For this Know Your Profs we talked to Camosun’ Alison Parker about respect, typos, and counting beans… or not.
1: What do you teach and how long have you been at Camosun?
I teach Intermediate Financial Accounting (second year) and Accounting Theory (fourth year). I have taught introductory and accounting technology courses in the past. I came to Camosun in August 2007 on a year’s leave from Canada Revenue Agency, but I never left!
2: What do you personally get out of teaching?
Teaching has made me a technically strong accountant and up to date on accounting standards. For working professionals it can be hard to find time to stay aware of the changes in accounting standards, but, as I teach them, I need to know them. But, personally, teaching is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives, if only for a short time, and that is incredibly rewarding.
3: What’s one thing you wish your students knew about you?
I wish (and hope) my students know the deep respect I have for them and what they are trying to do at school. I will mark but never judge, as everyone has a story that may impact their performance that day. People and their lives are complex things.
4: What’s one thing you wish they didn’t know about you?
I’m a perfectionist, so when they find a typo or an error in my materials it really bothers me. I often mark questions twice to make sure I have been accurate and fair.
5: What’s the best thing that’s happened to you as a teacher here?
There are so many wonderful things that have happened. I think the best was the first group I taught for their first four financial accounting courses (introductory and intermediate). I felt like I watched them all grow up, and most of them I see now as designated accountants working in Victoria.
6: What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you as a teacher here?
Having to talk to students about cheating and catching students cheating is devastating.
7: What do you see in the future of postsecondary education?
Education is taking its cue from the world of communication; I see a lot of innovation in tools to assist in learning. I hope we take the best of these tools but stay connected as people learning together.
8: What do you do to relax on the weekends?
I cross-stitch and started quilting baby quilts; I just finished making a cross-stitched baby blanket for my niece’s little boy. I also do yoga and hang out with my husband and three kids (one is at university and two are teenagers). It’s great having kids old enough to debate with me!
9: What’s your favourite meal?
I love Thai food: ginger chicken and Tom Kha Gai soup. I also love a bison burger with goat cheese and kale.
10: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
My biggest pet peeve is that people think accounting is “bean counting” and all about the math. Accounting must be considered and mulled over like a jigsaw puzzle to solve. At its core, accounting is critical thinking and communication, which is why it continues to fascinate me.