Dulce Moreira, a special education resource teacher at St. Nicholas Catholic School in Barrie, has been recognized as a Teacher of the Year by the Toronto Star - not a surprise to those who know her. She has been teaching at St. Nicholas since 1998 and has taught every subject except French and reading recovery.

Dulce is recognized by her colleagues as one of the most hard-working, compassionate teachers they’ve had the pleasure of working aside. “Dulce has worked tirelessly with countless hours of ‘overtime’ to ensure that all our students receive support, educational opportunities outside of the formal classroom and a healthy dose of encouragement and positive engagement regardless of their abilities,” said a colleague. She has been said to even buy diapers out of her own pocket to help support families who don’t have the means.

The 43-year old credits her success as a teacher to her high school principal who pushed her into advanced classes so that she could pursue her passion, and to her parents who immigrated to Canada and worked three jobs to support the family.

Dulce is a teacher that always goes above and beyond for each student in order for them to achieve their goals. She thrives on the little moments, when she sees the “lightbulb” come on in a child’s eyes when they finally understand a concept.

Aside from teaching, Dulce is also known as the resident “techie superwoman” and spends her time managing the school website and Twitter account. She often has a lineup of staff and students out her office waiting for her assistance with technology.

Dulce doesn’t see the extra hours and participation in multiple school events and clubs as work. She explains, “to be quite honest, I just feel like I teach, I just come into work — which isn’t really work — I do my job — which isn’t really my job because I love it. I feel privileged to be paid to be doing something I love so much.”