Rashmee Karnad-Jani Advocacy for change, Building Inclusion, English As Second Language (ESL), English Language Learners (ELLs), General, IEP, Inclusion, Language Learning, Special Education

Building On, Building Together

Hello again,

It is already the middle of the school year. Time to look back and look ahead. Earlier this month I read Colleen Elep’s piece “Knowing The Learner Matters: All About Multilingual Language Learner (MLL/ELL Variability)” on this blog with much interest.

The opening paragraph stands out immediately and invites readers to think deeper and look inward at assumptions we may tend to make or others have made and passed on to us: “When we think about Multilingual Language Learners, also known as MLLs (or ELLs), it can be tempting to view them as a uniform group with similar needs and experiences. In reality, nothing could be further than the truth. MLLs are an incredibly diverse group of students who bring a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds, identities, educational histories, and lived experiences to their learning”

Although the writing outlines many signposts and how-to aspects that are very helpful to classroom practice, I went looking for something that connects the writer’s entry point with mine because I wanted to not just read – I also wanted to sharpen my skills. And I stopped here…

Supporting Multilingual Language Learners with Possible Special Education Needs

This resource, shared in October 2025, has an easy to understand, conversational title that considers possibilities and also highlights partnerships. It is an invitation to collaborate and to sit together as teachers to think through students’  strengths, needs, family background, educational experiences, migrations trajectories and do something about it – together and professionally.

The starting lines indicate that “This member-developed resource provides useful information about how to support MLLs with possible special education needs. The program brief may be leveraged when MLLs are not experiencing success with ongoing ESL/ELD supports” which means that the ESL/ELD supports have to be implemented first.

The link to the resource brings the reader to a document that states these important aspects right at the outset which we all need to remember because there may be a risk of rushing which though well intentioned mostly, can be premature identification into special education programmes and states this: “When multilingual language learners (MLLs)1 are developing the English language skills required for success with the Ontario curriculum, it can be difficult to determine if some of these learners may also have additional learning needs, such as an Ontario Ministry of Education-recognized exceptionality”

The definitions of exceptionalities are important to review and there is also a caution there, as teachers, as educators, we do what we are trained to do – we teach, we gather evidence, we collaborate with colleagues who can guide our practice and we seek support in collaboration with families and other experts in our school districts.

We do not offer diagnoses.  This resources helps greatly to keep us on our path.

Also, educational work is best done in community with collaborative colleagues. This we know.

The Multi-Tiered Approach 

I especially liked the info-graphic and the video series. The former makes it easy to understand what is needed at each stage and the page states that more resources will be added, so let us check in regularly as we learn together.  The video series allowed me to see the possibilities of rich and respectful professional conversations on how to support at Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 that are also known as Good for All, Necessary for Some and Essential for a Few.  It is always professionally strengthening to hear ETFO colleagues talk about the rich possibilities available to us in the work we do.

I invite you to engage with Colleen’s blog post and then make your way to the resources shared above. Do share back how this worked for you in your spaces. And please share this piece with others who may be interested to read and learn …

With You, In Solidarity

Rashmee Karnad-Jani

Rashmee Karnad-Jani Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Inclusion, Inspiring Teachers, Professional Learning and Growth, Teacher Working Conditions, Teaching as a public profession, Why unions matter, Women at Work

Welcome to ETFO

It is February already! Since September, it has felt as if the school year is taking huge strides that go from one Friday to the next.

In the midst of this hectic pace, I am delighted to share the Welcome to ETFO booklet for members in their first 5 years

it is very easy to follow even in your busy work day or after work with a cuppa.

Layout of the Booklet 

I especially connected with the layout of the booklet because right on the first page is the link events.etfo.org  Here, you can access information about programs and conferences that support members’ understanding of ETFO, to support your involvement and leadership growth.

Then, some key programs and upcoming dates are listed.

A yellow square with three white rectangles each listing a programme for ETFO members
Upcoming Programs in the Welcome to ETFO booklet. 

The next page has some key messages that guide the work of our union. I am sharing below a small section of each of the following.

