Surrey educator wins award for excellence in teaching
Principal lauds messy classroom where setting is collaborative, learning is organic
To get an idea of what Annie Ohana is like as a teacher, all you need to do is visit her classroom at Surrey’s L.A. Matheson Secondary School.
In the alcove outside there’s an enormous inflatable ball with the word “love” written on it in capital letters. Students have used pens and markers to add their own positive notes and doodles to the ball.
Inside, posters, slogans and artwork cover each wall and fabric, decorations, teaching materials, art supplies and student projects are strewn on every horizontal surface.
At virtually any time of day, there are students in the room.
“In education, there’s been a shift and one of the phrases that’s been thrown around is that learning is messy,” said L.A. Matheson principal Rex Hayes.
“Annie is an example that learning is messy. It’s not a neat, ordered environment — it’s a collaborative social setting where learning is organic.”
Ask Ohana about the state of her classroom and she laughs.
“It feels like home,” she said. “This is my curriculum. What I teach is so important, I need them to see it all the time.”
Ohana is one of six B.C. teachers who received a 2016-17 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Thirty-six teachers across the country were given certificates of excellence or achievement. Ohana received a certificate of achievement and $1,000, which she is reinvesting in her students.
According to the awards’ website, “Annie Ohana is far beyond a teacher — she is an advocate for her students, a champion for her community and an original thinker. Taking her pedagogy to the next level, Annie brings curriculum to life in a way that is all encompassing, life changing, and empowering for her students, her colleagues, the school and the community.”
Hayes said Ohana, who has been teaching for almost seven years, is “well deserving” of the award.
“I could go on singing her praises and accolades. It’s pretty easy to do,” he said. “She far exceeds any expectations you have of a teacher.”
Ohana wears a variety of hats at L.A. Matheson, teaching courses like Social Justice, Law, Social Studies and French.
She’s also the aboriginal department head, aboriginal teacher advocate, writing workshop director and teacher sponsor for a number of clubs.
Hayes described Ohana as compassionate, caring and mindful, and said she’s highly invested in the school and its students.
Ohana’s influence extends beyond the walls of her classroom.
She works with local business and community groups to organize social-justice events with her students, has developed a mentorship program with feeder schools, worked with math professors at Simon Fraser University to develop an aboriginal math workshop, and has developed an internationally used curriculum around the Israel-Palestine conflict, anti-poverty and cultures of peace.
One former student, who had Ohana for Grade 9 French, said Ohana was more than just a teacher — she was an influencer and companion who was easy to talk to and had a positive attitude.
“I’ve just finished my third year at the University of Victoria, and even today, Ms. Ohana actively sheds light on multiple issues in politics, culture and equality,” said Yasmin Khader. “She participates in various charitable events and activities for change which she stands behind and does so selflessly.”
Another former student hopes to pass on Ohana’s lessons.
Ashley Baryer is a third-year university student who was in Ohana’s social justice class in Grade 12. She aspires to be a teacher.
“Ms. Ohana was the first teacher I had that let me know the importance of my voice,” Baryer said.
“She is always encouraging and supportive of her students and allows them to know that no matter how big a task at hand may be, that they can make difference,” she added.