Orléans kindergarten teacher Patrice Hall-Johnson was among 35 educators from across Canada who were recently bestowed with the Prime Minister’s Award in Teaching Excellence Certificate of Achievement.

Hall-Johnson is currently teaching at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Blackburn Hamlet.

More than a kindergarten teacher, Hall-Johnson is a well-known leader in education both within the Ottawa Catholic School Board and beyond.

She is also a course developer and professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Ottawa, and she teaches in the Early Childhood Education program at Algonquin College.

One of the keys to Hall-Johnson’s success is elevating student voice by co-constructing play-based, kinesthetic and student-led learning.

“Kindergarten is the foundation and first school experience for many. Let’s make it memorable and build positive attitudes around school and learning.,” says Hall-Johnson, who has designed hands-on centres for kinesthetic learning while providing children the oppor-tunity to express their learning in ways that suit their personality and preferences.

She also places a great deal of emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness.

Being a multi-racial educator, Hall-Johnson prides herself on creating safe and inclusive learning environments that are built on trust and respect. Students in her classroom are proud to be themselves, celebrate each other’s differences and learn from each other’s cultures.

“Children learn best when they feel that they are in a comfortable and safe environment,” says Hall-Johnson.“

A part of building safe spaces includes building rapport with parents and families, and involving them in their child’s learning journey.”

Hall-Johnson is always developing new ways to strengthen ties with parents for the greatest benefit of the children. She stays in constant contact and invites them to take part in the learning process either in class or online.

“I like to reinforce what the students are doing in the classroom with newsletters for the parents that gives them the resources to continue the education process at home.”

And for those families who don’t have a computer, the board provides them with a Chromebook so they are never left out or left behind.

Outside of the classroom, Hall-Johnson is a mentor for the Black Educators Network (BEN) mentorship program which seeks to welcome and support new black educators in the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

She has written curriculum for both primary/junior and intermediate panels in the form of workshops, writing projects and professional development opportunities and she has created learning workshops and modules for educators, which support year round initiatives geared at celebrating black excellence and anti-black racism initiatives.

Probably the biggest ingredient to Hall-Johnson’s continued success is the fact that she loves what she does and she is confident in the knowledge that she is making a difference with her students every single day.