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Will Gourley Challenging Topics, COVID19, Distance learning, Emergency Distance Learning, Engaging students with online learning, General, Mental Health, Modern Learning, Remote Learning, Resilience, self reflection, social emotional learning, Social Media, Teacher Wellness, Teacher Working Conditions, Teaching online, Use of Technology

Per / Con / In / Re – form

Perform 
I am wrestling with my thoughts again. In other words, I am restless again. When this happens many questions appear soon thereafter. Is there anyone out there that feels restless too?

I can’t be the only one in questioning a lot of things right now because most days I feel like a busker at a street festival trying to juggle a bowling ball(technology), a chainsaw(lessons), and a fishtank(learners). Nothing to see here other than a fairly confident educator having a tough time with something that he’s done before – delivering lessons.

So why am I struggling to deliver my lessons? It seems like a good place to start. Right now, I am questioning everything about my professional practice, and it feels like running along a path and tripping over an imaginary object. My week long tumbles are not so much about the content I am teaching, but rather how it is being taught, how it is being received, and how it can be assessed. It is leaving me limping into the weekend? Tell me I am not alone right now.

Conform
And then it hits. How long until the realization that some of my students are not completely engaging with learning right now even though their eyes and emotionless emoticons tell me otherwise? After extended times staring at screens and thumbnail sized student/profile memes I can tell my students are becoming exhausted too despite the brave faces that I see popping up on occasion when called upon. Is this happening to anyone else teaching right now? Are your students tired too? I am. 

Why am I so tired right now? Shouldn’t getting an extra hour of sleep each night, drinking 2+ litres of water per day, reduced caffeine, reduced personal device time, reading more books, and getting more exercise than in years past be helping me out here? I have even added Tai Chi, Yoga, and Hip Hop Dance to our DPA to increase movement during class time. To top it all off, I take daily walks whether I feel like it or not. 

Inform
You see, I force myself to take a walk after each of my hyper-telepresent virtual teaching sessions. Once the goodbyes are done, it is pretty much all I can do to get out of my chair, climb the stairs, and get geared up to go out most days. Especially, when I have to pass by a very comfortable couch whose cushions scream, “Remember us?” It is very tempting, but something even better calls, my daily walks.

Regardless of the weather, these walks are my motivational carrots to keep taking the steps that get me through the many muddy moments along each day’s unpaved path. Knowing that no matter how the day goes, a walk awaits has been all it takes to see me through. Whether a lesson went well or died on the screen in front of me ceases to matter when I inhale that first breath of fresh outdoor air. The exhale feels pretty good too. 

You watch enough TV, and very soon the inside of your head has become a vast, arid plain, across which you cannot detect the passage of a thought. Harlan Ellison

So far this year, I have only missed one day of walking. In hindsight it was probably the day that I needed a it most. Instead, I ended up planted on that inviting couch with a bowl of Smartfood staring at our television. Tuned out. Achy. Sullen. Grumpy. Numb. These feelings got me thinking about screens. 

Reform
Sci-fi author Harlan Ellison referred to TV as the “glass teat”. He even wrote a couple of books about it. I see parallels to how education is being delivered right now. We need to wean our students off of their screens more and more in order to preserve their minds from numbing and tuning out. 

Somewhere along my way outside a struggle ensued about the work I am doing in front of my screen. Is it serving to numb our students over extended periods of time? Will these extended periods of online learning cause irreparable tears in our socio-academic fabric? I am not ready to believe that this is the beginning of the end for in person school and that we are heading for our isolation pods as told in E.M Forster’s The Machine Stops? 

We cannot continue feeding content from one glass plate after another and expecting students to grow up smart and healthy. A dear friend suggested that cutting the learning day back to 4 days might be a good idea. Allowing the 5th day for asynchronous activities such as self-directed inquiry and catching up on assignments during the day rather than in the evenings when fatigue sets in. Teachers could easily use that time for office hours, for one on one/small group support, and conferencing. Everyone wins. 

Yet to form
This is much more than having the tools to master a domain that has yet to be tamed? Virtual learning means we are virtually learning how to do this while we teach? I can tell you there are few system leaders or consultants that have as much experience as any teachers in this medium, and it has largely been gained through self-teaching and experimentation with their classes.

I worry that too much emphasis has been placed on performance and conformity without serious consideration to being fully informed of the true social, emotional, and physical costs of virtual learning. Teachers, students, and families are feeling the stress from this and without an alternative I fear that there will be problems far greater than being behind on assignments or failing a test.

There is a definite need to refine and reform how we are being asked to serve and support our students. I’d love to take a walk around the neighbourhood with those making decisions on our behalf, share some ideas, listen to one another, breath in some fresh air, and take the steps that would best support students and staff -from a safe distance of course. Maybe if we took away their screens everyone might be able to see eye to eye here about helping to change things for the better, our students. 

