Note: Some footage used in this video was filmed prior to the pandemic and may not depict social distancing measures.
Transcription – Kim Ivanko – 2020 Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence
[Photo, with voice over. Photo: Woman standing in front of a school smiling. Music playing.]
"I'm a firm believer in lifelong learning. So it doesn't just take place in the classroom."
[Cut back to woman in the interview setting.]
"Like kind of like the Karate Kid. Like I'm going to teach you a few things, and later in in life you'll be like oh, right. It all makes sense now."
[Fade to black and then up to white with medium shot of woman, smiling, on the left side of the screen, with the following words appearing, line by line, on the right: Kim Ivanko, École Boréale, Hay River, Northwest Territories. Cut to Kim and students writing on a white board.]
"What contributes most to student success I would say is having people believe in them."
[Cut back to Kim in the interview setting.]
"That they can succeed, and that how they succeed may not be the same as any other classmates, but they're definitely able to do that. And I think especially in the north the adage like it takes a whole community to raise a child? It's very much so in education."
[Fade to black and then up to Kim in the interview setting.]
"I think that technology is very important. Because we are trying to develop students who perhaps the job doesn't exist yet that they're going to be having."
[Cut to photo, with voice over. Photo: Kim and students playing with puppets.]
"I still believe in pen and pencil. I think that, that's important as well."
[Cut back to Kim in the interview setting.]
"I find technology a very valuable tool. Especially for research, or just off the hop. A student comes up with a question and we're like hey, let's Google that. And we can go off on tangents from there using smart boards, or smart TVs, or interactive technology that way I think is really helped broaden my student's horizons in the classroom. And it's given me the opportunity to provide them with way more information than I would in the past."
[Fade to black and then to photo, with voice over. Photos: Kim and six students smiling at the camera; Kim and between two boys holding up cereal boxes; Kim kneeling in front of students sitting at desks working with pen and paper]
"The advice I would have to new teachers is be real. The students respect that more. Be real and don't take it personally has been the biggest one I've learned over the years. That students come with all different types of baggage to class. If they haven't slept, if they haven't eaten, if something's gone wrong with family, partners, whatever."
[Cut back to Kim in the interview setting.]
"So often times you're their safety zone. You're there rock. And so they feel that they can sometimes unleash on you. And you just can't take it personally."
[Cut to photo, with voice over. Photos: Kim with a group of students holding volleyballs; Kim and students holding up posters and signs]
"You need to be there for them, and have fun with learning in the classroom. If anyone was interested in nominating a teacher for the Prime Minister's Award I would thank them."
[Cut back to Kim in the interview setting.]
"I think most teachers do this not for the reward or the recognition. Because they truly do care about the students, and for the passion. And I know that the nomination process is onerous but I think it's important to recognize teachers who do go above and beyond."
[Fade to black, with the Government of Canada FIP and then the Canada Wordmark appearing in white.]
Year: 2020 — Province: Northwest Territories
Certificate of Excellence Recipient
English, grades 3 to 12
École Boréale
Hay River, Northwest Territories
Kim Ivanko is an inspirational role model for her students, their parents, her colleagues and the École Boréale school community.
As an English teacher for grades 3 to 12, Kim Ivanko is able to develop a special relationship with each of the school's students as they progress through her classroom. Actively involved in school activities, she is an essential resource both as a teacher and a coach for sports teams, a leader of the LGBTQS+2 program and a supervisor for extracurricular activities. She is without a doubt an exceptional person.
Teaching approach
Kim applies creative and innovative teaching methods to maintain and foster student interest and engagement. She prioritizes games that allow her to observe her students in action, track their progress and enrich her planning. She encourages collaborative learning that not only strengthens academic skills, but also promotes active listening, democracy and respect for the ideas and opinions of others.
In the classroom
- Through exchanges with Japanese correspondents, Kim encourages her students to use email and to vary the types of communication by adding different kinds of attachments.
- She encourages the use of Chromebooks for research projects so that students can improve their text comprehension and develop an interest in various genres and writers.
- Kim uses news programs, TED talks and YouTube videos to encourage students to write about their personal opinions and to incite discussion.
- She promotes discussion among students about the responsibilities and possible solutions to dangers posed by the Internet in order to help them become well-informed users.
Outstanding achievements
- Kim developed a mentoring program where high school students act as "big brothers" or "big sisters" to elementary school students, which encourages connections between different grade levels and creates a sense of community within the school.
- She coaches several teams and also trains students to become coaches so that they can develop their leadership skills.
- She leads the school's LGBTQS+2 program and offers students a space where respectful discussion and self-expression can take place without fear of discrimination.
- Her teaching methods and desire to motivate students have enabled her students to achieve very good results in provincial tests and diploma exams (the territories use the Alberta tests).
Contact us!
École Boréale
145 Riverview Drive
Hay River, TNO X0E 0R8
867-874-6972
eb@csftno.com
www.ecoleboreale.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/%C3%89cole-Bor%C3%A9ale-203996462983291/?rf=114917381856776