After more than four decades in education, Marlene Dergousoff will retire this summer.
“I’m as excited about education today as I was 41 years ago,” she said with a smile. “I’m so hopeful for education in B.C. … We’ll get through these things because the kids need to be taught.”
As retirement beckons, she reckons the biggest change in education to date is a mind game.
“We now truly believe that all kids belong in the classroom and all kids can learn,” she said. “We know so much more about how the brain works and how we learn.”
Dergousoff, following in her mother’s footsteps, started her career in 1970 in a Grade 2 portable at Ladysmith primary. Three years later she became head teacher at nearby two-room school Diamond elementary teaching grades 1, 2 and 3. After six years in the classroom, Dergousoff became a district primary helping teacher aiding in development of curriculum, leading workshops and connecting with leaders in primary education.
Dergousoff returned to the classroom as an intermediate teacher, and at 31 she became the principal of Bayview elementary for five years before transferring to Harewood elementary.
In 1989 she joined the Ministry of Education’s primary program team.
It was a high point in her career.
“That was instrumental in helping develop primary education. … It’s had a long term effect,” she said. Dergousoff was also involved in the revision of the program in 2000. “It was a team of people who did it and working together is always better.”
In 1994, Dergousoff joined the Saanich school district. Over the next 11 years she served as principal at Durrance and Brentwood elementary schools, as well as Bayside. In 2005, she was appointed as the assistant superintendent responsible for student services, First Nations, elementary programs and early learning, where she continued work within her motto of “together for children.”
“Think about the child at the centre and make decisions,” she explained.
Her proudest achievements all come from collaborative efforts with the “child at the centre,” including the development and implementation of the First Nations enhancement agreement; restorative practices; the strong commitment to embrace diversity and to believe that all children can learn and all children belong and the work around early learning. Her career is topped by the full implementation of all day kindergarten.
With retirement looming, many people are seeking her skills in a volunteer aspect, but Dergousoff is careful about not becoming too busy in her post-career work.
“I want to do some volunteer work. … I want to give back, but I’m not sure yet what that will be,” she said. “I figure every job I’ve had has been my favourite job until I got another. [So] it won’t matter what I do, it’ll be the best job.”