In the meantime, I think another walk is in order. 

 

 

Arianna Lambert Distance learning, Remote Learning, self reflection

Lessons From Virtual Learning

I’m going to start out by giving a shout-out to virtual teachers everywhere! Those of you that have been doing this since September, wow! You amaze me. As I’m getting used to the idea of teaching into a screen, I’m amazed by how you are able to do this day in and day out. At the end of the day, I sometimes walk away unsure as to the depth of our work; my eyes hurt; and if we didn’t have Phys. Ed. or if I haven’t had a chance to walk yet for the day, my back hurts. I was amazed by you before but experiencing this first-hand, you deserve much more credit than has been given!

In the last 4 weeks, I have learned a lot about myself and my students. In this post, I’ll share a few of the “lessons” that I have learned. While they may not be new “lessons”, they are certainly reminders for me when I head back into the classroom.  Here they are:

  1. Flexibility is fundamental;
  2. Reflection is required;
  3. Connections are crucial.

Flexibility Is Fundamental

Every day I head into our Meet or Zoom with a plan of how the day will go and almost always that plan gets completely changed around. While I know that it’s the same in the classroom, I find that so much more comes up in the virtual classroom. Our check-ins last longer. Tech issues arise. We need more or different support with a question or task since the way in which we “move around the room” is quite different. Where I thought I would be and where we actually are, are two different places and I’m learning more and more to not feel as though I’m failing my students because we can’t get to it just yet. As a teacher, I know that I can’t get to everything and for years now I’ve worked on the philosophy that my students will set the pace of where we go. However, somehow when we started in January, I found myself planning out and feeling the need to be moving along faster. I found myself getting frustrated with not being able to support my students in the same way and it has taken me some time to figure out different ways to accomplish this. Small group meetings or peer review sessions. I’m learning to be gentle with myself and understanding that flexibility is needed in my plans and where I imagined we might take an activity considering we’ve moved from in the classroom to virtual. 

Reflection Is Required

At the end of the first week, we took some time to reflect on the week and while I thought we did a great job, the feedback was brutal! In the classroom, a lot of the work and conversations are student-led with me as the facilitator. Being online, I found – and sometimes continue to find myself – in the seat of being the person who is speaking the most. Sure, we ask questions and there are discussions but it’s definitely not like it was in the classroom and the students feel it and have commented on it! As such, I’m getting over my fear of controlling the online space and my notion of making sure that it’s “safe” for all and we have ventured into breakout rooms in Zoom where I pop in from group to group as they work to solve problems, offer feedback to each other and lead workouts for Phys. Ed. It’s in these times that I have seen that they are “themselves”. That is to say that they’re the leaders I saw when we were in the classroom who are in charge of their own learning and helping their peers along with their learning. The small groups resemble the collaborative learning we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few months. They’ve asked for more opportunities to lead each other in Art activities or other areas of interest and I need to listen to their feedback and work with them to weave it into our day. Next week is another feedback/checkpoint for us and hopefully, we’ll be doing better in some areas and learn even more ways to make virtual learning more effective for my students. 

Connections Are Crucial

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague reached out to me to check-in via email. This colleague also happens to be the parent of one of my students. I can’t tell you how much I appreciated them checking in with me to see how I was doing and to also share how they felt their child was doing. It came on a day when I was actually struggling. I was frustrated with the fact that our return to school was being extended and knowing that the current way of teaching really isn’t sustainable. I’m grateful that all of my students are in everyday and learning but this really isn’t learning as we have known it. As I read the email, I started to feel very emotional. It wasn’t about what I could do better but it was sincerely thanking me for what I had been doing and for that I will forever be grateful. I share this to ask, who are you connecting with during this time? Are there friends, colleagues, or family members who are checking-in on you or with whom you can check-in? Since this colleague checked in on me, I’ve tried to pay it forward. I haven’t checked in with as many people as I have wanted to but as I connect, I realize just how crucial these connections are, as we are so isolated at this time. 

These are just some of the lessons I have learned in the last 4 weeks. While virtual learning continues for the next while, I know that more lessons will come. I’m ready to accept them and learn as I continue in my teaching practice. What lessons are you learning during this time?  How might they help you in your practice? What might you leave behind when we are back in person? What might change when we return? I hope that you are staying safe and taking care of yourself.

 

ETFO’s position on in-person learning remains unchanged. The union firmly believes that the daily, in-person model of instruction and support best meets the educational, developmental and social needs of students, provides the best experience for support, and is the most equitable learning model for all students.

ETFO’s expectation is that elementary virtual learning in any capacity, including through hybrid models of instruction, will end once the pandemic ends.

