Day: January 18, 2012

On the Road to Mozambique

by dougpete, posted in Just Rambling

Sharon Peters and I have a tradition.  We get together for breakfast at Christmas time.  Well, we’ve done it twice so I guess that qualifies as a tradition!  I’ve long been a fan of her involvement in Education Without Borders.  When we first met for breakfast, she was interested in talking about the Ontario Professional Learning Network.  So, we chatted and chatted and chatted.  Sharon was back in Windsor over the holidays from her teaching job in Mozambique and so we met again for breakfast.  Like good discussions, it was like we had never left the first one!

As I had previously blogged, I had walked into a trap at the most recent ECOO Conference.  I was unable to attend a previous conference and my friends had designed this elaborate scheme.  I’m told that it was @MKGoindi who was most behind it and she enlisted the help of some of her friends.  I should actually sit down and see who all was involved.

All in all, it was a great experience.

At the end of it, I managed to get a couple of ribbons.  One of them travelled to Philadelphia to the hands of @DoReMiGirl who was good enough to share a picture.

I had one more and so I couldn’t think of a nicer person to have it than Sharon – as long as she shared the trip.  Her pictures arrived today.

First Heathrow

Then Johannesburg

and finally to Maputo.

Those little ribbons sure have put on some mileage.

Thanks, everyone who contributed to this story.

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Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence

by dougpete, posted in Education

It happens in classrooms throughout the province on a daily basis.  Typically, it’s the sort of thing that most teachers celebrate internally when they give yourselves a big “atta-girl” or “atta-boy” on the drive home when they know that they’ve done something that went over the top in the classroom.  They’ve reached that unreachable child; they’ve pushed an entire class to greater achievement; they’ve inspired and motivated; they’ve tried something new and it worked; they’ve tried something new and learned how to make it better in the future, and so much more.

And for many, that’s where it ends.  That’s not a bad thing because your focus is always about your students.  However, there may be others who was watching.  The Premier’s Award gives you the opportunity to recognize that excellence that you might notice across the hall or the excitement that you see in your child’s eyes when they come home so inspired.

I received the following message from Tiffany Ing with an ontario.ca email address.

I’ve been reading up on your blog and I noticed your post from early in January about people who’ve found “the way,” people who have been inspired and made a real change in their classrooms. It’s these educators who have the most profound impact on our students’ learning – and their lives.

Celebrating educators who help Ontario’s students realize their full potential is what our Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence are all about. We know there are a lot of teachers, principals, and other educators out there who deserve community recognition. That’s why we’re hoping you’ll consider helping us promote these awards. 

The deadline to submit a nomination package is Monday, February 6th. We’ve attached a button graphic and a short matte article about the awards that you’re welcome to repost on your blog.

More information is available on the Ontario.ca website here.
A Facebook page supporting this is available here.
And, you can follow Ontario Education on Twitter here.

The article she shared appears below.

Nominations Open for Outstanding Educators

There are many examples of excellence in Ontario’s schools, boards and licensed child care centres, and just as many reasons to nominate someone for a Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

These awards celebrate educators and support staff who make remarkable contributions to Ontario’s education system and inspire our children and youth to reach their full potential.

Many staff employed in Ontario’s schools, boards and licensed child care centres can be nominated. There are eight award categories:

· Teacher of the Year
· New Teacher of the Year
· Early Childhood Educator of the Year (NEW!)
· Excellent Support Staff
· Excellence in Leadership
· Lifetime Achievement
· Team of the Year
· Full-Day Kindergarten Team of the Year (NEW!)

Nominations are open until February 6, 2012. Award recipients will be announced in the spring.

To learn more about the awards and how to nominate, visit http://www.ontario.ca/teachingawards.

Do you know someone who fits into any of the above?  Consider taking the time to nominate them.

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OTR Links 01/18/2012

by dougpete, posted in Links

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.