2008 Winning Teachers

October 01, 2008

Three teachers who just never stop will be honoured October 2 as Ontario’s best at the annual OTIP Teaching Awards Ceremony in Toronto.

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) sponsors the awards which are administered by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF).

The following educators received the OTIP Teaching Award:

2008 Winning Teachers

October 01, 2008

Three teachers who just never stop will be honoured October 2 as Ontario’s best at the annual OTIP Teaching Awards Ceremony in Toronto.

The Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) sponsors the awards which are administered by the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF).

The following educators received the OTIP Teaching Award:

Beginning Teacher Category

Alicia Gunn

Oakridge Public School, Mississauga

In the category of Beginning Teacher, the honour goes to Alicia Gunn.

At the time of nomination, Alicia Gunn was a Grade 3 teacher at Oakridge Public School in Mississauga. Although she is teaching elsewhere now, her legacy at Oakridge will live on through the phenomenal programs she implemented.

To understand her contribution, we have to look at the community in which she worked.

Oakridge has 260 students from kindergarten to Grade 6. Many of those students are new immigrants with no English language skills. A 2006 survey showed 86 percent of the Grade 3 children were ESL students. In addition to language as a barrier to participation in their children’s education, many of the school’s families have a physical barrier as well. Almost 90 percent of Oakridge’s students are bussed to school and there is no public transit link from the apartments where most of the children live. The parents simply cannot connect with the school.

None of that would stop Ms Gunn from keeping the kids active and engaged. With a colleague, she formed the Oakridge Community Action Committee. She became a seasoned grant-proposal writer and got an after-school program started. As a result, students have been introduced to swimming, soccer, tennis and playground games. For many of the students, these were completely new experiences. She’s arranged to have skates sharpened and helmets supplied. And to ensure everyone has a chance to participate, she arranged for transportation back to the apartment complex, too.

You’ll be exhausted just watching Alicia in action.

Ms Gunn doesn’t slow down inside the classroom either. Her principal calls her teaching “innovative and creative”. She uses a hands-on approach to learning and allows time for experimenting. A teacher of social justice, she selects an “ism” each month and works with her students on understanding the principals of respect, cooperation and common sense.

She organized floor hockey and basketball, Flag Day, Remembrance Day and Code of Conduct assemblies and is a leader in Daily Physical Activity programs.

Watch her in action in this video.

Elementary Teacher Category

Maureen Hogan

Oakridge Public School, Ottawa

In the category of Elementary Teacher, this year we recognize Maureen Hogan.

We have all been inspired by a teacher from our youth, someone who gave us direction or saw something in us that we didn’t know was there. Maureen Hogan provides that inspiration for parents as well.

Ms Hogan leads the Developmentally Delayed class at Carleton Heights Public School in Ottawa. Colleagues call her arrival a transformational turning point for the class. Parents see it as a turning point for their families. Her program focuses on helping students acquire daily living skills beyond academics.

The students from the affectionately dubbed “Sunny Room 13” distribute newsletters, collect attendance sheets, shred documents, run the school’s milk program and manage the recycling system. A breakfast club sees them shopping for ingredients, preparing food and tidying up. These are milestone activities for Ms Hogan’s students.

Let me share the story of Owen, whose father wrote in support of this nomination. Owen’s dad visited the school and was shocked to find that his son could open a locker, remove his outerwear, change into his shoes and put them in the correct place.

Owen’s dad wrote, “These tasks – taken for granted by the average person – represent a significant milestone for my son, and they bring him a step closer to maximizing his independence…It is a great feeling to now be able to concentrate on issues peripheral to his education….we are virtually worry free when he is at school.”

Ms Hogan has also worked to integrate the class with the rest of the student body. Since her arrival at Carleton Heights, her students have joined in public-speaking contests, track and field and, as a class, in talent shows, holiday concerts and field trips. It is a lesson in diversity for the entire school.

Let’s watch her in action.

Secondary Teacher Category

Marc Lalonde

École secondaire catholique de Plantagenet, Plantagenet

In the Secondary Teacher category, this year’s award goes to Marc Lalonde.

For many, Marc Lalonde needs no introduction. He has been celebrated by Reader’s Digest, interviewed on radio and in print by outlets from Montreal to Regina and cheered on by thousands. Why? Think stock car racing.

By job description, M. Lalonde teaches transportation technology to students in Grades 9 to 12 at École secondaire catholique de Plantagenet, a rural school in Eastern Ontario. But in reality, he inspires, nurtures and makes dreams come true.

His teaching tool is a hot red race car, coddled by a team of students committed to making the machine go. Even the most reticent learner finds a reason to go to school each day. Math, science and other subjects are much easier to apply when they have a real impact on a real finish line. Students, who may have struggled elsewhere academically, find confidence in his class and rise to the responsibility of ensuring their favourite teacher is safe in the car they’ve prepared.

Last year, with M. Lalonde at the wheel, the team won the championship at the Cornwall Motor Speedway and placed second at the Autodrome Edelweiss. But the real prize is seeing students hanging around after school, in no hurry to leave.

With the support of his spouse, M. Lalonde has given up evenings, weekends and summer vacations to keep the project moving forward. You might think it’s a passion for car racing. But even the teenagers see past that. The first female participant in the class says M. Lalonde is driven by a passion for the success of his students.

She wrote in her letter of support, “Surtout, il est notre champion.”

We think you’ll agree.