Welcome back to you and me in our schools, classrooms, to our routines and to this special place where we connect and converse.
To those who are just coming to this space, welcome also. I am delighted to be able to return to The Heart and Art of Teaching and Learning for the 3rd term of writing as it gives me an opportunity to learn from and with you, my colleagues who write alongside, as well as everyone else who reads and responds to my writing.
Why This Greeting?
Like many students, families and colleagues in Ontario, I too am multilingual and in one of the my languages the word for people who are on the same journey especially metaphorically, are referred to as hum-suh-fur or fellow traveller. This is why I often address you as my fellow traveller. We carry similar loads, sometimes more, sometimes less. We travel routes left for us by educators who taught our students previously and we will leave our footprints for others to look at and determine if they want to walk alongside or take a different route.
The Map for the Read Ahead
The map for the road ahead appears to be a fluid one and we get to determine with our students and colleagues how we would like to proceed. That said, there are many supports available to me and you from ETFO resources of which some key ones, I am sharing below. Please visit, review and share with early career colleagues and those who have taught longer because just like we want our students to be lifelong learners, we too need to keep learning.
Register on ETFO Website and Login
When you register and/or update your contact information on the ETFO website, you can access a variety of rich resources created by members for members.
Also, you can get prompt access to the latest information from ETFO even if there is a time lag in getting it from the school-based stewards of your local.
Open Access Resources
These are some key ones that you and others will find helpful.
In the 2 years I have been connecting with you through this space, I am sharing some conversations that were well received ny colleagues that you may browse through to get to know me better.
Please write back and share what you want to talk about.
In the work that we do as ETFO members, many of us know and speak about the things we value most. Collaborative colleagueship, connections with families and time spent with students on a daily basis are the three things that matter a lot to me. There are others but I shall speak about them at another time.
Collaborative Colleagueship
I have listed this aspect at the beginning because without this key ingredient, the other two do not quite work out the way one would like. Although we may be identically credentialed as Ontario Certified Teachers, we may have more in common with some colleagues in terms of beliefs, interests, advocacy practices and so on. It is important, therefore, to listen and be present because even when people may have very different interests, our professional standpoints may align and lead to a long and productive working relationship. Therefore, an open mind and a learning stance are key.
Connections With Families
Even though right now, I am not in direct contact with families the same way as I was when I was a school-based teacher, I am always delighted when I attend school events, awards ceremonies, graduation or meetings with families because there are multiple opportunities to learn from people who know our students well. That said, I am delighted that in September, I am going back to a school-based assignment as a Special Education Resource Teacher or SERT.
Time Spent with Students
This is the heartbeat of the work that you and I do, isn’t it?
In the May-June period, I was invited to co-teach with a colleague and it was a Grade 7 classroom, the same spot where I started my career over two decades ago. I was excited and curious whether things have changed a lot in the teacher-student relationship since 2015, because that was the year I moved to teach Kindergarten to Grade 3 and then moved on to teach Grades 3-4.
Joining A Conversation
Co-teaching is like joining a conversation. It is not about going in with “here’s what I know” but asking “what are you working on and how can I walk with you?” In collaborating with my colleague at this school, I learned that the students had been engaged in rich learning experiences and were at the stage of their learning where they were working on products such as videos and other presentation forms to showcase their understanding. They were writing biographies. Their guiding question was “Who Deserves a Biography?”
Who Are You?
It is amazing how all students may have questions but whether they ask them directly or not is largely based on their age-grade-comfort level as well as other factors.
In younger grades, there is never any qualm about asking who I am and what my favorite colour or ice cream flavour is.
My not-quite-favourite ice cream flavours (when I was trying something new)
In Grade 7, there is a distance, smiles and nods but no direct questions yet. So what do I do?
I Invite Questions
I say to students, “I am a visitor in your classroom and while your teacher has introduced me by name, I am sure you have other things you are wondering about. Please ask me one question per table group and we will go around one more time if you want to ask more.” I also let them know that I shall answer the questions the next time I visit the class so as not to take up too much of their class time that day. After some consultation, the students come up with questions.
