This blog post is sponsored by NIVEA Canada. NIVEA believes that every child deserves the best care. With this in mind, NIVEA Canada is proud to partner with the child rights and international aid agency, Plan Canada, to help fund an education project in Senegal, West Africa. With the shared goal of building schools, providing better opportunities for education and teaching essential skills, NIVEA Canada and Plan Canada are working together to help break the cycle of poverty. To learn more, you can also visit Facebook.com/NIVEACanada and click on the ‘NIVEA & Plan Canada’ tab.
A group of young children in costumes chant, “double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble”, while another group practices math facts by playing cribbage and still others are engaged in creative art projects or are reading silently.
This is a snippet of memory from my time in Mrs. Shakespeare’s grade 2/3 classroom (and yes, Mrs. Shakespeare really did teach us lines of poetry by Shakespeare) and although it may sound like many classrooms today, with children working simultaneously on self-directed learning activities, it was revolutionary back in 1975. So revolutionary in fact that many parents complained about her methods and she was conspicuously absent from our suburban school the following year.
I was in grade two, and Mrs. Shakespeare rocked my educational world. She taught me that learning could be fun (gasp!); that I could improve my skill at math by playing games and solving puzzles; and most importantly of all, that being creative and enthusiastic was not naughty but good. She also introduced me to great literature: along with playful verses from Shakespeare’s works she read C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe aloud to the class and planted the seeds for a lifelong love of reading and learning. She may well have been the inspiration for my own vocation to become a teacher.
I owe Mrs. Shakespeare a lot. Since that first time I played a witch in a classroom play, I have read all of William Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets, along with many other excellent works of English literature. Since those joyful days of learning as a seven year-old, I have built a fulfilling career as a teacher, hoping to pass that joy along to a new generation. I am truly lucky to have known Mrs. Shakespeare, even for a short time so long ago. That’s how a great teacher can touch a life forever.
But not every child’s life is touched by an inspiring teacher.
Not every child even has the chance to go to school.
According to UNICEF, 49% of all people in Senegal, West Africa, are under the age of 18, but many of them are not in school. Three out of five kids in Senegal have no access to Education. That’s three too many and we can all make a difference. NIVEA Canada is working with Plan Canada to improve children’s access to education in Senegal. You can help too by donating or by telling your friends.
Thankfully, there are international aid organizations that believe in helping to break the cycle of poverty: operating across 50 developing countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia, Plan works with children, their families, communities and governments to promote children’s rights and lift millions of children out of poverty.
NIVEA believes that every child deserves the best care. With this in mind, NIVEA is proud to partner with the child rights and international aid agency, Plan. In Canada, NIVEA is working with Plan Canada to help fund an education project in Senegal to help foster better education for life. With the shared goal of building schools, providing better opportunities for education and teaching essential skills, NIVEA Canada and Plan Canada are working together to help break the cycle of poverty.
You can help NIVEA Canada & Plan Canada support children in Senegal to get access to better education for life by donating, or by telling your friends. Visit NIVEA’s Facebook page, click on the ‘NIVEA & Plan Canada’ tab and click Donate to contribute directly or click Share to help spread the word.
Your purchase of any NIVEA product can also help contribute to a better education.* The more people we reach, the more people we can give the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children. Many people living in sub-Saharan Africa earn just $1.25 a day. We can do better with better education for life!
Education is a gift you keep for life, and a single inspiring teacher can change a child’s life forever. Were you lucky enough to encounter an inspiring teacher in your own education? Share your story below for a chance to win a truly remarkable gift – one lucky member who shares a personal story of an inspiring teacher could win a gift from NIVEA Canada including NIVEA products and a donation to Plan Canada in your or your child’s name.
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1UNICEF
*NIVEA is donating $25,000 to Plan Canada to support a project in Senegal which will be matched by an institutional donor 3-to-1 up to $100,000
Contest Closes on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.
UrbanMoms.ca members are eligible to win so don’t forget to sign-in. Not a member yet? Click here to join.
I still remember my Grade 7 and 8 French teacher. I was in immersion French with a great deal of homework, but he made learning fun and I excelled at my studies.
I sucked at math but I had a teacher that helped me figure it out.
I think it was my High School Biology teacher who instilled in me a desire to work hard and enjoy my studies.
Mr. Weatherhead taught me how to belive in myself and work hard for the best results. Don’t let people put you down, but be rpoud of your accomplishments.
Mrs. Abrahamson- grade 4 and lucky enough for grade 5 at Allard Elementary school in Winnipeg. She was my favorite all time teacher. She brought a rug into the classroom and read to us- even though we were “old”, she baked us cookies, she inspired a love of life long learning- a true inspiration, and someone I would like to thank for all the extra time and love she gave to us. Thanks for having me think of her again.
