Instructor Bios
Centre for Academic Learner Services

Meet...

With a passion for both theatre and math, SAIT math instructor Cameron Hodgins says teaching is the ideal job in its combination of these talents. “I really like math and I really like verbal presentations,” sayd Hodgins. “With teaching I get to go up in front of a classroom and talk about something I love all day, and they give me a paycheque at the end which is outrageous!”

Though Hodgins is only in his second term teaching at SAIT, his enthusiasm for the work and his outside-the-box thinking has already gotten the attention of SAIT academic chairs. His flair for innovative and hands-on teaching techniques that have gotten him noticed come from his belief that math should be taught in an interactive way. “We’re teaching repetition instead of teaching people how to think,” says Hodgins. “I think math should teach people how to approach questions in general. Any kind of question.” As Hodgins finishes up his master’s degree in math, he looks forward to applying these principles in his classroom that much more.

Life before SAIT:

Apart from Hodgins’ stints as a fry cook, a lumber mill worker, and a tree planter, he has spent the majority of his life dedicated to his education. Though originally more interested in theatre than math, Hodgins’ passion for math came to life by the time he reached the third year of his undergraduate degree. “I got to love it,” says Hodgins. “The challenge of it, and honestly getting to prove something.”

Now in the process of completing his thesis for his master’s in graph theory, Hodgins is enjoying the rewards of these challenges that much more. “When you do a master’s in math, it’s not ‘Do this problem,’ it’s ‘Come up with how to approach this problem,’” says Hodgins. “So you get these moments where you come up with something and no one has thought of it yet. It’s this overwhelming feeling of ‘I am the only person who knows this at this time.’”

Favourite moments in class:

At the end of each unit, Hodgins comes up with a problem-solving unit, and adds a twist to allow people to get hands-on with it. By coming up with fun, tangible problems to solve, Hodgins challenges his students to use all kinds of knowledge to find solutions. “These hilarious problem-solving gimmicks create a buzz,” says Hodgins. “The students leave the class and they talk to their mothers or friends about it.”

Hodgins also loves any kind of student participation and believes it is key to making a functional class. “Something I try to encourage as much as I can is for students to ask strange questions,” says Hodgins. “When I see a student thinking outside of what’s being taught, that’s great.”

Spare time:

Between finishing up his degree and teaching at SAIT, Hodgins says it’s hard to remember the last time he had spare time. He is, however, interested in joining a community theatre group again when he finished his thesis. Having run for the school team during his undergraduate degree, he would also like to get back into jogging. “Last year some of us from the math department actually formed a team and ran the Great Canadian Death Race,” says Hodgins. “It’s an extreme marathon in the mountains and your team of five gets 24 hours to run 125 km. It was so exhausting and hard, and everyone finished with great satisfaction and pride…but we never ran again!”

Best thing about teaching at SAIT:

Hodgins says that as a new instructor he has appreciated the welcoming environment at SAIT, with both staff and students. “The students are really great, outgoing, and vocal,” says Hodgins. “And if I ever have the slightest of questions, other instructors and staff are more than willing to help me out. When I started out, the teacher who previously taught the course came and found me and gave me all of his course material to draw from, and offered his help if I needed it.”

Students weigh in:

“Cameron keeps the course interesting, which can be hard when teaching math! He was able to convey the material in a way that was easy to learn, and he has a great sense of humour.”

 “I am very impressed with Cameron’s energy and genuine interest in math. His approach to teaching is intelligent and well portrayed.”

Meet...

Marcel Carpenter is in his 24th year of teaching at SAIT and is a man of many skills. Though formally educated in matters of divinity and theology, Carpenter has expanded his talents and experience to include everything from working on films in Hollywood, to announcing the miniature horse shows at Stampede. At SAIT, he has worked in the Power Engineering Department and in Human Resources, and can now be found in the Centre for Academic Learner Services, the Centre for Instructional Technology and Development, and the Interfaith Advising Centre. By combining his capacity for trying new things with his holistic approach to teaching, Carpenter has become a successful instructor, student advisor, minister, and chaplain at SAIT Polytechnic.     

