My teacher is a Global Citizen:

Sheelah McLean, Bedford Road Collegiate

Nominated by the Applied Citizenship 30 class at Bedford Road Collegiate

Sheelah McLean has been teaching at Bedford Road Collegiate in Saskatoon for two years and students and staff respectively see her as a role model, mentor and a friend. Her powerful and innovative teaching technique has inspired her students to be free, thoughtful, dedicated critical thinkers and most importantly, vehicles of positive action and social change.

Sheelah is a motivating and inclusive teacher and role model for all who have the privilege of her company and mentorship. She is a pioneer in her field, going where no educator has ever gone before by creating, from the ground up, a 30 level accredited high school course call Applied Global Citizenship 30.

The Applied Global Citizenship 30 class is a practical, involvement-based course that teaches global responsibility and leadership skills. Sheelah co-developed this 30 level (grade 12) class and is currently piloting it at Bedford Road, with tremendous success. She was active in the curriculum writing process, providing theory for the curriculum and is currently the only teacher in the city of Saskatoon teaching this class. Seeing as this is a pilot project, this class is not part of the regular timetable for students meaning Ms. McLean must be flexible and accommodating as she schedules meetings at lunches, mornings and after school. She has also organized full day workshops where the students in the class learn and discuss such things as anti-racist theory, poverty, human rights and sustainability. The students then took that knowledge and worked on their own projects and workshops that would educate others about what we were learning in class.  The global citizenship class is an applied course, where students receive a credit based on organizing and attending different events. A list of projects, events and workshops that the students have worked with this term were the Jane Goodall Roots and Shoots workshop (youth activism workshop), Stand Up and Speak Out, Stephen Lewis presentation of HIV/AIDS, Making Canada Inclusive and Safe Conference, Women's Rights Week, Act Nor and the Oxfam Unwrapped campaign. The students participated in all of these events and in some cases planned them as projects all under the guidance of Ms. McLean.

Ms. McLean received her Master of Education with a focus on anti-racist and anti-oppressive education, tagged with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Native Studies and English. She has published numerous literacy works on education theory, policy and is active in her school and community in a multitude of areas that range from advising Student Representative Councils and Gay-Straight Alliance clubs to being on a National Student Leadership Conference Committee. She has also coordinated activities for the International Day got the Elimination of Racism for the past ten years.

Sheelah has been recognized by the University of Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Board of Education and other external bodies and has won numerous professional and academic awards including the 2006 Centennial Scholarship Award for Academic excellence.