So, what makes a teacher great? Not just good, but really great? Is it being an expert in curriculum or having the best ideas or is it working well with other teachers and parents?
As Chair of the Premier's Awards for Teaching Excellence selection panel, and jury member of the Ontario Teachers' Federation OTIP Awards, I read almost 100 nominations for teacher awards over the past month or so. These were the short-listed teachers, so they were all amazing. But the best of them had one thing in common - they cared very deeply for their students. It was that empathy, that desire to know their students, to love them and to offer them varied, and sometimes unusual opportunities to succeed that made the best teachers stand out. Honestly, after reading the nominations, I felt that for the most part, our kids are in very good hands.
Along with Gisele Quenneville of TFO's Panorama, I also hosted the Premier's Awards, where I met many of the winning teachers. They were as wonderful in person as they were on paper.
You can read about those amazing teachers on the Ministry's site.
Here at Your Voice, we tried to get at the root of great teaching in our discussion we brilliantly called "What Makes a Teacher Great?" We've also interviewed educators around the world on what they're doing well to give you some perspective. If you know a great teacher, let me know what makes them great. If your child has a mediocre teacher, perhaps you could tactfully pass on a few good ideas.
Congratulations to all the winning teachers. You inspire.
Teacher Eddie Ing responds to receiving his award:
Cheryl Jackson presents an award:
Minister of Education Leona Dombrowsky speaks at awards:
