Mile 108 Elementary’s Grade 6/7 teacher has accepted a teaching position in Egypt.
Morgan Summers leaves for Maadi, Cairo, on Aug. 24.
The 25-year-old has been teaching for two years – one each at Mile 108 and Horse Lake Elementary – and said he’s looking forward to the new experience.
“This will be something completely different, which I’m excited for,” he said, adding that change means growth.
Summers grew up in Horse Lake and said a lot of what he’d been involved in as a teacher – volleyball and basketball tournaments, for example – he did, himself, as a student.
“There’s nothing unforseen.”
He said this new opportunity “just kind of came up.” A former university classmate’s father, who is going to be the school’s vice-principal, asked if Summers would be interested in the position.
“I just kind of jumped on it,” said Summers.
RELATED: Mile 108 Principal accepts new role as Vice-Principal of Nesika Elementary
The school is a B.C. Certified Offshore School which runs classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
Summers said the two-year contract became official over spring break. He was hired only days after he sent in his application. He will be teaching Grade 6.
Mile 108 faculty and staff are excited for their former colleague, said Summers. Whereas his students thought he was joking when he gave them the news.
“There was a lot of disbelief,” he said. “They kind of thought I was pulling one on them.”
Understandable since the class was studying ancient Egypt at the same time Summers accepted the new position.
“This is where I’ll actually be next year,” he said he’d told his class.
His family support his decision to seize adventure while he’s young, he said, and he’ll be spending his summer spending time with and saying goodbye to each of them.
He’s going to Castlegar to visit his brother and Kelowna to visit his grandparents.
He’ll also get to see his sister before he leaves. She is returning from New Zealand at the end of July.
Summers is excited to leave, but admitted it will be weird being so far from his family.
“I’ve always kind of had family close by for support.”
RELATED: Mile 108 Elementary teacher retires with no regrets
Aside from renewing his passport and getting his shots, the school handles the rest of the logistics.
They’ve organized his working Visa as well as his flights and an apartment shared with another teacher.
Summers said the school is located in an expat community, so he’s not concerned about the political climate.
“There’ll be a lot of people around that know the area better than me. As long as I listen to them I feel like it will be fine.”
The town’s native language is Arabic.
Aside from downloading a translating app for his phone, Summers has not dug into language lessons yet.
He said he figures his students will have been learning English for six years, so should be fairly advanced by now. Plus it’ll be easier for him to pick up the native tongue once he’s immersed in it, he said.
This move will be a big leap for Summers, who has not traveled much other than a Grade 11 soccer tournament in Hawaii.
He was already talking about exploring Greece, Spain or Israel on his winter and summer breaks.
He said he’ll definitely be coming home for part of next summer, to see his brother get married.
Although he is a bit anxious about the upcoming year, he said it was an opportunity he just couldn’t pass up.
“I don’t know exactly what to expect, but that’s kind of what I’m excited for … it’s the unkonwn that is kind of nice.”
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
