Ms. Trisha Macatangay

Where you’ll find her… Room 200 is my “teacher’s cave” and is a place where I can veg out when I don’t have a class. When students are here, it is cool, calm, collected, and a very Zen spot. The lights are typically dim, students know what to expect when they come in and my classroom can be their sanctuary. This room is a lovely spot, when the windows are open, and the forest is beckoning my name, and enjoying the aesthetic of my classroom. Here since… 2022.

Who or what inspired you to become an educator?
I’d have to say I had some fantastic elementary school teachers and then had some phenomenal high school teachers who were dramatic, energetic, and loved to dance, sing, and teach, so I had such inspirational mentors who had me wanting to follow in their footsteps.

What does your day as a Grade 7 Advisory and S&L Teacher look like?
My days are filled with non-stop dialogue. If the conversations are not academic, they’re socially driven – filled with “Did you hear that?” “Do you know this person?” “That guy kind of likes me,” or, “I think I have a crush.” There’s a lot of dialogue that fills my ear and it’s about students wanting to share their own outside experiences that are not necessarily IB academic but are so important to them right now.

I am at the forefront of their experiences at school that is part of growing up so being an Advisory and an S&L teacher, I have the privilege of shaping how they understand situations, new experiences, crushes, etc. I like to say that I am a good juggler of the academics but there is a social side that is so apparent in Grade 7 that I get to be a part of.

What are the best parts of your job?
I have always been a big believer in those meaningful relationships with students and it sounds like such a cliché because you’d want any teacher to say that. I am such a believer in those meaningful relationships, especially with the kids that you wouldn’t expect to have a relationship with their teacher or the kids that need a relationship with their teacher to help give them guidance or to have someone rooting for them.

So aside from the scholarly stuff, the best part of having this role is making those connections and sometimes they are tiny but then they spark and grow over time. I love the dialogue with the kids. I love laughing with them, poking fun at them, and I love when they can poke fun at me, which is constant, but it is a great exchange of adult and preteen chatter.

During the Winter Festival, my advisory class had the challenge of decorating our classroom door and coming up with a theme. We really pounded that one out, and we were so determined to try and win. We literally stuck it out as a group and got the win. We got the Grinch up on the door and Mr. Rinn and Mr. Kennedy were part of the presents underneath the tree. We made a naughty and nice list and it was just really cool to see the kids all come together. 

What’s your favourite Meadowridge tradition?
I have never belonged to a House before, so, coming in and having a title, having instant belonging to a group or a place feels really rewarding because you already have an identity versus trying to find a place and not knowing what’s there. Go Fraser, go!

What would surprise us about you?
I am a bargain hunter. I am constantly on the lookout – I never buy anything at full price. I LOVE grocery shopping, Costco is my happy place on any given day, even if there is a line-up. I also have four daughters that range from the ages of 5 to 25 and they keep me feeling younger.

One person you would like to sit down with, living or deceased?
In a span of six months, during 2017 and the start of 2018, I lost my dad and my godmother who were both extremely close to me and my family. If I can join forces and have what we would normally have on a Saturday evening would be, these family gatherings with my family and my godmother’s family. I’d have that same lasagna dinner over the course of hours just talking, reminiscing, and just having time together that we love so much.

Favourite Meadowridge memory?
During the Winter Festival, my advisory class had the challenge of decorating our classroom door and coming up with a theme. We really pounded that one out, and we were so determined to try and win. We literally stuck it out as a group and got the win. We got the Grinch up on the door and Mr. Rinn and Mr. Kennedy were part of the presents underneath the tree. We made a naughty and nice list and it was just really cool to see the kids all come together. Those who were crafty, were crafty, and those who weren’t as crafty, still felt like they could do their share. It was nice to see us come together, take home the win, and bring home a little trophy. It was nice to have a mark on my first year here and the students are so proud of the trophy, which we proudly display in my classroom.

Spring or fall?
Fall – the colours! I grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba and then the latter half in Calgary, Alberta. The trees in BC were unfamiliar and foreign to these two provinces, so coming to BC to see the neon, almost illuminating colours in the fall and just for such a short period of time, they were such a decorative part of my drive to work or school. It doesn’t get any better than seeing those colours.

Favourite meal?
I am a pasta lover, so anything Italian with a glass of red wine – bring on the carbs!

Best way to spend the day?
Surrounded by my four daughters and totting my husband along of course. Maybe a day at the beach or in the backyard, just having crazy energy from my family and how funny we can get, how silly things can be, I love having memories close to home.