INNISFAIL – When Maddie Pereira arrives at school and heads to class her daily wish is to see her students excited about what she teaches them.
“I hope to be someone that teaches a subject where students feel like they are excited to go home and tell their parents about it later,” said Pereira. “I just want them to be excited about what they are learning. That’s my goal.”
Pereira, a Red Deer native, is just 24 years old and in her first full year of teaching. She came to Innisfail on May 1 of last year after completing her student practicum in Red Deer on April 30.
“The day I finished my practicum I got hired to start on a Monday (May 1) for Innisfail High School. I really just got lucky,” said Pereira.
After teaching the final two months of the school year in 2021, she returned to Innisfail High School in September. Pereira is now heading to complete her full school year of teaching, and has been turning heads with her instruction on science, health and physics.
In fact, Pereira has been so impressive she has earned the Chinook’s Edge School Division nomination for the prestigious Edwin Parr Award.
“Maddie’s level of understanding of the curriculum allows her to teach at a very high level,” said Wayne Pineau, principal of Innisfail High School. “Her students love her and work hard for her, and they are reaching such great success. She has a strong positive presence with her peers, as well, and she impacts the school as a whole.”
The Edwin Parr Award is an Alberta School Boards Association initiative that recognizes teachers who are new to the profession and who show significant promise in their first year. Each of the eight school divisions in Zone 4 select a nominee to be honoured at the annual Edwin Parr event, which will be held on May 30 this year.
“I was pretty surprised to be honest,” said Pereira, adding the process for her nomination included being “observed” giving a physics lesson. “Usually, people think physics is boring but after the lesson I think they realized that I really liked my subject and I try to make it relevant, and I think they noticed that.”
She said the reason she chose teaching as a career was because of the students, adding it’s rewarding seeing them every day, connecting with them, and experiencing their joy about what they’re learning.
“I think that is the reason I chose to be a teacher, the kids that I get to see every day and see how much they have grown throughout the entire year is really very rewarding,” said Pereira.
She is also grateful for the collaboration at the school among the teachers, notably from veterans who freely pass on their vital experience to those who are new to the profession.
“I hope to be someone who new teachers can come and get advice from one day,” said Pereira, adding she, like everyone else, hopes to make a real difference on the lives of students and everyone around her.
“I think that is everyone’s biggest goal in teaching. I feel like I am already starting to see their progress," she added. "Just being that person that they have someone to go to get help, or even just to talk.”
