Know Your Profs is an ongoing series of articles helping you get to know the instructors at Camosun a bit better. Every issue we ask an instructor the same 10 questions. Got someone you want to see interviewed? Email editor@nexusnewspaper.com and we’ll get on it.
This time around we caught up with carpentry instructor and architectural trades department chair Al van Akker and talked about technology in the classroom, the downside of one-time funding, and five-year-old sailors.
1: What do you teach and how long have you been a teacher at Camosun?
Carpentry technical training for apprentices and foundation students. I’ve been a teacher here for 13 years.
2: What do you personally get out of teaching?
I love the success stories. Many of our students haven’t experienced success in any type of school setting until they come here. Watching them actually enjoy school is a real treat.
3: What’s one thing you wish your students knew about you?
That even when I’m pushing hard, I actually do have their best interests in mind.
4: What’s one thing you wish they didn’t know about you?
My home address.
5: What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
That’s hard to put a finger on; I’ve had so many positive experiences. There’s one student who comes to mind who just had so much working against him. Seeing him finish the program was a real moment of satisfaction for our whole department.
6: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
I once caught four students cheating on the same exam. That was an unhappy experience for everyone involved.
7: What do you see in the future of postsecondary education?
I foresee lots of pressure to do more and more online. I hope that we never lose sight of the power of human interaction, not just in the classroom, but in the shop, the lab, the student common spaces, cafeterias, and just sitting outside on a sunny day. It would be a tremendous loss to attempt to replace all of that with a mouse and a webcam.
8: What do you do to relax on the weekends?
I like to go sailing with my wife and son. At five years old, he’s turning into a pretty good sailor.
9: What is your favourite meal?
Curry just about anything.
10: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
One-time-only or unstable funding for programs. As a department chair, it’s very difficult to schedule courses for which the funding approval is up in the air.