Melissa Wakeling, who taught English, English enrichment, social studies, science and family studies in Grades 9 through 12 at R.D. Parker Collegiate before moving to Juniper Elementary School this academic year to teach Grade 7 all-inclusive, was awarded a Prime Minister's Certificate of Achievement for teaching excellence earlier this month, recognizing her earlier work at the high school.
The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence "honours outstanding and innovative elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines who use information and communications technology (ICT) to better equip their students with the skills needed to excel in a 21st-century society and economy," says Industry Canada, which administers the program.
The program began in 1993 to honour the outstanding achievements of math, science and technology teachers. In 1997, the program expanded to recognize innovative teaching practices of teachers in all disciplines. Awards are presented at two levels: Certificate of Excellence (national level) and Certificate of Achievement (local level).
Wakeling is one of five 2010-2011 Certificate of Achievement recipients from Manitoba: Four are from Winnipeg schools and another from Riverton. There were no Certificate of Excellence recipients from Manitoba this year.
In honouring Wakeling, the program noted she "developed programs instrumental in helping students juggle classes, parenting and being a teenager. Not only does Ms. Wakeling want to see her students graduate from high school, she wants them to succeed in all walks of life."
In particular, Wakeling was instrumental in developing the teen mom or young parents program, in partnership with the Marymound Futures Program, Babies Best Start and the YWCA at R.D. Parker Collegiate. "Although she only offered one class a semester, students use her classroom, which is set up to be a comfortable, child-friendly space, as a retreat - with or without their baby. A large majority of her students end up graduating or coming back to her class," says a biographical note accompanying the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence.
The R.D. Parker "Parents and Me Room" opened last December, and held an open house in February for people to come by and learn about just what the new room - a renovated storage room - has to offer.
"We encourage our girls to have childcare prior to enrolling with us," Wakeling told the Thompson Citizen in an interview at the time. "We find that they are more successful in general if they have childcare set up - but with young kids, there's always days when childcare either isn't available or the child's sick, or they've had an appointment in the morning. It gives the kids somewhere to go when they've brought their baby to school with them, and maybe they'll go to class for the first two minutes to get the lesson, and then they've got a quiet place where they can go to do their work, and the child finds it comfortable for them." While long running, the program was formalized with more than a dozen teen moms taking part in 2009.
How passionate supporters feel about the teen mom program was clearly in evidence almost two years ago when a former reporter here, in a personal opinion column reflecting her own views, not the paper's editorial position, suggested on Dec. 2, 2009 that one part of the program "seems like it might run the risk of doing more harm than good," namely "running pre-natal classes inside the high school." In the same column, she had also written, "Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that R. D. Parker Collegiate has a teen mom program in place these girls should be applauded for doing their best to raise their children and have a good life." Still, three of our readers almost immediately penned outraged letters to the editor, criticizing her column for what they viewed as her attack on the teen mom program. It gave one a sense of just how deeply felt the issue is and how loyal supporters of the teen mom program are.
Wakeling, an R.D. Parker graduate herself, was recognized for her own achievement as a student when she graduated from Grade 12 on June 26, 2002, winning a bronze Governor General's Academic Medal. Lord Dufferin, Canada's third Governor General after Confederation, created the academic medals in 1873 to encourage academic excellence across the nation. Over the years, they have become the most prestigious award that students in Canadian schools can receive. They are awarded at four distinct levels: Bronze at the secondary school level; collegiate bronze at the post-secondary, diploma level; silver at the undergraduate level; and gold at the graduate level.
As a Prime Minister's Award Certificate of Achievement recipient, Wakeling receives a certificate and a pin, along with a letter of congratulations from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and a cash award of $1,000 that may be used for professional development or equipment, resource materials, website development, teaching aids, or other tools to improve teaching and student learning. R.D. Parker Collegiate will also receive a certificate signed by the Prime Minister, recognizing its support and contribution to her achievement.
