For over 13 years, Shari Orders has modeled extraordinary dedication in her work with future educators. She’s an award-winning professor with far-reaching impact. During her career, she has taught 70 courses to more than 2,000 teacher candidates and graduate students, while routinely earning outstanding course evaluation scores that reflect her excellence in mentoring and cultivating student engagement.
Orders’ accomplishments were recently celebrated at the Part-Time Professor of the Year award ceremony, organized by the Association of Teaching Professors of the University of Ottawa (ATPUO).
Centring relationships
Orders’ numbers are certainly impressive, but they only tell part of the story. What distinguishes her as an influential educator is the thoughtfulness and vision she brings to the classroom. Her teaching philosophy is built on the idea that meaningful relationships are essential for learning.
“This belief guides my daily practice and shapes the learning environments I design,” Orders says.
“I strive to create classrooms where teacher candidates feel seen, valued and appropriately challenged — conditions that support risk-taking, engagement and deep professional learning,” she adds.
Orders centres restorative practices. In educational settings, these practices promote belonging, respectful dialogue, accountability and repair of harm. She views these practices not as a set of classroom management strategies, but as a pedagogical stance that prepares new teachers to respond thoughtfully to the increasingly complex social, emotional and relational realities of today’s classrooms.
Regarding the ATPUO accolade, she says, “It is truly an honour to receive this recognition.”
“I am grateful that my approach to teaching and learning has resonated with so many of the teacher candidates I’ve had the pleasure of working with.”
Dedication, purpose, connection
Michelle Schira Hagerman, Teacher Education program director, says Orders’ impact reflects the depth of her commitment.
“Professor Orders is an extraordinary educator who has served our faculty, our Teacher Education program, and most importantly, our teacher candidates with integrity, generosity and care for 13 years,” she says.
“Her contributions to the profession of teaching in Ontario have been remarkable and transformative for the thousands of students and colleagues who have had the privilege to work with her and learn from her.”
More about Shari Orders
Shari Orders is a long-term appointment professor in the uOttawa Faculty of Education whose teaching and research are focused on inclusion and restorative practices in education. She has contributed to research published in multiple journals, including pieces in Teachers and Teaching, the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy and the International Journal of Special Education. She received the 2019 Faculty of Education Part-Time Professor Award for Excellence. In 2024, the Faculty of Education Students’ Association (FESA) recognized Orders with its Professor Appreciation Award.
