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Michelle Fenn Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, Copyright, Distance learning, e-learning, Plagiarism, Planning, Resources, Social Media, Technology, Use of Technology, Using technology well

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 school board while also being aware of Fair Dealing and Copyright laws for online content.  Here is some food for thought, and a few tools and resources that may be helpful for teachers while creating and linking to online content.

Posting YouTube Videos

YouTube videos may be used for educational purposes in Canada so long as the creator and the source of the video is credited.  However, you might want to consider not posting a direct link to the YouTube video on your learning platform.  This link will take the students to the YouTube channel and the student may then freely search other content.  Maybe it is just me, but I’ve experienced the liquor advertisement pop up while watching a video in my classroom or the next video automatically plays and the content is not suitable for students. Teachers may want to try using online tools such as ViewPure or Safesharetv before copying the link into a learning platform.  These tools filter out advertisement and connects only the the video itself.

Reading Books Online to Students

A number of Canadian Publishers have opened up access to Educators to read published works online.  There are guidelines that an Educator must follow in order to do post an online story time.  For a list of participating publishers and more information on how to respect copyright for Canadian authors visit access copyright.  Scholastic Canada has also extended access to Educators to read published works online. The instructions on how to use Scholastic works is a little different.  Visit the Scholastic Read Aloud portion on the Scholastic Canada website in order to follow their rules and regulations.

FairDealing and Copyright

There are copyright laws specific to Education.  If you want to make sure that you can use something without violating copyright laws you can use the Fair Dealing Decision Tool.  Teachers can also refer to the Copyright Matters Document.

Privacy Policies and Statement

At the bottom of every home page for an educational digital tools you will find a link to their privacy policy or statement. I highly recommend reading what you are signing up for as a teacher when you click on a new Educational digital tool. Be aware of what data is being collected, where it is being stored and which third parties are attached to the company and make an informed decision for yourself.  Be proactive and check with someone in the Instructional Technology department at your school board to ensure that you are following recommendations before asking students and parents to sign up for a digital tool.  It is a lot for teachers to think about while at the same time just trying to get a handle on teaching in the midst of a pandemic. There is a big learning curve for everyone. Try to continue to go slowly. The move to distance learning is helping Educators truly understand the importance of digital citizenship.

Kelly.McLaughlin General

Distance Learning: Week One

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a great first week of e-learning whether you are a teacher doing this first your first time, a parent helping their child navigate sign ins and questions or if you are a student that is doing their best to learn in a new way. I know that it felt strange for me to have an inbox full of google classroom questions rather than a line up of students by my desk. My students got their google classroom accounts up and running last Sunday so they would be ready for Monday. I assigned them four assignments on Monday, April 6th:

  1. Math: Two hours on the program IXL working on their math skills that we were doing in class
  2. Literacy: 30 pages in their novel that they took home during the break with a series of questions to see what they have read about so far
  3. Geography: A video explaining the push and pull factors of various countries and a few questions to go with this video
  4. Science: Three videos of past student experiments from a variety of science strands asking students to describe what is happening in each video in scientific terms.

My 25 students had one week to complete these tasks and could work at any time of day that worked for them. I told them that I would be available to help with any questions they may have during regular school hours. I received many questions through google classroom and offered next steps when students handed in their work. 6 out of my 25 students asked for more work halfway through the way.

In order to gage students learning interests for the week that is coming up, I created a survey to see what they thought of the first week of online learning. These were the questions I asked them:

  1. How are you feeling today?
    1. Thumbs up
    2. Thumbs sideways
    3. Thumbs down
  2. What way do you prefer to learn a new lesson?
    1. Video chat as a class
    2. Pre-recorded lesson that I send
    3. Reading an article and answering questions
    4. Doesn’t matter, you enjoy all ways equally
  3. What subject have you been enjoying most while learning online?
    1. Math
    2. Science
    3. Literacy
    4. Geography
    5. All equally
  4. How are you feeling about the one week to work on things?
    1. Too long
    2. Too short
    3. Just right
    4. There shouldn’t be a due date
  5. What are some other ways you would like to learn online?

As a result of this survey, I found out that my students were mostly feeling thumbs up, which was good to hear! This is a new way of learning for them and I was very happy to find out that no one was feeling thumbs down. My students also commented that they do not mind what way they learn although most students said they enjoy all ways of learning. In second place was reading an article. They also commented on enjoying all subjects equal with literacy coming in second. For question four, I was very interested in this answer as I had heard some teachers teaching grade eight were not giving due dates, instead having work available. However, my students have been working all year with deadlines so I was not shocked to see that almost 100% of my students said that the one week to complete work was just right. As for other suggestions about learning online, my students are interested in doing a google hangout video/zoom chat. These have been popular with online learning and I am excited for us to try one this week coming up. I will start by asking some questions about what they have been up to and then I will ask them some questions about the novels they are reading.

I am very proud of how smoothly my students adjusted to the online learning environment. I was worried that many students would ignore the work as I am not in the room with them helping them stay on task etc. but they did very well. I also thought they would be discouraged by this type of learning environment but I am once again impressed by the amount of students that handed in their work ahead of time/on time.

For next week’s assignments, I have made similar type assignments but I have scheduled a group chat in order to support the opinions of the students that wanted that added to our online learning platform.

Although this is not the way I prefer to teach, I am happy to still reach students during this time in a way that seems to be working for them. I am enjoying being “back in the classroom” even if it is online and am enjoying having some purpose back in my day.

All the best to everyone during these challenging times. I hope you all are having a thumbs up day!

 

 

(My workspace with Milo)

Will Gourley General, Inspiring Teachers, Making a Difference Through Education, Mental Health, Social Media, Teacher Wellness

Turning to Twitter when tested in #onted

Without dipping too far into my bag of clichés this month, I wanted to focus on the incredible work coming from educators in respose to the “new normal” brought by the COVID 19 pandemic. The same educators who were standing up for the future of our students last month have been working hard to support them through the most extraordinary global event of this century.

The only way to describe what I’ve gained via the #onted Twitter hashtag, as we cope with #COVID19 and our work as educators, would be through words like perspective, wisdom, and supportive ideas. They would go alongside countless daily reminders that mental health matters, concern for students’ wellbeing, equity in education(access, tech, food insecurity, options), and concern for each other’s safety. In this post, if you’re not already tweeting, I want to encourage you all to join an amazing cohort of Ontario educators on Twitter so that you can benefit too.

Why? I am glad you asked(no I am not a sales rep for Twitter).

Imagine having a 24 hour cohort of teachers to form professional learning networks(PLNs), share resources, be encouraged by and learn from? That’s what connecting with the #onted PLN can do for all of us by connecting you with your fellow educators. While our numbers continue to grow, it is okay to start off slowly, sign up for an account, check out who is out there already, retweet some posts you like, share something new you’ve created like a blog post, lesson, piece of art or something you found interesting in the news. Make sure you include at least the #onted hashtag. Once you take flight, don’t be afraid to join in on some conversations. Following the #onted #ETFO #ETFOStrong and #OSSTF hashtags will keep you connected and up to date on all things happening in Ontario and with teacher unions.

So now that you’ve decided to sign up for a Twitter account there are a few things to consider.

