Local teacher Gayleen Roelfsema has been nominated for a provincial Excellence in Teaching award. The Grade 9/10 teacher and vice-principal of Olds High School said considering that the nomination comes from fellow teachers and parents, she feels fortunate to be considered among the province's best teachers.
“It's a very humbling experience to be nominated because as I look around at my colleagues and see the amazing work that's going on in so many areas in this school, I just think that everyone that I work with deserves an Excellence in Teaching award. It's such a rich environment to be a professional part of,” she said.
Roelfsema has been teaching for 25 years, the last 20 of which have been spent at Olds High School. She began her career in Saskatchewan before moving to Olds.
Roelfsema said she has thoroughly enjoyed all her years in the classroom.
“In this profession, we're not always looking for recognition, because we get so much positive feedback every day from our jobs … I think I probably get more joy from what I do every day than necessarily from the recognition, but it is very humbling to be recognized,” she said.
Roelfsema said the community of Olds has been a great place to raise a family and teach.
“What I found at this school is we're constantly moving forward with initiatives to make school a better place for students and to ensure that each student reaches a personal level of success. And those movements forward keep you rejuvenated because you're always looking to better the profession for the students,” she said.
The awards recognize innovation and excellence in teaching in the classroom, something principal Tom Christensen said Roelfsema exemplifies.
“She is just able to … make a group work together in a way that is quite masterful,” he said.
Christensen said Roelfsema spends a lot of time with students on an individual basis talking to them about projects.
“She always knows the newest trends in education. She is very insightful into curriculum. She's able to analyze curriculum, what are the real important aspects of it,” he said.
Roelfsema's ability to break down curriculum also helps colleagues at the school.
“We have a thing at the school we call curriculum build and that's largely been an initiative by Gayleen where she has just helped a lot of other teachers … analyze their curriculum better,” Christensen said.
Roelfsema will be going to a regional event in Calgary on April 18 where she and her fellow semifinalists will be recognized. From there, 20 teachers will be chosen to receive Excellence in Teaching Awards in Edmonton on May 25 at an event hosted by Education Minister Jeff Johnson.
