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Teaching never ends for Mr. Berry

If you missed the documentary that premiered Nov. 8 at the Prince George Playhouse by our local 6ix Sigma Productions group then you missed a good one. The documentary is entitled Mr. Berry.
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Brij Berry, a man born to teach, is seen at his home recently.

If you missed the documentary that premiered Nov. 8 at the Prince George Playhouse by our local 6ix Sigma Productions group then you missed a good one. The documentary is entitled Mr. Berry.

I recently had the opportunity to sit and talk to Brij Berry who I will call Mr. Berry to keep in theme with Jason Hamborg's excellent documentary.

Mr. Berry has been teaching math to students from the ages of nine to 63 years old for nearly 66 years. Here is his story in a nutshell.

Mr. Berry, who is now somewhere in his 90s, said: "My father was a lawyer and he wanted me to be a doctor. I quickly learned that I could not stand the sight of blood and I became a math teacher instead.

"I was teaching university students at two colleges at the same time and, in fact, I was younger than many of my students. One morning I slept in and I was a half-an-hour late for my class. It was normal that if the teacher didn't show up - the students left - so I was not surprised when I got to the school and the students were gone. I felt so bad about all of this that I went to the library to hide myself behind a newspaper. I sat there knowing that I was guilty and I suddenly noticed that the newspaper had seven pages of teaching positions. The war had ended and teachers were in demand everywhere. I read all of the advertisements and the one that caught my eye was the place with the beautiful name of Bonnyville, Alta.

"I replied and wrote a letter asking them if they would be interested in a young man and then I listed my qualifications. The reply came back telling me what wages to expect and an all-expense paid ticket to arrive in Bonnyville in time to be at work on September 1st.

"Now, I had to tell my parents. They were sad and could not understand why I would leave three good jobs and go to another country for a new job. My father, who was the nicest and kindest man and the best father ever said, 'Don't go.' My mother, with tears in her eyes, said, 'Don't forget to write.'

"I told them that I was going for fun and that I would be back in two years. I wrote them every day for 28 years until they passed away.

"Time passed and due to my age I had to retire. I did not want to retire because it was rumoured that retired teachers either sold used cars or became insurance salespeople.

"I successfully followed up on an advertisement put out by the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa and filled a teaching position at the Tache Reserve near Ft. St. James.

"In 1991, I came to visit friends in Prince George. They had to go to work each day and I had nothing to do so I showed up at the school board office looking for two days of teacher substitution work. They sent me to Prince George Senior Secondary. On the third day, I went in to thank them for the two days of work and they told me I had a job.

"I can remember the time when I was given a new student that was said to be negative and quite troublesome. To make a long story short, I do not deal in negativity. I shook his hand and I assured my new student that he was going to do very well in my class. I told him if he had any problems he could stay after class or come to my home. He came to my home. I turned into his counselor and his teacher. He changed and he got an A in math.

"Many students hated school before I spoke to them in my class and now, they are successful and happy people.

"I taught in School District 57 until 1997 and because of my age I had to retire once again.

"I taught at the Catholic School in College Heights until they sold the land to Walmart and I am still teaching at a First Nations School when possible."

Taking a quote from executive director Karin Hunt of the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) in a thank you speech to Mr. Berry, she said, "someone once wrote 'A teacher takes a hand, touches a mind and opens a heart' and that is a partial summary of the work of Brij Berry. In the eyes of PGNAETA, we see him more as an architect - having crafted the architecture of careers of First Nations students."

Mr. Berry had open heart surgery in June of 2018 and even that did not stop him from teaching.

Because he wants to, he has been teaching everyday including weekends, holidays and all through the summer.

Many former students still send him thank you notes and photos. Many more say they have retired from successful careers thanks to him. Some of his students are grandchildren of his former students. As these generations have passed, Mr. Berry is still teaching.

Mr. Berry concluded by saying, "each teacher has his or her own way of teaching. I do not use books because I ask my own questions and I answer the questions that my students ask of me. We have conversational lessons and a two-way class discussion and I dwell on the student's point of view.

"My students are my family and teaching is the only joyful activity in life for me. I have to say that I am medically and clinically depressed when I am not teaching."

The local production of Mr. Berry is available on TELUS Optic TV OnDemand platforms.