Dumbarton Academy teacher gets award for Scots work

Mar 4 2011 by Lorraine Waddell, Lennox Herald (main ed)

A DUMBARTON teacher has picked up a prestigious award for her work with the Scots language.

Ann MacKinnon was one of 12 teachers to get professional recognition from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

The honour was given to those who make a special effort to give students an understanding and experience of the Scots language.

And Ann, who teaches English at Dumbarton Academy, was given recognition for using Scots in her lessons.

She said: “Because the new Curriculum for Excellence encourages teachers to develop their own interest, I often use Scots in my everyday teaching.

“Pupils enjoy the challenge and recognise their own language as an acceptable medium for poetry and stories.

“When I studied for my creative writing degree, I began to introduce more Scots into lessons and entering pupils into competitions in the language as we all grew more confident. “We've had great success and the pupils responded well, often winning.

“I was delighted to be awarded professional recognition.

“At first, I was unsure if I'd meet the criteria but surprised when I looked back to see I had actually covered everything that was needed.”

The professional recognition award allows teachers to be honoured for developing and sharing their knowledge and experience.

The teachers, including Ann were awarded their certificates by Maureen Watt MSP and GTCS chief executive Anthony Finn at an event at the Scottish Parliament recently.

Mr Finn said: “These teachers have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing their existing skills and sharing their knowledge and experience to the benefit of children, their schools and fellow teachers.

“The Scots language is an important part of our cultural experience; understanding it better helps us to achieve a different, enriched perspective of our country.”