Kelly.McLaughlin Challenging Topics, Distance learning, Mental Health, Teaching online, Wellbeing

Bell Let’s Talk Day

Yesterday was Bell Let’s Talk Day which, as we know, is a great chance to engage in mental health conversations in our classroom. In my grade seven classroom, we opened up by discussing what the quote “It’s okay to not be okay” meant to everyone. Students were excited to open up and share about ideas of what they could do when they feel sad, bored, lonely, etc. Here are some coping strategies they shared with their classmates:

  • put on headphones and listen to music
  • relax in their room
  • write in a journal
  • talk to friends
  • play video games
  • spend time with a pet
  • take a break

It was great to hear so many students sharing ways they cope with a bad situation or a sad day. Some grade sevens expressed that they had never felt sad or alone which is great, but I still mentioned that these strategies will be useful if you ever happen to feel that way in the future.

During our morning discussion about Bell Let’s Talk Day, why it exists and how people donate, some students shared that they felt mental health had been swept under the rug at their homeschools. They had never discussed the importance of talking about their mental well being or felt there wasn’t room for these conversations in the past. One student even went as far to say that this is the most comfortable he has ever felt in a classroom. A classroom that is 100% virtual, taking away all challenges that a physical classroom may present. I was very relieved to hear this as being virtual since September, I often struggle with the thought that none of these students will ever feel a connection to myself or their classmates. That comment made me think otherwise. I truly think that for the first time, some of these students can be their true, authentic self.

Throughout the day, we watched the Michael Buble video that donates 5 cents to mental health initiatives, we discussed how being physically active can help with mental health issues and we also talked about how there is always someone to talk to if you are feeling sad. One of my students even shared some important phone numbers in our chat that could help if someone was feeling overwhelmed.

One of my colleagues went as far as to call Kids Help Phone with her class and her students were able to ask them some important questions. They had great discussions about how old you have to be to call, what you could do if you were feeling sad and even what to do if you call and do not know. I thought that was a great idea and I look forward to calling them next year.

Mental health is so important to discuss in our  classrooms, especially in remote setting as well as in light of the events of the past year. We need to know our students are okay and we need to let them know it’s okay if they aren’t. I don’t like that I know more about what my students know in math, science, etc. than about their mental well being. For that reason, last week I did a survey where I asked students to use one word to describe their feelings when coming to remote school each day. This was an anonymous survey so I feel that my students answered this as honestly as they could. Here were the results:
13/33- happy, excited or fabulous
4/33- tired
1/33- bored
2/33- confused
5/33- 0kay
8/33- did not respond to this question

We discussed these results as a class and students shared ideas of how to help the students who felt confused, bored, tired, etc. We talked about how it was great that so many people are happy but we should look to how to connect to the other students who are feeling something else. One of my students brought that up on her own and we had a great discussion about how we can create the best environment possible.

I want to continue doing morning check-ins to ask about their evening and how they are feeling. I will continue to create surveys where they can submit private concerns to me so that I can help them feel okay each day. I will make sure to put a higher emphasis on feeling confident, happy and comfortable next term. I have a great group of students who are excited each day to express their concerns and share their feelings. I encourage everyone who is nervous to ask these challenging questions or talk about the harder to approach topics to do so with their class. You will see how grateful your students are after these real-life discussions.

Hope everyone has someone to talk to during these challenging times.

Arianna Lambert Mental Health, Mindfulness, Wellbeing, wellness

Mental Health & Well-Being

Mindfulness has been a practice that I have been working on for a number of years now. I say that I have been working on it because as I have evolved, so too has my practice. In the beginning, I thought it was about being still or being quiet. About quieting my thoughts in order to be calm or to navigate a situation. Now I’m thinking of it more as what brings me into the here and now. What makes me present and what makes me feel like the best version of myself in a particular moment. 

As we move into month 2 of virtual learning, I’m definitely realizing the need for the strategies in my toolkit even more. I find that at the end of the day, I am completely tired and my eyes literally burn. I also find that my mind is all over the place and that it takes a while to just unwind. Perhaps that might be because there is no longer a commute. It’s amazing how much that 15-minute car ride did for me to unpack the day and move into a different part of my life. I know that I’m not alone in this feeling and that there are thousands of educators at this moment experiencing the same sort of feeling. While everyone seems to be talking about mental health and well-being – the emails are literally filling my inbox – what is really being done? I know that I’m having conversations with my students about their own mental health and well-being and I also worry about my colleagues who I know are burning out. In this post, I share a few tips that have been helping me over the last few weeks. I share these not as an expert but as a colleague wishing you well as I know this time is challenging for us all.

