Jay Fedosoff teaches with the skill of a tailor.
His gift for creating lesson plans to fit the unique needs of each student has earned the Roberta Bondar Public School teacher provincial accolades. The Brampton Grade 6 teacher recently received a Premier’s Award for Teaching Excellence, presented to outstanding educators and staff in Ontario’s schools and school boards.
This year, 14 individuals and a nine-member team were recognized in six different categories. Fedosoff was named a Teacher of the Year for his dedication to students inside and outside his classroom.
The 32-year-old loves working in an environment that requires him to be adaptive and creative on a daily basis to meet the diverse educational needs of his students.
“It’s so dynamic,” he said excitedly. “It’s always going to be a different situation.”
Adopting a formulaic approach as a teacher or a coach would be easy, but not necessarily helpful to 20 or 30 kids learning in different ways and performing at different skill levels. Finding ways to connect with each individual student provides daily motivation for this young educator.
“That challenge is what drives me,” he said.
It’s fun to learn different things about students each day and on occasion have students teach him a few things. This year the students are teaching him about the sport of cricket. Fedosoff and some other teachers have organized a school team.
“I’d love to start a hockey team,” he admitted. “But that’s not what the kids want.”
For Fedosoff, teaching is about tailoring curriculum to the needs of students. Flexibility is a prerequisite for any good educator.
“If you’re inflexible with the multitude of things that pop up through a school day you’re only going to be creating stress for yourself,” he said.
He does not subscribe to the belief reinventing the wheel can be regressive or even destructive in the teaching environment. On the contrary, adaptive teaching is essential and can be fun, he said. Many of the teachers at Bondar are proof how successful that approach can be, he added.
“Some of the kids need the wheel reinvented because it doesn’t roll true for them,” Fedosoff said.
The former Peel District School Board graduate spent five years teaching at Brampton’s Massey Street Public School and the last three years at Bondar.
His path to the classroom began in high school, when he stopped playing competitive hockey and began coaching.
“I was just having a blast because I had a love for hockey and I was able to teach that to those kids,” he remembered.
It was such a fulfilling experience he began volunteering and was soon pursuing the same career path as his father. His father never pushed him to become an educator— simply advised him to find something enjoyable.
His devotion to students is also evident outside the classroom. In addition to being involved with a long list of student athletic teams, he also started the school’s Dad’s Club. The club brings fathers into the school on a regular basis to get involved with their children in various activities, get answers to questions they might have about their child’s education and engage them as parents.
The school has become a focal point in this relatively new and growing residential community.
“It’s not just about having fun with the kids, but being involved with the kids and tying it back to education.”
A good sense of humour helps create a fun environment that students enjoy. Students who enjoy coming to school are more likely to pay attention and get involved in the classroom.
“My sense of humour, according to my wife, is at their level,” Fedosoff said. “As long as we’re laughing and having fun I think we’re succeeding.”
Fedosoff was nominated for the award by Roberta Bondar teachers. Knowing co-workers he respected and admired held his work in such high regard seemed rewarding enough.
“There are a significant number of teachers here that could win that award three times over,” he remarked.
Learning the Premier of Ontario and Ministry of Education had selected him from among the stellar crop of educators nominated from across the province was surreal.
“To be included in that group is humbling to know I was part of that group,” he said.