It’s not every day that a professor who is technically retired receives an award for a class he’s been teaching since 1968. Of course, Carter Elwood is not just any professor.

Elwood, a veteran teacher of Russian history at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, won the 2013 in May on the recommendation letter of a student in his class.

“He has an uncanny and, in my opinion, unmatched story-telling ability that makes history come alive. And we, as his students, are part of that process,” wrote the student who nominated him.

Elwood is a lecturer by training, and says he likes to keep it simple in the classroom. His lectures aren’t new each year, but he says he takes time to refresh them and put a new spin on each topic he crafts.

“To a certain extent, it’s a reflection of my own training and how I was taught. It’s from the good teachers I had and what they did,” he says.

“The good undergraduate teachers I had were well organized, tried to give students their monies worth, and tried to get them interested in history. I try to perpetuate those things.”

Having been teaching at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ since 1968, Elwood has had to adapt to the changing technological world that permeates the classroom, sometimes with humorous results.

“No sooner had I started using overhead that all my colleagues started using PowerPoint!” he laughs.

Now, Elwood uses a PowerPoint presentation to show illustrations and maps he can refer to during his lecture for supplementation. He also features two or three Soviet-era films in each course to give students a real look into the material they’re studying.

One of his unique traits is the lack of teaching assistants in his courses. He prefers lectures with the professor to discussion groups, which he says his students wholeheartedly agree with.

Now that he’s retired, he enjoys doing marking himself, hoping that students can learn something from being graded by someone with years of experience.

For a professor who has had so much experience moulding young minds, he says the secret to teaching is much simpler than expected.

“I try to interest them in history, in Russian history especially, and get them involved in it. And I think if I have their attention at the end of an hour and a half, it’s been reasonably successful.”

The awards were presented during EduGala 2013 on Thursday, May 23. Elwood and Bennell were among 62 finalists from elementary, secondary and post-secondary institutions in the Ottawa area.

A ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ student who nominated Elwood noted that many students appreciated his creative approach to teaching. “He has an uncanny and unmatched storytelling ability that makes history come alive and we, as his students, are part of that process,’’ said his nominator.

One of the students who nominated Bennell emphasized “his true care for educating students by creating a positive learning environment for everyone in his class.” The nomination also highlighted his contagious passion, his energy and his presence in the classroom and how much he is able to give back to everyone around him.

The Capital Educators’ Awards recognize the achievements of outstanding educators and celebrate public education in the community – across the entire spectrum, from kindergarten to PhD. Anyone can submit a nomination and finalists are selected by participating institutions. A community panel of judges selects the 16 award recipients from a list of 62 finalists based on the nominations submitted.