Award acknowledges partnership in education

A project that places teacher candidates from China in Windsor schools has won recognition from two international development agencies.

Casa Canadiense and Pueblito Canada made the Great Essex County District School Board an inaugural recipient of the Global Education Award, which recognizes exemplary school-based projects, for its contribution to the partnership in the teacher education Reciprocal Learning Program between the University of Windsor and Southwest University China.

Since 2010, six GECDSB elementary and secondary schools have provided placements for visiting Chinese teacher candidates for a period of one month each fall. An additional five schools are involved in the “Classrooms on the Move” initiative coordinated by board.

Shijing Xu and Warren Kennedy

Education professor Shijing Xu and Warren Kennedy, director of education for the Great Essex County District School Board.

Education professor Shijing Xu, coordinator of the Reciprocal Learning Program, joined a group of students from China to present the award to the board. She said the honour is shared by many participants.

“One tree does not make a forest,” said Dr. Xu. “It is the work by so many people together that have made the program so successful and rewarding for participants from Canada and China in this East-West bridge-making endeavour.”

The program has laid a strong foundation for applying for a SSHRC partnership grant, she says, highlighting the essential contributions of school board officials, including the trustees, director of education Warren Kennedy, superintendent Clara Howitt, and principals, vice-principals and key teachers at the following schools:

  • Dr. H. D. Taylor Public School, principal Debra Laforet
  • Glenwood Public School, principal Angela Miloyevich
  • Dougall Avenue Public School, principal Clayton Callow
  • J.L. Forster Secondary School, principal Dave Garlick
  • Vincent Massey Secondary School, pincipal Melissa Nantais
  • Century Secondary School, principal Kristie Sweet
  • Begley Public School, principal Paul Schaffner

— by Ju Huang

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