Meditation

Is it just me or are the mornings coming sooner these days? I sometimes wake up thinking that it’s still night and yet my alarm has already gone off and I quickly realize that I turned it off a while ago. Often in shock that yet again I have “missed” the alarm, still tired and sometimes in need of some motivation for the day, I have found that meditations help to calm the anxious feeling and center me as I start the day. One app that I have found and love is My Life. With great suggestions based on how you are feeling, I’ve often used this app to get me going in the morning. I’ve also used some of the breathing techniques with my students who have also enjoyed the focus that comes from sometimes having a minute to check-in with how they are feeling. 

Music

When meditation doesn’t get me going in the mornings, I know that there are some tunes that are proven to get me up and moving. Music has a way of speaking straight to the heart and if we think about it, we can identify that one song that does just that and has the power to get us ready for the day. Over the years, “my song” has changed based on where I am at in my life. What’s your song or songs? Consider creating a playlist for yourself. One with songs that motivate you and get you going feeling positive. While I know that a song doesn’t have the power to change our circumstances, I’m amazed by its power to start shaping how I feel. 

Walking

I consider myself lucky to be able to walk and over the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed walking. In the past, I would try to walk for at least one hour a day but with the cold here, I’m happy when I get in 30 to 45 minutes. I often grab my music and head outdoors to enjoy some fresh air. Finding paths in my neighbourhood has been one way that I’ve tried to get away from a sense of monotony in my day. There’s something about breathing in the air outside that allows me to feel more grounded and my back certainly appreciates the opportunity to get moving. I think I’m over my “office chair”. There’s tons of research on the benefits of walking but for me, I just feel so much better when I have the chance to get moving. I know that with Covid it’s hard to move in the same ways in which we may have in the past but are there ways for you to get outside and connect with nature? Today is sunny and the sunshine definitely makes all the difference for me. In fact, I’m going to head out there once I’ve posted this blog. How does movement impact you? If you are able, what steps can you take to get moving today?

Laughter

My dad used to say that, “Laughter is the best medicine”. I don’t think he made it up himself. I’m certain that I saw it in a Reader’s Digest Magazine once but I’ll credit him for sharing it with me. My students keep me laughing and I owe them big time for it. Every day, I can count on someone sharing something with me that will get me laughing on a deep level. I am adding this part because I have noticed that on the days when we have laughed the most, the time seems to pass by so quickly and these are the days that I felt that we connected the most. I know for myself that I need to build more laughter into my day. Today we had a brief Connect 4 tournament. A student wanted to play against me and of course, he won. He laughed because I was so focused on where I was going to win that I didn’t notice that he was sneaking up on me with a win of his own. We laughed so hard and at that moment I realized that this is the feeling that I want to have more of and that I am missing as we are learning virtually. It has me thinking about ways in which I can weave more opportunities for laughter into my day. How might you weave in more laughter in your day with students or with friends or family?

I know that there’s so much information out there about tips and strategies for mental health and well-being. I hope that you take some time this weekend to sit and think about what works best for you. I also hope that you can take some time and devote it to doing the things that make you smile and feel your best. Meditate. Listen to music. Go for a walk. Laugh. Whatever it is, please take care of yourself.

Deb Weston Advocacy for change, COVID19, Social Justice

Sick Days for All

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It takes a crisis to elevate worker rights issues. The Covid-19 pandemic is no exception.

No Paid Sick Days Put Workers at Risk

Paid sick days are a critical part of the workers’ employment agreement. Paid sick days are as important as a salary or hourly wage as they impact how much employees get paid. Without paid sick days, workers go without earnings. For workers who are paid minimum wage, taking a sick day means they go without pay and thus may have to decide between paying their rent or buying groceries.

“Essential” Government Sponsored Paid Sick Days (CRSB)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government provided the Canada recovery sickness benefit (CRSB) program to support workers who missed work due to the consequences from the Covid viral spread. This meant workers were paid to stay home if they were sick and/or in quarantine. From a public health perspective, regardless of a pandemic, workers should stay home if they are ill as they are likely to spread infections to others.

No Paid Sick Days Results in the Spread of Illness to Communities and Workplaces

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, workers regularly went to work sick as they had no options to stay home and lose pay. Workers who go to work sick spread their illness to others, thus creating more illness in the workplace. This results in more workers having to make the decision to either go to work sick or stay home with no pay. Spreading illnesses in workplaces increases sick leave and decreases productivity with more workers staying home. Further, sick employees can pass on their illnesses to clients and customers.

No Paid Sick Days Impacts Parents and Guardians

Parents are significantly impacted by a lack of sick days due to the regular occurrence of childhood illnesses. As a parent of two young children, I had to stay home many times due to my children’s illnesses. At the time, my former spouse refused to stay home with his children so I could go to work. He cited that it would be a CLM (i.e., Career Limiting Move) as “men did not take time off to take care of children”.

