A Prince George teacher has received the Prime Minister’s Teaching Excellence Award, which is the most prestigious prize awarded to teachers in Canada.
School District No. 57 (SD57) acknowledged Shannon Schinkel’s achievement at its public board meeting Tuesday evening.
Schinkel is a teacher at Prince George Secondary School (PGSS) teaching students from Grades 8 to 12 English, social studies and drama.
She is specifically a recipient of the 2022 Prime Minister’s Certificate of Achievement which recognizes her success and dedication in the changing of the culture of the classroom from measuring success in terms of grades to honouring progress, learning and growth.
As a teacher for 25 years, Schinkel has been at the forefront of a pedagogical philosophy that is centred on meeting students where they are in their development, which includes gradeless assessment replacing the traditional method that uses numerical rhetoric to measure intellectual capabilities.
Her classroom is designed to bring attention to the individual as she creates a continuous two-way street in her learning space.
She replaces reporting by collaboration, she guides and does not prescribe, and she focusses on learning quality as opposed to compliance.
As she explains it, students still "scream for grades because it's the carrot or stick they crave. When we learn progressive techniques that focus on learning rather that the grade, while still tracking growth, students are happier and more involved in their learning. They should be our partners in curricula and assessment, not simply the vessels we pour our ideas into."
She uses a tool called the sequence map, which allows students to immediately see exactly where they are and where they are trying to go and is a new mindset that brings confidence to learners.
Schinkel’s passion for gradeless assessment is known throughout the province. She launched a Facebook page on gradeless assessment and its implementation and relation to the BC curriculum. She now has a following of 1,700 teachers and her assessment strategies have been featured on national and international platforms.
“This is an honour for me for so many reasons because Shannon and I have actually known each other since high school so the fact that I am here today to be able to do this is amazing treat for me,” said Superintendent Cindy Heitman, who presented the award and flowers to Schinkel at the meeting.
“This is an award that a few people receive on an annual basis and the fact that one of our very own somebody I have known – I’m not going to say how long because that is going to tell you how old we are – is doing this work, is an incredible thing for our district.”
Over 1,500 educators have received the Prime Minister’s Teaching Excellence Award since its inception in 1993.