Neither my colleague nor I had to re-direct any questions because the students in all the classes where I have done this work keep their norms of engagement in mind it appears.
The Questions
What challenges did you face in your life?
What are some other jobs, study and career that you have done?
What was your early life and household environment like?
What made you want to be an author?
What impact have you made on the lives of others?
What is your current life like at home and outside?
What were your life goals as a child?
What are some of your achievements and accomplishments?
Why did you immigrate to Canada?
Where were you born?
These last two questions were greeted by sharp intake of breath by some students. My colleague and I discussed later that in our next co-teaching visit, I would begin there.
Reading Together
Remember this book I had spoken about in an earlier conversation with you? This copy was available in the classroom although I had brought my own.
I read it to the Grade 7 class and promised to come back when their teacher and I coordinate time to co-teach. I thanked them for welcoming me.
Heartfelt Thanks
I am aware that everyone does not get such opportunities.
I am therefore deeply grateful when colleagues make room, pull up a chair, share their vision for their students’ learning. When we collaborate this way, it lets me see that these realities are very much present and possible in the brick and mortar buildings in which we do our work and if the conditions do not allow for this to happen yet, there are partnership possibilities across work sites.
We do find our people. We just have to show up and tune in.
I grew up by the seaside, in 2 beautiful cities on the West Coast of India.
I am telling you this because I think this spatial-geographical context is important to our conversation today. I am always soothed by the sound of waves, and I like to pick up shells and pebbles.
Although these days one can buy anything with the click of a button, the pebbles I have carried with me from place to place are my constant companions.
I take care of the pebbles. The pebbles take care of me.
I sometimes gift a pebble to a friend or colleague so you may already know this story.
My Roots in Mumbai and Goa on the West Coast of India
Being Seen and Remembered
At one of the schools I am partnered with, I was outside at recess, and some students came up to me. One of them said “I know you from somewhere a long time ago.” I smiled inwardly as educators tend to do while listening intently: a 12-year-old perhaps does have a long-ago sense of life. I welcomed that sentiment.
Then he asked me, “Did you used to carry pebbles in your pocket?” His friends shifted uncomfortably, some chuckled at the question as it seemed odd to them perhaps.
“Yes, I did.” I said, “I still do.”
And I held out my hand in which were pebbles, some glass ones – bought, and some collected.
Natural and Glass Pebbles From My Pocket
“I knew it was you!” the student said, though he didn’t remember my name. I am okay with that.
I remembered then, that when I was at another school supporting Kindergarten to Grade 4, students had heard of the pebbles and when we would be outside at recess, some would come by to explore the contents of my pockets.
The Pebbles Have a Job
I carry the pebbles for two reasons.
When I am in busy spaces such as grocery stores or in a bustling hallway, I reach into my pocket and the smooth, cold, pebbles ground me.
When I am with students in unstructured times, on a field trip or at recess supervision, the pebbles are a great conversation starter when accompanied with “look what I found the other day,” even if that other day was decades away.
Benefits of Pebbles in My Pocket
Students connect with these little pieces of nature’s wonder or coloured glass (which I keep in my hand the whole time –so there is no mouthing of unsafe items).
Literacy connections with pebbles are many: the describing words flow – smooth, bumpy, big, small, cold etc.
Some students are adventurous and have more words in their vocabulary – I have been informed that one rock “has capillaries and looks like a kidney shaped eyeball”.
It is lovely that they wait for my reaction at such times. Imagination is wonderful especially when the adult isn’t squeamish!
Self-Regulation, Co-Regulation and Troublemakers
I delight in reading the work of others who share their thoughts in this space. My ardent wish is that someday we can meet in person. Until then, I would like to share the writing of colleagues in this space whose thoughts enter this conversation.