As I was only allocated five sick days a year, I ended up using my vacation days. I had many meetings with my supervisor about the multiple days I was taking off as he stated “it didn’t look good.” I was the only woman in my department that had young children. I ended up going several years without any vacation days, using them all to take care of my children and/or attend gynecological appointments. A manager noted that maybe I should consider taking an early maternity leave (which was only 5 months at that time.) The bias came across loud and clear, “pregnant and parenting women should not be working here”.

No Paid Sick Days Means Women Face Labour Inequity

Women, especially single parents, are disproportionally impacted by having to take time off to care for children. Further, women are usually tasked with caring for elderly relatives. The lack of paid sick days disproportionally impacts women creating significant inequities in their labour rights.

Paid Sick Days are Essential for All Workers

In highlighting the need to provide paid sick days, the CRSB program highlights that workers do not have adequate coverage when they become sick. Public health professionals and policy experts state that an adequate number of paid sick days would give the low-wage and essential workers income protection and job security they need to stay home to care for themselves and their families.

Paid Sick Days With Conditions

Even when workplace sick days are available for circumstances dealing with Covid-19, conditions may apply. A close relative of mine, who works for a large Canadian telecommunications company, was put in a precarious situation.

Over the Winter holidays, his roommate travelled to Portugal. Upon returning, this roommate did not quarantine separately in another location. Instead, the person returned to the house he shared with others. My close relative was put in a predicament as he could no longer pass Covid screening protocols due to the presence of his roommate. He was left with four options:

Receiving daily pay:

  • Collect pay by lying to his employer that his roommate had Covid symptoms and quarantine for 14 days
  • Collect pay by working and staying in a hotel room using his own money
  • Collect pay by working, disregarding Covid screening protocols and taking risks of passing on Covid to customers

Losing daily pay:

  • Inform his employer that he did not pass Covid screening protocols due to his roommates international travel and quarantine for 14 days with no pay

For a young person, who must deal with the high costs of rent, it is a hard decision to make. Readers can make their own judgements on which decision the young man made. Readers can also reflect on how they would handle this precarious predicament.

Labour Advocacy for Paid Sick Days

President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, Patty Coates, said that provincially mandated paid sick leave is necessary to support workers in their lives. She noted that having to apply for CRSB is arduous as workers need to know how to apply for it and then must wait for funds to arrive. Further, people who apply for these benefits must also know how to negotiate and have access to computer systems in a language that they can read and understand.

Advocacy For Paid Sick Days

Labour unions advocate for fair and equitable labour practices for all. As union members, we have friends and family who face unfair and inequitable labour practices. We must push forward to support all workers.

The @ETFOPeel Twitter campaign posted:

“Now, more than ever, we “must” protect essential workers and our communities with:

  • Increased pandemic pay
  • Paid sick leave
  • Enhanced Health and Safety at work
  • Better access to COVID testing”

The Peel Elementary Teachers’ Local highlights:

“Join @ETFOPeel members in taking action” For more information click here

“Join Peel’s public elementary teachers in helping to give voice to these critical demands  now by visiting the ‘Take Action’ page of the Warehouse Workers Centre of Peel Region, and the ‘Take Action’ page of the Decent Work & Health Network.

You can also send your own email to your federal MP and provincial MPP.”

I’ve included more media on labour’s push for paid sick days.

Rest and be well,

Collaboratively Yours,

Deborah Weston, PhD

 

Melissa Turnbull Occasional Teachers, Occasional Teaching, Resilience, social emotional learning

“I’m Sorry”

“I’m Sorry” 

A combination of words we are all familiar with.

We’ve said them, we’ve received them, we’ve wished for them, we’ve accepted them and we’ve rejected them. 

Humans make mistakes.

Mistakes are the way we grow and learn.

Consequently, this learning process involves others whom our mistakes can directly impact in negative ways. 

 

Professor, author, and researcher Dr. Brenè Brown hosts a wonderful podcast called Unlocking Us which can be found on Spotify or by clicking here (https://brenebrown.com/podcasts/). In a two part podcast from May 6, 2020 titled  “I’m Sorry: How To Apologize & Why It Matters”, Psychologist Dr. Harriet Lerner discusses the power of apologizing and how to apologize. 

Dr. Lerner goes beyond the limits of “I’m sorry” and dissects the anatomy of a true and meaningful apology. Attached are her “Nine Essential Ingredients of a True Apology”. These nine crucial points are simplified for reference but are explained in great user friendly detail throughout the podcast. 

 

How can we use “True” apologies in the classroom? 