  1. Do I create a personal or professional account?
    Try to have one of each if you can.  You can always have a personal account and then create a class account(check with your school board and admin for parameters). I have @willgourley and @MrGs_Class. I have also created a few school accounts for admin to share information from our board with families on the platform.
  2. Should I use my name or the number they give me?
    It never hurts to be brief or creative here. It is dangerous to be @Taylor167895 as it will be hard to find or remember a name with so many users.
  3. Do I need a picture?
    Yes. It can be of your pet. Try to personalize your page using the Settings. If you blog, include a link to your blog site too.
  4. How do I avoid all of the negativity coming from trolls and thoughtless people?
    Hit mute, block, and report. If you stick to the #onted #ETFOStrong #education family you will seldom come across most of the Tweets coming from alt-right types and fake news spreaders.
  5. Who do I follow?
    I would suggest following your preferred news outlets, then find your colleagues who are already on Twitter, and then any or all of the following people who are regularly contributing to the well being of their students and education in this province. Many on this list, are people who I have had the privilege to meet in person and can constantly count on for information and inspiration.
  6. Do I have to follow someone back?
    Not necessarily. Make sure to check over who is following you first. Sometimes it might not be an appropriate site. It is easier to block them to avoid the hassle.

In no particular order are some of the hundreds of active and engaging Tweeps you will find in Ontario;

Albert Fong – Science teacher in Peel DSB and educational action taker

Andrew Campbell – friend of Albert Fong, Gr 5/6 teacher, frequent guest on CBC, writer, TEDx speaker

Matthew Morris –  passionate blogger, introduced me to #hiphoped via Twitter, TEDx speaker

Debbie Donsky – a leaders leader, principal, artist, blogger, TEDx speaker

Jenn Giffen – tech queen, librarian, podcaster, and sketchnote guru

Noa Daniel – mentor, podcaster, TEDx speaker, and blogger

Chris Cluff – poet laureate, podcaster, long boarder, and creative genius

Rolland Chidiac – blogger, podcaster, maker spacer, good deed doer

Doug Peterson – blogger, Voice Ed Radio stalwart, glue that connects the #onted family

Kimiko Shibata – ESL specialist, active and creative ETFO member, nerd

DroptheDott – Craig Zimmer‘s alter ego, TED Ed Innovative Educator, TEDx organizer, History teacher

Dr Deb Weston – member of our Heart and Art writing family, SpEd and AQ teacher

Dr Carol Campbell – no relation to Andrew Campell, OISE prof, and global education sage

Geoff Ruggero – maker space innovator in the YRDSB

Jeewan Chanicka – focused on equity and justice, TED Ed Innovative Educator,

Lisa Mastrobuono  – ETFO, Tweets about bargaining, education & labour issues

Zack Teitel – seeker and speaker of truth, always trying to make school less crappy and more meaningful

Sunil Singh – author, lover of all things Math, disruptor, TEDx speaker,

Andrew Bieronski – TEDx KitchenerEd organizer, consultant for education companies/tech startups,

Fred Galang – builder of creative literacy, teaches how to mix art & design with technology

For the sake of not overloading you as you join the #onted PLN via Twitter, I tried to include a wide variety of educators and voices for you to connect with to start. I could have included another 50, but that will have to be at another time.

Along the way you will find many others. My goal at the onset of this post was to introduce you to many of the people that I can count on for advice and support when times get tough. Congratulations in advance on joining the family. Feel free to tag me in a tweet sometime. @willgourley #onted #ETFOStrong

Tammy Axt General

Ontario teachers

Well, it is official. We are off until May 4th.

My poor puppy will definitely be sick of me being home by then. (Although she is enjoying the extra belly rubs and she does like to help me with my work!)

After Minister Lecce spoke today and shared the new date for school closures and what parents can expect from phase two, there were definitely many questions that we all have. What is this going to look like? How are we going to reach our students if they have exceptional needs? How am I going to be writing report cards through all of this? What if my students are in crisis? The list of questions goes on and on and on and on… The mounting questions can send a tsunami sized stress wave over all of us.

But before you get overwhelmed and riddled with anxiety, remember that you have many of the skills that will lead you to do the best by your students.

We are all:

  1. Incredibly resourceful- We can figure out how to teach multiple subjects using very little materials to a large group of students.
  2. Flexible- We can adapt to changes in schedules, students added to our classroom and technology not being installed on a designated date. We regularly go with the flow and make it work.
  3. Problem solvers- We solves hundreds if not thousands of problems a day. Most of us can solve an issue between friends while helping another student with a math question in one breath.
  4. Good listeners- We regularly listen to parents and work with them to find the path that is best for their child.
  5. Strong learners- We all are excellent learners. We can learn anything, any day of the week.
  6. Able to inspire Students- Every day we inspire students to overcome adversity and succeed. This will be no different.

