Educator Jay Williams remembered for his motivational impact and influence on students

BY PAUL JUNOR

The sudden and premature death of well-known Toronto educator Jay Williams on Thursday, February 29^th, at the age of 40 years old has triggered profound feelings of grief.

As an educator, consultant, writer and speaker he was highly respected as a powerful voice that spoke to contemporary issues and touched many lives throughout his teaching career. He grew up in Scarborough and taught middle schools to students who adored and respected him for his: caring, supportive and relatable communication style.

As a teacher with the Toronto District School Board since 2010 he switched from the classroom to become an equity coordinator at the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement. As an inspirational leader and motivational role model, he collaborated with administrators and developed policies to improve the educational outcomes and success of Black students.

There has been an outpouring of powerful emotions and deep reflections from those who knew Williams personally. One of his close friends, Matthew Morris a fellow teacher at the TDSB and author of the book, “Black Boys Like Me,” shared personal recollections of Williams in an interview with CBC Toronto’s “Here and Now.”  “They loved him. Students wouldn’t consider him a teacher-they looked at him more as an uncle, and it’s because of the way he approached teaching and learning. He approached it from a perspective of love and care.”

Outside of the classroom, William was known for giving speaking engagements to diverse audiences as an educational consultant. He was a public speaker, author and role model who grew up in Malvern, played basketball and had the desire to be a coach.

He pursued his teaching degree at Ontario Tech University after completing his undergraduate degree in health sciences at Dalhousie University. Williams launched #QuarantineEd, which brought together educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. It started as Zoom meetings with educators to address issues relating to teaching during the pandemic, but later expanded to broader social justice concerns after George Floyd’s death.

Rachel Chernos, Chair of the TDSB shared, “The outpouring of emotion that I’ve heard from so many people at so many levels within the organization in the last two days has been enormous. Everywhere I go, everybody is talking about him and the impact he made.” The TDSB released an email on Monday which read, “Jay’s interactions meant a great deal to the students and staff he worked with as a colleague and a role model. He was both approachable and focused in the way in which he promoted adult and student learning as part of the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement. His: smile, swath, and wisdom will stay with us forever.”

Williams shared the five things that he learned on his life’s journey. They include:

• Don’t chase money, create value and the bag will follow
• Star in your own role-comparisons are the thief of joy.
• Preparation and hard work beats “good club” every time
• Be unbounded by boundaries – you can’t achieve what you don’t dream
• Fall in love with the process and the results will come

Randell Adjei, former poet laureate of Ontario and founder of RISE left a tribute on Instagram. He wrote @randelladjei that, “Your impact on the Scarborough community will never be forgotten. May this video continue to spread love and joy. May it spread like wildflowers, creating the guide of our ancestors’ dreams. Have you given flowers to those you love recently? Don’t spend another second time waiting. Let them know how much you appreciate them right now. Always remember love is the meal. Everything else is gravy.”