Winning Teachers 2008
Maureen Hogan
Developmentally delayed class
Carleton Heights Public School
Ottawa
In the category of Elementary Teacher, this year we recognize Maureen Hogan.
We have all been inspired by a teacher from our youth, someone who gave us direction or saw something in us that we didn’t know was there. Maureen Hogan provides that inspiration for parents as well.
Ms Hogan leads the Developmentally Delayed class at Carleton Heights Public School in Ottawa. Colleagues call her arrival a transformational turning point for the class. Parents see it as a turning point for their families. Her program focuses on helping students acquire daily living skills beyond academics.
The students from the affectionately dubbed “Sunny Room 13” distribute newsletters, collect attendance sheets, shred documents, run the school’s milk program and manage the recycling system. A breakfast club sees them shopping for ingredients, preparing food and tidying up. These are milestone activities for Ms Hogan’s students.
Let me share the story of Owen, whose father wrote in support of this nomination. Owen’s dad visited the school and was shocked to find that his son could open a locker, remove his outerwear, change into his shoes and put them in the correct place.
Owen’s dad wrote, “These tasks - taken for granted by the average person - represent a significant milestone for my son, and they bring him a step closer to maximizing his independence…It is a great feeling to now be able to concentrate on issues peripheral to his education….we are virtually worry free when he is at school."
Ms Hogan has also worked to integrate the class with the rest of the student body. Since her arrival at Carleton Heights, her students have joined in public-speaking contests, track and field and, as a class, in talent shows, holiday concerts and field trips. It is a lesson in diversity for the entire school.
Let’s watch her in action.
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