Peter Wheeler wants to connect classroom learning with life beyond graduation.

The former Loyalist College instructor draws on decades of experience in technology and post-secondary education to bring a practical, career-focused perspective to his bid for school board trustee.

A longtime County resident, Mr. Wheeler moved here 25 years ago to grow wine grapes and keep bees.

Academic supports, employment readiness, and practical learning are his priorities.

Mr. Wheeler’s path into education began while working in technology marketing and sales. In 1998, he started teaching adults in continuing education to better understand the products he was selling.

“You learn twice, once to understand, then next to be able to explain so others understand.”

As colleges offered more courses, teaching gradually became his full-time career. He left industry in 2012 and taught at Loyalist College until April of this year. He says declining student applications led to staffing and program reductions, including a 50 percent cut to the computer technician program.

When a school board trustee spot in South PEC opened, Mr. Wheeler decided his experience could contribute.

A goal is to help young people better understand the options available to them, both during school and after graduation.

“Students do not know what they do not know,” he said, pointing to the need for guidance on workplace expectations, post-secondary requirements and ways to finance further education.

He sees local employment opportunities as essential to helping students gain work experience and build their résumés. With the County facing challenges attracting large employers, he also sees potential in student entrepreneurship, drawing on examples at Sheridan and Humber colleges.

He also believes students need teachers with strong subject knowledge and ongoing professional development.

“Teachers must be subject matter experts for the courses they teach and that is not always the case here in PEC.”

Mr. Wheeler proposes tracking teachers’ skill sets to help match them with appropriate subjects. He also wants stronger tutoring supports, including opportunities for older students to be paid to tutor younger pupils.

This interest in practical learning extends to curriculum development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Wheeler helped build an interactive simulation to teach students how to make and test Ethernet cables when access to labs was restricted. He sees opportunities for students to develop educational software and services that could eventually be licensed to the province.

Technology could also help strengthen communication between the board and students.

His approach to school board finances reflects the same interest in practical solutions. Drawing on his experience at Loyalist, Mr. Wheeler wants boards to maintain financial reserves and explore additional revenue sources alongside provincial funding.

“Education is a business,” he said, arguing that boards should look at opportunities to grow revenue.

At the same time, he believes students should not be prevented from pursuing further education because of cost.

“Subsidies should be geared to income as education is a right and not a privilege.”

For Wheeler, stronger academic support, practical experience, and greater access to further education are connected: each can help students make informed choices about their futures.