I know it seems like an incredibly overwhelming task at the moment to try and think about delivering an engaging and productive program in this context but we have all the skills we need to look after the well being of our students.

Good luck next week and be safe.

Will Gourley e-learning, General, Making a Difference Through Education, Resilience, Teacher Working Conditions, wellness

May the 4th be with your students

Anyone else feeling a bit gutted after hearing the news that we will not be back in our classrooms until May the 4th? (writer raises hand) While listening to the Minister of Education deliver this news today I ran a range of emotions. Firstly, I am thankful that the government was proactive when it came to our collective health by insisting on physical distancing and staying at home.* As a result, the lives of 2 000 000 students, 200 000 educators, support staff, and their families will benefit greatly from being apart. For me this seems like light years away.

Heeding the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s suggestion to close our schools beyond March Break was a prudent move, but it all happened so suddenly that we were all left with a great deal of uncertainty heading into the time off. With such short notice, it was hard to orchestrate a full scale instructional response to the news. Like so many of the #onted family, there was some concern because information was not forthcoming. I remember saying to my students(Gr 7) that it was more important for us all to follow the advice of doctors to do our part to limit the spread of COVID 19 than it was to worry about homework.**

Our last day in the classroom before the break was supposed to be a celebration of hard work to start Term 2, but instead it was a sombre send off with more questions than there were answers at the time. I only find consolation in this now knowing that the timing of this year’s March Break probably saved countless members in our schools from illness.

Not having our students in classes eliminated millions of potential interactions that would have undoubtedly accelerated the spread of the COVID 19. I am very relieved not to be in a workplace that’s traditionally susceptible to transmission of known/unknown and unchecked viruses. We have all been in a classroom with a student/teacher who should have stayed home that day. I am not lying when I say it feels like germ warfare in school sometimes. It is a relief, to be doing my part in social isolation especially as I have a 96 year old and a severe asthmatic at home.

In fact, although really missing my students/collegues, I am thankful that we have all been given the chance to stay at home in order to slow the spread of COVID 19, to look after our own health, and to tend to the wellbeing of our families. This is hard on all of us in so many ways because it is all so new. As I shared with a number of people, “Normal” is sick and its replacement “New Normal” is here bringing with it some good and bad to each of our days. The problem is that it keeps changing faster than we’d like.

Today’s announcement lifted my spirits because it meant that if we all do our part, then we have a date for a return to Normal. It also means this time can be curated to engage our students further in this year’s learning. Not knowing what was going to happen had me struggling to remember what day of the week it was since my routines were put in limbo with each postponement. No more days when, suddenly at 7 am, I wake up thinking I was late for work only to realize my body was dealing with the “New Normal” while still on “Normal” time.

Even though we will only be meeting via Google Classroom, our class will be back in session. After contacting families and students this week, it is clear they are excited to be back, even if it will only be digitally until May 4th. Fingers crossed it won’t need to be longer. In the meantime we will get on with the connecting, communicating, and learning for now.

Whether we return to the classroom on May the 4th or not, I couldn’t help but repeat the wish I shared in the title. May the 4th be with your students, and while we stay at home may every one of us be healthy and safe.

*Although arguably, essential and non-essential jobs may be a future debate topic.
** I did promise them some work via our Google Classroom once March Break was officially over.

Arianna Lambert Design, Language Learning, Learning in a Real Life Context, Literacy, Math, Resources, Use of Technology

Distance Learning Ideas

During these different times, I’ve been planning for a new type of learning – distance learning – with little to no idea of how it might actually be implemented. As I plan, I thought there may be some who would find what I have done of value. I’m using this post to share some of the resources that I might use with students.

