Prime Minister's Award For Teaching Excellence

Two members of our alumni community, Shelley Smith, kindergarten teacher with Holy Trinity Catholic School in Warman, and Nat Banting, mathematics teacher with Marion M. Graham Collegiate in Saskatoon and lecturer in the Department of Curriculum Studies, have been honoured with a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence Certificate. Only two were awarded province-wide this year.

Shelley Smith

To put an educational spin on the old tree-falling-in-the-forest adage: if a kindergarten student doesn’t realize they are learning by playing, are they actually learning?

If you ask Shelley Smith, kindergarten teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Warman, the answer would be a resounding “Yes!”

Throughout her 21-year teaching career, Smith has brought hands-on, play-based learning to her early years classrooms. That approach is now being recognized with a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence Certificate of Achievement. 

When walking into her classroom, you may find Smith down on her hands and knees working with students at their level—she’s interested in what they’re doing and discovering. “I’ve always wanted to work with young children,” Smith said. “I find that they’re most excited about learning. Whether you say you’re reading a story or whether you’re going outside, their enthusiasm for learning and their eagerness is endless.”

Continue reading on the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools news website

Nat Banting

High school math teacher Nat Banting (BEd'10) won a Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence Certificate in STEM, one of only two in the country.  

“It certainly is an honour because I know, firsthand, how many amazing mathematics teachers we have in our province. A large part of any success I’ve had as a teacher is due to the strong network of colleagues that I’ve surrounded myself with,” Banting told SaskToday.  

He added the award is an affirmation and validation of his work and teaching methods, which help his students appreciate mathematics.

“It also provides motivation to keep connecting with others with similar passions about teaching and learning mathematics. Maybe the award provides opportunities to talk about the possibilities of math education to a wider audience, but only time will tell," said Banting.

This recognition is not a first for Banting. In 2019, he was recognized with the national Margaret Sinclair Memorial Award by the University of Toronto and was the first Canadian to win the Rosenthal Prize for innovation and inspiration in math teaching from the National Museum of Mathematics in New York. 

Continue reading in SaskToday