WestVancouver Magazine - June 2016

Page Six Teacher Teacher My earliest memory of school (in this case Montessori preschool) was at age four. And while I don’t remember the teacher’s name, I do remember her making me dress up as “Mary” for the Christmas pageant. I had to walk into the church with “Joseph’s” arm around me carrying a baby Jesus. I was so embarrassed to have to walk in with a “boy”. I had wanted to be an angel (they had cool costumes). It’s something I’ll never forget.

Fast forward to Grade 12. We were on a jazz band trip to Quebec City to compete. Our teacher fought hard for us and made us believe in ourselves. We ended up winning first place for all of Canada. She then twisted the arm of an elegant French restaurateur who helped us all celebrate with a specially priced “in-season” lobster dinner. Beyond her gift of music and the winning of a national competition, the lobster night out is, once again, something I’ll never forget.

In-between all those years there have been many more memories. The crazy science teacher, who was everyone’s favourite, who really did set his eyebrows on fire. The stern biology teacher with long-blonde hair who kept pet mice. The former pro-football English teacher who showed us how to love Shakespeare. And the scary Phys Ed teacher who was determined to kill us with the freezing-cold morning run.

I was lucky to have good teachers. I didn’t like them all - but today I’m glad they were there. Good times or bad, I learned an awful lot from each and every one of them.

In my opinion, education is one of the most important aspects of any society. Therefore teachers are one of our most important resources.

Continued cutbacks, focus on international student funding and balancing budgets makes it a complicated playground. Even math and science teachers can’t figure out a winning formula just yet.

But in a society that now realizes the true value in each individual, my wish is that we always strive to explore what every child is uniquely capable of achieving. Grades, yes - pigeonholes, no.

In other words, maybe - just maybe, it doesn’t need to always be about the Three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic).

Either way, the key to successful students is clearly a successful

teacher. One that cares beyond the textbook and is granted the freedom to act with their instincts when they see someone excelling, or struggling, with the task at hand.

So in addition to celebrating graduations and grades, let’s raise a toast to all the teachers who’ve been there through it all.

Teachers like this are key to creating our future leaders - whether it be in medicine or music. Let’s pay them more than they’re worth and ensure that our classrooms are stocked with the necessities at all times. Buying crayons and computers is easy - it’s the burnt eyebrows and lobster dinners that are priceless.

Their jobs keep getting harder - because I think kids are getting

Happy Grad everyone.

Now that school’s almost out for summer, it’s time to celebrate.

smarter. Having harmony in a class where kids come from different backgrounds, languages and cultures is both exciting but challenging.

Keeping up with new trends to make topics engaging must be fulltime work. And in a world where passing notes has been replaced with text messaging, I can only imagine the patience it takes to maintain discipline.

06

They say a society is judged by how it treats its weakest members - a quote attributed in some form to everyone from Gandhi to Pearl S. Buck to former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. But whether you apply this to the elderly, the young or the animals that roam the Earth, there is no doubt in my mind that without an education, we risk becoming “weaker members”.

- Catherine Barr Send your comments to cbarr@westvancouver.com

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