CCC fine arts prof considered top notch by students
Nakita Makan
Courier Staff
“Oh, this is just plain silly!”
That was exactly what the CCC’s fine arts co-ordinator, David McClyment, thought when he initially heard he had been nominated for TVO’s 2010 Best Lecturer Competition. The award honours the most captivating and motivating lecturers in all of Ontario.
Students across Ontario nominated their favourite professors between Aug. 1 and Oct. 12 this year. TVO judges will soon select 10 finalists, whose lectures will be aired on TVO in March 2010. The winning professor will receive $10,000 for their school as well as the title of Ontario’s Best Lecturer.
The modest fine arts professor admitted to being flattered yet embarrassed about his nomination. However, he didn’t fall short of finding people to thank for it.
“I really like teaching and I really, really enjoy the students here,” he began.
“And as far as I’m concerned, it’s a relationship that needs both sides working. The whole ‘dig me’ aspect of it, I find difficult to accept, and if I’m nominated it’s only because my students are fabulous.”
So what is it that makes McClyment a popular choice amongst his students?
“I try to remember what I liked and didn’t like as a student. I try to make sure that there isn’t a predictable formula to how the classes run,” he said. “I try to have a high level of student interaction.”
Valerie Severino, a student in one of McClyment’s past fine arts classes, had only positive remarks about McClyment and the type of teacher he is.
“He always has time to hear other people’s needs and thoughts. I can easily confide in him. He makes us think outside the box. When he’s in the room, everyone lights up,” she said.
“Inspirational,” said Francis Lee, a foundations student of McClyment’s from a previous year.
David swore some part of his commitment to becoming an artist was to prove a certain belittling past art teacher wrong and in the process, positively influence others.
One of the first changes McClyment made to the CCC was establishing an on-campus gallery, now known as The Corridor, for his students to display their artwork and talents.
What would it mean to him if he won this Ontario-wide contest?
His reply is a simple, “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Anybody who has been on the list and nominated has won already because their students have said, ‘Hey, go get ’em, tiger. We think you’re great,’” he said. “That’s as far as I’d like to go. I’m flattered like crazy that I’ve been nominated.”
