Victoria – Nominations are now open for the second annual Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence, Premier Gordon Campbell announced today.
“These awards help to recognize and celebrate the commitment and innovation B.C. teachers bring to the classroom,” said Premier Campbell. “This is an opportunity for government to formally showcase some of the incredible work that teachers do to help students achieve their best every day.”
The Province will recognize up to 20 outstanding B.C. teachers who have made exceptional contributions to benefit their school communities and improve student achievement.
“B.C. has one of the best education systems in the world, and teachers are a huge part of that success,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “We want to give them special acknowledgement for making a difference in the lives of their students.”
An awards selection committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and made up of members of the education community, will choose the finalists, and an awards event will be held in spring 2009.
Nominees must be currently teaching within B.C.’s K-12 public, independent or band school systems, must work directly with students, and must have taught courses of study during the 2007-08 school year.
Categories include: literacy, distributed learning, Aboriginal learning, environmental awareness, healthy living/physical education/coaching, school leadership, community engagement, skills training/career preparation, lifetime achievement (20+ years), and beginning teacher (0-5 years).
Nominations can be submitted by students, parents, teachers, administrators, trustees and community organizations. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 21, 2008.
Outstanding teachers from the first-annual Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence were honoured at a Government House ceremony in March 2008 where they received a certificate of achievement and $1,500 for professional development.
The Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence fulfil platform and throne speech commitments to annually recognize and reward excellence in teaching, give teachers financial incentives to reward improvements in student achievement, and promote professional development. The awards also help support the Province’s goal of becoming the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent.
Link to More Information:
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/teacherawards/
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