Joey McDowell, BA’98, BEd’99, didn’t catch the teaching bug until she was in her mid-30s.
Up until then, her professional life was largely spent working in business with her husband. After their son reached school age, she volunteered at his school during class hours. She always found herself curious about the students who were sent to the office.
“It broke my heart,” McDowell said. “I thought, ‘What’s up with these kids and how can we do things differently?’”
Determined to answer that question herself, McDowell charted a path to Western’s Faculty of Education. Getting there would be far from easy.
She needed to earn an undergraduate degree, but she also had to upgrade her Grade 12 math credentials. Night school, the usual route for mature students, didn’t work with her schedule. Instead, she convinced administrators at H.B. Beal Secondary School in London, Ont. to let her attend daytime math classes alongside the other Grade 12 students.
Western’s Faculty of Education leads to career change
McDowell was still attending Beal when she began her studies in educational psychology at Western. Despite the busy workload, she excelled and even won the Angela Armitt Gold Medal for earning the highest average in her undergraduate program as a part-time student.
Joey McDowell
Next, she was accepted into Western’s Bachelor of Education (BEd) program, where she focused on special education. That led to a teaching placement at The W.D. Sutton School at Vanier Children’s Mental Wellness in London, Ont. The school is a treatment classroom tailored to meet the educational needs of children receiving intensive services at Vanier.
McDowell fondly recalls her practicum at W.D. Sutton. It gave her the first opportunity to finally serve the children she’d wanted to help all those years ago.
Immediately after graduation, she began a full-time position at the school.
“I was really lucky in getting that job at Vanier because we had a lot of incredible training,” McDowell said. “Our executive director, Barrie Evans, brought in some highly acclaimed people, including Bruce Perry and Ross Greene.”
Teaching in special education bring rewards
While acknowledging that teaching in a treatment classroom had its challenges, McDowell said she loved the role.
“I just adored the students. I felt like I was a little ray of sunshine in their otherwise not so perfect lives,” she said. “I also learned a lot from those kids.”
The next chapters of McDowell’s career took her to Grade 3 and Grade 4 classrooms at Princess Elizabeth Public School and Lord Elgin Public School. Her career culminated in a role she feels especially proud of – learning coordinator for special education at the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB).
Joey McDowell (back row, right, and lower left image) celebrates a school event among students and colleagues at Lord Elgin Public School in London, Ont. (Submitted)
McDowell collaborated on several projects with a former colleague at TVDSB, Colin King, who’s now a professor in Western’s Faculty of Education.
“I had so much respect for Colin. He was remarkable,” she said.
Child and youth clinic in Western’s Faculty of Education
King leads Western’s Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic (MJW-CYDC), a research centre and community clinic that helps local children and families, while training the next generation of mental health professionals. McDowell provides ongoing philanthropic support to the MJW-CYDC to advance its positive impact on both families and students.
Western graduate students enrolled in applied child psychology work in the clinic under the supervision of licensed child psychologists. They provide high-quality, affordable psychological consultation, assessment and treatment services to people between the ages of three and 18.
McDowell said MJW-CYDC provides essential assessments many families might not otherwise be able to access due to barriers such as affordability or lengthy waitlists. Assessments are key to customizing teaching programs to best meet student needs, she said.
“Whether the child needs accommodations or modifications, assessments drive those factors,” she said. “The clinic also provides workshops for parents and families to help them understand how best to support their children at home. I know how critical that work is.”
Advice for aspiring teachers
When reflecting on her teaching career, McDowell sees humility as an important trait for aspiring teachers.
“Be willing to learn from the people you are fortunate enough to work with,” she said.
It’s a mindset McDowell remembers putting into practice during her early practicum experiences as a 41-year-old student working under the supervision of a teacher in his late twenties.
“I had life experience, I had parenting experience and I was very comfortable in the classroom, but I learned so much from him about teaching,” McDowell said.
Equally important, McDowell said, is remembering the greatest lessons can come from those you’re teaching.
“They lead you. They take you where you need to go.”
