2014 Winning Teachers

September 24, 2014

The Ontario Teachers’ Insurance Plan and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation recognized three Ontario teachers with the OTIP Teaching Award for excellence on Tuesday September 23 at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites.

The following educators received the OTIP Teaching Award:

2014 Winning Teachers

September 24, 2014

The Ontario Teachers’ Insurance Plan and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation recognized three Ontario teachers with the OTIP Teaching Award for excellence on Tuesday September 23 at the Hilton Toronto Airport Hotel & Suites.

The following educators received the OTIP Teaching Award:

Beginning Teacher Category

Joshua Tellier

Holy Family Catholic French Immersion, Woodstock

Joshua received the OTIP Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in the Beginning Teacher category.

As stated in his nomination, “Josh is able to search for various ways to improve not only his own classroom but the entire school community.”

Students look forward to being in his classes as his reputation through the school is well-known. He employs the latest technologies and has a class website and Twitter feed to keep students and parents informed.

Joshua uses flipped classrooms where students view pre-recorded lessons at home, allowing him more one on one time with students in the classroom. His school now has the status of an Eco-school, thanks to his organizing the Eco Club (Equipe Univert).

He includes parents in club projects such as the Eco Sitting area in front of school and promotes eco diversity by such projects as maintaining schools gardens and ‘litterless Thursday.’ As well as coaching numerous intramural sports, Joshua organizes several charity events for the school such as the Terry Fox run and the United Way campaign. He is a part of London Board team which is reviewing the revised FSL curriculum.

Elementary Teacher Category

Nancy Rawlinson

Davisville Public School, Toronto

Nancy received the OTIP Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in the Elementary Teacher category.

A parent volunteer states this about Nancy’s classroom: “If you walk into Ms R’s class, you realize immediately you have entered a special place. You feel drawn into it. You want to stay and explore. You want to learn.

She has created a world in her room that will inspire a child to dream and reach their true potential. There is something for everyone in her class – so every child will feel that they have a place there.”

Nancy layers the student’s learning – reading a book leads to another project such as creating puppets, writing, and sewing and to another project such as teacher interviews or writing messages of support for a funding project.

Nancy is actively engaged in the OISE web project, The Balanced Literary Diet.

Secondary Teacher Category

Donna Foulkes

West Credit Secondary School, Mississauga

Donna received the OTIP Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in the Secondary Teacher category.

Donna, who teaches business in grades 9 to 12, has developed a unique, innovative program, Under one woof, which has been an overwhelming success.

Under one woof is a four credit coop/business package and, as the name implies, involves human’s best friends – dogs.

Dogs belonging to staff are in the school three times a week. Students are responsible for walking, playing, cleaning up, teaching basic obedience and so on.

They learn about dogs and their behaviour; however, they also learn financial literacy through budgeting, accounting, product inventory and how to interact with clients and their pets. The program’s success is evident in the achievements of students with the greatest learning difficulties, an increase in attendance and increased social engagement of students with other students.

Donna brings knowledge, compassion, patience and humour to her classroom. These are also the qualities which she instills in her students.