Teacher Leadership Program
The Churchill Society for
the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy is a proud sponsor of the
Teacher Leadership Program which is organized by the Education Outreach
Office,
Parliamentary Public Programs, Library of Parliament.
The following was
written by Lise Martin-Keilty a teacher a George Street Middle School in
Fredericton, New Brunswick. She was the 2003 Churchill Society
Bursary Recipient.
As a 2003 alumna of
Teachers Institute, I was thrilled when I was selected for the Library
of Parliament's new Teacher Leadership program. This program was
selecting alumni from Teachers Institute to prepare and present
workshops on Parliament of Canada programming to other teachers in our
provinces and territories. After my unforgettable week at Teachers
Institute 2003, this was an opportunity that I could not pass up.
The training week in
Ottawa gave us a chance to network with teachers from all across Canada
. All workshops activities and sessions throughout our week were hands
on and relevant to prepare us for our new role. We had to familiarize
ourselves with all the educational resources offered through the Library
of Parliament and be prepared to present these to teachers in our
respective provinces. During the week we also had time to enjoy the
beauty of Ottawa and what the city has to offer. Things such as the
changing of the guard and our picnic on the grounds of Parliament Hill
followed by an outside tour of the grounds were nice additions to our
week. The sound and light show on Parliament Hill was very moving and
after seeing it (twice!), it left me in awe of our great country and our
democracy.
Once becoming familiarized
with the many teacher-friendly resources of the Library of Parliament,
we were given the task to present a workshop to each other. This
exercise enhanced my leadership skills as I was exposed to different
presentation styles and we got a bank of ideas on how to present
effective workshops to adults.
I left Ottawa feeling
prepared for my new role as New Brunswick 's ambassador for the Library
of Parliament and with an excitement of sharing these resources with my
colleagues in New Brunswick . The Library of Parliament, through its
Teacher Leadership Program, managed once again to inspire me, make me
feel a renewed sense of pride of being a Canadian. This will surely
benefit all I do in the classroom in the future.
Lise Martin-Keilty
Fredericton, New Brunswick