Language

Writing and Oral Communication

Persuasion is an art! To be able to develop a persuasive argument, you have to make sure that you have enough information to support your position on a matter. When you find topics that are of personal interest, people tend to have an opinion right away and can start to justify their thoughts. For this type of activity, I’m thinking of giving students one of the following prompts and asking them to come up with a persuasive argument including at least 3 supporting details for their opinion. Students can upload their arguments either in video or writing in a platform like Google Classroom and then they can possibly respond to each other’s arguments with counter-arguments. To extend this idea further, students can be grouped into teams based on their opinions and participate in a debate for or against the specific topic presented. 

Possible prompts:

  • When we start school again, we should have a 4-day school week. Do you agree or disagree?
  • During the pandemic, people have been using masks and gloves to move around the city. There is a shortage in hospitals. Should people donate their masks and gloves to hospitals?
  • When the pandemic is over, life will go back to being the way it was before. Do you agree or disagree?

Reading and Media Literacy

In our class, we’ve been reading and investigating non-fiction texts. Students were also in the process of writing their own themed magazines based on their own research on a topic. To continue with non-fiction reading, I thought it would be great to take some time to continue to read online magazines or texts. While reading, students can take notes of what they are learning using a graphic organizer like this one from Scholastic. This is just an elementary example but depending on what you are focused on, you can create your own for your students. From there, I thought that students could use what they have learned to create an infographic on a specific topic of interest. Keeping in mind that infographics have a visual component, students can use a tool like Google Drawings to create their own layout for their infographics. One online magazine that is now making all of its content free is Brainspace. There are a variety of topics that might be of interest to students. 

Math

I’ve found that hands-on activities have been the most well-received by my students and their families during this time. While there are a variety of Math games online – mPower, Math Playground, Prodigy, IXL – sometimes it’s nice to sit down and try an activity that allows you the opportunity to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. There are so many different activities online but one that I quite like is from The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing. Their printable activities for students in Grades 4 to 12 are fun and educational ways to do mathematics and computer science while at home practicing social distancing. The resources include games, new problems to solve, applications, videos, pointers to existing materials on their website. Once they have finished solving the problems with their families, students can share their solutions and strategies with each other online in writing or in a video, using a platform like Google Classroom.

Design Thinking

Students can use our current pandemic – Covid-19 – to design something totally new! This is a project that can be done over time and students can share what they have been working on in an online platform such as Google Classroom. At each stage of the process, they can share their work with the teacher or each other. 

Have students start by identifying problems that they are hearing about on the news or from online sources. They could write these on sticky notes, paper or using a tech tool. Teachers could use Padlet to create an online problem board for all students to include their ideas.  From there, students could potentially design an app or a solution that could connect community members as they are socially distancing themselves or something else that they have identified as a problem. The sky’s the limit! 

After researching and understanding the problem, students can pick one specific problem, and focus on how it is affecting a specific person (user). Here are 2 recent articles (International Covid-19 and Coronavirus Affecting the Way We Do Things) that they can use along with other online sources. 

Students can use this template – created in partnership with Smarter Science and the TDSB – to document their learning throughout the process. Once finished, students can create their own pitch for their idea, creating a short video or slide presentation for their peers.

These are just some of the ideas that I’m thinking about as we venture into this new type of learning next week. I’m not sure how it will go or what might work but I’m open to learning and trying something new. 

Tammy Axt General

Whoa. Just Whoa.

Whoa. Just whoa.

I can’t believe that two weeks ago I was told that school was going to be closed due to a global pandemic. I say the words out loud to myself and it doesn’t even seem real. I have gone through every emotion in the past two weeks from crying to laughing hysterically to the desire to sleep for a month. Like most, I miss my friends and family, am incredibly nervous that my partner is still working and am generally more on edge.

These past two weeks have also probably been the hardest in my teaching career and it is only the beginning.

So how do we manage through this?

