Author: Sharon Ethier

As the inspiring Laverne Cox once said, “Who you are is beautiful and amazing.”  The joy of knowing who oneself and living authentically is a worthy of celebration.  Throughout the year, there are a number of opportunities to celebrate different identities and on March 31st, the focus is on the lives and achievements of transgender people.

Since 2009, March 31st has been recognized as the International Transgender Day of Visibility because of the tireless work of Rachel Crandall-Crocker*.  Different from Transgender Day of Remembrance which occurs annually on November 20th, Transgender Day of Visibility is a day to honour and celebrate transgender people.  This day, recognized by the Canadian government, also raises awareness of discrimination faced by the trans and non-binary community by sharing the stories of transgender people.

March 31st will be a day to centre transgender identities.  As educators, we strive to create welcoming and inclusive educational spaces for all children and families to feel part of the community.  If it’s your first time recognizing International Trans Day of Visibility, start with building your own knowledge.  Take some time to learn about trans people, their histories, and their stories.  There are a number of resources online, including many from ETFO, that can support your learning. 

There are also many beautiful stories that would make a lovely book display in the classroom or library.  Being visible about your support for gender diverse people is noted by those who need your support the most.  It also creates space for transgender voices to be heard. As educators, we can use our privilege to amplify the voices of trans people who have been typically silenced. 

Learn how to recognize transphobia and what to say or do when you see or hear it arise. Reflect on the spaces in your schools. How can you prepare spaces for children, colleagues, and community members to feel comfortable and seen in your school – whether they have arrived yet or not?  How can we learn this together with our colleagues? 

As educators, we have the power to shape a joyful observance of  International Transgender Day of Visibility in schools. I urge you to consider how you will help transgender children, community members, and staff to feel celebrated for their brilliance, achievements, and ongoing contributions to our world on March 31st and beyond. 

Books  

Sparkle Boy by Leslie Newman

I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings

Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman

Born Ready by Jodie Patterson

Ana on the Edge by AJ Sass

Night of the Living Zed by Basil Sylvester and Kevin Sylvester

For Educator Learning

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario – 2SLGBTQ+ Resources

TRANS KIDS BELONG

Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario – No One’s Gender Identity Should Be Up for Debate

Egale – Trans Day of Visibility

International Transgender Day of Visibility: An opportunity to honour our transgender community – Canada.ca

*Rachel Crandall Crocker is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in transgender issues.  She is also an international transgender activist, and the founder and organizer of the International Transgender Day of Visibility.  (from Transgender Michigan)

“I spent so much time thinking about what would happen when I got there
that I didn’t spend enough time in the right now. That’s where life was happening.”
– Melissa Etheridge

In my first few years of teaching, I couldn’t wait to be a “good teacher”. I wanted to know everything there was about curriculum, about newest and best strategies, about lingo and processes and students and classroom management….. I thought if I could just attend as much professional learning as possible and immediately implement everything I learned then I would do the best possible things for the students. Then things would be easier and less overwhelming and the students would be excited to come to school each day.

I thought a lot about what things would be like once I got “there”.

Working with new teachers this year, I see and hear that same desire to learn everything. Their determination is energizing and inspiring! They are always so eager to learn, so thoughtful in their interactions with students, and so caring about creating classroom environments that are welcoming and inclusive. They wonder and ask questions about the things they notice about children, school, and learning. Despite the overwhelming list of things to do, they are always striving to learn as much as possible and be the best they can be.

The truth is, that journey never ends. In education, impermanence is the only permanence. There’s always the next challenge – a new grade, a new school, a new teaching partner. There’s changing curriculum expectations and addendums to current curriculum to learn. New research informs strategies; new books and new thinking evolve and inform our learning as educators. Student lived experiences change and who they are differs from year to year and generation to generation. After almost 25 years, I’m still trying to get ‘there’…. And I’m still wondering when I will.

Instead, I want to focus on what is happening right now and shifting my desire from reaching that goal to becoming and evolving as an educator. I still spend a lot of time thinking and learning about curriculum and teaching, but I am spending more time in the ‘now’ – connecting with students and families, finding joyful moments together, and giving myself grace for imperfection that comes with good intentions. I’m doing the best I can with the knowledge I have and I will keep learning more as time marches swiftly on.

