Paul Junor – Encourage hearts, empower minds, elevate wills, energize spirits and enlighten souls

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I don’t know where to start with our Classic Man this week. He has been such an inspiration to myself, and the African-Caribbean community that it is going to be difficult to summarize his value in this one article, but I am going to give it a try.

Let’s start with his achievements and academic accolades:

From October 1992-September 2000, he was a Math and Science Teacher, and his excellence was recognized early when he was awarded the 1997 Mentor of the Year from the Black Achievers Program.

From September 1981-June 1985, he worked on his Bachelor of Science and graduated with Honours Specialist In Medical Microbiology and Human Biology from the University of Toronto.

During this time he obtained his Bachelor of Education, Faculty of Education: University of Toronto (1992), Intermediate Senior Division: Science/ Mathematics (June 1996),  Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) from St. Augustine Seminary, Honours Specialist: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (December 2008),  Principal’s Qualification Part 1: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (July 2009), Principal’s Qualification Part 2: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (January 2011),  and he completed the Building Black Entrepreneurs Program in November 2022.

Who is the studious and high-achieving Classic Man? No other than our very own esteemed Community Journalist Paul Junor.

Paul Junor was born on June 15^th, 1962, in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England to Jamaican-born parents, John and Viney. He spent his early childhood and formative years in Birmingham before moving to Jamaica in the late 1960s with his sister, Janet to live with his paternal grandmother, Lotris Simpson.

He lived in Wild Cane, St. Ann during those early years before moving to Duhaney Park Primary School. He passed his common entrance exam in 1972 and attended Kingston College. One of the greatest memories of his time in Jamaica was being ranked # 4 in table tennis, and having his name published in the Jamaica Gleaner. He competed in many tournaments in the corporate area of Kingston.

“I used to play so much table tennis. One of the things that stood out a lot to me was how peaceful Jamaica was during that time. I used to walk all over Kingston at the age of 11 and 12 and explore. Jamaica was so beautiful, and not as dangerous as the media portrayed it.”

In 1978, Paul and his sister migrated to Canada to join his mother, who had remarried. They lived in the Jane and Finch area, before moving to Brampton in October 1978.

“Once I moved to Canada, life changed for me drastically. I had lost touch with my mother and had to deal with some abandonment challenges. For years even my father disappeared. Imagine as a kid what those experiences were like. Out of the blue, we received a letter from our mother saying she was in Canada, and she wanted us to join her, and this is how we got reconnected with our mother.

I was always a studious kid; it provided a lot of opportunities for me. I did well in school and, once I finished high school and started university, I never went back home. In order for me to develop the way I wanted to; I couldn’t be home.”

Paul attended Central Peel Secondary School and graduated in June 1981. He started an Honours Bachelor of Science program at the University of Toronto which he completed in 1985 with a double specialist in Medical Microbiology and Human Biology.

“I went to the University of Toronto, and back then there were very few Black people. There was a lot of academic pressure; it was a very unnerving experience, not positive. It was stressful; it felt like a marathon, but I was not a quitter. I have never been one to quit. Even though I was at U of T, I spent most of my time at York; my friends were there, parties, it was more inviting. At U of T, you had to compete against other students, and this is what made it extremely stressful.”

Armed with a background in biological science, Paul started his technical career in the medical field. His first job was at BocknecK Lab in Etobicoke, then Boreal Lab in Mississauga before moving to MDS Lab in Etobicoke. He spent three years working as a laboratory technician with the goal of becoming certified as a Medical Laboratory Technologist. He eventually gave up the laboratory field to pursue a teaching career.

During his time at MDS Lab, he started his philanthropic work with several Black community organizations in Toronto. He volunteered with the African Heritage Educators Network (AHEN), and participated in their Project 90 program, which offered Saturday tutorial classes to elementary and secondary Black students at Northview Heights Secondary School in Toronto.

It was this volunteering experience that propelled him to apply to Teacher’s College in 1991. He was accepted at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto in September 1991 and he completed his B.Ed in June 1992 with teaching qualifications in Math and Science at the Intermediate level.

“I started volunteering at a high school working with Black children, and through that volunteer experience, I got to know teachers. My work in education started with community work. It is funny how life works; I had no intention of being a teacher, but life had different plans for me. 

When I first stood up in front of classes, I was so scared, but the students loved me. I think that it was because I was a young Black teacher, and most of the teachers were White, old, and grumpy, so I think that students found me more relatable”

In October,1992 he accepted a full-time teaching position with the Etobicoke Board and started his teaching career at North Albion Collegiate Institute (NACI). He taught there for nine years before accepting a promotion to Nelson A. Boylen to be in charge of the Teachers Advisors Program (TAP). After ten years there, he was promoted to be Acting Curriculum Leader (ACL) in Science at Emery Collegiate Institute for the 2011-2012 school year.

He was then promoted to an Acting Curriculum Leader position in Mathematics at Westview Centennial Secondary School for the 2012-2013 school year and subsequently was transferred to Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate Institute in Scarborough where he taught for three years. He was promoted to be an Assistant Curriculum Leader in Science at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute for two years from 2018-2021.

Over the years, he has volunteered with several well-known organizations including: Highfield Community Project, West Indies Volunteer Community Support, Each One Teach One, Ontario Parents of Black Children, Black Achievers Club for which he received mentor of the year, Vision of Science, Planet Africa, Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA), and the Festival Management Committee( FMC).

He has also worked with Cherryl Lewis, Executive Director of the African-Canadian Christian Network (ACCN) helping Black elementary boys and girls prepare for the SSAT to gain acceptance into private schools in the Greater Toronto Area.

Paul is grateful for the mentors and role models that have entered his life over the years. He is particularly thankful for: Dr.Gene Archer, Pastor of Pilgrim Church of the FirstBorn, Vernon Farrell, former principal with the North York Board of Education, Dr. Bernard Moitt, former professor at the University of Toronto, Alvin Frank, MInister at The Stone Church, and Alvin French of the University of Toronto.

How I connected with Paul, and how he began writing for the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper was the healing power I saw in his poetry. I saw his ability to use words to: encourage hearts, empower minds, elevate wills, energize spirits and enlighten souls.

“The power of community connects us in a way beyond our own families. There is a lot of dysfunction in our families, but within our community, there is the opportunity to foster strength. I have been so supported by my community, and this has empowered me to do the work that I do. I do a lot of work with children. I have received so much that giving has become natural for me. I know what it is like to not have, so this is why giving back to my community is so important.”