June 12, 2006
Contact: Anne Russell
604-795-2826
or 604-504-7441, local 2826
Cell: 604-798-3709
anne.russell@ucv.ca
George Melzer
UCFV Teaching Excellence winner believes in teaching hearts as well as heads
George Melzer knows that he has a curriculum to cover and a job to do in preparing students for careers in the childcare field. But Melzer, an Abbotsford resident who has been an Early Childhood Education instructor at UCFV since 1994, also knows that teaching is about more than transferring skills and knowledge.
“I like to think of what I do as helping to build people,” he said. “I want to help my students be prepared to help others and live meaningful lives. Some of them may not even end up working with children, but they will take something away from my classes and it may even help them be better parents.” His students obviously agree with his methods. They nominated him for the UCFV Teaching Excellence award, of which he is the 2006 recipient.
Melzer creates an open, playful, communal atmosphere in his classes in order to spark the learning process. “My philosophy of teaching is to make the material meaningful and real by coming up with creative ways to get my point across, so that it has a real impact. I believe that if you connect with the heart, the head will follow. People need a ‘nest’, or a comfortable place to safely store what they're learning in order for it to really stick.”
In one early morning seminar, he starts the semester by bringing in breakfast for his students, then invites them to take turns in a breakfast club. “Bringing in food relaxes the environment and makes it easier for us to meet our learning goals.”
In other classes, he uses props and costumes to illustrate points. For example, in an attempt to illustrate the importance of workable caregiver-child ratios in childcare settings, he starts by juggling one or two balls, and then keeps adding balls until the task of juggling becomes unmaneagable.
As an icebreaker in another class, he brings in blocks of wood in the first session and asks students to decorate them with pictures or symbols or words that represent themselves.
“It’s something to help me get to know the students better and remember them by, but it also creates a more open, sharing environment right from the start. Most of the students like my approach, which includes a lot of stories and visual aids. It’s especially suited to early childhood students.”
Melzer teaches in the one-year Early Childhood Education certificate program, and also in the Family Childcare program for people already running or thinking of starting small home daycare centres. He teaches human development courses and also supervises students when they are completing their 200-hour practicum at area childcare centres.
“That really helps me stay connected to the childcare field, and I also get to visit with a lot of our alumni.”
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| George Melzer in the classroom. |
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He got his start in the field by working in childcare centres in the Okanagan, then attended Simon Fraser, earning a bachelor’s degree focusing on early childhood, and a master’s in education focusing on designing play environments and developing educational programs.
“I knew I wanted to be a professional in the childcare field, but I thought it was best that I start right on the floor so I could really understand the experience. I also gained good experience in planning and designing childcare centres.”
His wife Hildi works in a daycare in Abbotsford, so he remains connected to the field, and his teenage children Jordi and Anna helped him on his learning journey, as they were in childcare centres during his student years.
He and his family are also involved in volunteer work, providing educational resources to orphanages and schools in Thailand, Rwanda, Romania, Haiti, and Mexico.
Being nominated by his students for the UCFV Teaching Excellence award was the “biggest honour I could get,” Melzer said.
“When I read their letters supporting the nomination I got all choked up. It’s hard to know exactly what impact you’re having. You know that they pass their courses or get good grades, but the real stuff that’s happening inside is not as visible, so it was very moving and rewarding to
The statements pay tribute to his enthusiasm and creativity.
“George’s enthusiasm and passion for his field are contagious,” said one student. “I have found myself working to catch hold of that drive, and to bring the same level of joy to my work and education.”
“George motivates his students and pushes them to dig under the surface to really discover what early childhood education is all about,” said another.
“When George walked into the room you could just feel how much he loved teaching,” said another. “He was so enthusiastic about the subject... and he made it so much fun to be in his class.... He makes it fun and encourages us to learn by drawing us out with questions and props that blend into what he’s teaching us.”
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