By Katie Robinson - Chilliwack Progress - May 28, 2008

Mount Slesse middle school has an excellent teacher among its masses.

Technology teacher Eric Munshaw was awarded a Certificate of Achievement for the 2007-08 Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. He is one of 51 award recipients in all of Canada.

Quite the accomplishment indeed. Yet, Munshaw refuses to take full credit for his program.

“I’ll be the first to admit that there is little here that I have developed on my own,” he said. “I’m a great borrower of ideas. I take gems from different people here and there and tweak them to suit our people and our facilities.”

He hopes other teachers will start doing the same.

Munshaw’s technology program blends as many technology mediums as it can in one semester. His classes aren’t wood specific, nor metal specific, they’re wood, metal, plastics, electronics, computer design, engineering and more.

“Instead of spending eight months on woodworking, I do it in eight classes and then we move on,” he said. “I see kids getting much more benefit from a more broad-based program.”

The kids obviously do too.

During Munshaw’s lunch-hour, drop-in sessions, his shop is almost always full of students. They’re either working on computers, or wiring electric circuits, or working on plastics, or completing woodworking projects, or using a welding torch.

“My kids are always busy and active –?they’re like pigs in mud,” said Munshaw.

He hopes other teachers will take on his program and make it their own. And who knows, if they do, they could soon become award recipients for teaching excellence too.

Munshaw received $1,000 for Mount Slesse with the certificate of achievement.

 

Teachers 2008 PM Award Release

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