Published in Education Today, Fall 2008:
     This year, Eleanor Currie of West Carleton Secondary School was given the Lifetime Achievement honour among the Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence. For more than 40 years, she worked tirelessly to help all the students in her classes and department to achieve and learn to the best of their abilities.
     “She has been called ‘tough’ and ‘unreasonable’ by students who choose to just ‘get by,’” wrote Jean Cory, principal of West Carleton, in her nomination letter for Currie, “but interestingly, it is these very students who, years later, flock to Eleanor with gratitude for the way that she made them do their best in spite of themselves.”
     Cory referred to a grade nine student who complained about how hard he had to work for Mrs. Currie, yet who, at graduation, could barely speak because of the emotion he felt for her. He is now involved in a Facebook account for “fans” of Eleanor Currie.
     Currie says that she cherishes the Facebook account greatly. “It was wonderful to hear from a great number of students from as far back as 20 years ago,” she notes. “The messages came from all over North America and beyond.” Then she diverts attention away from herself. “What a wonderful communication tool!”
     “Eleanor is a legend in our school and our community,” declares Cory.
     The Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence are given in several categories every year by the Ministry of Education. There are many selection criteria for the Lifetime Achievement nominees, two of which are that they must have at least 25 years of experience and have made “a career-long contribution to the school community and had a significant and lasting impact on the learning environment,” as the Awards’ Web site specifies.
     Currie more than meets the length of experience requirement. After 42 years of teaching, she retired “reluctantly” as she put it, in February of this year.
     “In an era where teachers are counting their retirement factors and planning to retire at the earliest opportunity,” writes Cory, “Eleanor has earned a factor over 102 – an incredible feat in a difficult and demanding profession. If she had a choice, she would continue to teach until, as her husband has said, ‘she dropped dead with chalk in her hand.’”
     Cory reports that Currie is both the face and heart of the school community. Parents and students speak only positively about her. They try to ensure placements in Currie’s classes. Valedictorians mention her in their speeches, and children of her former students want to be in her classes because their parents speak highly of her influence.
     It appears that through everything Currie did, she had an impact on the learning environment. As a department head, she asked every teacher to keep a binder of materials for every course so that it could be shared with other teachers. “This ensures consistency in teaching and goes a long way in building a strong program in all her subject areas,” notes Cory.
     Currie is fabled for her tirelessness. As Cory describes it, “Eleanor is always available for her students, arriving long before the day begins and staying long after. Her door is always open during the whole day and she very frequently spends her lunch hours with students, giving extra help, extra time or conferencing with them.”
     Currie puts little emphasis on burnout. “I think that no one is ever totally able to avoid exhaustion in this profession,” she explains, “but loving what you do and being highly organized help keep energy and commitment very strong.”
     Even before students enter high school, Currie would be learning about them. She would meet grade eight teachers to find out the students’ needs in order to ease their transition into high school. She chose to teach grade nine so that she could help with  students’ individual learning challenges.
     “My main objective is to know each student well enough that I am able to be aware of the individual’s potential and to build on strengths,” says Currie. “Ultimately, one hopes to lead a student to awareness and acceptance of self. Literature is an excellent tool for the discussion of values and attitude. The goal is that by concentrating on self-confidence, organizational techniques and communication skills, a student will become very aware of the relevance of the material.”
     When asked the best way to handle difficult situations and problem students, Currie replies “One must respect all students and treat them in a manner that you hope they will respond to positively. Many problems are caused by students feeling humiliated or unaccepted. By knowing the background of each student, and caring about each one, I find that many problems can be avoided.”
     She appears to have been a natural as a teacher.
     “I knew that I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age,” she reveals. “I attended a one-room school, all eight grades with one teacher, for my own elementary education. Since there was never anyone else in my grade, I worked at my own pace. When I finished my grade work, I would volunteer to help the younger children with reading and math. I knew even then that helping someone to understand and solve problems was a very enjoyable task. By the time I finished my university degree, I realized that English literature and language were the subject areas that I wanted to teach.”
     It is not surprising that Currie was active in her school literacy program. Cory notes that West Carleton’s EQAO scores are among the highest in the area. 
     “This is due to Eleanor’s guidance of the program, commitment to excellence and leadership in ensuring that all students learn to their potential,” adds Cory. “Her strategies to support student learning and literacy include a whole-school approach that, under Eleanor’s direction, involves all teachers and all departments. She conducts gap analyses to determine needs and addresses these gaps in preparing students for learning and for assessment. She conducts training for all grade 10 teachers in all subject areas in order to support literacy instruction and to prepare students for the OSSLT. She coordinates the student training sessions leading to the test where every grade 10 class works on literacy skills in that subject area. Students regularly report that this preparation helps them in feeling confident in their ability to be successful in the tests.”
     Cory notes that Currie’s training efforts are regarded as best practices in her board and that Currie has shared them with other schools.
     “As a member of the English Subject Council, her guidance and help is sought by teachers from many schools and her influence is very far reaching,” says Cory.
     Currie’s advice to new teachers is “It is absolutely essential to see each student as part of a school, a family, and a community. If someone had [pointed this out to me at the beginning of my career], I think that I would have been much more patient right from the start. Also, you really need to find young people intriguing to work effectively with them. Their creativity and energy never cease to amaze me.”
     Cory reveals that “Eleanor’s professionalism and assertiveness in supporting her staff and students is only one side of her personality. The other side is that she is truly a kind and caring teacher who recognizes the whole student and encourages their character development. Her department members describe her as kind and caring in her interactions with them. A teacher need only ask and Eleanor will work tirelessly to gather resources and sit down and work with the teacher as long as is necessary to help.”
     One thing that Currie appears to have had to force herself to do is to look silly.
     “Eleanor also fosters school spirit,” says Cory. “Although she dreads it, she willingly participates in student spirit events such as Hallowe’en costumes, dress-up days, assemblies and teacher/student events.”
     She would even get in front of the camera when staff would prepare a year-end video to amuse the students.
     Cory sums up by explaining “I have been in the teaching profession for over 30 years and have worked in many high schools as a teacher and administrator. I have known excellent teachers and have been privileged to work in terrific schools. Eleanor is one of the few “Master Teachers” with whom I have ever worked. She is perhaps the best educator I have ever known. I have always measured my regard for teachers by the question ‘Would I want this person teaching my own child’ and in the case of Eleanor Currie the answer is unequivocally ‘Yes.’”
     Now that the “legend” has retired from her teaching career, Currie says “My first objective is to spend a great deal more time with my four very young grandsons and my husband.” One expects that these children will be very well equipped to achieve in school from the very first day.