  • ETFO Equity Statement: It is the goal of the ETFO to work with others to create schools, communities, and a society free from all forms of individual and systemic discrimination.
  • ETFO Human Rights Statement: Harassment and discrimination on the basis of a prohibited ground are violations of the Ontario Human Rights Code and are illegal. The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario will not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the Ontario Human Rights Code, at provincial or local Federation sponsored activities.
  • ETFO’s Equity Initiatives: ETFO is a union committed to social justice, equity, and inclusion.
  • Definition of an Anti-Oppressive Framework: An anti-oppressive framework is the method and process in which we understand how systems of oppression such as colonialism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, and ableism can result in individual discriminatory actions and structural/ systemic inequalities for certain groups in society.
  • ETFO Land Acknowledgment
An orange rectangle with ETFO's Land Acknowledgement
ETFO’s Land Acknowledgement

Letter from Your President highlights that ETFO is the largest union representing teachers with 84,000 members. In the inspiring and warm message this reminder stands out: “Your current central collective agreement expires on August 31, 2026. Preparation for the next round of bargaining is well underway. ETFO has established class size as a significant bargaining issue. Look for our Smaller Classes, Big Difference campaign advertising in your community and help spread the word to ensure the public is informed and engaged in our fight for students.”

The table of contents lists the different sections that are hyperlinked for easy access.

I highly recommend staring here because “How your union works for you” is a very important section that you need to remember and also share with colleagues even if they are not in the first 5 years of educational work within ETFO.

The booklet reminds you that,  “You will need your ETFO ID number to register. If you do not know your number, please contact Member Records at memberrecords@etfo.org or 416-962-3836/1-888-838-3836 extension 3806.”

Did You Know?

As per the provincial guidelines of ETFO, “the costs for member release time, travel, meals, and accommodation are covered for these conferences.” Do check out the programs and conferences that support your goals and sign up!

I am sure you will find lots of connections with the material shared in the Welcome to ETFO booklet.

Please ask at least two people if they have read it and please share widely.

Although this booklet is addressing members in your first years, there may be many who have worked longer and have not had the opportunity to access all the resources and information. It is never too late.

With You, In Solidarity.

Rashmee Karnad-Jani

Rashmee Karnad-Jani Advocacy for change, General, Inclusion, Learning in a Real Life Context, Making a Difference Through Education, Professional Learning and Growth

Leave It With Me

In educational work, pace is always a busy one. Our work is not possible in isolation and it gets done well in community with others. As educators, we have professional connections between classrooms, across schools, in other provinces even other countries from whom we learn and with whom we share. Yet, in the everyday busyness of our work day, it is the people in our buildings such as in support functions who are also key partners.

Colleagues Behind The Scenes

Educational work whether in schools, or between schools doesn’t go on smoothly by itself. There are many people in our offices who work behind the scenes both efficiently and diligently to support the work that we do.

We may be in the the public eye thanks to our social media presence and followers, or conference attendance etc. but the people behind the scenes, who keep the work flowing smoothly are the glue, the fulcrum, the heartbeat of moving things forward.

After all, with one online system talking to another, the correct information in its place and the appropriate boxes checked off are important details so that educational services can reach students.  With all the deadlines that swirl in our work, where would we be if we were on our own?  I’d drop more than a thing or two, I am sure.

Also these colleagues are the ones in our educational spaces  to whom students go to seek information and support.

Leave It With Me

Some sentences said in passing become a special gift.

So it is with my colleague whom I had met five years ago online and later in person.

I may be running from one school to another and then for day, work at various other locations before returning to the office and I stop by with a question or to think through a problem…

A stapler, a blue sticky note in a dispenser, a pink message pad and a ball point pen on a maroon notebook.
The Things I Borrow When I Am In A Hurry …

When she says “leave it with me”, my slumped shoulders straighten and I know that in a matter of minutes the process will have begun or a few days things will be sorted out.

How Can I Thank You? 

When I think of the many people who make my day easier, like you, I want to thank them.

I can’t carve something beautiful or bake something delicious for all the people who’ve smoothened out wrinkles in my work life.

But I can write.

So here is a huge thank you to all the wonderful colleagues who do so many things everyday: welcome students and families into our schools, connect the dots between different data bases, register participants for regional workshops, book translators for family-teacher meetings, check in about meal choices, bridge across work sites etc.

In your school and mine, there are many people who do many things and their work supports ours.

So here’s my wish, Fellow Traveller: I hope you also have someone in your work life who says “leave it with me”.

