small city of Yorkton, Saskatchewan. I have two older siblings named Erica and Jacob, and a dog named Daisy who definitely keeps us on our toes. If I was not at school, I would play with my puppy Daisy, or be at my local dance studio, Dance Innovations. During the summer holidays, my family and I spend our time at Crooked Lake. We used to have a family cabin there, but unfortunately the flood of 2014 destroyed it. It was devastating for my family and I, but we made the most of it and set up a trailer and built a deck. My favourite activities to do at the lake are water skiing and tubing. It took me many years to be able to water ski, but I eventually got up at the age of eight and started slalom skiing at the age of thirteen. Tubing is always so much fun! My dad used to take us out tubing for hours at a time when my siblings and I were little. For the last two years, I have been working at the local convenience store at our beach during the summer holidays. This was a great job for me because I got to spend the entire summer at the lake. The lake is very special to me because I have made so many wonderful memories with my family there. It is also where I developed my love and appreciation for nature.
Something else that is very important to me is my love for dance. I began dancing at the age of eighteen months in the Parent and Tot dance class at my studio, and second-home, Dance Innovations. I immediately loved it and began competing at the age of seven. I participated in all forms of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. I have spent many, many hours at the studio, but it was all worth it when my teammates and I did our very best on stage! Not only was I a dancer, but I was fortunate enough to participate in a teacher’s training program offered at our studio as well. I taught ballet to the very young children at the studio. This is what sparked my interest in, and love for, teaching. The children’s smiles gave me so much joy that I looked forward to seeing them again the next week!
Some of my other hobbies include reading, swimming, watching movies, and travelling! Since I was a little girl, I have loved reading books. My favourite novel is “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. I just started reading it this summer and I finished it this fall! It is a lengthy, and very wordy book, but it is my absolute favourite. My love for swimming comes from spending so much time at the lake. Even on colder days, my cousin and I would go for a swim and have so much fun! My family and I also love watching movies. Each Christmas we always make sure to have a “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” movie marathon while we put together thousand piece jigsaw puzzles. We also love travelling together as a family. My favourite place that I have travelled to is Barcelona, Spain. It was only my siblings and I who went, but we had an amazing time! We took this trip last February. It was a good thing we went when we did, because cases of Covid-19 spiked in Spain shortly after we got home. Fortunately, my aunt, uncle and cousins live there, so we were able to spend some precious time with them. It was definitely a trip to remember!