Brenda MacNaughton’s writing in 2025,invites the reader to think about the circumstances in which our students’ and families’ lives unfold everyday and calls us to consider what you and I need to consciously do when we engage with people in front of us.
This got me thinking: How might I demonstrate and open up space for students when they are in my sphere of influence so that their burdens become lighter for some time? What do I need to do to reach out to social and community based support provided by the school district for the family to receive support while they deal with the ups and downs?
They are a reminder of my humanity and what makes me who I am.
They are also reminders that I can take care of myself in times when I feel wobbly.
Above all, they are a time to pause and be grateful for the tiny gifts of our workday. I continue to feel grateful for the wonder that children give me daily. This ability to see life as I did when I was a child is returned to me daily by the young people who use their imagination in miraculous ways to make sense of the world around them.
This realization gives me hope that the work you and I do is much more than pouring water on sand, especially on days when it feels like just that.
We go from here and there through our day. Sometimes, we go to new places around our usual work location, whose address we enter into our devices so that we arrive promptly with time to spare, even. So one day recently, I thought I was just going to work.
The Context
Since December 2024, two colleagues and I have been collaborating with consultants in another department to work on a key resource that has helped many and will continue to help more students and educators as we move forward. Sometimes in March, just before a series of professional learning sessions, we met again. We had to get through a lot.
The Necklace Started It
I have always loved necklaces and I always wear one when I’m not in classrooms. This was one such piece.
My Necklace From Mumbai
As colleagues from the other department came into the meeting room one of them complimented me on my choice. I thanked her and added, “It’s from Mumbai. Like me”.
A dear friend with whom I’d attended school (Grades 9-10) had gifted it to me from her collection when she visited last summer. But I didn’t have time to share that as we were at work, you know. We had a lot to do.
My colleague smiled warmly and asked, “Where in Mumbai?”
Where in Mumbai?
At the end of that long and busy week, my heart skipped a beat: In 21 years of working in education and 23 years living “here”, no one had ever asked me “Where in Mumbai?”
“Dadar”, I said.
My colleague told me where she grew up and I reminisced that I used to go shopping in that neighbourhood and had fond memories of some beautiful silver jewelry pieces I had bought there. I had also worked nearby to where she’d grown up. We talked about these places we both knew from what seems like another lifetime.
The glow of that conversation stayed with me and now we talk about books and authors and other things when we are in the same place, warming lunch.
Why This Question?
I have many friends in many spaces at work. We have lots of conversations and have many fond memories over the years. We talk about books, family (ours), pets (theirs), dreams and many other things.
Yet, just one question “Where in Mumbai?” has stayed with me differently. It is as if a locked door has sprung open.
Some points that come into view for me that I want to share with you, my fellow traveller.
I think about how we, as educators, recognize intellectually that the whole child comes to school.
Yet many of of us aren’t able to bring our whole selves to work.
I/we don’t talk about everything that makes me/us complete because either there’s too much to do, or more often, I/we don’t think anyone else knows of that place, that food, that fragrance and so on
I am sure there are many more meanings that will come to the surface for you and me when you read this. Do share.
There’s A Ghazal (Poem) For That
So here are some lines from a ghazal written by Gulzar and sung by Jagjit Singh that explain that feeling of perhaps being The Only One in a space. These lines explains the feeling of a solitude that I couldn’t put into words until that question “Where in Mumbai?
“Aainaa dekh karr tass-allee hui
Humko iss ghar mein jaan-taa hai koi”
The Translation Goes Like This
I was reassured when I looked in the mirror
That someone knows me in this house.
Thank you, dear colleague- friend who has memories of Mumbai. Not identical ones, but just like I do.
I can’t wait to see you again.
Fellow Travellers, I wish you such unexpected and pleasant encounters in your work spaces.
And if you know Mumbai, or Goa, please write back.
The pages of the calendar turn relentlessly. June is here and we’re busy in a different way. The weather is cool one day and warm on another. Some days, the skies are filled with smoke and those of us far away from the site from where this smoke comes, are mindful that not everyone is.