In the meantime, I’m going to love our moments together. This may be the last year I see these students before they move to another teacher, grade, or school. I’m treasuring this space where life is happening; making memories together, seeing excitement in moments we share, letting them know that they are important and cared for. I want to be a teacher that is present, that helps them feel like they can take up space and be celebrated for who they are. We spend so much of our time together at school, I want to remember to find joy in the place where life is happening every day.

A few years ago, my colleagues and I were running workshops for students about implicit and explicit bias. The majority of students who attended that space identified as equity-deserving or sovereignty-seeking, such as Black, racialized, Indigenous, 2SLGTBQI+, and more identities. During this workshop, the student discussions shifted to courageous conversations about the students’ experiences with microaggressions and macroaggressions. They were brave and vulnerable sharing their thoughts, asking questions out loud, and holding space for each other’s emotions.

At the time, one of my colleagues turned to me and marvelled at how listening to the students’ experiences was telling of how much they needed space to let their voices be heard. The shared perspectives and experiences were so important for them. She also wondered, “Where is this space for other children who are not here? When do they get to have these conversations and build their understanding?”

That experience has sat with me for the past three years. I think back to that conversation when she was asking me a question that I didn’t understand at the time. Now, I believe that she was acknowledging that all students need to learn about implicit/explicit bias, how it is enacted upon others, and the effects of upholding white, cis-hetero supremacy. That learning and understanding isn’t reserved for those who experience it negatively, it’s necessary learning for all. I realise that the space we cultivated wasn’t really the learning space we thought it would be, it was more of a healing space and that’s what the students needed at the time. But it still left me with the question what does the anti-oppression conversation look like? How can we make that lesson impactful? Maybe I just wasn’t there yet in my own thinking and learning yet.

Fast forward another year and my own experiences in having conversations with others about oppression, actions, and barriers both current and historic. I am realising that when we solely react to situations of harm, we are trying to repair harm and there’s not a lot of time for the depth of work we need to be impactful. I believe that we need to work consistently to humanise all lived identities, to build student understanding that all identities are valid and human and deserve to be treated as such. This needs to happen within the context of curriculum, for both students and educators.

To help, ETFO has some great resources and learning opportunities for educators to seek out ways to build their understanding of anti-oppression and how to navigate those conversations and situations. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend the Anti-Oppressive Framework workshop, then I highly suggest that you apply. This workshop is a prerequisite for Collective Bargaining Academy, Parliamentarian Training, and Union school applicants; however, it’s valuable for every educator. Being in space with conversations about recognizing oppression and how to be actively anti-oppressive is a learning opportunity for all individuals.

If you are looking for some classroom resources to help you have conversations about identity, then ETFO also has some incredible lessons that are designed to be part of the curriculum. If you haven’t had the opportunity to use the Race Matters resource yet, then I highly recommend checking out the resource. The step by step lessons enable educators to engage in conversation and learning in each division from primary to intermediate. The content is age appropriate and equips teachers to engage with anti-racist pedagogy.

Another wonderful resource is The Places We Meet: Embedding Intersectional Feminism in the Classroom, Kindergarten to Grade Eight. In this resource, there are a variety of lessons that help educators and learners critically examine issues of intersectional feminism. The resource has webinars, videos, and posters to support your thinking and learning and which accompanies the lessons so that you feel confident and able to enter conversations around equity issues, change-making, and shifting power to achieve social justice for all.

These resources and opportunities are ways that ETFO supports members in understanding curriculum, their own identities, and how to be anti-oppressive. The classroom resources are valuable in bridging knowledge and understanding for everyone and work toward building and providing inclusive spaces. I reflect back on that wondering of my colleague from years ago: where is that space for all children to have these conversations about equity and social justice and anti-oppression? I think we know the answer is the classroom they spend time in each day. I hope these resources help us all to feel confident to do that.

Have you wondered how you can make change and learn about ETFO?  Standing committees are a wonderful way to get involved and make a difference.  In ETFO, there are over thirty standing committees to choose from – many of which have openings right now.  

A standing committee is a space for educators to make their voices heard.  Committees discuss so many different issues, from Indigenous Education to Library to Human Rights, you will be able to find your passion represented in an ETFO Standing Committee.  The role of a standing committee is to:

• To develop policy recommendations for consideration by the Executive and Annual Meeting.
• To develop program recommendations for consideration by the Executive and the Annual Meeting.
• To provide the perspective of the member on Federation initiatives and programs.
• To provide advice on the content, delivery, and design of Federation programs.
• To advise the Executive on matters relating to the work of the committee.
• To liaise when appropriate with other ETFO standing committees.
• To provide advice on issues as requested by the Executive.

