Elisabeth Jaja

2025 Educators Honouree

The impact of a good teacher is difficult to measure, but the impact of a great teacher is impossible to simplify down into measurable terms.  Elisabeth Jaja is one of those teachers whose impact, influence and learning has extended well beyond the classroom walls and made a difference in the lives of her students and their families, creating beautiful ripples that carry on into the community for years to come.

She credits her father as being her biggest influence in life, “When he and my mom first came from Egypt, they landed in Montreal, and my dad had $4 in his pocket.” He valued hard work, education and always gave of himself in the community.  It was through his example and values that Elisabeth built her career and life of involvement in the community.  

Elisabeth had her first taste of volunteering when she was in high school, at a local nursing home.  She absolutely loved the foundation of caring.  Embracing the values of kindness, humility, empathy, and connection opened many doors for Elisabeth over the years.  She enjoyed this work so much she continued to give her time to a local nursing home while she was in university.  In fact, it was a volunteer opportunity that landed Elisabeth in a classroom and forever changed her trajectory.

Her passion for life and for teaching are clear in everything she does, and she never stops!  Her students would agree that she has a lot of energy, and she openly acknowledged that she loves to sign up for new things whenever she can.  She goes to the gym every day, because that’s how she takes care of herself, and from that cup she’s able to pour into many others as a teacher, coach, friend, wife, mother, and so much more.  She teaches grades K – 4 plus runs several extra curricular primary, junior and intermediate clubs.  She’s also the mental health liaison at her school.  Somewhere in there, she and her husband volunteer with the Richmond Hill Community Food Bank, Elisabeth is also very involved in the annual Nellie McClung Funfair, Jump Rope for Heart, Terry Fox Run, Sick Kids Foundation, Southlake 5k, the Mackenzie Health Run, and her most memorable moment of giving (so far) was with Toy Mountain CTV.  

Elisabeth and group of about twenty students arrived at the event, already very excited to make their contributions to the cause.  Their eyes had never seen so many toys in one place, or so many people (hundreds) working together to give.  “They were so proud to be there, and so delighted to be part of something so much bigger than they had imagined.”  One of the students was selected to be on live television, talking about the event and the experience – she did such a great job that both her parents and her teacher (Mrs. Jaja) were a puddle by the time she finished.

When Elisabeth lost her father, it was quite sudden.  She was devastated, and the only way she could find healing and happiness was to return to teaching, “probably sooner than most people expected,” she laughed, “I continue to follow his footsteps and try my best to take care of what is important to me… and that is my students and my community.”   Caring now for her own mother, feels very natural and very ‘full circle’.  Her mission and philosophy in life has always been ‘to inspire continuous learning, growth and contribution within the community’ – she continues to lead by example and literally shows us every day how to make a difference.

“Learning should be a lifelong pursuit, fueled by curiosity and a desire to make a positive impact, for both the teacher and the student.” – Elisabeth Jaja