A Caledonia Secondary School teacher is one of more than 30 education professionals from across the province being recognized for their contributions to their students, schools and community through the 2023 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education.
Davy Dosanjh, a teacher for nine years, is receiving a $2,000 taxable bursary for professional learning and $1,000 to be spent at the school for professional learning for his placement in the school leadership category of the awards.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dosanjh is the chair of Caledonia’s social studies department, is involved in the school travel club, a debate club and is a key organizer each year of information and scheduling so that graduating students can apply for scholarships and bursaries.
That latter role continues beyond the school to his sitting as a board member of the Northwest Scholarship Foundation. A registered charity formed in 1977, the foundation encourages donations leading toward scholarships for graduating students and acts as a steward of the money it receives.
Born and raised in Terrace, Dosanjh himself is a 1998 graduate of Caledonia who went on to first obtain a Bachelor of Arts then a Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University.
“This classroom I’m now in, was the same classroom I took history in from Mr. [Henry] Dreger,” said Dosanjh of the room he now guides students through a variety of courses such as First Peoples studies, comparative cultures, social justice and genocide.
Dosanjh said teaching has moved past learning by memorizing to learning by doing — emphasizing independent research projects so that students gain different perspectives.
The shift also recognizes the need to provide a diverse range of courses that take in student interests and backgrounds.
“It’s all part of making education relevant,” said Dosanjh. “What I try to do is provide a framework for students to develop critical thinking.”
One of the more popular courses is Genocide Studies 12 with Dosanjh saying the students who take it are a testament to wanting to learn about the injustices of the past and how they relate to the world of today.
Dosanjh was nominated by Caledonia Secondary counsellor Patsy Chant.
He said Chant along with former Caledonia counsellor Robin MacLeod and former Caledonia principal Keith Axelson, gave him the space and opportunity to grow as a teacher.
“There were lots of others but these three people were the key,” Dosanjh added.
Dosanjh has just started a Masters of Education program at UBC and will use his personal bursary to help pay for expenses. He has yet to decide how the school-based bursary will be used.
The awards were first provided in 2018 and this year, recipients were honoured Oct. 26 at a ceremony hosted by the Lieutenant-Governor Janet Austin at Government House in Victoria.