Your perspective and experience is valued in this space.  Through advice and recommendations, you can help to shape the direction of our federation. Many of the resolutions put forward at the annual meeting each August come from the hard work of standing committee members who identify issues and ask the delegation for support. It’s a truly grassroots movement with member experience and engagement at the centre. 

Working on a team of four to five individuals from across the province, you will have a chance to discuss with one another and a staff liaison to help guide you through the process. Most committees meet together in person twice per year.  If selected to be part of a standing committee, you will serve a two year term before re-applying for a second term. After serving two consecutive terms, committee members take a minimum of one year break before applying to serve another term.  

While there are a number of different options for standing committees from curriculum to awards there are also some that are identity-based.  To be respectful of authentic lived experiences, these committees require applicants to self-identify.  For example, the Indigenous Education committee requires members to identify as First Nations, Metis, Inuit, in order to provide advice on issues that pertain to Indigenous Education.  

This year there are a number of vacancies on standing committees.  If you are interested in getting more involved with ETFO and letting your voice be heard, simply log in to the ETFO secure site and find the link in the top left hand corner of the screen named Standing Committee 2025-2027 Vacancies and consider submitting your application by March 1st, 2025. 

Teachers across the province are preparing and writing their term one report cards.  

While time consuming to write, report card comments are a way to communicate with children and families about the children as learners. I always struggle with how I let them know that I see them as capable and intelligent people, even when their grades are not what they expect.  It’s taken me awhile to find the way that I feel celebrates students as mathematicians and learners in the comment section.  For me, the best way to express my ideas about students is through commenting on the mathematical processes. The front matter of the mathematics curriculum states: 

“The mathematical processes cannot be separated from the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students acquire throughout the year. All students problem solve, communicate, reason, reflect, and so on, as they develop the knowledge, the understanding of mathematical concepts, and the skills required in all the strands in every grade.”

 If you aren’t yet familiar with the processes, they include: 

• problem solving
• reasoning and proving
• reflecting
• connecting
• communicating
• representing
• selecting tools and strategies

To further support my thinking, I opened the Growing Success: The Mathematics Addendum, Grades 1 to 8, 2020 which states: 

“…describe significant strengths demonstrated by the student and identify next steps for improvement; they may also describe growth in learning. When appropriate, teachers may make reference to particular strands in their comments.” 

This was what I wanted!  I wanted my comments to reflect what I knew about students and how I saw them as learners each day.  It shifted what I was looking for in the classroom to being asset-based thinking – what were students doing and learning, their strengths and how could I use that information to build on their experiences in mathematics.

I thought about what I noticed happening in the lessons for the students and came up with ways to express what I thought was important for them to read about themselves.  For example,

*Name* is gaining confidence in their use of representations in mathematics.  They are comfortable using number lines to express understanding of equations and show their work when solving problems.  They were also able to model new thinking when working with fractions this term using pictures and diagrams, such as rectangles and squares divided into equal parts to model parts of a whole.  

For other students, I wanted to highlight their strategies and decided to comment on their participation in sharing ideas in class.  For example, 

During whole class discussions in math class, *name* was an active participant.  They enjoyed sharing their estimation strategies, such as rounding numbers, to provide reasons for their estimations.   For example, when working with larger number expressions, such as 28 x 2, *name* would estimate 60 and justify that 30 x 2 was a close friendly expression to use.

Some students excelled in building connections between strands. I wrote comments that demonstrated how they saw connections in mathematics and not just each strand as a singular stand alone.  An example of these comments are:

*Name* looks for connections between mathematics strands to make sense of new concepts. They recognize the relationship between geometry and measurement, especially when exploring perimeter.  *Name*  used an understanding of the sides of squares and triangles to explain the perimeter as being the distance around an object.  They also extended this understanding to measuring distance around a city block and could explain why metres would be a more accurate unit of measurement than centimetres. 

Of course, all teachers have their own style and flair for report card writing.  You are entitled and encouraged to use your own professional judgement about how to best communicate with families and students about learning.  These examples are not the only way to approach math comments, but the process of thinking about what I wanted to say and looking into the curriculum and Growing Success Addendum helped me to frame my own thinking and understanding about reporting in math. 

