Bob Snowden is the Head of St. Michaels University School, an independent day and boarding school in Victoria, British Columbia.
Born in Toronto and raised in Mississauga and Oakville, Bob Snowden attended Appleby College and went on to study English and philosophy at the University of Toronto. After earning his degree, Bob returned to Appleby as a French teacher with the intention of staying for only a year before pursuing a law degree. In that first year of teaching, Bob discovered his passion for education and his plans for the law were put aside. For the next ten years, Bob taught English at Appleby, eventually becoming the head of the English department and housemaster.
During the 1980-1981 school year, Bob taught at St. Michaels University School as part of a teaching exchange with SMUS English teacher Grenfell Featherstone.
In 1985, Bob accepted a position at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario, where he eventually became the Assistant Head of Student Affairs and took over as acting Head of School in 1994. In 1995, St. Michaels University School came calling and Bob made the move to British Columbia to become Head of School.
In 2000, my family and I were thinking of relocating to Victoria from Halifax, NS. Our children attend the Halifax Grammar school and we were looking for another independent school that has similar principles…….I came upon St. Michael’s and …..your writing. I was riveted by your perspective and how you construct and decronstruct ideas simultaneously, while continuing to weave your thoughts in your writing………….I was specially influenced by your writing about the eight forms of intelligence and the “ground zero” experience. It is 8yrs since I visited your website, and we have decided to remain in Halifax. However, in my daily work as a family doctor, I see people’s consciousness with the “8 forms of intelligence”. Our school feeds all eight within the group of students and teachers that cohabitate the school daily…………I recently spoke to a teacher about your writing and promised to give her a copy…………would you consider emailing me a copy of that piece of writing from 2000? Are you also open to my sharing it with the teachers at our school?
I look forward to your response………..I wonder if you would consider visiting the HGS and speaking to the community of educators, parents and students, to further spread your thoughts and ideas?
sincerely
Dr. AJ
(Ajantha Jayabarathan, MD, FCFP)
I am touched and flattered to discover these thoughts of yours! I will certainly send along my piece on Multiple Intelligences, though I am confident that if you wanted a speaker, there are many who could speak on that subject better than I could.
Like you (I suspect), it is affirming to find in scientific research – in this case, Howard Gardner’s research into multiple intelligences – confirming of what we observe in our everyday dealings with people: that they are all composed of different strengths, all of which deserve to flourish, and that to do so is fulfilling not only for the individual but also for the teacher or doctor whose hands do a bit of shaping along the way.