Igor Djordjevic
Glendon faculty members Igor Djordjevic, Marie-Hélène Larochelle and Maya Chacaby are the recipients of this year’s Principal's Teaching Excellence Awards. Djordjevic and Larochelle were both selected in the full-time faculty category, the former, with the award for more than ten years of experience and the latter, receiving the award for less than ten years of experience. Chacaby was the recipient in the contract faculty category.
The Principal’s Teaching Excellence Awards honour those who, through innovation and commitment, enhance the quality of teaching and learning at Glendon.
“I congratulate these faculty members on this well-deserved recognition,” said Donald Ipperciel, principal of the Glendon Campus. “The contribution they make to teaching and learning is undeniable. They have had a transformative impact on student education and experience at Glendon.”
Djordjevic teaches in the English Department; it is the second time in his career that he has won this award. He is particularly known for his dedication to students. In fact, one student stated, “Professor Djordjevic has made my experience at Glendon, and the experiences of so many more students, even more enriching. I believe his consistent commitment to his field, his students, this program, and this school deserves the recognition of the Principal's Teaching Excellence Award.” He was delighted to accept the award.
Marie-Hélène Larochelle
“Although there is nothing I would rather do in life than teach, I take this award as the new bar set for the quality of my work, and I will strive to meet it continually, every year, with every new generation of students,” said Djordjevic.
Teaching in the Department of French Studies, Larochelle is especially recognized for her mentoring skills. A colleague added, “Marie-Hélène has been relentlessly involved in both undergraduate courses and Master's seminars in French Studies, as well as in the Ph.D. in Francophone Studies.”
“Teaching today involves competing with the immediate connections valued by social media,” noted Larochelle. “Being chosen for this award provides me with the opportunity to interact and regularly connect with students.”
Chacaby teaches Ojibwe as part of the Linguistics program at Glendon. Colleagues and students have nothing but high praise for her teaching. One student noted, “When I signed up for this course, I was under the impression that it was a language course. Through Maya's innovative teaching style, and deep passion and understanding of the language and community, we learned how closely intertwined the language, culture, and history of indigenous communities are. Maya made us interrogate our understandings of history and culture, and opened my eyes to the injustice of rewriting history, and culture genocide.”
Maya Chacaby
“Nimaamoyaawagenimaag gaa mikwenimishiwaach niiji-aanikoominodewiwag” (I am very humbled by the kindness of my colleagues who considered me for this prize),” said Chacaby, upon accepting her award.
The Principal's Teaching Excellence Awards were announced on April 3 during the closing reception of the Research Colloquium on Linguistic Diversity. The Principal's Research Excellence Awards recipients were also recognized during this event.