Growing up in the Okanagan, Isaac Massey always knew the power of education, though he wasn’t certain he’d end up in front of a classroom himself. What he did know was that he came from a long line of people who cared deeply about teaching.
“I come from a family of teachers,” he shared. “My grandmother was a school teacher in India, my dad was a math and science teacher in the district, and my mom was a chemistry professor at the college. I’m proud to continue the family trade because I know the difference they’ve made in their respective positions, and that it matters when people who take this career seriously have the influence to affect so many others.”
Today, he’s a humanities teacher at a high-school, where he’s spent the past six years teaching English and Social Studies and coaching cross-country and track and field. But despite his family’s legacy, teaching wasn’t always his plan.
“I remember being in my last year of high school, and we had to outline our plans for life after graduation,” he said. “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I knew I was interested in studying English, but it wasn’t until that last semester of Grade 12 when I had a really formative teacher – Melanie Wowchuck – and I just knew I wanted to be somebody like her. That class always stayed with me.”
After working as an educator for several years, his curiosity and love of learning drew him back to higher education. Encouragement from close friends, many of whom he met in undergrad and completed the BEd with, pushed him to consider graduate studies.
“I applied for the Masters with my friends – Carlee, Tara, and Jake – and when you’re surrounded by like-minded people who are pursuing the same goal, the experience is very rewarding,” he said. “If I could be a student forever, I would. I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of the excitement and challenge of post-secondary education.”
When he began the MEd program, he didn’t have a specific research direction in mind. That changed in his very first course with Dr. Christopher Martin.
“We were exploring controversial ideas in education, and I had to come up with my own for a paper,” he explained. “I was gripped by the topic, and realized I was just scratching the surface of something, so I slowly developed it into my capstone. It wasn’t something I had thought about beforehand, but after taking that class, it’s what I thought about constantly.”
What emerged was an ambitious project: a book, titled Teaching Good. The book takes a deeper look at the role of moral education in contemporary classrooms, an especially timely topic as British Columbia prepares to introduce mandatory Holocaust education in 2025.
“Curriculum often claims it cares about student wellbeing and civic duty, but seldom commits to what could actually be described as “moral education,” he said. “I see this as a missed opportunity to develop core competencies such as personal and social responsibility.”
Though not formally published, the book is publicly available on the UBC Okanagan School of Education capstone repository. More importantly, the work has already begun shaping the way he approaches his teaching.
“In English Studies 12 and English First Peoples 12, I’ve had the chance to teach students about the difference between empirical and normative writing, and how the latter, I think, necessarily invokes moral justification,” he said. “We have sharing circles and debates on current events and social issues, and students learn that in order to navigate these discussions rationally, they need to appeal to ethical theories and moral sensibilities.”
He sees this work as a natural extension of the BC curriculum.
“Social Studies already uses the language of ‘making ethical judgments,’ but I think that learning outcome sometimes gets sidelined. Teachers might wonder, How am I supposed to grade an ethical judgement? What does a lesson on ethics look like? But if we’re teaching something like World War II, I think there’s no excuse to be modest about the moral facts.
He expands on this in his book, translating his theoretical framework into classroom practice by showing how teachers can correct common moral misunderstandings and proposes options for implementing moral education more intentionally. For him, the goal is not only stronger ethical reasoning, but also a greater awareness of how our choices affect others.
“In the book, I promote organizations such as The Life You Can Save. It’s a website that has vetted some of the most effective charities around the world to ensure that your money is having the greatest possible impact. If the book helps spread that message, then I’m grateful.”
In recognition of his graduate work, he was recently awarded the Outstanding Master-Level Graduate Student Award. The award felt meaningful both personally and philosophically.
“I’m very humbled,” he said. “It’s not really about me. It matters to see an area of research like this recognized. And I can’t take all the credit — people like Dr. Martin and other faculty members helped me more than they’d admit.”
Reflecting on his graduate journey, Isaac encourages future graduate students to strengthen their writing skills early on, noting that clear, concise communication is valuable in both academic and professional settings. He wishes he had encountered resources like George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language sooner, as its emphasis simplicity, precision, and active voice aligned with lessons he now sees as helpful across all aspects of writing. As for what comes next, he’s still deciding.
“I’d love to look into publishing,” he said. “For now, I’m still thinking and writing about these ideas. I’m not quite done with them.”