October 5 is World Teachers' Day, a celebration launched by UNESCO back in 1994. There are 60 million teachers worldwide. 1600 in the Central Okanagan. Today is a day to recognize and thank the good ones.
Moyra Baxter is Chair of the Central Okanagan Public Schools Board of Education. She says the ideal teacher is a great listener and is able to assess the needs of students. She says being a teacher is unique because you have other peoples' children in your care all day long. Trust, safety, continuity and support are key connections between a teacher and a student.
"Being a teacher is a really important job" she says, "today's students become citizens of the future."
Baxter says fortunately, school districts don't have a problem attracting quality candidates when jobs are available here. UBCO is now graduating quality teachers and there's the Okanagan lifestyle. Many teachers from other parts of the province and the country want to move to the Valley so there's no shortage of applications.