Teacher Appreciation – Connections That Count

The teachers highlighted here, in the second of three Teacher and School Staff Appreciation posts this February, have clearly connected with their students, the families, their colleagues and the school communities. The importance of building relationships, and making connections to learning, has been a hot topic on the LEARN blog for years.

Enjoy reading about how teachers and school staff connect with students inside and outside the classroom.

 

 

Mme. Stephanie Boulet, St. Anthony Elementary, Lester B. Pearson School Board

Mme. Stephanie is a grade 4 teacher at St-Anthony Elementary! She is more than a teacher. She makes her students laugh, and can relate to them. She reminds them that you need to have fun while learning. She shares funny stories with her students and acts silly. This allows my son to come home and opens up a discussion about his day at school. She is passionate about teaching and cares about her students. Her job is not to fail her kids, rather to help them succeed!

Osvaldo Dippolito, Commission Scolaire du Littoral

Professor devoted and attentive.
Always ready to help;
Organize and creative;
Young adults continue to play sports with them.
A very rigorous teacher,
He knows the tricks for young people to surpass themselves.

Mr. Jones, McDowell Elementary School, Western Quebec School Board

Mr. Jones is a new teacher this year and a huge asset to our elementary school. He has amazing positive energy and the children want to be around him because he makes them feel individually important. He is often greeting parents when they come to school as well as the children. What first impressed me was a moment when I saw a child saying, ‘Hello Mr. Jones.’

He replied with a ‘Hello’ and he looked like he was in a hurry to get to class until the child said, ‘Do you know my name?’ He took a step back, bent down to the child’s level and said, ‘No, but I’d like to know.’ The child said their name happily, and he said, ‘Glad to know your name. Thanks so much for telling me.’ I know it was such a simple gesture but the light in that child’s eyes told me that it made her feel special. This is just one small example of the impact he makes with our children.

Thank you, Mr. Jones. Keep up the great work!!

Carla Batista, Ecole Bancroft School, English Montreal School Board

Carla is our extraordinary resource teacher whose dedication to the students at Bancroft goes above and beyond. Her morning smile and enthusiastic greeting at the door makes even the shyest student smile. She is a fabulous resource teacher, who also instigates and organizes many of the school activities. Her door is always open for any student who needs an ear or for any parent who has concerns. She is passionate about teaching, about kids and about Bancroft.

Natasha Bellows, Place Cartier Adult Education Centre, Lester B. Pearson School Board

Natasha always challenges herself to find different ways to include her students in the learning process. She develops a connection with her students and is always open to finding new ways to make sure that they own their learning. Her students are very lucky to have her!

Mariève Gagné, Access Adult Centre, Riverside School Board

Mariève teaches with empathy. She loves her students and shows it in the way she designs her learning situations based on their interests, on movement, and through care. She makes the programs she teaches very accessible to her students!

Peggy Drolet, LEARN at St. Michael’s High School, Western Quebec School Board

Ms. Drolet has been St. Michael’s Sec. 4 Science Math teacher for the last 12 years and as the school coordinator for Learn Quebec, I have had the great pleasure of working with her toward our students’ academic success. At the beginning of every school year I tell these students that they should trust Ms. Drolet because she WILL get them through this course! And she does!

Her collaboration with her schools and her dedication to her students’ learning are the keys to her success! She is an amazing teacher and I consider myself lucky to work with her!
Thanks so much for caring, Ms. Drolet!!!

Sara Saltel, Mountainview Elementary School, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board

Sara works diligently to ensure her students are receiving the highest quality education. She thoughtfully plans her lessons, taking into consideration all her students; challenging the very gifted and supporting the struggling, all while cracking wit and administering fair and consistent consequences when behaviors go south. The students and the school are fortunate to have her!

Julie Desrosiers, St. Lambert Elementary, Riverside School Board

On her first day at this school, during the welcome back breakfast, she came towards me (I am the CLC coordinator and it was also my first day) and said “I heard this is a CLC school and I want to work with you. We can do projects together”. I was ecstatic that she was eager to collaborate. She has been a champion at including the CLC in her class and she always has something new she wants to try or involve her students in. She always has a smile on her face even though days are not always easy. She has what I consider are all the qualities you need to be a great teacher. She is truly awesome and I want her to know it. Tu es magnifique, Julie !

Denise Albert, John Caboto Academy, English Montreal School Board

Madame Denise is one of the few teachers that has the authentic dedication and motivation that is so rare these days -giving up lunch hours and after school time to ensure that all her students learn and reach their full potential. She communicates with the parents and shares tips so that the parents may continue what she has already worked on. She sees the potential in each and every child and is determined to see them flourish. She is an amazing lady and an exceptional teacher and we will always be indebted to her for all she has done for our children.

Ms. Paola, Leonardo da Vinci Academy, English Montreal School Board

I would like to take a moment to highlight the wonderful work that Ms.Paola does for the young children at LDVA. She is an amazing teacher and a sincere person whose passion for teaching shines through in all that she does. My son was having somewhat of a difficult time adjusting to kindergarten and a mid-semester classroom change. Ms. Paola made the transition as smooth as possible and offered me many kind words when we discussed the issues he was encountering.

Fast forward to the first day of Grade 1… My son was terribly sad to see the end of summer and was crying in my arms in front of the school. Ms. Paola happened to be walking close by. She took the time to come over to us and try to help, telling my son that she too was feeling apprehensive about the first day of school and that the feelings were normal, but that all would be well. Ms. Paola is a true inspiration and I truly admire the way she manages to bond with and teach our children. Here’s hoping my daughter will be fortunate enough to have her as a kindergarten teacher when the time comes.

Debbie Ellison, McDowell Elementary School, Western Quebec School Board

Although she is not my child’s teacher this year, I felt it important to say how she goes above and beyond her teacher duties. This weekend I saw her at a local hockey tournament and when I asked her who she was there to watch, she mentioned many of the children from our school. Some children were those she was teaching this year and others were from previous years. It is so heart-warming to see a teacher who takes an interest in the students’ outside activities. To me, Ms. Ellison is a good teacher who bonds with her students.

Mme. Chantal Baril, Leonardo da Vinci Academy, English Montreal School Board

She really connects with the children and she awakens their curiosity for learning.
Thank you very much!

Alexandra Zorbas, Westmount Park School, English Montreal School Board

Miss Alex is the most engaged teacher I have ever met. She always helps the Parent Participation Organization (PPO) in all its activities, and goes above and beyond the call of duty. Teachers with her dedication inspire students, parents and staff to do their very best. We could not have asked for a better example to children entering school in Kindergarten.

If you missed the first Teacher Appreciation post for 2017, find it here.  The third and final post in the series is here.  If you missed the chance to share a story about a deserving educator you know, please add it below in the comments.