Quebec honours teacher for school trip tradition

Alan Grant first gained a love for French through an inspirational teacher at Windsor Regional. Now, Quebec City is honouring him for his exceptional efforts in teaching.

Grant, retiring from Hebbville Academy, Lunenburg County, this year, has been organizing school trips to the French-speaking capital of Canada for more than 30 years in the hope of providing a first-hand learning experience to students. “It’s great for them to try and do different things there.” Celebrating its 400th anniversary, Quebec City has recognized Grant’s efforts.

The French language and culture is very different from what students here are used to, Grant said. “It’s nice to be able to recognize that there are two official languages and cultures in this country… by having students able to actually hear French around them.”

When this journey was first planned, 31 years ago, there were about 20 students and one chaperone. This year, there were 226 students and 29 adults attending the trip to Quebec.

“It’s great to pass the love of French on to others as one of my teachers really influenced me in learning the language,” Grant said. “Dominique Henry was a great teacher… (He taught French at Windsor Regional)… because he had such high standards for students.”

Dominique Henry said, as a student, Grant was always very committed to his work and keen on learning French. “Now, he’s dedicated to his teaching studies and his students.”

Grant’s recognition is well deserved – and not only because he’s a respectable teacher – the trip is good for students as it teaches tolerance, Henry said. “When you come from a small town, like Windsor, you don’t have much perspective on the rest of the world.”

French is not just a high school subject, Henry added. “It’s a culture and a way of life.”