Friend and fellow teacher Lana Henry said he was kind, warm and always smiling. She encouraged Ahmad’s students to pass on his teachings to their own children.
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| Pakistani high school teacher Munir Ahmad Photo: The StarPhoenix |
Source/Credit: The StarPhoenix
By Jonathan Charlton | March 25, 2014
Normally, a person can’t be considered an elder in a First Nations community until they approach their eighth decade.
But Pakistani high school teacher Munir Ahmad made such an impression in Pelican Narrows that he joined those ranks despite only being in his fifties.
“He was such a dynamic person. Just a beautiful man,” principal Susan Custer said.
Munir Ahmad was found dead in his apartment last Thursday of an apparent heart attack. Staff and students at the school now fondly remember a teacher who brought kindness, encouragement and wisdom to the community.
Ahmad was born in Pakistan before emigrating to Barrie, Ontario, where he lived for five years. He moved to Pelican Narrows to take a teaching job around 2008.
The math and science teacher fit in right away.
“He attracted people to him. He talked to people, he was really forward. Sometimes it was blunt, but not in a mean way,” said Custer.
Ahmad got to know people in the Pelican Narrows, learning about the community’s culture and language while teaching others about Islam. He was best known for a sign that hung in his classroom, which read, “Love for all, hatred for none.”
His class was still in tears Monday, Custer said.
“They just loved him,” she said. “He was kind. He never talked down to you. He treated you as a human being.”
Friend and fellow teacher Lana Henry said he was kind, warm and always smiling. She encouraged Ahmad’s students to pass on his teachings to their own children.
“His goal was to make sure all the students succeeded, even if they were having a hard time. He just told them, take time, practice. They listened to him and they made sure to stay in school and finish their classes,” said Henry.
Henry started a Facebook page in Ahmad’s memory, where his students paid their respects.
“You were simply the best teacher/friend anyone could ever have. I will stay in class and try be serious by finishing up my work (because) I know that’s what you always wanted us to do,” wrote Calley Michel.
“Now who is gonna be at school saying ‘wadii wadii’ to every student and smiling every single day, you were such a happy man (Munir) why did you have to leave us students and staff so soon,” added Brenna Mccallum.
Ahmad is survived by his wife and two grown children. His son started studies at the University of Saskatchewan in January, and his wife and two daughters were planning to move to the province later this year, said Shamoon Rashid, president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Saskatoon North.
Rashid was shocked at the news of his friend’s death.
“He was a very gentle person. He had the type of character (that) he made friends everywhere he goes.”
jcharlton@thestarphoenix.com
twitter.com/J_Charlton
Read original post here: Canada: With ‘Love for all, hatred for none’ Pakistani teacher had major impact in Sask. community
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Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un
ReplyDeleteMy deepest condolences to the family.