Hetty van Gurp

This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (February 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Hetty (Hendrika) Margaretha van Gurp (born 1949, in Delft) is a Canadian educator.

Teaching career[]

Hetty's teaching career has included extensive and varied assignments in Canada and the USA. In addition to teaching public school, she has taught students with special needs as a resource teacher and as a teacher of the blind. Hetty has also been principal of an elementary school in Nova Scotia. Currently, Hetty is an Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Education, Saint Mary's University (Halifax).

Consultancy[]

Since 1991, Hetty has served as a peace education consultant to schools across Canada and internationally.^[1]

Appointments[]

In 1995, Hetty was appointed to a two-year term as a member of the federal Human Rights Tribunal Panel. In 1996, she was awarded the YMCA Peace Medal. The Nova Scotia School Administrators’ Association recognized her contribution to education by presenting her with the "Principal of Distinction" award in 1998. Also in 1998, Hetty was awarded a Baha’i Commendation for "Promoting Racial Harmony." In 1999, she received the Annual Crime Prevention Society of Nova Scotia Award. Hetty was awarded Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003.^[2] In July 2006, Hetty was presented with the Canadian Teachers’ Federation Special Recognition Award for meritorious service to education in 2006. Hetty was named as a Canadian hero by TIME magazine in June, 2006 and by readers Digest in January, 2007. Hetty was awarded the Order of Nova Scotia in 2013.^[3]

Education[]

Hetty received her Bachelor of Education and Master of Education degrees from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 2005, an honorary Doctor of Civil Law degree^[4] was bestowed on Hetty from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, based on her work as an educator, author, and community activist.

Hetty is author of three books: Peace in the Classroom: Practical Lessons in Living for Elementary-Age Children, The Peaceful School: Models That Work, and Peer Mediation: The Complete Guide to Resolving Conflict in Our Schools. Hetty is co-creator of the Peace@School toolkit. Time Magazine named her a "Canadian Hero^[5]" and she is one of the Readers Digest Canada's 2006 Heroes of the Year.^[6]

References[]