I have always enjoyed spending time reading and thinking about teaching – what does the curriculum say and what does it mean? What are some of the theories and strategies I can learn about as an educator? How do these translate to student learning? All of these help to shape my understanding of teaching and learning and what’s best for students. Reading, attending professional learning, and taking those moments to think deeply about what school means to me have given me a lot of information.

But it isn’t always this way. I don’t always have the opportunity or enough time to think as deeply as I’d like. Like most educators, I’m just trying to do my best. There is so much to learn about the curriculum and even more to find out about myself as an educator – what does my ‘teacher voice’ sound like? What do I know about students and learning and teaching? How can I take my new learning and make sense of it in action? It is all so very overwhelming and yet all so necessary.

When I learn about new strategies or information, I try to take the time to digest and consider what that might look like in the classroom. This year as I make sense of new curricula and new research and learning, I’m planning to focus more on what it looks like in practice. I spent last year radically dreaming of all the possibilities of what school could be and have spent so much time reading and learning for myself. The question for me this year is what does this mean at 8:45 am when the doors open and the classroom is set or when my prep is done? What do the conversations sound like? What are the students feeling, saying, and doing in the moment?

I’m going to spend more time learning about students, about these people I’m so lucky to share space with every day. I want to engage in more conversation, get curious about them, learn what they like, their fears, their identities and learn what they need to feel like they belong and are safe at school. I’m planning to cultivate the joy of learning and a space that builds their confidence as learners. I’m going to focus on becoming radically kid-centred.

Cornelius Minor explores the idea of being “Radically Pro-Kid” throughout his work in examining and reflecting on the education system. As he entered into conversations and interviews about his book “We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest To Be Who Our Students Need Us To Be”, he shares:

I always say that it is my role as a teacher to initially create opportunities for children and to eventually teach them how to create opportunities for themselves.

I always say when people ask me what my politics are: I am radically pro-kid. That definitely means that I am walking into every arena that attempts to abridge opportunities for kids and I’m attempting to disrupt those things.

This makes so much sense to me. Learning curriculum for myself, learning about myself as an educator, learning about what I believe in…. All of this is important, but not more important than learning about students – their experiences, who they are, and helping them to discover who they can and want to be. Being radically pro-kid means thinking bigger about the children’s experiences, being present for family to partner and build spaces where they belong. It means unpacking and examining my own biases and classroom rules – even when it’s an uncomfortable truth. It means being willing to change, to adapt, to centre student experiences, to provide opportunities, and to dismantle barriers that I didn’t know existed.

It still leaves me wondering what this looks like, in practice, at 8:45am. I wonder how this shift will change the climate of the classroom and how it will change me, too. I trust it’s going to take some time, but I believe it’s going to be better for all of us.

Lately, whenever I log into my news updates online, I’ve been noticing a lot of similarly styled articles. There’s always a “The 14 Must Haves For Winter” or “10 Ways to Bump Up Your Protein Intake”. Sometimes those articles have a little tip for me that I’ve forgotten or even some new nugget of information to learn.

As I think about the first day of work in 2025, I wonder what I would tell my younger self about starting the school year. What would be my tips for myself after all these years? There are a few things I want to keep in the forefront of my thoughts this month and throughout the year as I try to balance all the challenges that come with a career in education. So, in no particular order of importance, I’m sharing with you my Four Tips for January.

Tip 4: Reconnect with colleagues. If you’re new to a school or position after the break, connect with your new colleagues. If you’re returning to your position, then make sure to stop in and chat with your colleagues. January is a tough month with cold weather, report cards imminent, and changes for some of us in teaching assignments. The best school staff works together with the knowledge that they can lean on each other for advice, smiles, and encouragement.

Tip 3: Continue to build relationships with families and the school community. School is part of the community it serves. Families all have a story to tell, sometimes they are joyful and sometimes they need support. As a parent, my children’s educators are partners with me in helping to shape my children’s experiences and ensure their safety at school. I appreciate their willingness to talk with me, their ability to see the best in my kids, and to help our family feel welcome and part of the school

Tip 2: Show the kids how much you care. Educators are the most caring and compassionate people I know. For many students, school feels uncertain the first few weeks after a break; it seems like December was so long ago. For some students, they may be experiencing their ‘first day’ if they’ve just moved to your school. Make your caring visible with smiles, kind words, and opportunities to build community and wonder. Help them to see themselves as capable and brilliant learners.

