Dr. Selma Wassermann: Chapter 3 - Establishing Identity

As Selma walks down memory lane, she reminisces about the time with John Ellis, one of the central figures in the charter community. He gallantly tried his utmost to translate his off-the-book visions into workable practices and soon put SFU’s Faculty of Education "on the map" at a precarious moment in its history. Alongside him was Archie MacKinnon, whose audacious belief that teacher education should begin inside classrooms shaped the Faculty's central/fundamental philosophical foundation.

Selma mentioned the word "pivotal" several times while talking about  Jack Patterson, who worked behind-the-scenes, strengthening public relations and opening doors for the Faculty across British Columbia. He often travelled to meet skeptical school superintendents and used persistence and human connection to secure placements for SFU student teachers. Districts that once refused SFU students soon began inviting them.

There were numerous members whose work reflected the Faculty's ideals and practices. Maureen and Neil McAllister, among many others, exemplified teaching as a moral and relational practice. Selma recalls walking into Maureen's classroom and being overwhelmed by the care, imagination, and respect for children that defined it.

She remembers staff like  Stan Kanehara, who worked in the background and quietly followed on innovations like these, finding ways to support unconventional ideas, like placing a piano in a classroom, which meant beginning each day with music, reflection, and group work.