It is no secret to educators that teaching is an occupation of high stress. A Johns Hopkins University study ranked teaching as the 4th most stressful job of all occupations. Educators know that the job is stressful, but sometimes it helps to put a name to something in order to help us cope. Sometimes, it […]
Toxic Positivity in a Brave New World
I am a huge science fiction fan and was excited to start the new TV series “Brave New World”. I read the book for my “The Science in Science Fiction Literature” course (I know, cool course right?) in University and I was looking forward to the TV series. In the futuristic “Brave New World”, society […]
Engaging with Indigenous Knowledge as a Non-Indigenous Educator
Over my teaching career I have been fortunate to teach in schools with high populations of Indigenous students and to learn from the knowledge keepers and elders in the communities that our schools served. Admittedly, I haven’t always said or done the right things but I have learned from those mistakes. As a non-Indigenous educator, […]
Bitmoji Education
Love it or hate it, the app of Bitmoji has worked it’s way into education and particularly into distance learning. From “digital” stickers for feedback to entire Google Slide Classrooms with doors to other rooms, Bitmoji is everywhere. Bitmojis are dancing, pointing and fainting all over educational platforms. Confession time? I’m on the love it […]
Overwhelming Resources
As we engage in distance/remote/online/emergency learning Educators are being inundated with resources and tools to use in their virtual classrooms. It isn’t easy to decide which would be most effective and which ones are safe for teachers and students to use. There is no one size fits all answer to this but there are a […]
Inspiration During the COVID Crisis
I know that as I write this, I speak from a fortunate position. We are working safely from home and all of us are still healthy. Other than not being able to see extended family and friends, having some aches and pains from being in front of the computer and get out to the hair […]
Content and Copyright Considerations in Distance Learning
The move to distance learning has certainly had some pitfalls. On top of all of the programming changes and logistical considerations, we’re hearing horror stories of the inappropriate use of digital tools and teachers unintentionally violating copyright laws. It is crucial for teachers to make themselves aware of the privacy and security guidelines for their […]
Illness, Shame and the Educator Martyr Complex
A recent Twitter post from Liz Ryan @humanworkplace read: Coronavirus is teaching us that: Healthcare is a right Paid sick time is a right Many, many people could do their work from home (clearly not teachers) We are more dependent on a healthy society than we want to acknowledge This tweet got me thinking about a […]