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Year: 2021 — Province: Ontario
Certificate of Excellence Recipient
Glenforest Secondary School
Grades 9 to 12 - English, ESL, drama
Mississauga, Ontario
Quote
“Rachel is THAT teacher whom every single student respects and adores. Rachel is THAT teacher who at-risk students respond to, and have the utmost trust and respect for. Rachel is also THAT teacher who staff are amazed by, and wonder how she finds the time in the day to do all that she does for students.”
Teaching Approach
Rachel does not believe in the “one-size-fits-all” approach to teaching. She spends countless hours creating personalized lessons and assignments for her students. She is meticulous in the development of her learning concepts and is careful to include details that draw students’ attention and keep them engaged. One of her strengths is to naturally and fluidly incorporate other subject areas into her lessons and assignments – demonstrating relevance and application to life realities.
Rachel infuses creativity and technology in every aspect of her teaching. She incorporates resources, information and creative ideas designed by herself, other educators, experts and leaders from communities near and far to provide students with globally-minded viewpoints and holistic educational experiences. Rachel uses her technical skills to create digital tools on a wide range of subjects, including the Holocaust, Black History & Anti-Racism resources and events for students, staff, school board and community members.
In the Classroom
For Rachel, learning is about learning to live in society. She uses her unique creativity to produce distinctive and innovative activities, projects and opportunities for her students to learn and build a variety of soft skills, notably collaborative skills. Her students also marvel at her ability to make cooperative learning fun, engaging and purposeful, while giving them the opportunity to build teamwork skills.
Rachel is always concerned with inclusion. And her premise is that the classroom must be a safe and fun place to learn. She provides a stimulating and engaging learning environment for all of her students, regardless of their skill levels or abilities.
Outstanding achievements
Rachel consistently encourages students to become global citizens and to explore world issues such as human rights, cultural diversity and inclusivity by providing them with hands-on, real-world opportunities. She fosters awareness of different cultures and backgrounds, particularly, Black, Indigenous, and Jewish cultural traditions, identity and history. She has travelled to many developing countries and provided resources to students in rural villages during some of her travels – including Cambodia and Uganda, where she provided children and their teachers with educational resources and supplies.
Rachel has received many awards and recognitions for her academic performance and work with youth, including the 2018 William Dahlgren Teacher of Excellence Award from the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, the 2018 Education Week Award of Distinction from the Peel District School Board (PDSB), and the 2011 District 19 Award of Merit from the Ontario Secondary Schools Teacher Federation, and the 2011 Award of Distinction from the PDSB.
Get in touch!
Glenforest Secondary School
3575 Fieldgate Dr.
Mississauga, ON L4X 2J6
905-625-7731
Email: glenforest.ss@peelsb.com
Twitter: @GlenforestSS