Tip 1: Know your why. Let your why guide you each day, let it be the lens through which you view your success, professional growth, and your goals as an educator. For some people, articulating their why helps them to focus and centre themselves. For others, it might be a visual compilation of words, pictures, colours, emotions. Finding our own ‘why’ is personal and part of our identity as educators and it might evolve and change throughout our careers. It’s great to revisit, remember, and revise our why as we start each year.

Well, readers, those are my Four Tips for January. I hope you found something useful in my own short list of advice that I would give my young, teacher self. As I start 2025, I remember to say hello to students in the hall with excitement and greet families and staff with big smiles and enthusiasm. I remember that helping create a place where they feel like they are safe, belong, and confident is my why.

As I think more about assessment in conversations and observations, I recognize that I need to cultivate more intentional time and space for conversation together. Decentering myself as the teacher and allowing students to share their ideas and thoughts with one another may be as important for myself as it is for them.

Using photos and illustrations is a great tool to supplement classroom discussions, to use as assessment, or to layer learning experiences. There’s a variety of pictures available online to evoke conversation, such as ones published in the news or art. For example, if you are looking for ways to support and engage students in thinking about global citizenship and sustainability in the science curriculum, you may choose to use advertisements or piece of artwork that provoke thought about climate justice. You might choose to share an illustration with the class at the beginning of your unit to open conversations or you might use it as a tool to introduce vocabulary and ideas that they might need for the unit. The health curriculum has many expectations in different grades and strands that open conversations about identity, mental health, bullying, etc. Choosing to analyse an artist’s work depicting mental health struggles would be a great conversation starter if you are teaching about mental health and wellness in health classes.

Promoting discussions between students and facilitating a safe space for sharing in the classroom is a must. In these sessions, students are to do the majority of the talking and the educator guides with questions and in conversation. Starting with deciding on norms or shared agreements is necessary when engaging in courageous conversations. When you are unpacking these ideas with the students, ensure to offer space to gather student input. It takes time! So be aware that forefronting the time to set these in place together with some practice and preparation for difficult conversations will give you a better opportunity to continue the conversations even when topics are challenging. As educators, we are listening to students’ thoughts and ideas gathering assessment and meeting students where they are at in their understanding. What I love most about facilitating conversation is that students can all enter the space of discussions to learn with and from one another, focussing on their brilliance instead of waiting for me to give them the ‘right’ answer.

These are just a few reflections that I have been exploring conversations in the classroom. As a strategy to help build my understanding and to provide space for student voice, I find conversation to be a vital part of my teaching practice and for developing my own critical thinking skills. Give it a try and see how it goes! It might surprise you to hear the brilliant voices of your students!

Food is my mother’s love language. She meticulously prepares cultural meals, searching for hard-to-find ingredients that are only sold in Asian stores – or sometimes that are only found growing in our garden or in the gardens of family friends. It was the aroma of family recipes from far away islands that greeted us coming home from school that expressed the extent of her love. Even long, exhausting days at work didn’t stop her from standing over bubbling pots and woks, stirring and mixing and frying. It was this love that assured us of all she did to nourish our bodies and souls.

In school, all of that was hidden. This love language translated into something that mirrored the dominant culture – peanut butter and jam sandwiches, apples and orange slices – something that was presentable and acceptable in public. The fluffy white rice was traded in for sliced bread and the light, delicate pancit bihon made space for cheese and crackers. The message that sometimes love had to look and sound and smell differently in different spaces and sometimes that’s how love protected us from teasing and comments that might make us feel like we did not belong. Sandwiches didn’t mean that we weren’t loved, it just meant that we were loved more freely at home when we were together. At home we could love one another in any language we chose.

I like to think that these things have changed since those days, but I see my nieces and nephews from the Philippines not eating their lunches at school. During supervision, I sometimes catch the comments at lunch hour from students who don’t understand the impact of their words and I see the reaction of those who are hurt by them.

My first attempt to counter this was to read a book about other cultures to my students. I thought if we could just read about culture, traditions, and foods, it would be enough to build empathy and help everyone to feel welcome and included. Simply reading a book would help us all understand food and belonging and love in a way that would change our community. However, I noticed that even the best books needed to be accompanied by conversation and community building. Beautiful stories and illustrations wouldn’t be enough without the invitation to humanize ourselves and others. Conversations would open the space for us to all share and build connections with one another.

