Duane Faris

My name is Duane Faris. I’m a teacher living in Ottawa, ON. My teaching career has been a 27 year long and winding road that spans two continents, four school boards, and hundreds of colleagues and students.

My current journey is in cooperative education. I have been working part-time in traditional co-op for two years now. The other portion of my day is working in a behaviour support unit. Working in a tech-based school, we strive to sign student to OYAP-based placements when possible. The golden egg placement for my students would always be paid co-op, hopefully with an attached RTA. Many of our students who struggle with traditional schooling, thrive in an experiential learning environment.

Historically, I spent more than twenty years working in ASD special program classes. During that time I had the opportunity to work with sheltered workshops and other community organizations to place my students in experiential learning opportunities.

Next year I will be working a 100% co-op contract. I have had an excellent teacher and mentor these last two years. I am hoping that this course will provide me with more tools I can use in my journey to provide a better co-op experience for my students.