Embedded Files
Written by: Chloe Rovinelli and Alyssa Psaila
Photo by: Chloe Rovinelli and Alyssa Psaila
Contributor: Hannah Prisco and Zara Ahluwalia
After four and a half years, Ms. MacRae, one of our vice principal’s here at T.A. Blakelock, has announced that this will be her final year at TAB. She has decided that it is time for well-deserved retirement. She intends to travel and take on some new adventures, though she hopes she to be a supply vice principal in the future.
Ever since Ms. MacRae was a preschooler, she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Ms. MacRae studied at McMaster University and Niagara University for her Master's in Education, as well as taking a variety of courses at other Ontario universities.
Throughout the years she has taught at seven other schools, taught many different grades and has taken on numerous roles; Ms. MacRae has taught Language Arts, English and worked as a highschool librarian. Her years here at TAB have been spent in administration.
Over the four years Ms. MacRae has been at Blakelock, she has helped to do many great things, although her proudest accomplishment has been the work she’s done with our CPP program. “I think our kids are really unique, and our staff work extremely hard. So I’m proud of how I am able to support that work. It’s very, very demanding because every child has unique needs, that require patience and skill” commented Ms. MacRae.
She is also very proud of the work put in by our TAB teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as how effectively everyone adapted to online classes and the use of technology. She is also pleased to have left behind some amazing wall art that embodies the pride she feels for our school. Ms. MacRae has had many great experiences at the school, but some of her best have been helping the school with literacy, equity and wellness. Our school has had an outstanding amount of growth in those areas, and Ms. MacRae has had a lot to do with it.
Ms. MacRae feels that teaching is one of the best professions in the world and that working in education is a very rewarding career path. "You get to help people; you get to make a legitimate difference in their lives.” She also believes that in teaching, you can widen your family. It is very rewarding to help students that are struggling. Helping students to open doors to new opportunities and experiences, is what she will miss the most.
Ms. MacRae has admitted that it will be a completely new experience once she has retired because, other than summer breaks, she has been in school for as long as she can remember. First it was grade school, then university, and teaching in a variety of different schools. Ms. MacRae is excited for retirement. She has a few ideas of what she will do and is sure that something good will come her way. She looks forward to new opportunities and challenges.
We can all agree that Ms. MacRae is a big part of the Blakelock community, and we will all miss her greatly, and we know that she will miss us too. We hope to see her in future years as a supply vice principal, and we wish her the best as she begins this exciting new chapter of her life.
Page updated
Report abuse