We have one home, this beautiful planet.
How Did I Do?
One writing from me had the words, “How did I do?” We’ve all gone through it: being assessed and evaluated. Now, our jobs require this work of reporting and evaluation to be done. Students at different times of the year receive institutional texts and then may come back to us the next day after sharing that text with people in their lives. Those are other report cards and those are other times.
This One Is Different
The June report card is different. Students leave at that last bell of the last day of school. In the Fall, they will go down the hall to another classroom, to another school in the neighbourhood, to another province or to another country. The lives of children are so directed by the fortunes of their families that over these life events they have limited control.
This we know, though in the busyness of life, I/we may not always remember.
Goodbye and See-You-Later
I was listening to a podcast by a gardener whose work I follow and something he said stays with me, relatable to various stages and aspects of life: When you move on and someone else is gardening now, you have no say in what they do in the space that you loved.
So in my role or yours next year, when you see our students in someone else’s classroom down the hall, we need to walk on. We are here if someone reaches out to collaborate. That’s it.
You can only reassure yourself that when you were there, you did your best and the people and plants thrived. When you have taken care of the classroom or learning space or garden and given your best, when you’ve done due diligence to your professional judgement, it’s time to pull the door behind you and walk on.
From that thought shared by the celebrity gardener, I added in this my reminder to self and to you, my fellow travellers: Whether in a classroom or a supportive role, you have, just like in life, finite time. Finite seasons. How can I/you make the best of each one?
A Special Message
In these busy times we may have different ways in which we take time to care for ourselves. For me it is precipitation: rainy days always make me happy because in my heart I remember the monsoon of the home I left behind. The Monsoon in Mumbai always came on June 13th, so right about now, my heart calls me to a place I feel in my cells and in my soul.
Is there something that you remember deeply? Do share.
Nostalgia: is the pain of remembering. It’s a sweet pain especially on days when a dear friend, here, pops into my phone with something they remember from a previous conversation. Neither Hindi nor Urdu are their home languages which is why I am touched that they remember this conversation, and this memory
I am sharing the exchange below.
My friend’s message on a rainy day
Saundhi Khushboo (saun-dhee khoosh-boo) the post-rain fragrance of the soil.
I smile on this Monday in June and I watch the raindrops .
Wishing you peace and calm in the midst of the busyness
With You, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
P.S: Saundhi Khushboo is now added to my dictionary in my spell check – that felt good.
It is 5 years this June since I was hired for a centrally assigned position that I started that September. Fortunately, as my role in this school district is designed in a way that I can co-plan, co-teach, co-debrief and co-reflect with my colleagues, I am not distanced from students. Yet, I feel a twinge on my heartstrings when I pick up a picture book or find something exciting to share as I do not always have a classroom to take this back to right away, the next day.
So I rely on a quiet activity called “Remember When?” to keep alive the fond memories that keep the 21 years in this work as a teacher well irrigated so that they can continue to bring me joy. I am sharing one such memory below, deeply rooted in intentional planning and pedagogy.
The Corner Cafe
Karnad-Jani’s CAFE Board
I have taught in 2 schools in my 21 year career.
At the school with the gorgeous sunrise, I was a Grade 7-8 science teacher then a Special Education Resource Teacher in an Intermediate Student Support Centre. Our core focus was literacy and mathematics, social skills and advocacy skills among others.
With the deep commitment to support my students, I had planned and intentionally set up the CAFE Bulletin Board based on the the skills development focus on Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expand Vocabulary outlined in the CAFE Book.
What Does CAFE Mean ?
In the book mentioned above and in the pedagogical process planned around it, CAFE means
Comprehension
Accuracy
Fluency
Expand Vocabulary
It Is Not “Just A SERT Thing”
Some colleagues with whom I partnered and co-taught also used this template to set up similar CAFE boards in their classrooms. Students, when integrated in subject areas saw the same skill building supports. They did not see this board as “Just something we do in the SSC”. My colleagues and I participated in authentic partnerships incorporating Tier 1 practices for the benefit of all students (and occasional teachers who worked alongside when we were away as the classroom was the 3rd teacher). Such partnerships are possible and work well when it is acknowledged that SERTs also have subject specialities.
