Grande Prairie teacher wins award from Prime Minister

A Grande Prairie teacher is being recognized by the Prime Minister for her creative and empathetic teaching methods that inspire and empower students.

Parkside Montessori pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teacher Laura Noel is being awarded the 2024 Prime Minister's Certificate of Teaching Excellence.

“Laura’s work not only engages and inspires her students but also enriches her entire school community," said Sandy McDonald, Superintendent of Grande Prairie Public School Division (GPPSD).

"We are incredibly proud of her achievements and grateful for her contributions to our division."

The federal government said the award goes to teachers who have “demonstrated creativity in their approach to education, inspiring both students and peers to strive for excellence.”

Noel has created a classroom experience for her students that goes beyond its four walls and into the community.

She has encouraged her students to spread kindness and become involved in the community through trips to the Grande Prairie Care Centre, where students sing and do crafts with the residents.

“Our Montessori pedagogy, we really want to be making citizens of our community, really good citizens, not just closed in and kind of worrying about yourself, but someone who is thinking of others,” said Noel.

She wants her students to feel empowered and even though they may be between three and six years old, “they can make a difference.”

“I hope they (students) feel empowered because they can make a difference, and it's pretty incredible to see a little small person with that kind of mindset.”

Noel also allows her students to problem-solve about how they can make their school and community a better place.

Her classroom is full of “kindness ninjas.”

“The concept is that you invite the children to take on this alternate role of becoming this secret kindness ninja where they spread kindness without looking for any kind of accolades.

“So it starts small, where we invite them to become kindness ninjas, it's this big secret that we build up, and then they accept this, they take a pledge, and then we set out to spread kindness for the rest of the year.”

The ninjas begin to spread kindness in their classrooms and throughout the school, and it has even rolled into the neighbourhood, where ninjas have left notes in community orchards and under nearby rocks.

“It's really important for our littlest children to know that each one of us can change the world for the better and that the things that we do can have an effect on a lot of different things on our world, on our environment, on other people, and I want them to know that, even starting out very little, that their actions have an impact,” said Noel.

“I want them to feel that feeling that we know is so inspiring, the feeling that ‘I can make a difference.’

“I think that that's vital at every age.”

It has grown to where students begin to recognize people for what they are doing and want to thank them, said Noel. She notes students want to thank a custodian at the school for being kind or doing a good job.

Students have also brought coffee carts with snacks to teachers to thank them.

“They do a lot of work brainstorming what are things that I can do to be kind even to themselves,” said Noel. “They even think about how can I show myself kindness, and in turn help the world to be a kinder place.”

“It's really an interesting road that they take because they start getting into the ninja piece, but it really does become kind of this kindness initiative; it's very special.”

She said it also fosters independence in students at a young age.

“We're trying to empower them to know that they can do things on their own.”

Noel has been teaching for about 10 years, much of it with GPPSD.

“I'm really in the job of my dreams here; I've always wanted to work with little children this age.”

She is the first teacher many students as they navigate entering school and a new time in their lives.

“A big part of my job is to help them to feel really like they're happy at school and also like they're making a difference.”

Her students do just that, as faces light up when they visit residents at care centres, and people receive positive notes and letters from Noel’s students.

“Small things can have big ripples,” she said.

“It's an even bigger impact just because of how small and little they are, and we are so surprised and excited for them.”

Noel was among 69 of Canada’s top educators who received an award from the Prime Minister and the only Albertan to receive a Teaching Excellence award.

She is honoured by the recognition.

“I felt really validated to keep doing what I'm doing and to do the best that I can for my students,” said Noel.

She is travelling to Ottawa this week to receive her award and will speak about her teaching techniques and journey among other recipients on Tuesday.

“I really feel so appreciative to be in a team that cares for collaboration and cares for the community, like getting out there into the world and making a difference the same way that I do.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the awards, and recipients were chosen from 115 nominations.

Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News