I made my first couple of phone calls to my students and their families this morning. That really helped. It connected me to my wonderful students and brought me back to the best profession in the world. It also reminded me that we are going to have to work really closely with our families and be in tune to what they need. This is such a stressful and uncertain time for everyone. Some of my students have rolled along and adapted quickly, others are desperately missing their peers and are quite anxious. All I can promise is that I am going to try my hardest to meet all their needs the best that I can.

Like many other groups of students in our education system, my students have very unique learning needs. All the students in my class are on Alternative IEPs and many of the activities in our classroom use specialized equipment, technology and materials that the average family wouldn’t have in their home. All of this means that I am going to have to be a very creative, think outside the box teacher to connect with my students in the way that works best for them!

I am very fortunate to work with an amazing team of Educational Assistants and colleagues at school. I have spent many hours brainstorming with my special education colleagues about different tools and ideas for our students to use at home. The EAs and I have been testing different technology options that we could use collaboratively with our students. This will ensure that no matter what is asked of us next week that we are ready to roll.

And even with all the best laid plans, nothing is going to match my students coming off the bus with big smiles ready to start a new day at school with all of their classmates and teachers. So all we can do is carry on and hope the curve flattens right out so we can go back to being with each other.

Arianna Lambert Language Learning, Literacy, Questioning

Graphic Novels – Engaging Learning for All Readers

Meeting with families was a little different this year due to job action.  Last month, I met with a family to discuss their child’s progress. Although we weren’t meeting about concerns, this was a very insightful meeting, as we spoke about engaging students in reading for enjoyment. I was a little surprised because this child always raises their hand to participate in reading activities in the classroom and this definitely got me thinking about reading overall.

After some reflection, I realized that as an educator, I’m constantly asking students to read for a specific purpose: to gather or organize information for research; to check for comprehension; or to sometimes aid in writing. Sure, I’ve told students to read for enjoyment but I started to think about whether or not I’ve taught them how to find books that they enjoy. Have I given them time to just sit and read without asking them to do something after? How do we navigate the space of having students read for a purpose while also honouring them developing their own love of reading? How do we help them to maintain this balance as the demands of reading increase through the grades? This also got me thinking personally about my reading habits. When picking a book, I usually go for the trial and error method.  I try a book, like it and find similar books by the same author or genre to continue reading. Or I hate it and stop reading anything similar. How do we help students to learn what is out there?

During the weeks before the break, while on trips to the library for our book exchange, I started to have more open conversations with my students about what I like to read and why. I spent some time pulling out different books that I liked and it was so neat to see students wanting to take a look at what I liked to read and who trusted my recommendations. This had me thinking about book reviews and how powerful they are. I’ve read books based solely on the word of someone I trusted. How might we foster spaces where students could freely share their reviews of books, not because they had to write a book report but because they wanted to have the opportunity to share.  I also realized that my students need to see me reading – more specifically what I am reading – which opened up opportunities for conversations that are authentic. While in the library, I started reading some of the graphic novels and realized that many of them were so packed with amazing themes and could also be great for book clubs with students. 

My three latest graphic novel reads are New Kid by Jerry Craft, Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson, and Guts by Raina Telgemeir. While reading, I realized that each of the graphic novels could be used for deep conversations about the realities of navigating the very real difficulties of growing up. Conversations around race, fear, identity, and being valued could really be dug into by studying out these novels within the classroom setting. This got me thinking about this lovely section in our library that often gets so much use from students but not as much from the educators in our building. One question that popped into my head was, How might we use this section to engage all readers as they learn to identify what they enjoy reading?

Beyond these deep conversations, there’s a lot that could be learned from reading graphic novels. Similar to narratives, students can find the elements of a narrative within (characters, setting, plot, etc.). Beyond that here are a few ideas of how I think they might also be used.

Before reading:

  • Copy a few pages of the text and remove the dialogue. Have students infer what is happening in a section of the graphic novel and justify their thinking. 
  • Copy different parts of the text and have students piece together the sequence of events based on what they see. 
  • Copy an integral part of the text. Remove the dialogue and have students write what they believe is happening in that section of the text. Ask them to think of what led up to that part and perhaps what happens next.