Please share this piece with them.

Please tell them I said hi.

With You, In Solidarity

Rashmee Karnad-Jani

Geeta Kumar Before School Starts, Building Inclusion, Inclusion

Active Listening: What the Ontario Curriculum Actually Says

In elementary, we spend time during the beginning of the year setting expectations and norms to build a healthy and welcoming classroom community. Best practice tells us to continue to reinforce these norms throughout the year—not just in September.

We often focus on oral communication early on, particularly active listening, as a means to ensure all voices are heard and valued. But did you know that the Ontario Language Curriculum doesn’t actually define “active listening”?

Here’s what it does say:

Effective Listening Skills
 B1.1 use effective listening skills, including listening attentively and asking relevant questions, in formal and informal contexts, including conversations and classroom activities
 — Grade 1, Ontario Language Curriculum (2023)

It does not define “active listening” as eyes on the speaker, mouth closed, hands in lap, sitting criss-cross with a calm body. Yet, the number of posters, anchor charts, classroom displays, and behaviour expectations across classrooms that frame it this way.

Some Considerations — Thinking Critically About Listening Norms

Let’s consider a few things. Are the ways we define and assess listening in our classrooms actually inclusive? Are they developmentally appropriate? Are they culturally responsive?

Here are a few questions to reflect on:

1. Do students need to look at the speaker to listen?

2. How are students sitting?

3. How are we measuring listening?

4. Are we privileging dominant cultural norms?

Instead of teaching a one-size-fits-all version of active listening, we can:

  • Model and co-create with students what listening looks like, sounds like, and feels like—acknowledging that it may vary by person
  • Encourage self-awareness: “What helps you listen and focus best?”
  • Prioritize authentic communication over performative behaviour.

Final Thoughts
As educators, our role is not just to teach curriculum, but to teach it in a way that honours identity, culture, and individual needs. Let’s move beyond posters and routines, and into a more inclusive, responsive approach to oral communication and classroom participation.

Rashmee Karnad-Jani Advocacy for change, Celebrating Success, Communication with Parents and Guardians, Constant Learning, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, Equity, Faculties of Ed, Inclusion, Learning in a Real Life Context, Making a Difference Through Education, Mindfulness, Outdoor Education, Outdoor Learning, Pedagogical Documentation, Professional Judgement, Professional Learning and Growth, Science

Let’s grow something! 

Hello Fellow Travellers,

April has left behind a warm May and when the sun isn’t shining, it’s been cool cloudy Khandala (please look it up) weather.  There have been many things to go at work and much time to play: both aspects a reflection of the privilege one takes for granted when one gets to being in a certain place in a certain way. There’s that Standard North American Family * shelf on which one lives.

Before Work, I Play

When I first started teaching in 2004, I began at an early start school so I’ve  been in the habit of waking early. A huge help with meal prep and a quiet cup of coffee when raising young children back then. Nowadays as I’ve got more time and less mothering work to attend to, I look around and I peer.  There are many thoughts running through my mind that my botany courses do not explain anymore as this is a connection that goes beyond scientific knowledge and leaf identification skills.

“There you are!”, I whisper

“You came back after the winter”, I say.

“Oh my goodness. You’ve got many more little ones along the fence now!”, I celebrate.

Looking Down and Planning Up

Just as one indulges people in one’s life they reciprocate as well. When they were younger, my children would remark when I’d walk about in early spring on this space or elsewhere: “Mamma is peering at the ground. Something is growing there”. I do this in every area of my life. I peer and I wait patiently.

I also work to create conditions that will allow that which is growing to thrive.

Transferable Skills: The “Remember-When Mindset” (Karnad-Jani, 2025)

Recognizing potential and creating conditions for growth and thriving is a skill. We can learn it. We can practice it with critical and kind friends and colleagues who know the heart and art of teaching and learning.

I work hard to strengthen the skills in in one area of my life so that I can use the “remember when? mindset” to support myself and others in another area. I am sure there is a theory for this somewhere and a fancy name in a book, but to me, it means noticing that something is sprouting and how when I and you create conditions for roots to go down and stems to grow upwards the young seeds become plants and the seedlings become shrubs and trees.

