COALHURST – As the offspring of two teachers, Kailyn Deeble had a fair understanding of what the occupation might have in store for her.
Her first year in the classroom, however, has proven even better than she could have imagined.
“It has been such a wonderful experience to have my own classroom and form the bonds with the kids I have been able to,” says Deeble, adding she’s also enjoyed collaborating with her colleagues and getting involved with extra-curricular activities at Coalhurst Elementary School. “I’ve really been able to jump in with two feet.”
She was not only surprised but “truly honoured” when she learned she was Palliser Regional Schools’ nominee for the 2018 Edwin Parr Teacher Award. Her parents were among the first people Deeble called with news she was in the running for the outstanding first-year teacher award.
Having teachers for parents had a big impact on her life, she says, and she wanted to be emulate their example as positive role models.
“I wanted to be in a job where I could work with people and also be in a job where I could work with kids and be a positive influence in their lives. Through teaching I am able to accomplish both,” says Deeble, who teaches Grades 4/5 at Coalhurst Elementary School.
Each year the Alberta School Boards Association honours an outstanding first-year teacher from each of the six zones in the province. The local, Zone 6 winner will be announced at a banquet May 9 in Taber.
The award is named after the late Edwin Parr, a former school board chair who was president of the Alberta School Trustees’ Association (now the ASBA) from 1956 to 1962. The award was first handed out in 1964.
Principal Chris McIntyre says his first impression of Deeble during her job interview was of a kind and compassionate young lady, but perhaps a bit tentative. While he was dead-on as far as her character, McIntyre says he was dead-wrong about the other, and it’s clear she knows what she wants out of her classroom.
“She is quiet but the kids are engaged and the kids listen to every word that she states,” he says of Deeble. “It’s just amazing to see her in the classroom. She really has both that science of teaching and art of teaching, all in one package.”
Although it’s just her first year in the classroom, McIntyre says Deeble is already teaching at a level of a much more experienced teacher. The sky is the limit when it comes to her potential, he adds.
For her part, Deeble says credit is due to her colleagues. A native of Golden, B.C. who pursued her post-secondary education at the University of Lethbridge, she had no previous dealings with Coalhurst Elementary School before accepting a position there.
“From Day One when I walked in, it felt like I had known the school before because it just had such a welcoming atmosphere,” she says.
Edwin Parr Nominee 2018 Photos
