Barbara Koffman

Arlene Murphy is an educator and graduate student who has dedicated much of her career to supporting students, teachers, and communities through inclusive and responsive education. She spent more than a decade working in Winnipeg’s inner-city schools, experiences that continue to shape her understanding of the importance of relationships, belonging, and removing barriers to learning.

Throughout her career with the Winnipeg School Division, Arlene has had the opportunity to contribute to both the Indigenous Education Team and the Literacy Support Team. She has worked alongside educators in several schools, supporting conversations around decolonization and helping teachers consider how they can create more inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms. Through her work with Treaty Education, she has also had the privilege of learning with and supporting teachers as they explored their responsibilities and relationships within Treaty education.

After years of supporting educators across the division, Arlene made the intentional decision to return to the classroom. She sees this as an important part of her own leadership and professional growth—continuing to learn through practice, reflect on what she knows, and connect theory with the realities of teaching. She is currently completing her Master of Education and pursuing further learning in literacy with the goal of becoming a reading clinician.

Arlene is grateful to receive this scholarship as she continues to grow as an educator and leader. Outside of education, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her three dogs. She believes that meaningful educational change begins with relationships, reflection, and a willingness to keep learning.

I am Julie Martinussen and have recently completed my Masters in Language and Literacy with Reading Clinician coursework in May 2026. Starting with a Physical Education degree and embarking on a life in recreation and volunteer management, is a stark contrast to my second career as a teacher. After receiving my BEd as a mature student, I am now in my 16th year as an educator, which has included roles as K-4 classroom teacher, Reading Recovery Teacher, and Literacy Support Teacher for grade K-8. 

Literacy understanding for me changed once I experienced parenting a reluctant reader and started working with struggling older readers despite my best efforts with the tools I had at the time. The past six years since Covid have been full of numerous learning opportunities as I began to understand structured literacy. A PD with Rosanna Montebruno and Heather Khan, OG training with Valdine Bjornson, and conversations with supportive principals and other educators like Alison Aitkins, have been pivotal moments for me. Not to mention the many classmates I spent the last three years with in my masters coursework and the knowledgeable communities of MCRC, MRA, GWRC, MTSLD, and Dyslexia Canada.

Thank you to the Barbara Koffman family and the Manitoba Council of Reading Clinicians for awarding me this scholarship. I am grateful to be included in this community of educators as I continue my own learning journey to support literacy learners and their families.

My name is Sarah Falk and I have had a passion for literacy from the very beginning. I loved reading and writing in school and continue to love them to this day. I vividly remember standing in my Grade One classroom, looking at the classroom library books and wishing so deeply that I could read them. At the time, it felt impossible that the symbols on the pages could somehow translate into words with meaning. It wasn’t long after, that something magical did happen. I did learn to read. The initial frustration of not being able to read but so badly wanting to, has stuck in my memory for a lifetime and it sparked my dream of teaching others how to access the stories hidden in the pages. 

After completing the Bachelor of Education program in early years, I went on to complete the PBDE in inclusive education. During this time, a passion for providing inclusive supports through programming and planning developed. Through the PBDE program, I recognized how inclusive supports could meet the needs of all my students in a way which uplifted their self-efficacy and honoured their individual learning needs. I was excited to become an advocate for my students. The next step in my learning journey began with the Master of Education program in Language and Literacy. This introduced me to the world of Reading Clinicians, evidence-based literacy instruction, and how to merge inclusive supports with an Indigenous Education lens.

My current goal is applying for a provisional reading clinician certificate. I feel like being certified is so important given my rural teaching location and bringing this support to students. I am so grateful for the honour of receiving the Barbara Koffman scholarship and the opportunities that this has awarded me in continuing my education for reading clinician certification.