Dr. Gerald Walton Receives Contribution to Teaching Award

Dr. Gerald Walton (Professor, Faculty of Education, Thunder Bay) has received a Contribution to Teaching award for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The Committee noted Gerald’s commitment to excellence in teaching and dedication to fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. In particular, they recognized that Gerald’s teaching “stands out for its adherence to humane educational principles, as well as advocacy for the needs of all learners.” They further noted that Gerald’s efforts to create a sense of belonging among students has not gone unnoticed, as the students who nominated him spoke of his “unwavering support in all dimensions of academic life, going above and beyond to ensure their success.”

Gerald explains that “it is a big honour me that I was nominated by international students. Apart from guiding them on how to achieve at the graduate level, I felt it was important to validate challenges that many experience such as language barriers, culture shock, loneliness, homesickness, and even racism, that I have never had to face in my studies. I admire their courage to leave their home countries to study here and I said so a few times in class. I hold students to high standards, but I also wanted to recognize the hurdles that many, perhaps even most, international students face. It's wonderful to receive such praise in the form of a nomination for this award.”  

Congratulations, Gerald!

Photo credit: Mr. Ankit Siwach