Associate teacher Sherri-Lynn Soumis cites her mentors as inspiration in becoming an associate teacher herself (PROVIDED BY SHERRI-LYNN SOUMIS/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Sherri-Lynn Soumis’s mentor used to tell her to “pay it forward” whenever she could.
As a high school English teacher, Soumis is doing just that as an associate teacher, mentoring University of Windsor teacher candidates through their practice teaching placements.
Soumis explains that she takes inspiration from her own associate teachers who left a lasting impression on her.
— Published on May 7th, 2026
UWindsor alum, Indigenous graduation coach and Lancer football offensive line coach Randy Beardy (KYLE ARCHIBALD/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Randy Beardy never imagined himself becoming a teacher.
“I’m kind of a rebel at heart,” he laughs. “If you tell me to do something, I have a hard time doing it.”
Rather than following in his mother's footsteps — also a University of Windsor BEd alum, Beardy (BA Psychology ’17, BEd ’24) says he wanted to become a football coach.
— Published on May 7th, 2026
Teacher candidate Brett Bjorgan was inspired to follow his father's footsteps into teaching and coaching (KYLE SULLIVAN/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
While having your dad teach at your high school may sound like a nightmare to some, for Brett Bjorgan, it was an inspiration.
“My dad is a secondary physical education teacher, and my high school experience was great having him there as a mentor and making sure I was doing the right thing and staying in line,” he says.
— Published on May 7th, 2026
Sanja Srdanov is a secondary art teacher and associate teacher mentoring teacher candidates from the Faculty of Education (S. SRDANOV/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
No matter where secondary visual arts teacher Sanja Srdanov (BFA ’01, BEd ’02) is teaching, her focus is both student-centred and grounded in craft.
A Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate from the University of Windsor, Srdanov emphasizes the importance of being a practicing artist as a visual arts educator.
— Published on May 7th, 2026
PhD student and secondary English teacher Samita Sarkar is researching high school teachers' navigation of a changing AI landscape (PROVIDED BY S. SARKAR/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
When Samita Sarkar was a new teacher, a lot was happening in the world. ChatGPT was going viral online — and so was a global pandemic.
As a secondary school English teacher, she found herself confronted with issues around artificial intelligence (AI) and student writing assessment with little to no policy guidance.
“We had to make high-stakes decisions around academic integrity, assessment and what counts as ‘student writing’ with no institutional guidance or administrative support,” she says.
— Published on May 5th, 2026
Retired Women Teachers of Ontario celebrated its 70th jubilee at Devonshire Mall (MIKE FLANAGAN/University of Windsor)
By Kate Hargreaves
Teaching has been part of Gina Marcon’s (BA ’87, BEd ’88) life since she was six years old.
“I knew then that I was going to be a teacher,” she says. “Every time my cousins would come over, we’d play school, and I was always the teacher.”
— Published on Apr 16th, 2026
Associate teacher Sherri-Lynn Soumis cites her mentors as inspiration in becoming an associate teacher herself (PROVIDED BY SHERRI-LYNN SOUMIS/University of Windsor)