Life before SAIT:

Carpenter grew up trilingual, speaking French, English and Italian, in Montreal. After attending what was then Loyola College (now Concordia University) and becoming heavily involved in drama and film, Carpenter took a leap and began working in the film industry as an art director. This career eventually took him from Quebec to Hollywood, where he worked for companies like Paramount and MGM. After nearly 10 years of a hectic work and travel schedule, Carpenter made a change and went to a theological seminary where he studied for three years. He was then a youth minister in Calgary and an instructor at the theological seminary before settling down at SAIT. “I figured I’d be far more effective in the world than in a theology classroom,” says Carpenter. His success at SAIT seems to have proven him right. 

Favourite moments in class:

Carpenter has a lot of teaching experience to draw on, but says his most satisfying moments come when he sees the light going on in students’ heads. “When students realize that communication is pivotal to their success, when they see that it differentiates them from the rest, and they’ve learned critical thinking and how to communicate effectively, it really impresses me.”

Spare time:

Carpenter has adapted his film work experience into a passion for photography.  He says he is constantly taking pictures, especially when he exercises his love of travel. Apart from Rome, which Carpenter considers his second home, many of his travels have revolved around his work concerning student development. He recently returned from New York where he accompanied a group of SAIT students to a conference, and he also traveled to Orlando for a conference on Phi Theta Kappa, an honour society that SAIT has recently joined, and for which Carpenter is a faculty advisor.  Soon, he’ll be heading to Austin to receive a teaching award.

It is not surprising that Carpenter says he never wants to completely quit teaching. “I don’t understand people who retire. I don’t golf. I have no desire to move down to Arizona and play shuffleboard. I do what I love, which is basically teaching. That’s it.”   

Best thing about teaching at SAIT:

“In terms of seeing results, deliverables, you see it better at SAIT than at university” says Carpenter.  Having taught at both a university and a seminary, Carpenter says he prefers teaching at SAIT because it is less rigorous academically, which provides all kinds of opportunities for all kinds of people to “get it.” 

A minister since 1982, Carpenter believes in a humanities approach to leadership and a holistic approach to teaching.  “It’s not just an information dump when you teach,” says Carpenter. “It’s about showing people how to develop a skill instead of just memorizing a process.”

Students weigh in:

“I respect him more than any other prof I have had.”

“Marcel is an excellent instructor who really tries to provoke thinking and involve the students. He is very well spoken and his use of humour in class really adds to the experience.”

Meet...

With the travel bug instilled in him as a young man, Doug Waite has drawn from both his education and travel experience to strive in his profession as an English Language Foundations (ELF) instructor at SAIT. Initially travelling from coast to coast, and teaching English throughout Europe, Waite has now settled with his family in Calgary. Waite has taught ELF and Upgrading courses at SAIT for six years, using a problem-solving teaching structure. He finds inspiration in encouraging applied thinking in his students, and works with other departments and schools at SAIT to organize curricula for corporate training clients from overseas.

Life before SAIT:

According to Waite, his life started on the road and became progressively more settled until he arrived at SAIT. After acquiring a biology degree in ecology from the University of Calgary, Waite obtained his teacher’s certificate for teaching English as a Second Language, and started on his life’s path. Traveling across Canada, and then traveling and teaching for a year and a half around Europe, Waite slowly gained experience in what would become his life’s vocation. “When I was younger I wanted to see the world,” says Waite. “It was a job 20 years ago and it’s become a career.”

Favourite moments in class:

“Working together, finding a solution, disagreeing, agreeing,” says Waite. “It’s the model we follow and it’s great fun.” Waite’s favourite moments are when the students disagree with each other and are forced to discuss their opinions. He believes the surest sign of good language skills is when students can communicate and understand each other’s points, and are able to ask questions if something needs to be clarified. “Everybody makes mistakes and misses things in conversations,” says Waite, “but to be able to clarify is a really great tool. I try to teach them how to straighten things out when they get lost.”

Spare time: “If I had more time I’d join all of Calgary’s clubs,” says Waite. “The canoe club, the hot air balloon club... I love sailing.” While Waite likes being outdoors, cycling and canoeing, his main focus is his two bands, The Ramblin’s Ambassadors and the Bownesians. After recording an album last year with both bands, he’s gearing up for the Bownesians’ 10th anniversary next year. “Both bands are pretty successful at this point for how much we can put into them,” says Waite. “I just want to keep playing and keep having a good time with it.”

