A Smithers high school teacher was highlighted in a new book celebrating teachers in Canada.
A Noble Profession: Inspiring Stories of the Teachers Who Shape Our World was written by Peter Mansbridge and Mark Bulgutch.
“The book profiles teachers at every level from preschool to university in every province and territory,” said Bulgutch.
Smithers Secondary School art teacher Perry Rath said he was contacted by Bulgutch about two years ago after he received a Premier’s Award for Excellence in Education.
“I literally thought that email was just as scam cause I thought there was no way that this was Mansbridge and Bulgutch,” Rath said. “It was originally talking about my work that I got the diversity award for, which was related to my work with the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA).”
The alliance was started about 20 years ago when Rath started teaching at the school to help support 2SLGBTQ+ youth there and throughout the community.
“We came upon Perry in Smithers by looking at teachers who had won awards, and Perry had many,” said Bulgutch. “But he also stood out because of his extracurricular activities, especially with the [GSA].”
The book also highlight’s Rath’s work with the Honouring Our Elders Legacy Project, which pairs student artists with living Wet’suwet’en and settler elders.
“I was very honoured to be able to have that conversation with those two esteemed personalities,” said Rath.
“And when I spoke to him, all my perceptions of him turned out to be true,” said Bulgutch. “He is genuinely interested in and concerned for all his students.”
Rath called the experience validating because it allowed him to look back on everything he has done throughout his career.
“I’m just part of a team here at the high school and every teacher plays a certain role in certain groups of kids’ lives,” said Rath.
“There are so many terrific teachers in the country but they are so often overlooked or worse, criticized because there’s a very wrong impression that they are underworked and overpaid,” said Bulgutch.
Rath has won various awards for his work with the Legacy Project and GSA, and said getting to be highlighted in the book is a different kind of recognition.
“His experiences reflected the best of what a teacher can do – find ways to bring out the best in students and make them better people,” said Bulgutch.
Mansbridge is known for his time at the CBC anchoring The National for almost 30 years, and Bulgutch spent time with the broadcaster editing the program.
The book is available through major retailers, including Simon & Schuster Canada and Mills Interior Stationery in Smithers.
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