During Reading:

  • Have students reflect on different features within the text. For example, how might the colours, shape, and style of the font and/or text bubbles influence your understanding of the text? 
  • Make predictions of what might come next. Have students draw the next few panels of the story. 
  • How does the imagery add to what is being “said” to the reader? Have students point out clear examples from the text.
  • Ask students to consider the inner or outer dialogue happening. How do you know which is which? How might this give readers an even deeper insight into the experiences of the character?
  • Panels in graphic organizers are oftentimes different sizes, why might that be? What can we gather about information within larger panels?

After Reading:

  • Extend the story. What might happen in a sequel? Draw the beginning 3 panels of the next part of the story.
  • Summarize the text in 5 panels. How might these 5 panels clearly show the plot within the graphic novel?
  • How did the art in the text contribute to your understanding of the characters or the overall story? What role did the colours play in evoking emotion?

These are just some of my ideas for using graphic novels with students. Since many students have graphic novels at home, I wonder if this might be something that we can use going forward in this new realm of continuing the learning at home as we perhaps use this time to help students identify what they enjoy reading.  Let me know your thoughts.

Deb Weston self reflection

A Time For Self Care

A Time For Self Care

As educators, we face an unprecedented time where we are not working, waiting to be called back to work when the Covid 19 outbreaks subside. Waiting, not being busy, watching the numbers of confirmed cases grow has been very unnerving for me.

As a teacher, I thrive being busy. I thrive being with my students. For 14 days, I’ve been  socially isolating (with my patient,understanding partner). In two weeks, we have only left our place to get groceries. I can only do so many puzzles or watch Netflix so many times.

And I know that as educators, you worry about students and miss being at your school. Your work is part of you. It is part of what defines you! Your work, that provides structure to your life, has been suspended.

Ironically, the stress I am feeling is opposite to the usual stress of being physically, mentally, and/or emotionally worn out due to our role as caregivers to our students. This is caregiver stress is referred to as compassion fatigue and has been referred to as “the cost of caring” (Charles Figley, 1995). An even without dealing with students, being away from them causes educators’ stress.

I’ve been regularly practicing self care since the day last week where, I went “a little squirrelly” … looking for things to do. I don’t sit around well!

As busy educators, some of you are also having to care for children and elderly relative during this time. If you feel overwhelmed, there is a reason for this as this moment in time and its repercussions is a lot to deal with!

As educators we do more than “just teach”, we care for our students and our colleagues. Teaching is about relationships and caring. I became a teacher to make the world a better place one student at a time and one day at a time. This exceptional time in the world is challenging for me.

If you feel overwhelmed, please reach out the medical personal or a mental health professional.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of others – Take each day one day at a time.

Wishing best health to you and your family,

Deb Weston

Some excellent resources from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Challenging worries and anxious thoughts

Talking to children about COVID-19 and its impact

Dealing with problems in a structured way

Attend to self care

  • self care is an effective way to guard against burn out from compassion fatigue or stress
  • self care helps educators deal with challenging workplace stress
  • key self care strategies include eating well, sleeping well, exercising, taking a break during the workday, taking time to self-reflect, making time to de-stress
  • know your triggers for stress

Build Resiliency

(Adapted from CAMH Resiliency & Short Term Self Care, n.d. )

Resilience is frequently described as the capacity to thrive and fulfill one’s potential despite (or perhaps because of) stressful circumstances. All of us are resilient in one way or another, but some people seem to be more resilient. These people are inclined to see challenges as learning opportunities which can result in healthy emotional growth and development.