Best thing about teaching at SAIT:

Waite loves the students that the English Language Foundations program attracts, and finds it rewarding to see the students progress. “Most of our students want to go into SAIT programs, so they’re self-directed,” says Waite. “That’s the key because if you want to learn, you can.” He also enjoys the flexibility and freedom in his department. Working with a team that is designing the whole ELF curriculum, Waite is excited by the opportunity to decide what’s going to be taught in the next few years. “We’re getting a lot of instructor feedback, which is really great professionally,” he says.

A student weighs in:

“It was my second ELF course at SAIT and I had the honour of being a full-time student of Doug’s. He is a very organized, calm and respectful instructor. Doug really tries to understand his students.”

Meet...

It’s hard to imagine someone better suited to combine the benefits of the English Language Foundations (ELF) program with the Centre for Academic Learner Services (CALS) Communications department than Matthew Adolphe. “Sometimes it’s not just about knowing English, it’s about knowing Canadian,” says Adolphe. “ I’ve started utilizing a lot more communications in my language classes, and it has been an extremely rewarding crossover.” 

With a family history deeply rooted in Canada, and the experience of starting fresh in Canada after living 10 years abroad, Adolphe also strives to bridge the gap between students of all ages and backgrounds. “I try to analyze each student’s needs and what the Calgary community will expect of them,” he says. According to Adolphe, the most effective way of bringing people together is with humour, a trait Adolphe never lacks.     

Life before SAIT

While studying at Laurentian University, Adolphe was already putting his education in native studies and history to use in his role as a founding member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Though the position was inspiring to him, and touched him personally because of his Métis ancestry, when Adolphe graduated from university he felt tired and in need of a change. While he had never thought of leaving Canada, and in fact did not even own a passport at the time, an opportunity came up to teach English in Korea. “I got eaten alive by those kids,” says Adolphe. “I had no classroom management skills.” He later moved to Japan for a year, and then to Macau where he fine-tuned his teaching skills, and even became a teacher trainer.

Much to his surprise, Adolphe felt at home in Macau. He found the culture – a combination of Chinese and Portuguese societies – similar to the Métis one. The feeling only grew as Adolphe met his wife, welcomed two children, acquired a master’s degree in communications management, and began working as a communications consultant.

After 10 years in Macau, Adolphe and his family returned to Canada, where he began working with SAIT’s ELF program. “Working with Pam Heath (Chair of ELF) has been great,” says Adolphe. “She has a great vision and a great sense of communication. Trying to integrate the communications with the language classes is our goal for ELF and it’s turned out fantastic.”        

Favourite moments in class

“I find that the international students and the Canadian students sit in their own groups at the beginning,” says Adolphe, “and I just love it when you can use humour to break down the division. Eventually you get everyone laughing at the same joke, and I love seeing those groups come together to see the benefits of getting to know each other.”

Spare time: Before teaching, Adolphe used his engaging and eloquent style of speech to host a blues and jazz radio show, and to work with media companies in Macau doing voice-overs and television commercials. In fact, Adolphe was the first English news anchor in Macau’s history. Having settled down with a family now, Adolphe spends most of his spare time with his wife and three young children.  

Best thing about teaching at SAIT

“The best thing about teaching at SAIT is the students,” says Adolphe. “The courses are short in term so the students are so focused, and you get a nice international mix. It’s really nice to see a mix of Canadian and non-Canadian students, and it gives us a really nice opportunity to be facilitators to bring those two sides together. That’s a fun challenge.”  

Interesting fact:

Adolphe’s family history dates back nearly 500 years in Canada. They were among the first French settlers and first voyageurs to cross the entire country and were involved in both the 1869 (Red River) and 1885 (Riel) rebellions. In 1869, Adolphe’s great-great-grandfather was Louis Riel’s captain. Despite Adolphe’s deep historical connection to Canada, his life experience has broadened his understanding of those moving to Canada from elsewhere. “Before, I always felt so deeply rooted in Canada,” says Adolphe. “I think coming back [from ten years in Macau] as a newcomer really helped me at this job. It really put working with newcomers into perspective.” 

A student weighs in

“Starting post-secondary was difficult. Matt made it easy for me to fit in and get up to speed with what was expected of me in my new learning environment.”