It was not “Just A SERT thing” or something some students needed. We all used it. As a cricket and basketball fan, I would ask my students to recommend readings for me to demonstrate my understanding. We would use this space to document my wonderings around hockey and baseball, two sports with which I am not as familiar and students saw me as a comprehension constructor and fluency builder as well. They could give me feedback about what they saw me doing and bridged over to what they would like to try. Deconstructing my comprehension challenges and examining how I made meaning opened up space for students’ learning journeys.
And Then I Moved…
After 2004-2018, I decided to move to another school, after much thought and soul searching. When I got there, my 3-4 SSC was in a much smaller space. Students at this school did not know me and their previous teacher had left the school so they were not comfortable with change, I learned.
To support them as much as me, I set up another CAFE space at my 2nd school.
Here with the added emphasis on critical thinking but with younger students and a smaller space, I also incorporated individualized Q Charts where students could ask questions from their everyday lives. We moved to other topics through the year that aligned with their science and social studies classes so the pre-teaching of content vocabulary and comprehension access happened before and side by side with their subject classes. We CAFE’d everything.
A student placing sticky notes on a Question Matrix
Students Remember
The Corner Cafe became a beloved and effective Literacy Hub at 2 schools in The East in a large publicly funded school board in Ontario. You did not need an IEP to work in the CAFE. We worked together so that students felt stronger to transfer their literacy and mathematics skills in other settings. Our walls were rich and instructionally strategies were intentionally planned and implemented.
I attended the Grade 8 graduation ceremony last year at School 1 and 2 and plan to go again this year as my then-Grade 3s are graduating.
Soon after I left School 2 to take up my centrally assigned work, I would get emails from The Cafe Students. They set up their own “Cafe Classroom” and emailed me to invite. So, we organized a virtual visit through their teacher and I got to hear all the wonderful things they were learning and doing.
“We remember The Corner Cafe”, they said. Then after some “tell her, tell her” whispers, they added “And we practice CAFE”. That was a warm cuppa joy for me.
Some Guiding Questions
How am I using the CAFE framework to strengthen student learning?
Any others you may come up with as you continue your work through your career.
If you decide to or have already set up a CAFE in your school, please take a peek at the instructional areas highlighted above.
Things Change: Please Engage Professionally and Responsibly
Although research and practice have changed in Ontario and elsewhere over the years, when I did this work, some things were different. Now, there are new resources and conversations that guide our work as ETFO members and different school districts will likely have their own supported initiatives.
I therefore invite readers to see this writing and sharing as a window into that classroom where students and I strengthened our practices. We used this board and this mindset to strengthen content literacy as well because as a J/I teacher first and foremost, I was also mindful of the importance of being able to read and comprehend subject areas like science, social studies, history, geography and mathematics.
The concept of CAFE is not my creation.
I applied it to my classroom programme and students ad have shared the sources I used to develop this learning space in two schools.
If you choose to set up a CAFE in your school, do reach out.
If you have already set up a CAFE at your school, and want to discuss ideas, please connect.
I’ve written in previous posts about the wonderful opportunity of learning from and with students when I’m invited to collaborate with educators who work with students from kindergarten to age 21.
This past week as we approached the end of a cooler-than-usual April, the sun shone warmer and a long awaited Spring peeped out from behind grey clouds that had greeted us in previous months. One Friday afternoon before the long weekend, I was in a Grade 7 classroom. I arrived during lunch and went upstairs as pre-decided with the teacher. I found a corner to work until lunch time was over and the teacher came back.
