Belinda Daniels is on top of the world after learning she is one of fifty people selected for a $1 Million award for teaching.
The Saskatoon high school teacher made the top 50 list for the 2016 Global Teacher Prize.
Daniels teaches a Cree language class and Indigenous studies teacher at Mount Royal Collegiate.
She says a company she has been working with, One Story Inc., nominated her for the award a few months ago, adding she had to fill out a detailed application that was quite challenging.
She had to describe how she promoted global citizenship in the classroom, so she used her students – newcomers, refugees and First Nations – as an example.
“We created that community school garden at Mount Royal. It was about 6,000 square feet and we grew vegetables together,” Daniels says. “We grew potatoes together, squash and corn, got to know each other through the course of the year. So this is how I promoted global citizenship.”
Daniels says messages have been pouring in from her former students bringing tears to her eyes.
Reading one of the hundreds of messages she received, Daniels said “I can say that she was my favourite teacher in the last year of high school. She taught me a lot about my own culture, she showed me how beautiful the world is when you learn how to speak your own language. I am not surprised Belinda is up for this award.”
Daniels grew up on the Sturgeon Lake First Nation with her grandparents.
In February, the list will be narrowed down to the top 10 with the eventual winner receiving $1 million.