Few of us are able to look back on our formative early years without reflecting on a teacher who played an integral role in the person that we’ve become today.
In many cases, it is our teachers who have inspired us to become what we are today. It is our teachers who kindled that interest in a subject that eventually became a rewarding career. It is our teachers who created a love of learning that fostered a desire to expand our horizons throughout our lives. And it is our teachers who helped open our eyes and minds to both people and ideas that we might not otherwise have been exposed.
It is for those reasons, among many others too numerous to mention, that Black Press has partnered with Staples to recognize and honour those passionate individuals who go above and beyond for their students. The Oak Bay News is highlighting the achievements of some of the extraordinary educators that Victoria is home to in our second annual Great Teachers celebration.
The passion for teaching shown by last year’s honourees – now-retired ‘Kelset elementary teacher Marilyn Hodgson, music director Andrea Blair from Gordon Head middle school and high school music director Jamie Davis from Spectrum – inspired past and present students and parents alike to nominate them with stories of admiration, respect and genuine affection.
We encourage you, our reader, to get involved in this year’s celebration and recognize a teacher who has played an important role in your life or the life on someone you know. You’ll find a link to the Great Teachers nomination form at www.oakbaynews.com, where readers can submit stories about the awesome teachers in their lives.
The nomination period closes May 31, and the three honourees for 2015 will be announced in June in a special supplement that will include the nomination letters, offering a chance to get a better sense of how these special individuals make an impact.
We hope you’ll join us in recognizing the achievements of those special teachers who devote so much time and effort to help our children reach their goals.