Soon, the students came in also and the two nearest to me asked who I was and as always, I respectfully mentioned that I’d introduce myself when their teacher invited me to. As always students had questions – my name, where am I from, what’s my favourite food and so on. I usually stay with 10 questions so the teacher’s planned lesson can continue and we review classroom expectations prior so that students remember that every person who enters their class deserves respect.
Something To Think About
One student asked me what is the most important thing about my job and I said that I get to experience hope and joy when I interact with students. They asked me if I was part of their history lesson and while I was not co-teaching it, I could be. Our lives as people are interconnected after all. I enjoyed the interaction among students during their history lesson that was about the fur trade in this land now known as Canada. There were many deep questions they asked their teacher.
Moving On To Other Topics
Then it was time for their reading buddies to come in. There was a bustle of activity as everyone was excited. Their teacher reviewed the expectations for them and students prepared to welcome the younger students. One student whose ancestral heritage was different from mine at first glance to them, approached me and said, “I have one more question: Do you like sooji ka halwa?”
I replied “Yes, I do. But I don’t call it sooji ka halwa”
“Really? What do you call it then?”, they asked.
In my mother tongue, we call it sheeraa” I said.
“It is cool that sooji ka halwa has another name. I have heard some people call it just sooji then?” the student said. “Yes”, I said. “Why is that?” the student asked.
I replied from a knowledge I had received over the years, and which has grown stronger since travelling far and learning from many. “Languages are beautiful. They grow and change over time and become richer also. The same thing can have many names and be experienced in many different ways by different people”
“Sooji Ka Halwa has many names then!”, the student remarked with a smile.
“And you know, sooji is semolina, so sooji ka halwa is “halwa/dessert made from sooji. Sometimes it’s called sooji also”, I said.
This was an unexpected sweet moment in my day and that evening, to commemorate that day, I made some sheera (or sooji ka halwa) following the recipe I learned from my Amma. I am sharing it here.
Perhaps if we meet sometime, we can connect over conversation about food that we know and love, even if they have different names. I am looking forward to those times.
Rashmee’s Amma’s Sheeraa Recipe
Ingredients
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 cup sooji (semolina)
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder
Method
In a kadhai (thick bottomed pan or wok), add ghee and let it melt
Turn the heat down and add sooji gently
Keep stirring until the sooji changes to a pinkish colour and becomes fragrant.
After 3-4 minutes add two cups of milk and keep stirring until the mixture cooks well
Add sugar and elaichi powder and keep stirring
Put the pan on a frying pan for indirect heat (so it’s not directly on the stove)
Cover it
In a few minutes remove the lid and stir again.
The sheera is ready to share and enjoy!
I wish you many sweet experiences and special interactions in your travels…
With you, in solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani
P.S: Before I left, the student smiled and said “I also like your shoes”
It’s mid-February, almost March perhaps when we have this conversation.
As the school year and calendar year move on, we see the days getting longer. Our thoughts turn to warmer weather and with that, we continue to think of different ways in which we as ETFO members can continue to engage our students in learning.
Some schools that have access to open spaces and trees around their buildings are wonderful spaces for outdoor education activities. Some classes may visit outdoor education centres if accessible while others may create opportunities to take their students outside. A reader and colleague from our local who recently visited an outdoor education centre wrote to me to share that their students engaged in so much learning and were so welcomed there that the member wrote a letter to the centre staff to thank them for the interactions. How wonderful it is when we take the time to let people know how much their intentional and inclusive pedagogies matter to us.
In 2023 when I taught Science and Technology Methods to Primary/Junior Teacher Candidates at an Ontario university, it was wonderful to hear pre-service educators speak of how they would make the outdoors accessible to their students by making hats, mittens, snow pants available through donations at the school if needed or bringing learning opportunities into their school yard for all students to participate. It was indeed heart warming that many of the teacher candidates connected with the Science and Tech curriculum along with developing a deep understanding that families and students benefit from our sensitive understanding when we coordinate access. It is very important to widen the circle for multiple entry points. Disability Justice is also an important aspect that we can continue to speak of when we welcome pre-service teachers into our spaces.
