< All news

World Teacher Day

Ray Cochrane, Western Canada Educational Coordinator

During my senior years at high school, I was influenced by a teacher who demonstrated what I considered to be a unique perspective on learning. He allowed us to experience project based learning, complete with the incorporation of a hands-on component. This created a positive teacher-student relationship which stemmed from his inspirational and knowledgeable methodology of teaching. From this, I was able to look at learning as something other than from books and memorization.

Tamara Sealy, Atlantic Canada Educational Coordinator

It takes a special person to be a teacher. They need to take the time to engage their students and make the learning process as memorable as possible. When I think back to my school years, I have one teacher that comes to mind who helped me to pursue a very rewarding career and life choice: Mrs. Gammon. She was my homeroom teacher in high school, as well as my biology and environmental science educator. She was a dairy farmer and we had many chats about farming and its positive impact on our communities. We discussed different careers in the industry and where this industry can take you. I was always fascinated with science. I had a love of plants and animals and, with her encouragement, I pursued a career in agriculture.

I have worked for the farmers in New Brunswick as a crop scout, I was a procurement specialist for all farm commodities like baler twine, crop protection and seed, and currently I am an educational coordinator with Nutrients for Life, a seed crop inspector and my newest venture, a farmer. I would like to thank Mrs. Gammon for her encouragement and guidance that has made me the person I am today.

Stacy Corneau, Communications Advisor

Throughout my years as a student, I’ve had many teachers who were truly passionate about the work they did every day, though none stand out as much as my high school English teacher. She took pride in her role as an educator and in shaping the next generation of decision-makers, innovators, and creators. She brought the course material to life with her unique and engaging manner of teaching. Furthermore, she helped unearth my love for English and acted as a mentor as I began navigating a career in which I could apply my improved writing and editing skills (thanks to her!). My high school English teacher has had a direct impact on not only my skills, but my career choices.

Catherine King, Director

Teachers have always held a special place in my heart – one of my favorite people in the world was an elementary school teacher: my grandmother. She taught me the lessons we learn in school are often used in “real life”. When I think back to the impact that my teachers have had on my life, it seems that not one teacher did not leave an impression on me however; there are two that made a profound impact.

My sixth grade teacher, Mr. Hines, was a dynamic man who instilled in me a love of Canadian history. A passionate man, he thought outside the box when it came to activities in his classroom.

The second teacher was my high school history and political science teacher, Mr. Godreau, who encouraged his students to always put only their best work forward and to not be afraid of voicing their opinions. Both these teachers influenced my choice to study political science and Canadian history at university, and ultimately lead to my career location of choice: Ottawa.

I have been outside of the public school system for many years now, and it is not often I think about the influence my teachers have had on my life. However, I know one thing is certain: I would not be where I am without them. So thank you Mr. Hines, Mr. Godreau, and the countless other teachers who helped shape me into the person I am today.