Clockwise, starting from the top left: Barbara Nathoo, Alex du Boulay, Linda Thomas, Julius Nathoo, and Celina Nathoo.
A family legacy
When the Nathoo Family gets together, there’s one topic that always seems to find its way into their conversations: education.
“It’s very common for us,” said Celina Nathoo.
“That’s the first thing – Did you have a good day? How was the day? We start from there.”
The conversations Celina would share with her husband and fellow teacher, Julius Nathoo, would have a lingering influence over the couple’s daughters, Linda Thomas and Barbara Nathoo who grew up to be teachers as well.
“I think we just loved how our parents never ever complained about teaching or working, so we thought, ‘Okay, this has got to be easy’,” joked Linda.
“I remember a lot of laughter around the table, the jokes that happened in the classroom, the energy and the passion for teaching,” added Barbara.
Alex du Boulay, Barbara’s son, is the latest to carry the torch that’s been passed through three generations of educators who all attended Western University’s Faculty of Education.
Alex’s current role has him spreading the family’s teaching legacy to Comox, B.C., a legacy that has its beginnings more than 7,800 kilometres away at a high school in Guyana.
Raising future educators
Julius and Celina both credit memorable people in their lives for sparking their passion for education.
Celina grew up in a family largely dominated by fellow educators and received an early introduction into what it meant to love teaching. For Julius, he was inspired by those who taught him in high school.
“I saw what excellent teachers they were, and I guess it came upon me, ‘That’s what I want to be. I want to be a teacher just like these people,’ and that’s what happened,” he added.
Julius and Celina Nathoo.
As they grew up, the two followed their dreams and eventually had their own school in their home country of Guyana called Saraswat High School.
Julius believes their time teaching in Guyana had a lasting impact on Linda and Barbara, who would often help their father with various classroom duties.
“They were always excited to lend me a hand. When I did drama class, they were part of the cast and would prepare the actors. It was like training for them,” Julius said.
“It probably inculcated a love for teaching.”
In 1970, the Nathoo family relocated to London, Ontario, Canada, with Celina enrolling at Western soon after. Over the next few years, she would obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree, followed by a Bachelor of Education degree and a Master of Education degree from the Faculty of Education.
Julius already had teaching qualifications, but enrolled at Western for what was called at the time a “qualifying year,” similar to a fourth year in an undergraduate program, where he studied English and History. He later obtained a master’s degree from a joint program that involved the Faculty of Education, all while teaching at Regina Mundi Catholic College in south London.
When it came time for their eldest daughter to start planning for her future, Linda said it was only natural that she would follow in her parents’ footsteps.
“There was a lot of luck because I went into teaching, and I absolutely loved it. I’m still doing it,” Linda added.
Younger sister Barbara originally wanted to be a journalist, but her father made a strong case for teaching.
“He said to me, ‘you know what Barb, you will do everything — drama, journalism, everything you love — you are going to do it in teaching.’ So, I took his word for it,” Barbara said, adding that the job aligned well with her love for children.
“Like Linda, I’m still at it, still loving it, and still loving children.”
Like their parents, Linda and Barbara would later obtain their Master of Education degrees from the Faculty of Education, all while carving out their own teaching careers. This was also a natural step for the two sisters, as so many of their relatives had pursued graduate education.
“The minimum degree for anyone in our family, female or male, is a master’s degree,” Linda said.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t know there was anything else but university,”.
The legacy continues
Following the Nathoo tradition, Alex, Barbara’s son and the latest to take up the family trade, also attended Western Education for his Bachelor of Education degree and his Master of Professional Education degree.
He now works at Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy in Comox, B.C., where he began teaching Grade 12 Psychology, while serving as a Learning Support Teaching.
Next year will be even busier as Alex takes on the mantle as the Academy’s Athletic Director. He’ll also teach Grade 9 and 10 Social Sciences and Grade 12 Careers, all while serving as a Learning Support Teacher and Case Manager for students from kindergarten to Grade 12.
Growing up, Alex says it was fun being raised by so many accomplished educators.
“My aunt was my high school principal for four years, and my grandmother supply taught me in Grade 9 and Grade 12. She would introduce me as her grandson, Alex, before she even introduced herself to the class,” Alex added.
“I used to have playdates at my mom’s school in the gym, and then my grandfather helped me with all my assignments throughout elementary, high school, and even in university. There were just so many different learners that helped me discover my passion for learning.”
As one could imagine, his family members were very excited when it came time for Alex to teach his very first group of students, a Grade 5 class at St. Mary’s Choir & Orchestra Catholic School in London.
“Everyday, it became a ritual to go over to gramma and gramp’s and then debrief about that day,” Alex said.
“So, I would go over, and I would say something like, ‘this student rolled his eyes at me as I taught the lesson or a student yawned in my face,’ and then they would tell their own stories about a similar thing.”
Each story Alex told his family, of course, was followed by different solutions offered by the group of veteran educators. These countless conversations were crucial to his own development as a teacher.
“I stand on the shoulders of the giants before me,” Alex added.
Going back to Celina and Julius, the two have no reservations about expressing their familial pride.
“It’s even better to see that they’re enjoying it. I always say, if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, don’t do it,” Celina said.
“They not only liked teaching, but they excelled, because both of my children became principals. I wasn’t too happy about that because they surpassed me,” Julius joked.
Lessons for the educators of tomorrow
Linda and Barbara are likely familiar names for many at Western Education, as the two have spent years helping develop the educators of tomorrow.
Through these efforts, they have picked up on important lessons that apply for any Teacher Candidate.
“Be a learner, be humble, and be a good listener more than anything else,” Linda said.
“As an elementary school principal, the first thing I did when I met with Teacher Candidates was tell them, ‘No question is one that you shouldn’t ask. Ask a lot of questions,” Barbara added.
Alex says he found great value in documenting his own journey as Teacher Candidate, a practice he picked up during his first practicum when his Associate Teacher handed him a journal.
“I started writing every single observation — If I was in a Grade 2 classroom, if I was in a Grade 5 classroom, Grade 8 classroom — and I still do that to this day,” he said.
Alex also emphasizes the importance of being able to adapt, being kind to yourself, and working to get into the mind of the student in front of you.
“I think it’s important, especially as we get older, to try to be child-like and ensure that learning is always fun.”
