Mike E. Smith
Mike Smith Bio
Mike E. Smith was born on the beautiful, lush, and mountainous Caribbean island of Jamaica, the birthplace of reggae music and Bob Marley. Mike emigrated to Canada as a youth, the Great White North - snow, minus 20 degrees, a stark contrast to the tropical climate of his homeland. After completing high school, he attended Humber College where he achieved a diploma in the Social Service Worker Program. Later, he attended York University where he attained his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and also his Bachelor of Education degree. Mike has seen his share of student life both the positive and negative. He has taught English as a Second Language at Humber College to adults and Francophone students as part of a summer language program. He then spent 30 years as an educator with the Toronto District School Board, teaching all of the various subjects areas to a diverse student population between Grades 2- 8. As a librarian, he engaged students in literacy programs and conducted reading clubs. He believes in the power of reading as an essential skill for success.
Don’t Pick On Me is a picture book for students, teachers, parents, guardians, caregivers, and administrators alike. Life in elementary school can be very challenging at times for some students. After many years of teaching, Mike has seen his share of students picking on each other, or name calling. This is the reason for writing Don’t Pick On Me, his first picture book. His hope is that it will be used as a resource to start a conversation about bullying and what to do when you are being picked on. It is designed to be used at home, in a classroom or any learning environment where these types of behaviour occur.
Besides writing, Mike has a great passion for music - jazz, ska, reggae, blues, classical, calypso, r n’ b, pop, and classic rock. He was introduced to the trombone at Kane Middle School in Grade 7 and later he played in different high school bands at George Harvey Secondary School. Although he has never studied music formally, he has remained committed to learning and developing his art form. Music has taken him to many cities in Canada from Montreal to Saskatoon, and also to several countries including; England, Scotland, Italy, Austria, Ireland and the United States. The greatest joy he gets from playing is to see people dancing and enjoying his music. He continues to play in a variety of bands - The Brampton Concert Band and his own ska / reggae pop band Irie Vibes in and around the Greater Toronto Area.
