{"id":11109,"date":"2015-10-14T06:18:51","date_gmt":"2015-10-14T13:18:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=11109"},"modified":"2015-10-15T13:21:11","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T20:21:11","slug":"know-your-profs-chris-ayles-marks-hard-for-a-reason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2015\/10\/14\/know-your-profs-chris-ayles-marks-hard-for-a-reason\/","title":{"rendered":"Know Your Profs<\/em>: Chris Ayles marks hard for a reason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Know Your Profs<\/i> is an ongoing series of profiles on the instructors at Camosun College.<\/p>\n

Do you have an instructor that you want to see interviewed in the paper? Maybe you want to know more about one of your teachers, but you\u2019re too busy, or shy, to ask? Email editor@nexusnewspaper.com and we\u2019ll add your instructor to our list of teachers to talk to.<\/p>\n

This issue we talked to environmental tech instructor Chris Ayles about his reputation as a picky marker, beard-growing, and the bad habits of dogs.<\/p>\n

\"Camosun\u2019s<\/a>
Camosun\u2019s Chris Ayles (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1: What do you teach and how long have you been a teacher at Camosun?<\/i><\/p>\n

I teach geography, mainly within the Environmental Technology program, but also some University Transfer courses. This includes natural hazards, geomorphology, weather and climate, environmental geography, and a bunch of field skills, such as map and compass navigation and stream assessment. I have been here since spring 2002: over 13 years!<\/p>\n

2: What do you personally get out of teaching?<\/i><\/p>\n

I enjoy talking to students about geography! Geographers have a different way of seeing the world: not just as a backdrop for daily life, but as a living, functioning system. It\u2019s very satisfying to help open students\u2019 eyes to that.<\/p>\n

3: What\u2019s one thing you wish your students knew about you?<\/i><\/p>\n

I seem to have a reputation as a picky marker, but it\u2019s not because I\u2019m mean.\u0118Part of our job as instructors is to nurture students\u2019 thinking, communication, and professionalism, and being a little tight with the marks stimulates progress there. But life would be easier if I just gave everybody an A.<\/p>\n

4: What\u2019s one thing you wish they didn\u2019t know about you?<\/i><\/p>\n

ET students who have been at field camp with me for a week know I can\u2019t grow a good beard.<\/p>\n

5: What\u2019s the best thing that\u2019s happened to you as a teacher here?<\/i><\/p>\n

One year, the graduating class of ET students invited all their instructors out for dinner, and gave us thank-you cards and gifts (cans of near-beer; it\u2019s an inside joke). It was really touching, and I still get a bit choked up thinking about it.<\/p>\n

6: What\u2019s the worst thing that\u2019s ever happened to you as a teacher here?<\/i><\/p>\n

I once got ejected at full speed from a motorboat driven by a student. Mostly, the bad stuff around here is just everyday bureaucratic annoyances. The classroom is an amazing cure for that.<\/p>\n

7: What do you see in the future of postsecondary education?<\/i><\/p>\n

Some people think that with the explosion of the internet, easy access to infinite information makes traditional education unnecessary. I\u2019m not so sure, because it takes time, training, and guidance to become an effective independent learner. Also, education keeps getting less affordable, with budget cuts and tuition hikes putting colleges and students under a lot of financial pressure. I hope society and government re-awaken to the value of education.<\/p>\n

8: What do you do to relax on the weekends?<\/i><\/p>\n

Hanging out with my wife and two young boys is number one. I also try to squeeze in some kind of exercise: mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, or hockey, mainly.<\/p>\n

9: What\u2019s your favourite meal?<\/i><\/p>\n

Takeout Indian curry.<\/p>\n

10: What\u2019s your biggest pet peeve?<\/i><\/p>\n

My own tendency to procrastinate. Also dog shit in my front yard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Know Your Profs is an ongoing series of profiles on the instructors at Camosun College. Do you have an instructor that you want to see interviewed in the paper? Maybe you want to know more about one of your teachers, but you\u2019re too busy, or shy, to ask? Email editor@nexusnewspaper.com and we\u2019ll add your instructor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,152],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus","category-october-7-2015"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t