From Classroom to the Global Stage: A Journey of Impact by an Education Alumnus

In a significant achievement for educators, Annie Ohana, an SFU Education alumnus, social justice teacher and head of the Indigenous studies department at L.A. Matheson Secondary School, was recently recognized as a finalist of the Global Teacher Prize. The ceremony took place at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France on November 8, 2023, where Ohana, the sole nominee from Canada, emerged from a pool of over 7,000 nominees to secure her place among the top 10. 

The Global Teacher Prize, known for honoring educators making a profound impact on students and communities, has shone a spotlight on Ohana’s remarkable contributions. Ohana attributes her transformative journey not only to her over 12 years of dedicated service but also to the enriching experiences she gained through the Professional Development Program (PDP) and the MEd in Curriculum and Instruction: Equity Studies in Education.

In a recent conversation, Ohana shared insights into her achievement, reflecting on her extensive tenure at L.A. Matheson and the genesis of the Mustang Justice Program. Launched in 2013, this student-led social justice initiative has been instrumental in fostering conversations about equity and justice among grade 8-12 students.

Q: How have your experiences at SFU influenced your teaching philosophy and practices? 

A: I navigated the PDP, and then, five years later, in my master's program in equity studies. It was not always an easy or smooth journey, but despite the challenges, the Faculty of Education, especially Kau’i Keliipio, Christine Stewart, Kumari Beck and Özlem Sensoy, truly provided me with a model of what an educator can do and be. They showed how educators can guide and facilitate, remain critical, raise their voices against injustice, and teach in ways that promote identity, equity, and inclusion.

The seeds planted in those five years shape my practice today. While I have grown and evolved, the seeds planted during that time continue to flourish.

Impact on Future Educators and Ongoing Growth

It has been fulfilling and rewarding seeing my students and volunteers enter the PDP program, and I have been invited back to speak to PDP students on multiple occasions. I am thrilled when teachers on call and new teachers from SFU programs cover for me or share experiences about my lectures. Many have also applied to the MEd program. I believe in that program immensely and its potential to amplify and uplift educators like me, fostering transformative perspectives.

My experience in the PDP program, through the good, the bad, and the ugly, was always one of support. I was consistently challenged to think further and differently, to view education in a new light. I hope I have made them proud, continuing to push my practice forward. 

Q: What are your aspirations for the future of education and your role in advancing equity and social justice, especially considering your recent recognition as a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize?

A: I hope for a future where advancing equity and social justice no longer means emergency commemorations or acts of charity, where it goes beyond saving individuals harmed by injustice. Backward design it to a fundamental question: where does it begin? The answer is education. We need education to further advance liberation for all, to learn different stories, and challenge ourselves to use school-acquired skill sets dedicated to justice.

It is about undoing systems like patriarchy, capitalism, imperialism, and colonization—disrupting rather than perpetuating. Working with colleagues, fellow educators, and especially with the community, we follow Indigenous ways of knowing, emphasizing relational learning and our role as stewards of the land. Educators can do these things through pedagogy, curriculum, and by building merit in our systems. Why can't a more natural order be put in place, rather than fitting into denigrating systems?

My aspirations are for education to celebrate and learn about difference and diversity, guiding students in upstream thinking to build a better future, instead of spending endless time fighting. It wears people down, creating depression and anxiety—broken individuals pushing a broken system erroneously celebrated for resilience in trauma. I dream of a future where we do not have to teach or enforce that, where we learn to help those dealing with injustices through unity. Education, for a long time, tried to separate people from themselves and their cultures, making them part of an unnatural system.

It is cliché but tearing down and rebuilding the system, within every lesson plan, every day, and in our initiatives, we move forward in liberation. We joyfully deconstruct and reclaim, freeing ourselves from the long-standing systems of harm.