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Sukhdeep Kaur Chohan of Hickory Wood Public School of Brampton, Ontario, is the only South Asian teacher to receive the 2013 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. The awards were announced to coincide with National Child Day, which marks the date that Canada adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). […]

Sukhdeep Kaur Chohan of Hickory Wood Public School of Brampton, Ontario, is the only South Asian teacher to receive the 2013 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

The awards were announced to coincide with National Child Day, which marks the date that Canada adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said: “Good educators guide, inspire and motivate us to want to learn on our own. They sow the seeds of knowledge that yield well-educated Canadians who are able to compete with the best in the world and generate new ideas and prosperity.”

He added: “I would like to congratulate all of the recipients of this year’s awards on their remarkable achievements. It is particularly fitting to be celebrating their merits on National Child Day.”

Teaching is a divine blessing that allows one to serve children from the heart.
~ Sukhdeep Kaur Chohan

The awards recognize outstanding elementary and secondary school teachers who, through the innovative use of information and communications technologies, help Canadian students meet the challenges of a 21st century society and digital economy. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this award, with more than 1,600 educators honoured to date.

Chonan used “Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s words, saying “Make divine love thy pen, and thy heart the writer,” are the core foundational pillars upon which my teaching practice rests. I believe that teaching is a divine blessing that allows one to serve children from the heart.”

She added: “That entails connecting them to the world outside the classroom, providing opportunities where their ideas blossom, instilling ideals for serving humanity with compassion (Seva), and establishing a platform from which they can share their voices with the global community.

“By providing an inclusive and inviting classroom environment in which varying learning needs are met, differences are respected, cultural traditions are cherished, and religious practices are honored, it is important for me that each of my students feel acknowledged and loved, thrive in a nurturing environment, and know that their presence in the world makes the world a better place.”

Dhan Sikhi! Dhan Khalsa!