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Celebrating Night Class Teachers

Job InterviewVisit a community college during the evening and it a very different environment than during the day. Sure, there are still students lingering in common areas, the library and maybe the gymnasium or fitness centre, but there’s a lot less action than the hub bub that encircles the day time hours of a college campus. Most of the full-time students, and the college staff and faculty have gone home for the day, leaving the hallways still with the occasional strategically placed “don’t slip” sign left by the janitor on a freshly washed floor.

It is in this environment that night class teachers arrive on campus, probably at the end of an already long day working their “day job.” You see, most college faculty that teach at night are often there because they simply enjoy sharing their expertise with others, but it doesn’t happen without a great deal of commitment. Teaching requires preparation, and when you are holding down a full time job and have personal responsibilities to attend to, tagging on extra hours to teach night classes is a lot of extra work. I know, because I’ve done it.

Unfortunately, the contributions that these lonely night teachers make to the college and the greater community often go unnoticed to the majority of the college population. With the exception of the manager who hired them, the students that take their classes, and the janitors that regularly work the evening shift and may eavesdrop from the hallway, their great work in the classroom is unheralded.

Recently I attended a night class at Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus on the History of Pembroke’s churches taught by local historian Bruce Pappin. The 3 hour class was sold out and Pappin’s presentation was captivating. After the class, I asked him how long he had prepared for the class. The answer was an astounding five full days! Pappin had pulled out some wonderful historical documents and photos to be used in his Powerpoint presentation that brought his lecture to life. By the end of the night, I felt that I knew some of the settlers who had built many of the magnificent churches that still stand in the city as a living tribute to the founding families of Pembroke.

History of Pembroke

A floor below, bird watching expert Bruce Dilabio was also teaching to a full class. As I was leaving the college I asked some of his students how they enjoyed their evening of learning. Overwhelmingly, the students were thrilled and spoke highly of Dilabio’s preparation for the course and how much information he had shared on this popular outdoor activity. Remember if was only the first night of a four night course and already Dilabio was being lauded for his expertise in teaching.

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Unfortunately, it was a pretty small crowd that truly appreciated how great the teaching had been on this rainy spring night in the Ottawa Valley. When the students left the classroom, both Bruce’s had a lonely walk out of the building to the parking lot, leaving the campus just before security locked up the doors and turned out the lights.

The point is these night class teachers go above and beyond what is expected of them in ensuring colleges offer the best product they can through their continuing education programming. It’s time to celebrate these less noticed faculty by recognizing their contribution to higher education in Ontario.

I’d love to hear your story about your favourite night class teacher or your thoughts on this blog.

Learn more about our night class teachers and our Continuing Education on campus!

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger

 

 

 

Speaker Series–One More Way Algonquin College Connects to Community

When most people think of colleges, they visualize young students attending full time programs. Given that the majority of college students are between the ages of 17 and 22 and enrolled in day time programs, they are making the right assumption about college.

But colleges appeal to an entirely different group of learners in their continuing education offerings. Many of these students are working full time, they are older, and they aren’t looking for a career, but rather an opportunity to keep on learning new things. Whether its for professional development or personal enjoyment, these students have a different type of connection to a college.

Algonquin College’s Waterfront Campus wants to reach more of these students. One of the strategies to do this is by expanding the college’s speaker series, an effort to bring high profile subject matter experts or interesting personalities to the community to share a lecture. The strategy is working!

In the next few weeks, the College will be hosting Ottawa RedBlacks President, Jeff Hunt, to speak about the return of professional football to Ottawa and the revitalization of Lansdowne Park into a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex. Hunt’s talk on March 18th will appeal to sports fans, but also to those who have an entrepreneurial spirit. Hunt is a self made man who started small with a cleaning business and eventually became one of the most influential business owners in the capital region.

Gwynne Dyer is arguably one of the most respected subject matter experts on international issues. The Canadian journalist, historian and commentator now lives in London, England, but frequently returns to Canada for speaking engagements. The 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War will bring Dyer to Pembroke on March 24th to speak about the “Lessons We Learned from the Great War.”

Whether you agree with some of Dyer’s opinions, and he certainly is opinionated, there is no question that he is one of the most compelling and interesting speakers of our time. His lectures are always well attended, and very thought provoking. It’s not surprising Dyer has won many awards for his writing and commentating over the years, including an Academy Award nomination for his documentary series entitled “War.”

It has been a long winter, but spring is near and Algonquin College’s Speaker Series will present CBC Radio’s Ed Lawrence on April 10th at Festival Hall. Lawrence is the CBC’s gardening expert and his weekly call in show attracts listeners from across the country. He certainly has the pedigree to be considered Canada’s top gardener, as he served several Canadian Prime Minister’s and Governor General’s before retiring from his gardening position at Parliament Hill.

The Speaker Series will continue to attract a diverse group of presenters, exactly what it should do. By offering a good variety of speakers, the College will be fulfilling its mandate to offer learning opportunities to people of all ages through its outreach programming. It will also be offering some wonderfully engaging entertainment through the power of listening to the spoken word.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger

Pembroke’s Wild West

Total lawlessness, violence and a lot of liquor consumption. Hard to think about Pembroke in those terms, but according to local historian Bruce Pappin, that’s exactly what it was like to be a Pembrokian during its “wild west” settlement period in the early 1800’s. Of course it wasn’t known as Pembroke then–that came later, when in the mid 1800’s , the area grew from a community of log shanties to a modern Victorian town built with a lumber baron’s money.

Over the past two centuries, Pembroke has evolved to become a small rural city, but it is its founding years that provide the most interesting stories. Those tales will come to life through the words of Pappin, who has been studying Pembroke’s past for almost 40 years, and will teach a “History of Pembroke” series, as part of our new Speakers Series at the Waterfront Campus.

The series is broken into four segments, starting with a History of Pembroke’s Churches and Patterns of Destruction–chronicling the impact of Pembroke’s great fires and how they changed the face of the community. Both of these classes will be offered in the spring. In the fall, Pappin will focus on the Wild West years in the mid-19th century and what he calls “Pembroke’s Golden Years,” from 1861 to the end of the First World War in 1918.

Pembroke’s Grand Trunk Railway Station was always a hub of activity. It was both a passenger and service
link for the community and was located near Pembroke City Hall.

The classes are sure to provide history buffs with a lot of great information and were sparked by a Facebook page that captures the imagination of anyone who is interested in Pembroke’s past. The site, known as “I’m from Pembroke, Ontario and I’m Not Afraid to Admit It,” now has almost 3,000 likes.

What makes the site authentic is its participation by people of all ages and the sharing of photographs that capture Pembroke’s early years. The dialogue is rich and quite often articles are posted that catch people off guard, like the one by local historian Jackie Patterson, who questioned whether Peter White was in fact, the Founder of Pembroke.

For the record, White still has the Founder title, as noted in the City’s official history on its website.

240px-Pembroke_April2006Pembroke City Hall. It was originally the City’s Post Office.

When people talk about Pembroke being a logging town, there is so much more to the story. Yes, it was trees that brought the early settlers here, but to really appreciate its history, you have to dig deeper, as Pappin has done. His research should be celebrated and shared. It’s why Algonquin College is so pleased to present his “History of Pembroke” series. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about Pembroke.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger