Whether it’s for chats on the floor or snacks from the drawers, students know they’re always welcome to stop by Christine Pope’s door during office hours – or anytime – even if they’re no longer taking classes with her.

“They just like to come in and talk about how things are going,” says Christine Pope, assistant professor in the Department of Child and Youth Care, who received a 2025 Distinguished Teaching Award. “It’s like a little check-in.” 

These moments of connection tell her she’s getting it right. 

“I’m a child and youth care practitioner and that’s a relational practice. So, to me, it’s a confirmation that I’m actually practicing and teaching in a way that is congruent with my profession.”

Pope carries lessons from attending office hours as a student forward to her students. 

“I went to one instructor’s office hours to bring up some challenges I had in his seminar and he encouraged me to bring that forward to the whole class. I always share that story with students. It’s a skill to be able to talk about how you're being impacted or how others are impacting you.”

Welcome to my new-to-me office

A painting by Donna Jamieson that was gifted to Christine Pope.

Pope had only been in her office for a week when we caught up with her, but already the books were organized, snacks were in place and the artwork was up. One of the first paintings she hung has its roots inside the same walls. 

“It was painted by a previous faculty member, Donna Jamieson – she was an amazing painter and chair of the program who was actually in this office before me. She had gifted the painting to another member of faculty, Jenny McGrath, who has now passed it on to me. 

“It reminds me of her and of the people who came before me – people who have shared time within these walls and contributed to this program.”

The printed poem at the back was written by students as part of an annual study tour.

Every year, students in Child and Youth Care go on a study tour to the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, as part of CYCW 350: Global Perspectives. 

On one of the tours, a local creative therapies instructor asked MacEwan and Irish students to write down a single sentence about where they were at in their lives. They brought all those lines together into a single poem. “It’s quite moving and very meaningful,” says Pope, who was gifted a printed copy of the poem.  

The impact of these tours isn’t simply expanding perspectives, she says, although many students say it’s a life-changing opportunity. “It really broadens what the practice is and what the profession is about. It also gives a much bigger perspective of how context, culture and history impact young people and families.”

For Pope, moments on the trip are a different kind of office hours. “I can be travelling on a bus and learn more about students – like if they have a partner and their hobbies – than I did teaching them three or four classes.”

A few special pieces on Christine Pope’s bookshelf, including a framed cartoon.

On the shelf below the poem sit other meaningful mementos that remind Pope of a special faculty member, Catherine Hedlin, who passed away in 2022. “Students loved her,” says Pope. She had cartoons hung around her office and an infectious laugh, adds Pope. In a field that can be heavy at times, Pope knows how important laughter can be. 

“Our work can be tough – working with families and populations of people who are marginalized or vulnerable and have endured trauma. And while I encourage students to sit with tough feelings, I also encourage them not to stay there. One of the ways I honour this – and honour my colleague – is to end every class with a joke.”

What does it mean to have your students and colleagues nominate you for a teaching award? 

“It’s very humbling. It’s still sinking in, but to me, it’s an acknowledgment of the impact that I’ve had on students and the people in my department,” says Pope.“In child and youth care, we are sometimes in the lives of people for a very short period of time. Teaching is the same way. It’s about how you connect and stay connected. And it’s about how sharing space has a lasting impact – even if it’s just for a moment.”