Introducing Justin Trudeau...

How does a non-Canadian describe Justin Trudeau? I think the most befitting word is Engaging.

After almost missing his talk, I was determined to meet the man that Charlotte has been enthusiastically talking about and after reading his biography, I knew I had to hear what this man was about. The closest that I had been to ANY Trudeau was the picture of Pierre Trudeau with Jeanne Sauvé in the salon, so meeting Justin was an honour.

Although there were few Sauvé scholars present, we had a good group of Education students from McGill Education join us. What I really appreciated about Justin was his short talk, like really short – so short that it was mainly him speaking a few minutes and opening the floor to questions. My goodness, we had a myriad of questions for him! We covered the pressing issues we faced as educators not only in Canada but worldwide and it can summed up into two words; relevance and hope. Those two words were like gold to aspirant educators like myself, as in the world we live in education has got to go beyond traditional routes but rather offer an opportunity for students to have a vested interest in their own learning. Gone are the days of a teacher imparting knowledge and hoping the students will retain it. Like the adage says, “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand”. This has been such a great reminder for me, as I strive to go beyond as an educator who goes beyond talking and showing my students but rather importantly, and intentionally, seeks to involve my students in their education.

Today has been a great day because Justin reminded once again the importance of being an educator. I’m in the business of changing lives and that’s what I hope to do – one Deaf student at a time.