Factors that are characteristic of resilient people include:

  • a sense of closeness and connectedness to others
  • strong, dependable support from at least one significant other in their lives
  • attention to their own personal health and well-being
  • high self-esteem, a strong sense of personal identity
  • a sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected and smile through the unbearable.
  • a realistic and balanced awareness of their strengths and limitations
  • the ability to be assertive and emotionally tough when necessary, but also sensitive and compassionate
  • a playful, lighthearted approach to life
  • a sense of direction and purpose in life
  • the ability to turn difficult experiences into valuable learning opportunities
  • the capacity to pick themselves up, shake themselves off and keep moving forward after traumatic and upsetting situations
  • the ability to adapt to and live comfortably with uncertainty and unpredictability
  • the ability to laugh at themselves. Resilient people do not “sweat the small stuff.”

Short-term Strategies: Putting on the brakes to relieve stress

Short-term strategies that help ease anxiety are unique to each person. List the quick wins that might be most helpful for you, and add to your list when something comes up that you find pleasant or re-energizing.

Here are some simple ways to relieve stress:

  • phone or email a colleague
  • take a walk
  • eat well
  • ask for help
  • ask for advice
  • drink at least two glasses of water a day
  • if you can, take in some nature
  • stretch
  • 4-7-8 breathing 4 in-7 hold-8 out
  • bake something and share it with others
  • make jam or bread … it always helps me

Making it Personal

Here are some quizzes you can do to help you know yourself and how you deal with stress!

Self Assessment for Stress and Burnout

“How Resilient Are You?” by A. Siebert (resiliencycenter.com)

“The Resiliency Quiz” by N. Henderson (resiliency.com/htm/resiliencyquiz.htm)

Making a self care plan that works for me

References

Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Secondary traumatic stress disorders from treating the traumatized. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 7.

Mayo Clinic Staff, (n.d.) Stress management: Know your triggers  http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-management/art-20044151

O’Grady, C. P., & Skinner, J. W., (2007) MSCAMH A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders (CAMH Resiliency & Short Term Self Care) Downloaded from  http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/health_information/a_z_mental_health_and_addiction_information/concurrent_disorders/a_family_guide_to_concurrent_disorders/selfcare/Pages/shortterm_selfcare.aspx

Stress Cat (n.d.) http://www.lessons4living.com/stresscat.htm

Kelly.McLaughlin Constant Learning, Mental Health, Teacher Wellness

New learning

It is hard to select a specific topic at this time. I find it hard each day to think about the school year, just sad to be out of the classroom and away from my students. It has already been such a hard year on the students with extracurriculars taken away and missing more than a week of school due to strike days. It is important to remember during these times to be a positive leader and to send positive vibes to students and colleagues.

Starting tomorrow, my school will be doing some online meetings and online learning. I am excited to learn something new tomorrow as I have already ran out of things to do on my “house work” list. While I have been missing the classroom, it was nice for the first time in maybe my whole life to have time to just sit and do nothing. For people that have been working part time and then full time since the age of 15, time to just relax is hard to come by. I found it hard at first because I made a list of items to complete by the April return to school date and as that date turned into “indefinitely”, I knew I had to take time to just relax. It is hard to do, but a necessary skill to master during this new learning time.

A lot of my colleagues have been talking about how during these times, it is important not to bombard our students with new skills/ new work, but to focus more on their mental well being. My colleague said this was a directive brought up by her friends school and it is an important message to send to families. We have been directed to contact families by early April and I am excited to see how my students and their families are doing. After that, then I think it’s okay to mention work that is optional and available on our school board website (however, many students may not have a device at home or may be helping care for their siblings at this time).

I think the most important thing to do during this new situation we are all in is to focus on a few positive things each day. Thinking about the future often causes anxiety and a lot of what ifs. When this first happened, I thought of grad, the rest of the term, their highschool start date…just a long list of anxieties. As soon as I acknowledged the fact that no one knows what will happen, I realized we are all in this together and that I should just focus on the time we have been given now to relax, learn something new and for once have time to just exist.

I realize this is probably a new idea for most of us adults that have been working our whole lives but it is something we need to wrap our head around if we are to get through each day.

All the best to all educators during these times. If anyone has any daily activity suggestions, I will gladly take all of them!