My most inspirational teacher was Mr.Swaddling, in grade 7. He help shape me in so many ways. By giving 100% of himself to his students everyday, he taught compassion, empathy, community and love. Even though grade seven was *cough* seventeen *cough* years ago, I still volunteer with him every year at his grade seven camping trip, re-learning his most important lessons and learning even more by helping with inner-city students. Without Mr.Swaddling in my life, I would be a totally different person, I am so thankful for him.
I never enjoyed studying History but one year in high school we had the most awesome teacher – she truly made history come alive and realize how important it is to know about what has happened in the world around us.
I had a wonderful teacher, Mr. Bradica in Grade 7. I had just arrived in Canada and he helped me adjust from a very formal British educational system and also gave me a crash course in Canadian culture. On the day that I first saw snow through the window he let me and my fellow students run outdoors so that I could have the experience of it. He was warm and very creative…showed me that the learning process could be fun and interactive.
I learned to love English literature through my High School English teacher. I still continue to enjoy all forms of literature.
I always think of my kindergarten teacher,and how she helped me get a good start in life.
my grade teacher showed me secrets to how to spell better and it helped me be a good writer
I was never a big reader my one English teacher gave me some self confidence when I finally scored very well on a test when I had not been doing so well. Just by telling me he knew I could do it. It really was Macbeth I did love it.
I had a teacher that caught me cheating and rather than report me he gave me a redo. Taught me to actually ask for help and try for myself!
I was born in Wales and I was in grade 4 and Mrs Williams was my teacher. She was hard on me when it came to working but she would always answer my questions. She encouraged me to work harder and I was actually put ahead a class because of her.
My grade 7 teacher really encouraged my to pursue my dreams and because of her, I became a teacher.
My Grade 5 teacher Miss Goldthorpe read a chapter of The Secret Garden every day I just loved it!
My grade 5 teacher made a difference by showing me a better way of remember my times tables for that i was able to stop struggling in math and enjoy school a bit more
I still miss my teacher from grade 1 to 3, really good teacher…
I had the same teacher for Grade 1 and Grade 2 and she was absolutely wonderful. She offered us little rewards when we had achieved certain goals, she exposed us to books, music and crafts that incorporated the lessons we were learning and she seemed to truly care about us, spending time at recess, lunch and after school in order to assist any students to catch up. She made learning fun and gave us a great start.
My Grade 5 teacher inspired me to try a new sport in Track and Field, the hurdles! I was so scared to try anything new and she encouraged me that I could do it!
My high school English teacher had a way of inspiring the class with the chosen reading material and always encouraged us to think about the story behind the story.
My Grade 10 biology teacher,Mr.Pierce was so inspiring…he made learning fun,he was just so witty!!….the work in the class never really seemed like work…through his fantastic teaching skills he made us want to find the answer,the solution,dig deeper,reach inside ourselves and be the best we could be….I smile now so many years later when I think of this man….I learned so much from him.
I remember when I was in gr. 6, my teacher was the funniest person ever. Although he likes to tease everyone in the class, he was very knowledgeable. I will never forget my teacher.
One of my grade 10 teachers was a super smart person who fell into teaching accidentally. He would challenge us to learn anything & everything even if it was not the subject we were there for. When it came time for field trips & he discovered there were no funds to have more than 1,so he paid out of his own pocket & took us 3 or 4 more. His subject was biology but we learned about relationships,sex, love,chemistry, & anything & everything concerning life. Often times he would end the class by posing some sort of question in jest which had most of us combing through reference books & encyclopedias to find an answer. We were also encouraged to pose questions to him on anything or everything to see if we could stump him. We spent hours looking for obscure things to stump him with but never could. Needless to say he was the principals worst nightmare regarding following set protocols but what we really learned was how to THINK for ourselves. Unfortunately he only taught the one year .
When I was 10 I lost my mom in an accident. I was in Grade 6 and in Miss Palmers class. I will never forget her kind words and compassion that went far beyond being a teacher. She was wonderful and eased my pain.
My teachers in high school were amazing. They would talk to you like a person not a child/authority figure. They were forever encouraging the students to expect more from life, themselves and our school.
My high school German teacher, Mr. MacGregor-Brown, was somewhat eccentric, but his quirkiness made us laugh everyday. During a lesson he would share little bits of off-topic knowledge with us, or tell us a personal story of some sort. For example, one day he taught us the proper way to create a complete place setting!
