Teacher wins $1M global prize for work in northern Quebec
- 主题发起人 sabre
- 发布时间 2017-03-20
Teacher wins $1M global prize for work in northern Quebec
A Canadian woman has won a global teaching prize worth $1 million US for her work in Salluit, an Inuit community in northern Quebec.
Maggie MacDonnell, who grew up in Nova Scotia, beat out 20,000 other nominees for the 2017 Global Teaching Prize, which has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.
The prize, awarded annually by the Dubai-based Varkey Foundation, was established three years ago to "underline the importance of educators worldwide."
The foundation said in a statement MacDonnell has "made an outstanding contribution to the lives of her students and everyone in Salluit."
Teacher Maggie MacDonell (second from left) and students (left to right) Samantha Leclerc, Lucasie Amamatuak and Larry Thomassie pose in Montreal on March 14. (Kativik School Board)
Her approach focused on emphasizing "acts of kindness," such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.
Salluit, which has a population of 1,450, is so remote that it's accessible only by air. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.
"The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave," MacDonnell said.
"I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality."
Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.
Maggie MacDonnell, who grew up in Nova Scotia, beat out 20,000 other nominees for the 2017 Global Teaching Prize, which has become one of the most-coveted and high-profile awards for teaching excellence.
The prize, awarded annually by the Dubai-based Varkey Foundation, was established three years ago to "underline the importance of educators worldwide."
The foundation said in a statement MacDonnell has "made an outstanding contribution to the lives of her students and everyone in Salluit."
Teacher Maggie MacDonell (second from left) and students (left to right) Samantha Leclerc, Lucasie Amamatuak and Larry Thomassie pose in Montreal on March 14. (Kativik School Board)
Her approach focused on emphasizing "acts of kindness," such as running a community kitchen and attending suicide prevention training.
Salluit, which has a population of 1,450, is so remote that it's accessible only by air. The tiny village witnessed six suicides in 2015, all affecting young males between the ages of 18 and 25.
"The memory that continues to haunt me is when I see these Canadian teenagers, their very own classmates of the deceased, literally digging the grave," MacDonnell said.
"I didn't know until I came to Salluit that that was a Canadian reality."
Last year, Palestinian teacher Hanan al-Hroub won for her efforts in encouraging students to renounce violence and embrace dialogue. The inaugural prize went to Nancie Atwell, an English teacher from Maine.
