Members of Inclusion Weyburn presented the Superannuated Teachers of Weyburn with a 'Spirit of Inclusion Award' on Wednesday at the Wheatland Seniors Centre.
In-Wey President Jackie Wilson said the way retired teachers still care about children and youth continues to shine through long after they retire from teaching.
"You know the old saying, 'You can take the teacher out of the class, but you can't take the class out of the teacher' sort of along that line," she shared. "They've always cared for children, and they likely always will."
Wilson noted the Superannuated Teachers were the first group to contact Inclusion Weyburn in its early days to request a presentation to learn more about inclusion.
"We're very fortunate that a number of groups in town have done that and that just shows a lot of support and caring for inclusion."
"These superannuated teachers, many of them taught at a time when there was no diagnosis for our kids. There was no support for teachers in how to best support these kids. And I know they would lay awake at night wondering as they would take that home with them and try to figure out what's best, 'How can we best meet the needs of the children in my classroom?' And I know that about them."
She said some of the younger retired teachers were part of a more informed education system.
"They have teachers on staff who work with the kids and there are things going on and all of these teachers are strong supporters for all of the children and youth in our schools and of course, we speak toward the youth with diverse abilities and they support them," Wilson described. "They've shown that they've shown their strong conviction that inclusion in schools and classrooms is important. They've shown that in Saskatchewan to all of the public so on many levels they've earned this Spirit of Inclusion Award."
More recently, she said the Superannuated Teachers have also made many donations to Inclusion Weyburn.
"In December they invited us to have some parents attend a meeting and tell their stories of what it's like to be a parent of a child who has diverse abilities. It was good for them because they wanted to know that it's not something that's easy to explain to people what it's like. We had three or four parents who presented and they did such a good job and it would be an awesome thing to be able to do in other organizations in town too. So they spearheaded that idea, which is wonderful."
The Spirit of Inclusion Award is a certificate of recognition presented to clubs, businesses, and organizations considered by Inclusion Weyburn to be cherished supporters of inclusion.