Pride of East York
It might be hard for East York CI to stay modest with seven nominations for the 2009 Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.
But it’s pride, not modesty that principal Karen Hume says the school should be exuding in recognition of these honours.
The school is represented on ballots for teacher of the year, team of the year, and staff of the year.
“I’m thrilled to see it because I think it’s a really positive recognition of the kind of work that staff are doing in the building,” she said. “I think most of us as teachers don’t tend to brag too much … it’s pretty exciting.”
The Premier’s Awards honour the province’s top teachers who show enthusiasm for learning, innovate, command a great knowledge of their subject and are role models to both students and other teachers.
The quartet of East York teachers recognized with Teacher of the Year nominations include Tom Northey, Dale Vibert, Catherine Mattar-Hurlbut and Joseph Wilson.
Wilson, in his fourth year of teaching science, said he didn’t know exactly how to take the nomination news, but he happily acknowledges the honour.
“It’s nice to know some of the work that we do as teachers is doing some good,” he said. “Sometimes the kids disappear. They graduate and we don’t see them again, and we don’t know if our work has gotten through.”
He credits his experience working at the Ontario Science Centre with getting him to try new things when it comes to teaching the curriculum.
“I was definitely shaped by that,” he said. “Those people think outside the box. They think first about what’s interesting to people and then they think about the curriculum afterwards.”
Parent council co-chair Susan Gucci nominated Wilson, along with guidance counsellor Wayne Yee because she says the work they do is exceptional.
“(For) kids who are struggling with math, what he’ll do is take them out to the football field and show them practical ways of implementing the math concepts,” she said of Wilson. “If it wasn’t for him there’s no way my own son would have got through math.”
And she said Yee has that personal touch when helping out students with their academic careers.
“He’s just one of those guys who just knows how to relate to the kids. He’s so helpful,” Gucci said. “He goes above and beyond for them.”
With over 2,000 applicants all vying for the awards the odds are small for East York. In addition to the four teachers, the school has one team of the year nomination for the physical education department’s role in revitalizing the school’s athletics program, as well as two staff from the guidance office, Yee and Glenn Edwards.
When it comes to winning though, Wilson said modesty is the best policy.
“There are a lot of teachers at East York who have helped me in my first couple of years when I was trying to find my feet,” he said. “I think it’s a testament to the school community that myself and some of the teachers have been nominated because the community is really strong there among teachers, students and staff.”
Awards will be presented later this year.