Although this podcast is not specific to education, here are my takeaways through the lens of a teacher:  

Apologize to children

  • Dr. Harriet Lerner pleads that apologizing warrants respect. Teachers are human too and we make mistakes. Displaying vulnerability and owning up to the mistakes we make creates a safe space for students to talk about their mistakes and feel encouraged to take risks in their learning. 
  • Getting frustrated is okay – but  Dr. Lerner says, “don’t frame it as an apology”. Sometimes we can get frustrated (again, not robots here) but apologizing for frustrations is not meaningful if the blame is placed back on the student. Example: “I am sorry I was upset but you kept interrupting me”.
  • If we can’t apologize to our students, how can we expect them to understand or feel motivated to apologize to us

Model effective apologies for children

    • Improper apologies can weaken connections and therefore damage relationships 
    • We can keep in mind that apologies are not an end to a conversation but allow for the foundation of further conversations to be had. Dr. Lerner advises that the apologizer does not tack “but” or “I’m sorry you feel that way” to the end of an apology as it “cancels” out the meaning. Add ons do not attempt to comfort the hurt party but rather attempt to justify the hurtful behaviour. 
    • Other unnecessary add ons include: “stand up straight”, “look me in the eye”, “say it like you mean it”, “you should think about it more”. Dr. Lerner says those types of conversations can be had later, but to focus on what is really important between the two people – their relationship and the connection they want to maintain
    • We can teach our students that apologies do not solve everything. One is not required to respond with “That’s okay” when someone apologizes because sometimes it is not okay. Instead we can teach students to thank the other party for expressing their apology by saying, “Thank you for the apology” or “I appreciate the apology”. 
    • When apologizing we should empathize to understand what the other person needs at that moment. We can do this by providing people with the time and space they need until they are ready to talk. 

 

 

Link to part 1 and 2 of Dr. Brenè Brown’s podcast Unlocking Us with guest star Dr. Harriet Lerner titled “I’m Sorry: How To Apologize & Why It Matters” published on May 6, 2020 –

https://brenebrown.com/podcast/harriet-lerner-and-brene-im-sorry-how-to-apologize-why-it-matters/

Velvet Lacasse Building Inclusion, Climate Change, Eco Heroes, Equity, First Nations, Indigneous Ways of Knowing, Inquiry, Mindfulness, Music, Outdoor Learning, Social Justice, Truth and Reconciliation

Water is Life

I have been learning with, from, and about water for several years. In another blog, I shared examples of what decolonial water pedagogy might look like in a Grade 2 classroom.  Whenever possible, it is critically important to invite Indigenous artists, activists, and Earth workers to share their knowledge with students in their own voices.

Water is Life:

This fall, the Grade 2-6 students participated in a workshop with Joce Two-Crows Tremblay and Faye Mullen called “Water is Life”.  They describe the workshop as: “Wondering on water as an ancestral highway, as home, as Medicine and more, through story, song and ceremony.”  

It was a beautiful morning. We gathered in a circle and welcomed our special guests with the song, “Funga Alafia”. Archer Pechawis, a Grove parent, joined us and shared songs and drumming. We offered tobacco and gratitude for their teachings. 



Water as Home:

Joce taught us about the strong connections between language and land. We learned about the Indigenous roots of many words spoken in English. After the workshop, I asked the Grade 2 students to document their new learning on inquiry cards with the prompt, “Now I know….”.

NOW I KNOW….
…that Toronto is pronounced many different ways. SOL
…that Lake Ontario in the Indigenous language is “Lake Handsome Lake.” DEMA


Water as Relative:

After a discussion about the importance of water and who we consider to be our relatives, we learned about the relationship between salmon, people, and water. When young children see themselves in relationships with land that are rooted in reciprocity and respect, they might care for all humans and more-than-humans as family.

Water as Ancestral Highway:

In preparation for the workshop, everyone had made salmon puppets, and we re-created water using tarps and blue material. As Joce and Faye paddled up the river, singing an Anishinaabe Water song, our salmon puppets swam upstream to spawn.

NOW I KNOW….

…a song about water. GWEN
…that people sing river songs to catch up to salmon. CLEM

At the end of our journey, we learned more about how Anishinaabeg used land as tools and technology in innovative ways.

NOW I KNOW…

...how to catch salmon, and when to.  DESMOND

…people put Willows down to trap big salmon.  SVEA

Water as Medicine:

We ended our workshop with a Water Ceremony. We sat in a circle and water was poured into our cup. As we held water in our hands, Joce and Faye invited us to think about how living things can feel and absorb our energy, and that is why we must be aware and intentional about our relationship to land. We were encouraged to send greetings of love and hope and gratitude to the water. After sitting quietly and reflecting, we drank from our cup and wondered if the taste of the water was affected by our ceremony.

NOW I KNOW….
…water can hold lots of energy. LOTE
…water gives life to everything. ELLIOT

It was a powerful morning.  We learned many important lessons about land and language, connection and community, technology and teachings.  Everyone enjoyed learning outside with and from the land, through storytelling, movement and music.  Thank you to Joce, Faye and Archer for sharing your knowledge with us.

