A St. Albert teacher is one of the top three in Canada as named by Canadian Family Magazine.
Derek Harrison, a 30-year-old kindergarten teacher at Elmer S. Gish, is profiled on page 53 of the magazine’s September issue, which is now on newsstands.
“I just saw it this morning,” Harrison said Tuesday when reached by phone. “I think it’s great. I can’t believe my little face is in a magazine.”
A group of parents nominated Harrison for his strong work last year, just his second as a teacher.
“It was just really nice to know that the parents were on board and supportive and liked what I’m doing,” he said.
The magazine’s readership is about one million, said editor-in-chief Jennifer Reynolds.
This is the fourth year the magazine has run the contest and profiled the winners in its back-to-school issue. The contest drew more than 400 nominees that magazine staff whittled to a short list of about 15 before a panel of educators chose the top three, Reynolds said.
The team was impressed with Harrison’s ability to introduce fun to the structured Cogito program. They also liked his excellent communication with parents as illustrated by a class website he established and updated regularly with information and daily photos of in-class activities.
“We’re just impressed with the amount of effort. This guy must be exhausted when he comes home,” Reynolds said.
The award comes with $1,500 for each school.
Parent Susan Dandurand nominated Harrison and encouraged other parents to send in testimonials. About 20 did.
“We’re always telling him as parents what an outstanding job he’s doing but I thought this is such a great way for him to get the recognition he deserves,” Dandurand said.
Dandurand was impressed that, on the first day of school last year, Harrison didn’t shoo parents out when it was time for class to begin. Instead, he let them linger and ease out of the room when they chose. She also noted that Harrison is always positive and in a good mood.
“This is a calling for him,” she said. “You can tell this is where he’s meant to be.”
Harrison is a former forest firefighter who spent four years on an elite “Rapattack” crew, whose members rappel out of hovering helicopters to battle new blazes in remote and rugged terrain.
While seemingly polar opposite to his current career, that job taught him about being a fair leader, making decisions and how to have fun in the moment, Harrison said.
All these are aspects he draws on in the classroom, especially when it comes to fun, which can take the form of juggling for the students or talking in a cowboy accent.
“I never thought I would have as cool a job in my life as Rapattack and I have it now,” Harrison said. “Who’d have thunk it would be with five-year-olds.”
