Chris Spence (educator) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christopher Spence
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| Director of Education, Toronto District School Board |
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| In office 2009–2013 |
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| Preceded by | Gerry Connelly |
| Succeeded by | Donna Quan |
| Director of Education, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board |
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| In office 2004–2009 |
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| Succeeded by | John Malloy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 62–63) England |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Alma mater | York University University of Toronto Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Simon Fraser University |
| Occupation | educator, public servant |
| Profession | football player |
Christopher M. Spence is a retired Canadian educator and author. He was also a professional Canadian football player. He is known for being a leader in education. He served as the Director of Education for two large school boards in Ontario: the Toronto District School Board and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
Contents
About Christopher Spence
Early Life and Education
Christopher Spence was born in England in 1962. His parents were from Jamaica. He moved to Canada when he was three years old. He grew up and went to school in Windsor, Ontario.
He studied criminology at Simon Fraser University. He earned his first university degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in 1985.
Football Career
Mr. Spence was a talented running back in football. The BC Lions team chose him in the 1985 CFL Draft. This meant he was picked to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL). His football career ended in 1988 due to an injury.
Becoming an Educator
After his football career, Christopher Spence became a teacher. He earned a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree from York University. He continued his studies, getting a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree from the University of Toronto in 1993. He also earned an advanced degree, a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), from the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education in 1996.
Leading School Boards
Mr. Spence became a Director of Education in 2004. This is a top leadership role for a school board. He first led the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. He served there until 2009.
In July 2009, he became the Director of Education for the Toronto District School Board. This is one of the largest school boards in Canada. He held this important position until 2013.
Challenges and Changes
In 2013, Mr. Spence faced challenges regarding how some of his written work used information from other sources. He apologized for this. As a result, he stepped down from his role as Director of Education.
Later, his advanced university degree was reviewed. In 2017, the University of Toronto found issues with how some information was used in his work. Because of this, his Doctor of Education degree was changed.
Also, in 2016, his teaching license was affected. This license is needed to teach in Ontario. However, he later appealed this decision. In 2018, his appeal was successful, and his teaching license was restored.
Published Works
Christopher Spence is also an author. He has written books about important topics.
- Skin I'm in: Racism, Sports and Education (2000)
- On Time! On Task! On a Mission! (2002)
