Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School teacher Rahna Dad Mohammad is the Edwin Parr Award nominee for Red Deer Public Schools.
The Edwin Parr Teacher Award is given out by the Alberta School Boards Association and honours six outstanding first-year teachers.
Mohammad, a social studies teacher, said she found her passion after coming to Canada as a refugee from Afghanistan with her family when she was six years old and that motivated her to find a career in teaching.
“I came from a war-torn country and one of the things that was so important in my family was education,” she said.
“My parents always emphasized the importance of being educated to get away from the many unfortunate things that were happening in our country. I always knew that I would eventually land in the teaching profession.”
Chris Good, principal at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, said they are fortunate to have Mohammad join their staff.
“She is a very caring, innovative and passionate teacher. She builds great relationships with her students and their families and is always finding new ways to engage her students,” he said.
Mohammad said her first year teaching was challenging, but she was happy to have landed at Lindsay Thurber.
“I think more than it being a recognition of my efforts, it’s a recognition of the school that I work for and the community that I’m part of,” she said, adding she has had many mentors throughout her journey.
“My accomplishments have all been made possible because of the mentors in my life including my high school teachers. Having role models in my teachers growing up aspires me to be the kind of a teacher where I am personable, reliable and the go-to person for my students. I hope to reach my students beyond their academia. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the opportunity I get to connect with my students and share experiences with them.”