Granum school and F.P. Walshe school teacher Ben Paskal is Livingstone Range School Division’s nominee for the 2022 Alberta School Boards Association’s Edwin Parr Teacher Award.
The award honours outstanding first-year teachers in Alberta, and according to F.P. Walshe Principal Chad Jensen, Paskal’s nomination is well-deserved.
“Ben is exemplary in building positive and productive relationships with our entire school community,” Jensen said. “He takes the time to ensure all of his students feel a strong sense of belonging. Ben celebrates the diversity in his classroom and uses humor to connect with his students.”
Granum school principal Nick Beer agreed Paskal is already a strong teacher.
“We have asked Ben to step out of his comfort zone and expand his professional body of knowledge, and he has done so without hesitation,” Beer said. “He also has an incredible rapport with students. They respond really well to Ben’s caring and fun demeanor.”
Paskal balances teaching Art, Math, and Physical Education to students at Granum school in the morning with teaching Math, Science, Shop, Physical Education, and Tourism at F.P. Walshe in the afternoons.
It may be overwhelming for many first-year teachers, but Paskal’s journey to become an educator has prepared him for just such challenges.
“Teaching has come full circle for me,” said Paskal, who went to university straight out of high school with the intention of combining his love of working with kids and his love of woodworking to become a shop teacher.
Soon the woodworking part took over and Paskal got into construction and log home building for many years.
But Paskal kept getting drawn back into working with kids, including coaching. Eventually, he was drawn back to the path he had started years earlier and Ben returned to school to pursue his education degree.
“Although it was a different route to the profession, I feel more prepared to be a teacher now than when I was younger, so perhaps it was meant to be this way,” Paskal said.
“I became a teacher because it’s a very rewarding career where you get to establish relationships, be a role model, and help kids learn to learn.”
School boards across the province nominate one exceptional candidate for the Edwin Parr Teacher Award to their Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) zone committee each year.
The successful nominees from each zone are honoured at the ASBA fall general meeting.
“Being nominated for this award is a surprise and an honour,” Paskal said. “I don’t know that I’ve done anything different than any other first-year teacher out there, but I do appreciate it. I feel very lucky working with two amazing schools, two awesome staff, and fantastic administration at both schools.”
