Stephen Cox

In June of 2002, veteran Shawnigan math and calculus teacher Stephen Cox received Canada's highest official teaching honour—the Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence.

Awarded annually to only a handful of teachers in each province, the honour is reserved for teachers with a proven record in each of the following areas: student interest and participation; student achievement and performance; student skills development; teacher commitment and leadership; and exemplary teaching practices.

A compelling example of Stephen Cox's integrity in the field of teaching may be seen in an endorsement he received from a recent graduate:

I wanted you to know that you made my graduating year a special one. Whenever my friends and I speak about teachers that we have had, you always come up in the conversation. It was so nice to know that someone was 100% behind me in a challenging class.

Like many fine teachers, Stephen Cox has perfected his teaching persona-in his case, a slightly cranky promoter of all things mathematical, and a passionate advocate of his students' right to excel. His senior students know him as a serious teacher who parodies his own sense of humour with deadpan jokes about the misadventures of a fictitious nephew—and notorious mathematical bonehead—named "Little Johnny." His teaching colleagues know him as an outstanding example of the commitment to teaching excellence.