I am sharing ETFO’s Indigenous Land Based Learning Resource so that we can continue to learn with and beside one another. Let’s also invite our centrally assigned colleagues who can guide us in this journey.
We’ve moved on from November and it’s the last month of the year already. While the countdown for the winter break has begun in many minds, there are some things that catch my attention and I want to share some of them with you.
In our everyday spaces, we connect with, notice and wonder about things, and people all the time when we see them. Sometimes we ask questions and at other times based on what we think we know, we decide a response. I am sharing some questions that I have been asked in the past months that keep me thinking about their importance.
Winter Sunlight (Karnad-Jani, 2024)
Who are you?
As the range where I collaborate with colleagues is K-12, I have the experience of meeting students who aren’t yet four and older students who call me Miss. When I enter a classroom or wait outside, students either ask me directly who I am or their eyes do without words. When invited by my colleague in the classroom, I introduce myself: “My name is Ms.Karnad. I am a teacher and I’m here to learn with you”.
Do you miss that?
The questions I receive are heart warming and they open my mind to all the things children think about.
Often I join children at their tables to work alongside. In a Grade 4 class a student asked me “Do you go from school to school because you don’t have your own classroom now?”
“Yes”, I said “That’s correct”.
“Do you miss having your own students?”
I replied in the affirmative.
“What is the first thing you will do if you have your own classroom again?”
I’m still thinking about that one.
Do you speak Farsi?
In a Kindergarten classroom recently, a student asked me to join them in play. They were gathering leaves to fill a small red cup, a blue teapot and a star shaped baking dish. I was instructed to guess how many scoops of leaves went into each one and I think I did rather well on that task. Then another student joined us and in a clear voice asked me “Do you speak Farsi?” I replied that I didn’t but I understood some words. “Come back and I’ll teach you some more words” she said and I’m looking forward to that. How wonderful it is when children say to the grown-ups in their lives “I will teach you”. What a promising world this will be!
Can you help me?
At another school when I was planning a pre-collaboration visit and standing by the door as it was a rather busy time, I felt a tug on my wrist. Looking down I saw a student who wanted me to walk with them. They began leading me by the hand to another space and pointed to a shelf higher up. “Show me”, I said pointing to the visuals as I had seen a choice board displayed prominently with large pictures for easy access (for visitors like me also). The student showed me the picture of their preferred item and I helped get it down for them. A friend joined in and they tugged my hand to sit also. Building with multicoloured magnetic shapes that morning was a lot of fun.
Do you know where you are going?
As we approach the end of the year and the start of a new calendar year, it is these simple heart-touching questions that point me to where I am going. Immersed as we see in the complexities of the work and the world, this simplicity is the gift that allows me to stay in the moment and touch that glimmering droplet of joy.
I see you
Many years ago, I was a Grade 7-8 teacher at the school with the beautiful sunrise. As I’d walk to the workroom downstairs on my prep, I’d pass an empty kindergarten classroom. Every day a rotation of women-mothers, aunties, grandmothers – and children would come in and attend a morning run by an Ontario child care programme. The women would sit cross legged and the children would sit in front of them. The service provider would play some songs while the women and children waited, listened and participated. It becomes clear for those of us who know educational pathways in Ontario that this was a school readiness programme for pre-kindergarten children.
In the early days, there would be hesitant little people being encouraged by the women and as time went by the children would begin to sing. As the workroom was nearby, I’d hear the voices change from whispers to hesitant voices to the silver sound of enthusiastic singers.
When they’d come in for their learning, the women and children would line up outside the room. On the wall, up high, were Grade 8 graduation composites. One day as I was walking by, a child was pointing to a picture here and a picture there. As his Amma smiled at me I stopped and listened alongside. “Anna (elder brother), Akka (elder sister)”, he said. They were his cousins, who had graduated from the school, I learned from the child’s mother.