Let’s Grow Something Together: The Sunflower Lesson

A few weeks ago, I planted sunflower seeds outside but brought them in on the mid-May long weekend due to the cooler temperatures. I noticed on Saturday that sunflower seedling had flopped. I gently poked in a wooden stick beside it and on Monday I notice that it doesn’t need it anymore!

Sunflower Seedlings On Their Own

What does that tell me? Scaffolding and support to those who need it, allows seedlings to strengthen without expending energy to prevent bending or breaking. I take this insight with me into all areas of my life and also sharing with you, my fellow travellers.

Sunflower Seedlings After Support

With You, In Solidarity

Rashmee Karnad-Jani

  • The Standard North American Family, says Smith, is an ideological code that informs the biases by which we see particular families as deficient because the ideal of SNAF is a two-parent, heterosexual family where the father’s work allows the mother to attend to the children’s schooling and educational outcomes. It is also important to notice that race is a critical intersection within SNAF (Karnad-Jani, 2021).
Geeta Kumar Anti-Racism, Equity, General, Inclusion, Social Justice

Equity Habits of Mind: Shifts in Practice (Part One)

My positionality: To preface this post, I am engaging in this work as a co-learner rather than an expert. As a racialized woman and a life-long learner, my role as an anti-racist teacher involves knowing the students and families in front of me to create equitable learning experiences to ensure students feel a sense of belonging and community. This means doing the heart and hard work of learning and unlearning.

Indigenous Education, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is not simply about bringing in diverse texts and learning about holidays. It begins deeper—with our mindsets as educators.

Equity Habits of Mind are the intentional ways we reflect, question, and respond in order to create inclusive, belonging and affirming learning spaces. These habits help educators not only recognize inequities but also take meaningful steps toward disrupting them as part of anti-oppressive work and teaching.

In this series, I will explore some considerations and shifts to take as you move towards incorporating anti-oppressive work in your practices.

Please note that this is not a checklist, nor can it be. Cultivating these habits takes time, and can transform teaching into a lived commitment of anti-oppressive teaching. There is a commitment to having brave’ critical conversations, being uncomfortable and lifelong learning and unlearning.

Shift # 1: Self-Reflection – Inward Work

It is vital that we seek to better understand ourselves, including identity and positionality, as we engage in the work of Indigenous Education, Equity, Inclusion, and education. This includes critical and ongoing reflections on power, privilege, build spots, and more. While this is vulnerable work, it should be recognized that discomfort is necessary for growth. Some questions include:

  • What assumptions am I making?
  • What privilege do I have?
  • Whose perspectives am I centering?
  • How does my identity shape my thinking?
  • What do I need to learn ?

Using a graphic organizer like the one below, can also help guide your thinking in understanding privilege.  Known as the wheel of privilege and power, the closer you are to the centre, the more privilege you have. By understanding our privileges and unconscious biases, it helps us to identify where we need to shift our thinking as we become more capable of seeing the systems and structures that perpetuate inequities. 

Photo retrieved from: https://www.canada.ca

Have you tried this ? What did you notice? What do you wonder? How this impact your ability to build relationships with students and understand their needs?

Some ETFO resources to understand privilege more:

Rashmee Karnad-Jani Advocacy for change, Anti-bullying, Before School Starts, Building Inclusion, Equity, General, Inclusion, Mentorship, Professional Learning and Growth

The Importance of Questions (Part 2)

Noticing The Questions

As I  composed this piece in the last weeks of December, I was aware that it has the potential of being more than a 2 part piece. I continue to notice questions in everyday professional spaces. Questions asked around me stand out because the language that goes from seemingly innocuous talk to formal texts that in turn guide trajectories of educational work and the outcomes for students.

If those outcomes unfold on paths of equity and social justice, I always look deeper for the driving gear: who is the person – parent, family friend, educational worker or combination of all three or more who have made it their mission to ensure that that student achieves their fullest potential. 

Also, sometimes the topics I write about invite readers to take a deep and honest look around so that we can be authentically inclusive in our professional practice towards all with whom we interact. A twinge here and there is therefore okay, it helps us sharpen out growth mindset as ETFO members.

