English At 50 | University of Waterloo

Mr. Peter Grant (BA 1968) attended high school in the United States for four years before returning to his home in Toronto. He found the Grade 13 curriculum to be challenging, especially the maths and sciences, but knew he had an aptitude for English and History. He chose to attend the University of Waterloo to take the college prep program, which was only offered in three Ontario universities. Doing so allowed him to become a first year student in 1964. While attending UW, Peter studied history, political science and English. He chose to major in both English and History, which were later his teachable subjects in teacher's college.

Peter loved being exposed to great authors such as Dickens, Shakespeare, Keats and Shelley. During his time at UW, Peter's love of reading grew and widened in scope, a love he has been able to pass along to both his children and his grandchildren.

Peter fondly remembers a professor “The Poet.” He describes the professor as an “incredibly cool cigar smoker who turned the deadly theory of language into a class not to be skipped. He's the guy who walked in the first day smoking a little cigar, walked back and forth for minutes looking us over, sat on his desk and started speaking poetry. He never stopped. We wrote.” The Poet is Peter's greatest influence and inspired him as a teacher.

He has other, more eclectic recollections of university life as well. Peter remembers playing basketball with Paul Lavigne, a day student from Kitchener, on the SJC intermural team and on long Saturday nights at the St. Louis gym. He also recalls a memorable evening spent listening to Cohen's “Suzanne” album twice (an experience he found mind-altering). And he'll never forget the hated fried bologna nights at the SJC cafeteria.

After graduation Peter began his career teaching high school students at Eastwood and then taught at Port Colborne. In the early 1970s he, his wife and baby daughter moved to Prince Edward Island. He worked as a teacher, was a greenskeeper, and later a stay-at-home dad; he is now a grandfather.

Throughout his career, Peter taught all ages of people from toddlers to adults. One of his students that was up-grading his courses became a government minister. He has also had the opportunity to teach children with learning problems, children who remind him of himself.

Now, Peter is retired. He still lives on Prince Edward Island and spends his winters in Honduras and Grand Cayman.