“My efforts, both professionally and academically, are focused around amplifying students as mathematical decision makers, where, more traditionally, mathematics class has been a place that values direction following.”

Nat Banting, BCA and Briercrest College alum moved to Caronport from PEI with his family in 2002. Attending Caronport High School (Now Briercrest Christian Academy), he enjoyed an education that was richer than he knew at the time.

“Only now, as someone involved in public education, am I starting to understand the opportunities available to me while at Caronport High School. Our teachers worked to offer us every avenue for success, and only ever asked that we worked to achieve it. It was common for us to go straight from choir to calculus or from the field to the theatre, always under the mentorship of our teachers:

Mr. Lacey taught us that a skilled hand and a sharp mind are a potent combination; 
Mrs. Ike honed our ability to communicate, but also to listen;
Mr. Armtrong taught us that whimsy is often rigour's best friend;
Mr. Appleby demonstrated that you always have more to give if giving more will help others;
Mr. Peters modelled how all interactions benefit from humour and humility;
Mr. Frostad taught us that you can be both tireless and patient;
Mr. Hall stressed the importance of teamwork and that strength is a collective attribute. 
The list goes on and on…”

Nat now teaches high school mathematics in the Saskatoon public school system and lectures at the University of Saskatchewan on mathematics education.

“I love working alongside learners in schools, a propensity no doubt developed in the halls of CHS.”

His emphasis in training students prioritizes innovation, curiosity, and good sense, helping them to become “mathematical decision makers.”

“When I was in high school, our teachers made it feel like anything was possible. We were given permission to dream, and this feeling of agency has never left me. To this day, I push against what has been branded as possible in the mathematics class, the public school, and the field of mathematics education as a whole. In that way, my time at CHS set my trajectory in education.”

In November 2021, Nat received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence in STEM. A spokesperson said: “One can only describe Nat’s classes with one word: dynamic. His students move around the room, discuss, troubleshoot, and arrive at solutions to the problems he has set out for them to investigate.” 

Nat Banting is one example of the intellectual and spiritual development Briercrest seeks to promote in students.

He is one of the alumni of Briecrest doing his part to engage the world.

Contact an advisor about attending Briercrest Christian Academy.