Some Spaces Are Special

A black metal park bench beside a walking track with three red-leafed trees behind it. The grass around it glows in the sunshine
A Special Park Bench (Karnad-Jani, 2024)

Notice this beautiful bench situated along the walking track around the cricket pitch beside the school with the gorgeous sunrise where I worked for 14 years. In 2018, after considering many factors, mostly around breathing room and well being, I had decided to move to another school. But I still walk here every season as long as the paths are ice-free. So it was that one late summer in the last week of August, shall we say, I met up with a former student now an educator who wanted to talk through some career decisions.

Such walks are mutually supportive as I can give back to the communities of practice that steady me and another educator can have an unconditional space to air their ideas and possibilities. We walked a few laps and sat down to take in the view. A warm breeze was blowing and I was thinking of 6 students in my last three years at this school with whom our team used to walk this track daily for our observation skills, social skills, and conversational and communication goals with our flip and talk books etc. One student had clearly described this very bench as “A park bench is like a chair that’s outside. It is longer than the chair inside our class and you can’t pick it up.” How delighted we were at this description! It is one of the special memories of that time

 

What are YOU doing here?

Just then, someone I knew from years ago stopped in front of me and demanded, “What are you doing here?” and without waiting for a response, walked on.  My walking companion was as startled as I was at this interaction if one could call it that. “What was that, Ms. Karnad-Jani? They did not even wait for a response.”

My heart beat quickened from past memories of having faced this question in various spaces. 

Deep breath in. Look around. Exhale. I was glad I was in a beautiful space outside that helped me compose myself. We walked some more and that was that.

I have thought about this question often as it appears in our lives in many ways.

When one is asked “What are YOU doing here?”  we can claim space individually and collectively to support one another when this question comes up  that may challenge our very presence in some, many, any spaces.  

I am sharing Claiming Space: Self-Identifying With My Union from 2018 which is always relevant. Also please read the Letter from the Editor highlighting the writing from the issue in which this article was published.

Also, always consult and implement the guidelines outlined in ETFO’s Terms of Use when using any published materials in professional learning and elsewhere because all of us who write academically and professionally work very diligently to think about the ideas we share with you. 

 

"I am ETFO" button with the word "also" added in reads " I am also ETFO"
I wear my “I am ETFO ” button proudly.

With You, In Solidarity,

Rashmee Karnad-Jani

Geeta Kumar Assessment, Equity, Feedback, Inclusion, Professional Learning and Growth

Shifting to an Asset-Based Lens to Support Student Identities

Shifting to an Asset-Based Lens to Support Student Identities

January is a busy time of the year for many educators: collecting various forms of data, reviewing grade books, collaborating with families and colleagues to write Term 1 report cards and goals for Term 2 IEPs (Individual Education Plans). During this time, it is important to reflect on how we communicate about learning. Language plays a pivotal role in this process, and adopting an asset-based approach is key to maintaining high expectations and supporting students’ identities.

The Ontario Ministry of Education’s Growing Success document encourages educators to adopt an asset-based approach when describing student strengths and areas for growth. This practice shifts the focus to potential, emphasizing the learning and progress.

Examples of shifting language

Instead of saying… 

  • This student is weak in identifying numbers to 20
  • This is a Level 1 math student
  • This is a Spec Ed student
  • This student cannot speak English

Shift to say … 

  • The student’s learning of identifying numbers to 20 is emerging.
  • This student is currently demonstrating a level 1 in number sense
  • This student has an IEP
  • The student is building their English proficiency 

The Impact of Language on Identity

Notice how what we say can also indirectly impact a student’s identity? 

What we say about students—to families, colleagues, and the students themselves—shapes their identity as learners. Asset-based language communicates that we believe in their potential and growth. Having brave, critical conversations with colleagues about this shift is challenging. However, this shift in practice helps ensure that all students can achieve, regardless of their starting point or identity. 

What are your thoughts on this?

Geeta Kumar Diverse Learning Needs, English As Second Language (ESL), English Language Learners (ELLs), General, Inclusion, Planning

Co-teaching – A Way to Support Student Success: Part One

In this series, I will discuss Co-Teaching as a way to support student success. I do recognize that MLL support models look differently across the boards, which means not everyone can access this model. As you read this series, I hope you consider other colleagues you can work with (e.g., grade teaching partner, SERT). I have seen that MLLs thrive when a model of team-teaching is provided. They deserve a model like this as it is a powerful way to ensure equitable learning outcomes.

