Recipient:  Vicki McCuaig

School:  Stewart Avenue Public School

Number of Years Teaching:  12

Grade: 8, English and Math

Vicki’s own childhood motivates her to teach with excellence and passion.  Vicki said that in her childhood her home wasn’t a happy place because of anger and stress but that school was happy, and school was her haven.  She said that she always knew that she wanted to spend her whole life at school - sharing hope, joy and safe places with her students.  She creates these safe places by emphasizing what students are doing right with her words, comments, treats and for the really special things, a trip to the treasure chest.  Her grade 8s love it!  Often Vicki will give treats for nothing because it shows the students that her love and support is unconditional, she is here for them and she loves them. 

Vicki feels that she gets back from her students 100 fold the love and support she gives out.  She does not view teaching as a job, she loves to be with her students and she tells them that.  She also tells the parents how great their kids are.  Though she has to call them to communicate issues and difficulties, she has realized the value of bumping up the ‘good news’ calls to let parents know what their children are doing well - anything from them being respectful and polite to having successes in subject matters.  She wants parents to know that they don’t have to fear teacher’s calls.

Vicki is incredibly grateful her job, students and colleagues.

Sarah, one of Vicki’s students, wrote this:

Mrs. McCuaig has done so much for me during my last year of grade school.  Before I met her I was afraid to talk in front of classmates, afraid to be noticed, afraid that if I wasn’t perfect every second of every day that I would not be liked by my classmates.  Mrs. McCuaig has shown me that it is okay to be different, to not follow the crowd, to say ‘no’ to things that I don’t think are right.  She has inspired so many people to be the best they can be but at the same time she respected our privacy and space. She was a shoulder to lean on when she was needed and a helping hand all the time. 

Mrs. McCuaig is the kind of woman that loves everybody no matter what race they are or how smart they are or how pretty they are.  She is a loving, caring, self-respecting, motivating and beautiful woman and I will never forget her and what she has done for me in my teen years.