EMSB teacher volunteers in the CHSLD network

Edith Bouyer, a Grade 4 teacher at Willingdon Elementary School in NDG, was among those who responded to the call  from  the English Montreal School Board to volunteer in the health sector and lend a hand to nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Ms. Bouyer said she thought it would be interesting to discover another work environment and she has done so at a CHSLD in the Sud-Ouest.  “It’s been now four weeks since I began working on weekends in a long-term care centre,” she explained. “As you can imagine there is a whole protocol of hygiene to fight against the infection of the virus: mask, gloves, visor and repeated hand washing.

“I greatly admire the orderlies who do everything to help the residents and be kind to them, despite their amount of work. I myself do my best to do the material tasks and entertain residents with reading, playing the piano and singing.”

Among the residents, Ms. Bouyer says she met some very interesting people who wanted to share their life stories.  This includes individuals like Normand Daoust, who paints. “He is very patient and meticulous!” she said. “It is a very enriching human experience that I integrate into my teaching by sharing it with my pupils. I thank the school board for giving me this opportunity.”