July 14, 2000
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA July 14, 2000 |
| Maxwell Cameron Medals
When Maria Coley, this year’s recipient of the Maxwell Cameron Medal in elementary education, started university she resolved not to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. “As a feminist, I wanted to pursue a non-traditional career, and was interested in law,” she explains. She kept her resolve through her first UVic degree, a BA in political science and environmental studies in 1998. But then “everything just pointed to teaching for me,” she says. “Maybe it was just my fate.” “I worked for two summers at Camp Shawnigan for kids with disabilities. I like kids and I love learning. I also want to make a difference and be of service to others. Teaching just seemed a natural choice.” Coley grew up in Black Creek in the Comox Valley. In school she was active in athletics, music and theatre. “I believe in good quality public education,” she says. So she entered the two-year UVic education post-degree program, and her success academically and in her practicum placements has earned her the Cameron Medal. Coley spent both her practicum placements at Lake Hill Elementary, where she taught Grades 4 and 6. “In the Grade 6 class I tried an integrated approach, teaching several subjects through a class examination of the food system. We focused primarily on environmental effects. We did data analysis of how much of the school’s garbage was related to food and examined how advertising affected food choices.” She also helped coach the women’s soccer and basketball teams and the cross-country team. Coley is an avid cyclist and hiker and has devoted a great deal of time working as a volunteer at community service agencies. Currently she’s summer service co-ordinator at Recreation Integration Victoria, supervising a staff of 10 who help children with disabilities participate in local summer camps and other recreation programs. The winner of the Maxwell Cameron Medal in secondary education for this year is Nancy Sylvain. |