Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Chorny, Merron
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1922-
History
Merron Chorny was born in Ranfurly, Alberta on August 31st, 1922. He graduated from the Edmonton Normal School in 1942 but interrupted his undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving as a Flying Officer from 1943-1945. He later returned and received his Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta in 1947 and his Master of Education in 1949. Chorny was the principal of Grimshaw School from 1949-1958. He was accepted as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Alberta in 1958 on a program leading to his doctorate. In 1960 Chorny accepted a position at the University of Alberta, Calgary as an assistant professor in English Education.
Chorny played a leadership role in a number of teaching and education organizations and was responsible for several pioneering initiatives in improving instruction and the delivery of English programs. Chorny served on the Alberta Department of Education Junior High School Curriculum Committee and on the sub-committee for the marking of Grade 9 exams. He was publications editor of the English Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) and was on the committee to study teaching loads. In 1964 he organized and was chair of the English Commandos, a group that worked within the structure of the English Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association. The Commandos were teams of knowledgeable resource persons who offered one-day workshops in some area of teaching English, such as reading, composition, or poetry. The workshops provided an in-service approach to assisting teachers, and could take on the role of consultants for projects and other activities. As Vice-President of the English Council, Chorny was also invited to attend the International Conference on the Teaching of English held at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire in 1966. Chorny became President of the English Council in 1967.
In 1966, Chorny chaired a conference that discussed the formation of a Canadian Council of Teachers of English (CCTE). Chorny was active in the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), which had a North American agenda but was focussed primarily on education in the United States. Chorny believed that an organization focussed on Canadian English concerns and issues would be advantageous. The CCTE became a reality in 1967 with Chorny as the President of the Council.
Chorny wrote the Just English series of English textbooks; he also wrote Teacher as Learner, and Teacher as Researcher to encourage the further education of teachers of English. Chorny was also a firm believer in writing as an expression of self. He wrote many creative and fictional articles, several of which were later published, including the short story Obitiuary. He also wrote several pieces and had drafted the outlines of chapters for a larger work on the history and people of the Ranfurly area where he grew up.
Chorny retired from the University of Calgary in 1985 and was granted Professor Emeritus status.