As I was about to leave, the child pointed at someone else in the frame and whispered to his mother. I asked “Who is it? Whom do you see?”. The little one smiled shyly and pointed to me. His Amma said “He is saying, I see you”. Yes, I was there too and the child had recognized me from my tiny face in the large frame.
Now these photos have been moved to a connecting passage between the old wing where I started working and the new wing that we saw being built from my Grade 7-8 class. That moment stays with me years later.
I see you.
Such an important thought. I want to make sure everyday that I too see you, students and colleagues. That’s a great place to begin.
As a teacher, you’ll likely wear many hats and work with students across different grade levels. Along the way, you might find your sweet spot—a grade that feels like the perfect fit. But just when you’ve settled into your comfort zone, you could be assigned to a grade you have never taught before. You may begin to ask yourself, “How will I connect with my students?”, “Can I manage the new curriculum?” “Will I teach it well?”, “Will I be judged if I do it wrong?”. These concerns are natural and understandable. During moments like these, it’s important to remember that these challenges are opportunities for growth rather than as obstacles.
One of the most difficult things to do is to change our mindset. It is not a sign of failure—but it is a sign of growth. When we have a growth mindset, we are open to new possibilities and strategies. We allow ourselves to be flexible, a trait that is important in any learning environment.
In my classroom, I encourage students to embrace a growth mindset, regardless of the subject I’m teaching. I believe every lesson provides an opportunity to foster this way of thinking. A few years ago, I had a student who struggled with math and often grew frustrated when faced with challenging problems. Initially, I focused only on finding new ways to explain the concept, reteaching it in hopes of helping him understand. Despite my efforts, he continued to struggle. So one day I decided to have a deeper conversation with him.
During our talk, he shared that his fear of making mistakes and being judged by his classmates was causing him to lose focus. I realized in that moment that, without knowing it, I had been keeping with a fixed mindset myself. Instead of celebrating his efforts and the process of learning, I had been focused on getting him to the correct answer.
I shifted my approach. As a class, we began to prioritize social and emotional learning, discussing what we knew and what we were “yet” to master. Together, we celebrated small victories—like the day we finally solved a difficult problem after several attempts—and I encouraged everyone to see how persistence and the willingness to make mistakes led to progress.
To reinforce the idea, I also introduced stories of individuals who faced challenges but went on to succeed. Over time, my student’s attitude toward challenges in math began to change. He became more willing to raise his hand and share in open discussions and kept a positive mindset. Overall, he became more confident in his ability to improve.
To foster a growth mindset it is important to recognize how embracing change can positively impact both educators and students.
The Importance of a Growth Mindset for Educators and Students
Being open to change helps you connect better with students, and colleagues. When students or colleagues know you are open to change, they see that you are willing to understand where they are coming from and meet them where they are.
When you step out of your comfort zone, you explore new ways to engage your students and colleagues. It expands your thinking and what seemed difficult becomes an exciting challenge.
Give yourself permission to try and fail. You will learn to be kinder to yourself. You’re no longer burdened by the pressure of perfectionism. You will also teach your students that it is human to make mistakes and learn from them.
When you are stuck in a specific mindset, there’s not much room for further development. Embracing change means you are always learning and growing, both professionally and personally.
How to develop a growth mindset:
Take time to reflect on what you know, what are you great at and where you might be stuck. Journaling or talking to a fellow teacher can help clarify where you need to grow.
Observe colleagues, attend professional development workshops or conferences, or ask for advice from colleagues. Sometimes, seeing different teaching methods in action can inspire change.
Give Yourself Grace and recognize that no one has it all figured out. Teaching is a journey, and every challenge is an opportunity to learn something new.
You don’t have to change your entire teaching approach. Start with small adjustments, such as using a new classroom management strategy, having more student conferences or incorporating different lesson structures.
So to my fellow educators, I want to say, embrace flexibility and a growth mindset when things aren’t working. Sometimes, the key is simply in our willingness to grow.
