Madison graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Arts in French Studies. Through her course-based experiential learning (EL) involvement, she was able to decide her future career and build the skills she needed to succeed. 

"I could recognize both my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher and what I can do to improve on my teaching style to better benefit the students."

Madison spent 3 days a week at a high school in Cambridge in the French department, teaching students from grades 9 through 12. Through this experience, she gained thorough knowledge on many aspects of being a high school teacher. "This course gave me insight into the realities of being a French teacher and what to look forward to in the future. I could recognize both my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher and what I can do to improve on my teaching style to better benefit the students," she shares. Madison also developed professional skills such as time management and behavioural management in classrooms, as well as learning best practices for working with high school students. She found the experience a great way to determine whether teaching was the right career choice for her. 

"This experiential learning course made me feel 100% sure about the path I have chosen for my future."

The experience was an exercise in independent learning for Madison; she learnt very quickly that she would only reap the benefits of the hard work she put in. Madison was also able to build a network and develop professional relationships from her EL opportunity. The teachers she worked with became her mentors by the time she was done her placement. 

In order to spend a semester engaging in an experiential course, Madison arranged to take her required courses early on and opted to take distance education courses so she could spend her time at the school. The experience required more intensive time management and effort but Madison found it to be worth her time. She says, "This experiential learning course made me feel 100% sure about the path I have chosen for my future". Madison is now attending Teacher's College and pursuing her passion for teaching.