Christine Morrison was one of the first female educators in Mission, British Columbia. During her career, she took on many roles such as being a teacher, counsellor, and librarian. At the beginning of her teaching journey, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Silverdale and then went on to teach at Mission Secondary School. From the start of her time as a teacher, Mrs. Morrison enjoyed being in the classroom and making lifelong relationships with her students. Christine Morrison says that “Working in close contact with young people was challenging, interesting, and rewarding” (Fraser Valley Record,1973). Although many other teachers during her time were more focused on the financial gains and jobs that would come after their teaching career, Mrs. Morrison was in it for the long haul. Additionally, while other teachers would give up on their students or just focus on all the issues children had, Mrs. Morrison would focus on the students’ strengths. When interviewed Mrs. Morrison exclaimed, “I stick up for the teenager. And have complete faith in the excellence of youth” (Fraser Valley Record, 1973). Christine’s faith in youth would help her become a beloved educator and help her positively impact her local community of Mission
One of the ways Christine Morrison used her faith in youth to support her students was by focusing on their potential. Throughout her career, Christine would remind her students that “Each of us has potential, and as individuals, it’s up to each of us to work to the best of our ability to develop that potential” (Cox, 1993). It was her belief and faith in her students that allowed them to connect with Mrs. Morrison and her lessons. As for students to put themselves out there and try in school, they need to have a sense of trust and respect from their teacher. Furthermore, Mrs. Morrison tried to take the stress away from students and focus on their potential by explaining that “The mission of their life should be to live that potential to the fullest. Then each student will rise to the top and be happy” (Cox, 1993). This individualized approach to students’ well-being and goals were immensely important to their success. By acknowledging every student had different goals and potentials, Mrs. Morrison was able to take away stress regarding academics and school from her students’ lives. Rather than basing their success on their knowledge of the curriculum, Christine Morrison based it on their own personal goals.
After being in the traditional teaching role for twenty-five years, Christine was inspired to fill in the gaps of the education system in her local community. As a result in 1947, Christine became the first guidance counsellor in Mission and took on her newfound role with its many responsibilities. A guidance position suited Mrs.Morrison very well due to her compassion, empathy, skills, and previous educational experiences. Before Christine Morrison took on her role as guidance counsellor “Guidance and counselling had been introduced into the curriculum in provincial schools, but there were no trained specialists in this field” (Fraser Valley Record, 1973). Due to this lack of planning, training, and programming by the government, Christine Morrison became very involved and was important to the future of counselling in British Columbia’s education system.
One of her most important contributions was “Her formulated course program for all guidance teachers in British Columbia in 1949” (Fraser Valley Record, 1973). Within the guidance program, Mrs. Morrison embedded some of her own personal beliefs around education into the counselling curriculum. For instance, she states that “Students’ spirits and souls must not be overlooked” (Fraser Valley Record, 1973). As an educator, she believed counsellors must look at the whole student to get a full picture of how they should guide them and support them. This program would be the basis for counsellors throughout British Columbia and would help guide future educators in the province. When asked what drove her to create the counsellors’ program Christine “Young people are pleading for direction and leadership from people they can look up to and respect” (Fraser Valley Record, 1973). As a female educator she poured her heart and soul into the counselling program in hopes she could provide her students with the role models and support system they needed to be successful in life.
As Christine Morrison neared retirement, many of her colleagues congratulated her on all of her success and achievements in the education system. But humbly Christine insisted that she wouldn’t be where she was today without her students. Specifically, Mrs.Morrison said that “On this journey, I was not alone for out there as a magnificent student body who were by my side every step of the way as we walked the hallways of our school together we mastered every challenge offered to us” (Cox, 1993). As a female educator, Christine Morrison truly valued her time with her students and felt as though she not only taught them, but her students taught her new things every day. Furthermore, she never let her students think that they were incompetent, dumb, or less than. With every negative situation, she would turn it on its head and get the student to focus on the positive side. Since her beginning as a teacher in Mission, Christine Morrison was a teacher who passionately pushed her students to focus on the positives in their lives and helped them achieve their fullest potential. As an educator, she took every student for whom they were and worked with them to achieve their personal goals. Due to her immense role in the schools and community of Mission, she received the honour of having a local school being opened in her name.