Inspiring colleagues
We asked BCTF members to tell us about a colleague who inspires them, and we received lots of submissions! Watch for more inspiring colleague write-ups in the November/December edition. You can email teachermag@bctf.ca if you have an inspiring colleague you’d like to tell us about.
Deb Keenleyside
nominated by Caitlin Marquis
I work with many incredible teachers but one in particular is Deb Keenleyside in Nanaimo.
Deb runs our leadership club with another fantastic teacher, Naomi Stussi, and they just reached their years-long journey with leadership club to have made enough money to plant six trees for every person at our school in an effort to reduce global warming — over 2,000 trees worldwide!
Deb also finds time in class to do an outdoor ed. program and an absolutely rocking ADST program. She also takes on the entrepreneur fair, engages her Grade 5s with all kinds of experimental science, and is very well-loved by her students (past and present)!
Tamara Hollman
nominated by Jaylin Rees
Tamara…inspires me through her ongoing dedication to building a positive school community.
Tamara Hollman, Grade 1 teacher at Anne Roberts Young Elementary in Fort St. John, inspires me through her ongoing dedication to building a positive school community. She has organized meaningful school events such as a school-wide spaghetti lunch, a Grades 1–2 North Pole Breakfast, and a school-wide “Get Your Ducks in a Row” duck decorating contest.
These events help bring students, staff, and families together. They create joy, connection, and a stronger sense of belonging in our school. The best part is that Tamara’s ideas always make everyone smile.
Tamara is the kind of colleague who reminds us how powerful small moments of community can be.
Kathy Ross
nominated by Graeme Ross
My wife is a teacher in Coquitlam; she is thoughtful, engages students at every turn, creates new and original lessons regularly, and always has time to help other teachers, including myself, as I went back to school as an adult to become a teacher in my 40s.
Kathy Ross has been a teacher for 20 years, so many students have recognized her as the reason they want to be teachers. She has had books dedicated to her by former students, and she now teaches with a former student who gives her credit for their wanting to be a teacher.
I look at her positive attitude, desire to connect with students, and how professional she is as motivation to keep developing as a teacher myself.
Janet Bourchier
nominated by Lisa Vanness
Janet has taught me that learning is joyful and messy, and I can take more chances.
Have you ever heard of a marigold teacher? Janet Bourchier is mine. I plant myself beside her as much as possible so I can grow and learn. From building beaver dams with mud and sticks to shadow-puppet theatres, from raising salmon in the classroom to leading choirs and drumming, I am constantly inspired. Janet has taught me that learning is joyful and messy, and I can take more chances. What a gift she is to our whole school community!
Gerald Koe
nominated by Tasheena Styran
Gerald inspires the people around him to become better educators and better people.
Gerald Koe is the kind of teacher who changes the culture of a school simply by being there. At Hatzic Middle School, he has created spaces where students feel welcome, valued, and excited to be. Many people already know him for his walking challenges on TikTok: videos documenting epic treks across the Lower Mainland, encouraging both students and staff to prioritize health, movement, and goal-setting.
What stands out even more, though, is the way he shows up for his students and co-workers.
Gerald handwrites Christmas cards for every student he teaches. He hosts shared meal days based entirely on student requests, ranging from pizza lunches to full turkey dinners with all the fixings. He started a beloved school-wide Poetry Slam tradition and helped launch our first-ever middle school sports-day style event, the Hawk Dog Feast, named after our school mascot. His classroom is also home to an incredible video game club filled with consoles from multiple eras and hundreds of games, creating a safe and welcoming space where students gather, connect, and feel accepted. He hosts class clean-up days, where students gather to clean up our school grounds.
As a colleague, he is just as impactful. He is endlessly welcoming to new teachers, collaborative, generous with his ideas, and always willing to help. Recently, when I was overwhelmed and nearing burnout, he quietly stepped in without being asked, gathering resources and materials to help me get through a difficult week. That kind of kindness cannot be taught.
Gerald inspires the people around him to become better educators and better people. He is a 10 out of 10 teacher but, more importantly, a 10 out of 10 human.
Dustin Stolen
nominated by Avi Yan
[Dustin] often inspires me with his commitment to his students and community.
I would like to honour my good friend and fellow BC teacher, Dustin Stolen. Dustin and I met in 2007 in Iwate Prefecture in northern Japan, where we both worked as assistant language teachers in Japanese elementary and middle schools. We have remained friends since. I currently work as a teacher in Vancouver at École secondaire Jules-Verne in the Conseil Scolaire Francophone and Dustin works at Perley Elementary School in Grand Forks. Although the great distance between Vancouver and Grand Forks impedes our ability to get together often, Dustin and I talk regularly, and he often inspires me with his commitment to his students and community.
For the third time, Dustin has led his Grades 6–7 class in a History of Rock concert. In this year’s concert, students performed 13 songs by Canadian artists: from classic legends like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and The Tragically Hip, to more contemporary stars like Shania Twain and The Weeknd. Students gave a speech on why these artists are significant, and then performed their song. The class raised $2,000 from the concert, which helped to fund the end-of-year trip to Kelowna.
Dustin had a full-circle moment (the kind that teachers cherish as they advance in their careers) when former student Evan Herdman, who is developing his talent on vocals and guitar, performed some of his original songs for the audience of about 200. What made it even more special was when Dustin’s own former junior high school teacher, Richard Van Camp, Evan, and Dustin himself joined together on mandolin, guitar, and vocals, weaving melodies and generations together.
After a successful performance in the Grand Forks community for family and friends, the Grades 6–7 class approached Dustin with an idea: why not bring the joy of this concert to elders in the community? Dustin set it up and the class performed for two local senior homes. Dustin quotes the late Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip in stating, “Music brings people together. So, my function in anything I do is to help bring people closer in.”
Catherine Hendry and Lisa Price
nominated by Joseph Jeffery
have two colleagues that inspire me I’d like to shout out.
Catherine Hendry, Spruceland Community School of the Arts, is a long-time social justice advocate and Black educator who makes sure every student feels seen. She goes above and beyond for her students and colleagues every day. Her energy and passion are evident in every interaction.
Lisa Price, Spruceland Community School of the Arts, is a teacher-librarian maven. In dual roles as her school’s teacher-librarian and as a district teacher-librarian, she brings wisdom and thoughtfulness to both roles. She has created an environment that moves away from colonial systems, such as Dewey decimal, and embraces a decolonized approach built around the Dakelh ways of knowing and being. Lisa’s library is a hub for all things creative: from Lego to art to gardening, she makes sure student passions are always present.