Velvet Lacasse Advocacy for change, Building Inclusion, Climate Change, Curriculum Planning, Eco Heroes, Equity, First Nations, Indigneous Ways of Knowing, Inquiry, Outdoor Learning, Pedagogical Documentation, Social Justice

Eco-Justice: Learning with Water

I was invited to co-host a webinar about Ecojustice Education, hosted by the Toronto District School Board’s EcoSchools team, in collaboration with OISE’s Environmental and Sustainability Education Initiative. 

My inspiring co-host was Farah Wadia. Farah is a Grade 7/8 teacher in Toronto, and she has written about her work raising issues of environmental justice through the study of water with local and global connections in VOICE magazine. You can watch our webinar here.

As an anti-colonial educator, I am actively learning how to centre Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, worldviews, and stories of resistance throughout my curriculum. This integrated water inquiry is one example of what eco-justice pedagogy might look like in Grade 2.

Land as Pedagogy: Welcoming Circle
As I deepen my understanding about how to support Indigenous sovereignty, and actively disrupt settler colonialism, I am coming to know that some of the most powerful work I can do is to build relationships, make connections, and acknowledge land with respect.

Every morning, we begin our day outside. We take a few deep breaths together and pay attention to the land (which includes plants, wind, animals, water, soil, etc.) around us. We notice the clouds, the mist, the frozen puddles, and share our observations with each other. We honour the original caretakers of land, practice gratitude, and promise to care for the land as part of our responsibility as treaty people.


My approach to land education is to honour, celebrate and strengthen the relationships that children have with their natural environment, which includes the urban setting. Inquiry-based learning that is grounded in love and wonder can support children to be curious and critical thinkers. If children feel a strong connection to the land, they might also feel responsible for taking care of the land, and each other.

Building Relationships: Sharing our Water Stories
Our water justice inquiry began with an idea that I learned about in the first edition of Natural Curiosity. In September, students shared samples of water that they had collected from different water sources they encountered during the summer. Every day, one student shared what they love about water, and told stories about the water they had collected. We wrote about every experience. This act of storytelling helped to connect us as a community, and created a shared intention for learning with and from water.


A Community of Co-Learners:
Students shared their knowledge and what they love about water in different ways. During MSI (Math-Science Investigations), I asked everyone to build and create structures that connect to water. We used inquiry cards to document what students already knew and the questions they wanted to explore together. These questions provided diagnostic assessment, and will guide our inquiry throughout the year.


Taking Action:
It is critical that young children learn stories of resistance, and see themselves as agents of change. We are reading many picture books to support and guide our inquiry. “The Water Walker” by Joanne Robertson and “Nibi’s Water Song” by Sunshine Tenasco, are two excellent stories written by Indigenous authors. Reading these stories inspired more questions:

Why does Water need to be protected?
Do all people have access to clean water? Why or why not?
How can I take action to protect water?

Students used a Venn Diagram to make text-to-self connections and compare themselves to Anishinaabe Water Protector, Josephine Mandamin. 

  

Write for Rights:
As students learn to recognize inequity and confront injustice in their lives, they need multiple strategies and tools that they can use to take action and feel empowered as activists and allies.

Every year, Amnesty International organizes a letter writing campaign on December 10, called “Write for Rights”. In 2020, I learned that Amnesty International was highlighting the First Nations community of Grassy Narrows. I decided that the students would learn about the issues and write letters of solidarity. Everyone was very surprised when Premier Doug Ford wrote us back! 



Learning Through the Arts: Water Poems
We are learning that Water Protectors will often sing to the water. This call to action has inspired us to write our own songs of gratitude for water in our local community. In preparation, the Grade 2 students wrote a variety of poems, and we explored the sounds and shapes that water makes through soundscapes and movement. Students expressed their appreciation and love for water in creative ways.


Water Songs:
As we compose our water songs, we will continue to listen to the songs of Water Protectors for inspiration and guidance. Some of the songs that we have been learning are: “The Water Song” by Irene Wawatie Jerome, “Home To Me” N’we Jinan Artist from Grassy Narrows First Nation and “We Stand” by One Tribe (Kelli Love, Jordan Walker, and MC Preach). It is my hope that we will sing our songs to the water, with gratitude and joy.

Kelly.McLaughlin 21st Century Learning, Black Lives Matter, Challenging Topics, COVID19, Distance learning, Mental Health, Remote Learning, self reflection, Social Justice, Students as Teachers, Teaching online, Wellbeing

At a loss for words

Did anyone else have a very hard time before class Thursday, January 7th?

