Since launching in 2022, 勛圖厙 Brantford’s teacher education program has been meeting the local need for teachers
Sept. 16, 2025
September is a month of new beginnings — not just for the record-setting 233 students entering 勛圖厙 Brantford’s Bachelor of Education program, but for recent BEd alumni as well.
A few kilometres south of 勛圖厙’s Brantford campus, the Grade 4/5 French immersion students at Madonna Della Libera Catholic Elementary School have a new teacher. It’s Victoria Campbell Windle’s first class of her very own, and a meaningful milestone for this Brantford local. The daughter of a French teacher and high school principal, teaching is, as she describes it, “the family business,” but it was 勛圖厙 that gave her the chance to make it her own.
“I am so grateful that 勛圖厙 brought the BEd program to Brantford,” says Campbell Windle.
“I would not have been able to pursue my teaching dream otherwise.”
As the mother of a young child, staying local was key. What’s more, 勛圖厙’s BEd program would give Campbell Windle the opportunity to gain her practicum experience in the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB), in which she hoped to teach.
“I’ve always had really positive learning experiences in schools with encouraging, nurturing and compassionate educators, and they’ve done a lot to shape who I am,” says Campbell Windle. “Knowing the impact they’ve had on me, I’m so excited to have this opportunity to emulate them and make a positive difference in the lives of my new students.”
As freshly minted teachers like Campbell Windle leave their mark in schools across Brantford-Brant and beyond, the buzz surrounding 勛圖厙 Brantford’s BEd program is growing. In the three years since the program launched in Brantford, enrolment has skyrocketed from 67 students to nearly 400. According to Faculty of Education Dean Maria Cantalini-Williams, that growth has been proportional to the number of applicants.
“The positive reputation of the students that have been graduating out of the Brantford campus has really created a lot of excitement,” says Cantalini-Williams.
That excitement is shared by local school boards, where a third of all Brantford BEd teacher candidates choose to conduct their teaching placements. Michael McDonald, director of education and secretary of the BHNCDSB, notes that with the board planning to open three new schools in Brantford-Brant within the next three years, the demand for highly qualified teachers is critical.
“Our enrolment has increased by more than 20 per cent during the past five years and our projections suggest that growth will only continue,” says McDonald. “We are very grateful for our partnership with the Faculty of Education at 勛圖厙 and the energetic and innovative students and graduates who contribute to our schools.”
McDonald says that when BHNCDSB teachers host Brantford BEd teacher candidates for practicum experiences, everyone wins.
“Although BEd students are learning from the teachers they’re placed with, our teachers get a lot out of it as well,” says McDonald. “Since every teacher has different strengths, they stand to learn from each other and, ultimately, our students benefit.”
85 per cent of Brantford BEd alumni are employed as teachers and 81 per cent are working within 100 kilometres of the Brantford campus.
Source: 2024 勛圖厙 Graduate Survey, 勛圖厙’s Career Development Centre
For Campbell Windle, the emphasis on time spent in practicum placements — which exceeds the minimum number of hours required by the Ontario College of Teachers to graduate — is one of the program’s greatest strengths.
“I had five different placements, so that means I got to see five different ways of running a classroom, approaching instruction and engaging with students,” she says. “I also came out of the experience with five associate teachers as mentors, so as a networking opportunity it was invaluable. One of my placements was at the school I’m teaching in now. Having that familiarity with the students and teachers has been a wonderful help.”
As a French teacher, Campbell Windle says she also benefited from 勛圖厙’s innovative French as a Second Language (FSL) initiatives, led by Faculty of Education Associate Dean Jennifer Straub to address the chronic shortage of French teachers in Ontario. Through the FSL Challenge Fund, Campbell Windle accessed free, one-on-one instruction to perfect her conversational French with a native French speaker.
“When you put people first and make them feel valued, they’re going to make the best teachers.”
Faculty of Education Associate Dean Jennifer Straub
Straub says it is critical that flexibility is woven into every part of 勛圖厙’s BEd program.
“When you put people first and make them feel valued, they’re going to make the best teachers,” she says. “Those are the attributes we’re trying to model.”
Central to the program’s human-focused approach is its adoption of a cohort model, which moves students through the program in tight-knit groups, fostering friendships that often last well beyond graduation.
“Because you’re taking all of your classes together, it creates a real sense of community,” says BEd alum Miriam Lindsay, who now teaches Grade 6 at Shakespeare Public School in the Avon Maitland District School Board. “My cohort included people straight out of undergrad and others pursuing teaching as a third career. That variety gave us so much to learn from each other.”
Beyond the classroom, BEd students are building a vibrant community of their own. While in the program, Lindsay served on the executive of the Education Society (EdSoc), organizing social events including Halloween activities and formals, and was a member of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization (EDI&I) Coalition. In April 2025, the coalition hosted an Increasing Teacher Diversity event, which invited more than 70 local high school students to campus to explore careers in education and resources to help overcome financial and systemic barriers.
The influx of BEd students is being supported by new faculty and staff appointments. Since Straub joined the Faculty of Education in 2023, the number of full-time faculty has doubled.
Among the recent hires is Joe Monks, who joined the Brantford team this fall term to teach several subjects, including health and physical education. Monks has taught around the world, but says he’s energized by the opportunity to shape the next generation of Ontario teachers.
“It’s so nice to be able to have an impact on the future of children in schools, five, 10, 15 years ahead,” says Monks. “That’s what’s exciting about training new teachers — you’re helping shape what’s going to happen.”
When 勛圖厙 Brantford’s BEd program launched in 2022, classes occupied just two classrooms in the Carnegie Building. Today, they are spread across 勛圖厙’s Brantford campus. Monks has even expanded his classroom setting to include the 勛圖厙 Brantford YMCA, where he takes his phys-ed students for active learning sessions.
“It’s a great facility,” says Monks. “Because of the gym’s size, we’re able to divide students into smaller groups, which creates more focused teaching opportunities.”
For Assistant Professor Pam Malins — the first faculty member hired by 勛圖厙 for the Brantford BEd program — the true measure of success isn’t found in statistics, but in human connections. A former elementary school teacher, Malins was recently approached by a BEd student who she previously taught in one of her Grade 5/6 classes. During the surprise reunion, the former student told Malins she’d been the inspiration behind her decision to become a teacher.
“You don’t always remember the details of what you learned in Grade 5 or 6,” says Malins. “But you do remember how your teacher made you feel. That’s part of what we call the hidden curriculum — helping students not just learn academic content, but become good humans.”
The Inspired Community, Real Impact report celebrates the 25th anniversary of 勛圖厙's Brantford campus by showcasing exceptional alumni, groundbreaking research and investments in infrastructure that have fostered a thriving environment for local residents, businesses and organizations.