I know you couldn’t do this today without being accused of molesting a child, but my grade 2 teacher would put on bright red lipstick every day at the end of the day and she would plant a big lipstick kiss on everyones cheek as they walked out – you walked out knowing that you were loved and had a great afternoon. We always fought for the front of the line so you’d get the brightest kiss mark!
My grade one teacher ended up being my grade 2 teacher she told my Mom that she came to grade 2 with me because she wanted to keep building my confidence because I was very shy and it to this day helped me having her for 2 years as my teacher!
My daughters teacher was so special and took such an interest that she ran to school and loved every mintute. At the end of the school year she was so sad that the teacher sat in a rocking chair and held her as she cried and cried. She didn’t want to say good bye. I will never forget tha moment
My grade 2 teacher baked a cake for each child’s birthday and we would celebrate with the class on the day by singing Happy Birthday. It made each of us look forward to our birthday and to how special she made us all feel. I have had many wonderful teachers since and I am very appreciative of the hard work they do.
I still remember my Grade 7 teacher Mr. Knox – he was the best teacher ever! He let everyone work at their own pace and would give rewards to those who did well! He would encourage everyone to do their best by posting the top ten students after every test and would give rewards accordingly!
I was lucky enough to have my most favourite teacher in Grade 5 and Grade 6. He was amazing and inspired in me a life-long love of knowledge and learning. In addition to the regular curriculum, he introduced us to high-level maths and sciences and had us reading books (and submitting book reports) for novels that were taught in more advanced grades.
He was the first teacher who enthusiastically taught us to “work to the best of our abilities” and that failure was okay, so long as you made an attempt, but above all else, excuses were not acceptable.
A teacher made a huge difference in my life during high school.When i would get down and close to depression he would elevate me to go on.Through his patience and encouragement i became a productive part of society.
i had a high school teacher that encouraged my writing after a particularly interesting book report i wrote. i continued on to study journalism based on this specific teachers advice.
I had a high school teacher who didn’t give up on me when I was struggling with math and by the end of the year I was enjoying math and my marks went from the low 60’s to the 80’s
One of my high school teachers was very friendly, inspiring and encouraging. He would always smile at us and share stories with us. He would give us compliments for our good efforts and was always ready if we needed assistance. It was very easy to approach him and talk to him about anything that was bothering us.
Back in grade 5 my teacher, Mrs. Frazer, made that year the best for learning and having fun. Mrs. Frazer was was a fun loving, red head who just seem to know how to pull each of us in to want to learn and do better. She was a real hands on type of instructor getting us to part take in all the labs, art class and gym. Every kid should have a Mrs. Frazer and the earlier the better!
In high school, our counselor (when she wasn’t an English teacher) was a very old-fashioned spinster (she looked 90!…seriously)……as you can imagine she didn’t have a clue. By default another teacher stepped up to the plate. He wasn’t a counselor, but a social studies teacher and he had a son our age who actually partied with us. He showed me how cool and understanding adults could actually be.
My grade 7 history teacher made a huge impact on my life. he told us stories instead of boring old dates and names, and he brought history to life for me, and instilled a love of the subject that I have to this day
I was very shy and quiet in school and most teachers seemed to barely notice me. My grade 9 social studies teacher made me feel included in everything, purposely put my name up on the detention board and made me a part of the class.
I had a few great teachers, especially my grade 5 teacher who we called “Sir”. He was not warm and fuzzy but had high expectations of us and really believed in us. I was so motivated to work hard because I had so much respect for him. I wanted to be the person he believed I was!
My daughter’s teacher last year in grade 3 was the best teacher either of my children have ever had (my son is in grade 8). He truly changed her life!
I can still remember my Grade 5 teacher because she was so dedicated and made learning fun.
I had a wonderful English teacher. She acted Shakespeare instead of teaching it, made it come alive. Not only did she let me see that emotions, stories, last forever. She let us see how those stories were real and present for the people they happened to.
I think of the teachers my kids have now, and I wonder if they’re ones my kids will remember forever… inspirational teachers are such a gift!!
I had teachers that i feel that made a difference to me and other kids when i was young. I have also seen it with my kids with teachers that help them along and feel good with how they are doing in school and looking forward to another day of learning.
I had a few very inspiring teachers but the one that made the most impact was Ms.Huber in grade 11. She was my marketing teacher. I recall her taking me aside and telling me that I she could clearly see a career in either fashion or marketing. She was my mentor for years even after graduating. And now we’re facebook friends too! Teachers play such an influential role in our lives. All kids should be so lucky to have these role models to look up to! This is a super idea Nivea!