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York Catholic is known as a school board with immensely talented teachers and staff. The Prime Minister has taken notice and this year, a teacher at Aurora’s St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School is being recognized for her outstanding and innovative teaching methods.
English teacher Frances Por, who teaches Grade 9-11 students, has been selected as a recipient of a Certificate for Achievement from the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. Ms. Por will be given a certificate, as well as a $1,000 cash prize.
The award is prestigious and hard to come by – Ms. Por was only one of 13 teachers recognized by the Prime Minister in the province and is ranked as one of the top 50 teachers in the country.
To be selected for the award, a nomination package must be submitted that includes a nomination form and letters of support. The selection committee then looks for specific qualities such as student skills development, innovative and exemplary teaching practices, and teacher commitment and leadership. The awards are then announced in October.
While colleagues and students are not surprised by her award, it’s still sinking in for Ms. Por.
“I am still in shock and not quite sure how to put all of my feelings into words,” she said the day after hearing the good news. “As you can imagine, I never in a million years expected such an honour to be bestowed upon me.”
Ms. Por’s classroom is one where students can become immersed in a play or book; they are no longer just readers but actually become part of the scene being created. For example, when Ms. Por led her class in a study of Macbeth, the entire school, both students and audience, donned costumes, dined on homemade foods of the period and listened to their peers performing live medieval music.
She is also incredibly generous with her time, often arriving at 6:30 a.m. with homemade treats for students during their weekly morning study sessions. These sessions are designed to help students with their Advanced Placement exams by engaging them with ideas about literature, discussing past test questions and finding out how best to help them to succeed.
Ms. Por is also known for her ability to link current and past world issues to every piece of literature read in class. From the global AIDS crisis, the Holocaust and social injustice, Ms. Por’s students learn about the world and issues that society faces through every book they read.
Ms. Por’s teaching methods don’t just influence students while they are in her class, but her talent as a teacher is long remembered after her students graduate.
"I have very fond memories of my high school English class, and I am grateful to Ms. Por for nurturing my love of literature and challenging me to approach what I read with a critical eye,” said a former student.
For Ms. Por, she’s most fulfilled when she’s in the classroom with students.
“I feel truly blessed to be part of such an amazing community and to work with the students that I do,” she said. “Being recognized for this amazing award is more than I ever dreamed of. I am the teacher that I am because of the people I am surrounded by, and I shared with recognition with all of them.”