Know Your Profs is an ongoing series of articles helping you get to know the instructors at Camosun College a bit better. Every issue we ask a different 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 video and audio production instructor Andy Bryce and talked about his own school struggles, him being a cream puff, and life after the Applied Communications Program [ACP].
1: What do you teach and how long have you been a teacher at Camosun?
I teach primarily video and audio production and I have been at Camosun since September of 2000.
2: What do you personally get out of teaching?
I get satisfaction out of watching students grow by learning new skills and by learning about themselves. At the end of the school year I often reflect back on where individual students started at and how far they have come. I like that we give students an opportunity to grow.
3: What’s one thing you wish your students knew about you?
As a student, I was never at the top of the class. I always had to put time and effort into whatever I did to succeed and I was one of those students who needed to ask questions. School was never easy for me.
4: What’s one thing you wish they didn’t know about you?
I’m a cream puff. When students ask for deadlines or exceptions, it’s hard for me to say “no.”
5: What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
It became clear that I would need to get a masters’ degree to continue teaching when ACP was cancelled. Getting one opened new doors for me and gave me opportunities to explore issues and meet new people.
6: What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you as a teacher here?
As I mentioned, the program I taught in was cancelled. The worst part of that was saying goodbye to the talented and dedicated people who had become my colleagues and friends over the years, and to let go of a program that had been so important to former students and staff.
7: What do you see in the future of postsecondary education?
In the short term we will continue to see instability as our political masters continue to cut funding, but in the longer term I think society will recognize that our education system is key to our success as a nation, and that will spur innovation and new approaches. What those will look like, I’m not sure.
8: What do you do to relax on the weekends?
I’m a dedicated amateur musician who most recently played in a middle-aged hobby band, now disbanded, sadly. I also grew up playing sports, so currently I like to play golf.
9: What’s your favourite meal?
I’ve always liked Mediterranean-style cooking: chicken, fresh vegetables, olive oil, and lemon, tzatziki, and flatbreads.
10: What’s your biggest pet peeve?
There are companies out there who make money by providing space to park cars. I understand it’s a necessity, but it seems parasitic to me. How does paying for parking add to Canada’s gross domestic product?