Thinking about how to start discussing the terrorist attacks in the United States on Wednesday, January 6th? I spent the entire evening feeling sick about the whole situation. Then, an entirely new wave of anxiety came over me knowing that I would need to address it with my grade seven students.

At first I reached out to fellow intermediate educators, asking them how they were going to start this challenging discussion. They mentioned breakout groups, article readings and then discussions. Then I spoke to some friends about it who helped me come up with careful and sensitive things to say. In this profession, it is hard to speak about these topics (without being political) and to do so in a calm and professional manner. This attack was something that was devastating towards many people, especially BLM activists who were attacked with tear gas, etc. when they peacefully protesting in 2020.

The morning of January 7th arrived and class had begun. I always start the day with morning music and I found it appropriate to play the song “Where is the Love?” by the Black Eyed Peas. I found some of my students did not know what had happened the night before. A student in my class asked to speak on the mic and inform them about the terrorist attacks on the US Capitol. That student spoke very well and did a good job informing anyone who did not see the news, instagram, twitter or other social media platforms. I spoke about it for a while and explained the importance of positive role models/leaders in societies. Followers will always act on behalf of their leaders and this led to a discussion about positive leaders and how they have positively inspired change (Greta Thunberg, David Suzuki, etc.) Our conversation lasted about thirty minutes and was mostly student-led. Many grade sevens came on the mic to share their thoughts and they all did so in a respectful and calm way. Many students expressed their sadness for families that had children going through many things in the past year: forest fires, a pandemic, the death of Georg Floyd, the violent police response to BLM protestors, remote learning, election issues and then, this. We talked about how we are merely watching from Canada but imagine being in that city during this event, worrying about what may happen to you and your family. My favourite part of the discussion was when one of my students expressed her gratitude for talking about the situation rather than pretending it never happened and going about our day. This made me feel that the discussion had gone well and reaffirmed my thoughts about why current events cannot be swept under the rug (especially with intermediate students). We eventually went on with our day after first checking with all students, making sure that they were okay to move on from the challenging topic.

This week, we received an Emergency Alert on Thursday that informed us we are in a State of Emergency and a stay-at-home order is now in effect. This came during class time and many of my students own phones. We discussed what this means and I made sure to answer any questions students may have had. I discussed how the return to school date had been pushed back (that does not matter to us as we are always a remote class), plus the outdoor gathering size had changed to five and also, just to try their best to only leave home for important reasons. We had a great conversation about how the word “exercise” was now added as a reason to leave home. We continued a discussion about how mental health relates to exercise. This had tied in nicely to our healthy living presentations which had been going on during the week. We talked about how important it was that the government acknowledged that leaving your home for a walk or a run was an important thing to do.

After all the discussions were said and done, we did get back to our usual topics but as we know, the mental health of our students is the most important topic and we should always do our best to check in. This is especially important as we continue to learn online, with little to no face- to-face interactions with our students.

I am hoping everyone had a great start to 2021 so far and all that challenging conversations went as smoothly as they could go. I know I was extremely anxious about the conversations but I shouldn’t have been because my students prove to me time and time again their maturity and positive attitude towards their learning and overall outlook on our world.

Melissa Turnbull Gender, Gender Equity, Gender stereotypes, Mental Health, Occasional Teachers, Occasional Teaching

Boys vs Girls

A friendly competition?

No. 

No. 

No no no no no. 

 

Boys vs girls in sports? Boys vs girls in games? Boys vs girls in math? 

No again. 

 

Here’s why:

  1. Boys vs girls contests assume there are only two genders and reinforces this idea to children. 
  2. This competition forces children to ‘choose’ which side they are on. For those cisgender students, the choice is simple. For students who are transgender, or identify with genders outside of the two given choices, this is much more complicated. Not necessarily because they are unsure of their gender, but because self-identifying in front of the entire class can be detrimental. Students may not be ready to discuss their gender identity, do not feel comfortable, fear being outed, or they may be working on discovering and understanding who they are. 
  3. Gender roles and societal expectations associated with those roles need to be demolished. Gone are the days where we should teach little girls exclusively to be caregivers while leaving the science, technology and math to the boys. Pinning ‘boys’ against ‘girls’ presents to students the idea that there should be some sort of contest, some sort of competition, rather than collaboration amongst all.

Educators who are seeking to make groups may use alternative approaches to divide their class in order to empower students and create a positive classroom environment. Here’s some ways I like to divide students into groups:

  1. By their birth month
  2. The amount of letters in their name 
  3. ‘This or That’ – ask students to decide, for example, “Do you like blue or green?”
  4. Good old fashioned randomization! Use popsicle sticks with student names, random name generators from the internet, student pictures, the list goes on. Use whatever works best for your classroom.

If you have any more thoughts or ideas on how to make non-gendered groups in the classroom, I’d love to hear from you!