Once I chose a book to read, I started by inviting the children into the conversation with my intention. This invitation sounded like, “I have some favourite foods that are important to me. I really love it when my family gets together because we like to eat spring rolls and pancit and those foods remind me of how much we love each other. Does anyone else have food that reminds them of their family?” This guided conversations around the idea of how important and special things are to each person, even when those things are different. Next, I introduced the text by saying, “In this story, we’re going to learn about one character’s special food. I want you to listen and see if you can find out what makes that food special.” Focussing their attention on what I was looking for helped us to stop during the reading and make notes of what we were reading.

The first book we read helped to celebrate foods and family, called Cora Cooks Pancit. We talked about and wrote about our important foods, using describing words about the flavours and textures and anything else we could brainstorm. The second book we read highlighted a misunderstanding between friends who were judging one another’s lunches, called The Sandwich Swap. We read this book with the intention of deciding together how we should treat each other, what we can do when we make a mistake, and how we can move forward when that happens. We learned how to be respectful when something is different from our experiences and how to help everyone to feel comfortable in class.

Finding the right book is challenging, but sometimes we don’t always need a text to navigate these conversations. Sometimes it’s a photo, a video, or a song that can spark how we engage in community conversation together. Sometimes it’s just sharing a story about my own life that the students can connect with and that allows for conversations to begin. In any of these opportunities to build an understanding of each other’s humanity, children are learning and sharing about themselves while they are learning about others.

It’s an imperfect solution to building belonging, but I think it’s a good place to start. I still dream of schools being accepting places where masking identity doesn’t feel necessary, where celebrating the entirety of ourselves is encouraged. I imagine a space where parents don’t have to learn a new love language and can hold onto traditions and cultural norms tightly, sending their children to school wrapped securely in comfort and confidence in their identity. I hope that these intentional decisions move us one step closer and that we can, by modeling and sharing, let all students know we care. I like to think, as an educator, that is my love language to students and families. We see you and celebrate you. You belong here.

Every summer, ETFO hosts a number of different Summer Academy sessions across the province and hosted by different ETFO locals. This past July I had the pleasure of attending a Summer Academy hosted by ETFO Niagara Teachers’ Local. This three day learning workshop was a definite highlight in my professional learning.

The topic of this Summer Academy was ‘Digital Literacy: Student Led Podcasts’. The fabulous duo, Chey and Pav, were the session leaders. These elementary teachers from Toronto have their own podcast called “The Chey and Pav Show: Teachers Talking Teaching” and shared with us ways in which we can bring podcasting to the classroom. We started the first day learning about what podcasting is and thinking about why it is important. Podcasting can be a way for students to find their voices. They can share about issues that are important to them, such as social justice issues or items they’ve learned about in the news. Podcasting is also so creative in that one can add music, video, or pictures that can help enhance the storytelling experience. It offers students a multitude of ways to utilize the writing process in a way that is practical; helping to develop writing and editing and critical thinking skills in a meaningful context.

The first day was so important in setting the stage to build a safe community, learn about one another, and feel comfortable in sharing our own voices. By the second day, we began to learn how podcasting could be used in schools. It was fascinating to think of all the possibilities, from engaging with the school and parent community to providing ways for students to engage in the creation of their own podcasts. By day three, we were writing our own scripts and becoming familiar with using a variety of equipment and software.

I loved that this learning experience provided educators with learning that was practical and allowed us to gain the confidence to try something new in the classroom. There were real life examples of how podcasting looked, ideas on why it is engaging for students, and gave us the time to gain hands-on practice with a variety of equipment. Learning was accessible and shared by teachers with experience for all the educators to be comfortable with our new found skills. In addition, participants were encouraged to build community with other teachers through conversation, project work, and feedback. It was also exciting to learn that the equipment needed could be as simple as chromebooks or as advanced as a full podcasting studio. I loved being the ‘student’ so that I could remember what it was like to be a new learner in a new situation and to think about what I needed to help me become more comfortable to take risks.

I have been to many ETFO professional learning opportunities over the years, such as after school professional workshops at our ETFO local office, women’s programs delivered by ETFO Provincial, and more. Each time I return from professional learning inspired and empowered to think more deeply about my practice and try something new. This year, I encourage you to reach out to your local ETFO office or keep your eyes peeled for ETFO Provincial professional learning opportunities. It’s a fantastic way to connect with other educators across the province, take part in some fabulous learning, and gain the courage to try something new.