Get by with a little help from Johnnie DesRochers

Johnnie DesRochers, BEd ’75, was in grade four when “Love Me Do” was released on CKY, her local Winnipeg radio station.  It was February 1963 and the harmonies of a new boy band out of Liverpool wooed her.  

“I went out and bought the 45rpm, immediately,” she says, her grin suggesting the giddiness she felt at the time. She still has it – the giddiness, the small 45, and enough Beatles memorabilia to fill a room in her house in High River, Alberta.  As a legacy gift, Johnnie intends to donate her still growing collection to the University of Calgary.   

The retired teacher and Werklund School of Education graduate credits music, and particularly the Beatles, as one of her greatest teaching tools.

“Everybody loves music.  It’s so easy to bring into the classroom.  It breaks the ice with everyone,” she says beaming.

Partner teachers, a lasting influence

A tear comes to her eye when she remembers the partner teacher who supervised her during her student teaching in Red Deer.  “He loved how I used music. He joked that while I could barely find middle C on a keyboard, music was included in every minute of my life.”   

She attributes her passion for social studies to that same teacher who passed away recently.  DesRochers is quick to emphasize the lasting impact a partner teacher can have on pre-service teachers.  Each year, Werklund School recruits over 1000 teachers across Alberta school boards, who host student teachers in their classrooms.  

Beyond her formative time as a student teacher, DesRochers says her studies at UCalgary prepared her to focus on students’ learning while also delivering individualized attention to each child. Using music allowed her to create a personal and rewarding connection with her students.  

Former students, now adults, attest to the lasting impression she had on them.  “My former grade ones, who are now parents, tell their children about Mrs. DesRochers and music.  I introduced numbers learning with lyrics from John and Paul.”  

“You can ask if people remember me – they’ll say ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’” she sings, responding to her own question with lyrics from “She Loves You”.  

Lifelong learning

She advises new teachers to allow themselves to learn from their students.  She laughs, admitting her own learning curve. “I became a clip art wizard… with classroom lessons from an eight year old. We’re always learning.”

Such humility isn’t surprising coming from DesRochers, a self-proclaimed lifelong learner.  Each year she enrolls in UCalgary’s Continuing Education courses, a political science class – Canadian history is another passion – or a French language course before a recent trip to Europe.  “As I get older, it’s good for my brain,” she smiles. 

After her retirement, she continued to substitute teach across the Calgary Separate School District, becoming a much-loved visitor in elementary classrooms.   

DesRochers describes the happy greetings she receives in schools.  “They know me.  Kids will say, ‘I’m glad it’s you – did you bring your Beatles music?”

One principal told her, “I knew it was a ‘Johnnie DesRochers day’ because the kids were singing ‘Oh, Canada’ and ‘She Loves You’ in the hallways!”

Join the Werklund School in providing pre-service teachers with the experience and lasting influence of working with a partner teacher.