 

An Overview

Collaboration takes place where members of an inclusive learning community work together with the purpose to support student success in the classroom. Through teacher collaboration and co-teaching practices, a variety of studies have reported increased student achievement in content areas and improved sense of belonging in the school community. Key outcomes for teachers include enhanced peer support, authentic job-embedded professional learning, and shared ownership of all students . There are principles of teaching co-teaching to consider while collaborating: time gifting, communication, control surrendering, perspective seeking, relationship investing.

The Collaborative Cycle

While defining collaboration and coteaching, it is important to note that it is a process, not an event. Honigfeld and Dove (2017) describe the collaborative cycle as Co-plan, Co-Act, Co-Assess and Reflect. It is similar to the Plan-Act-Assess-Reflect cycle, but the difference is that it is done in collaboration. Teachers need to engage in all parts of the collaborative cycle in order to ensure successful outcomes for students.

Retrieved from ETFO Article resource: Supporting Multilingual Language Learners: Collaboration and Co-teaching

Co-planning: This part of the cycle is considered the most important aspect, and is often overlooked. It is recommended to avoid low-impact co-planning (e.g., today’s lesson, tomorrow’s lesson, one one graphic organizer). To work towards high-impact co-planning, where each partner is seen as an equal, it is recommended to focus more on unit planning, student groups, assessments, extension activities, curriculum mapping and lesson and language sequencing. Developing an ongoing document, such as a unit plan organizer, can help work towards high-impact co-planning.

Some key questions to consider during co-planning

  • What are content learning goals? What are the language learning goals?

Both the content teacher (classroom teacher) and resource teacher (MLL Support Teacher) bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to co-planning. Below is a list of some of the skills (not comprehensive)

Content Teachers MLL Support Teachers
Set content objectives and learning cycles Knowledge of the MLL learners, including their STEP levels and background history (with a focus on strengths)
Curate Resources, and knowledge of curriculum content Scaffold access to resources, including technology
Create content specific success criteria and assessments Differentiate content, process, and product in linguistic and CRRP lens, while advocating for identity affirming interactions

Co-Teach: There are many models of co-teaching. This is time to identify co-teaching models, considering the learning environment and learning goals. The most common models includes:

  • Team Teaching: both teachers providing instruction at the same time
  • Lead support teaching: one leads, other supports instruction
  • Parallel Teaching: two teachers providing instruction to two different groups at the same time, process might look different although content may be the same
  • Station Teaching: students in small groups, multiple stations, and each station has a different task, each teacher manages their own station

Co-Assess: Assessment is usually established during co-planning; therefore both teachers share the responsibility of assessment (e.g., rubric, success criteria, observation log). It is recommended to also create a reflection collaboration log to record reflections during the co-teaching experience.

Co-Reflect: During the co-reflection meeting, teachers should discuss successes and refinements by using the assessment as their guiding tools. This will in part support the next co-teaching cycle to be more successful.  

In 2022, I started to build my co-teaching capacities as a means to improve outcomes for all students through my role as an MLL support teacher.  In Part Two I will share my reflections, including the benefits, and advice of how to get started ! 

In the meantime I invite you to review this ETFO resource: Supporting Multilingual Language Learners: Collaboration and Co-teaching

Rashmee Karnad-Jani Great Gifts for Teachers, Inclusion

The Gifts We Bring and Receive

December-January… Although in many cultures the New Year is celebrated at different times, when one calendar year makes way for the next is a time when many of us look back and look ahead.
This is therefore a short reflection of the heart strings that are carefully tied around the gifts we bring to others and those that we receive.
My Writer’s Portfolio
Some Gifts I Have Received
The beautiful embroidered portfolio in the picture above is a recent gift from a dear friend who addresses me as “Rashmee Jaan”. How light my daily concerns  feel when I hear those words! The pencil case is a gift from a former colleague who had one made for each member of our team when she left to go to another job. It’s a special and precious gift because I can’t buy such items with my name on them in shops .  What made this gift extra special is that this colleague shared that she remembered this reality mentioned by students when she worked at a high school.  That was special: When people remember these stories, they see a connection in experiences that help them see the humanity of others in deep and lasting ways.
  • An elastic band given by a Grade 4 student when they finished their Empower lesson in a room where I waited quietly for their teacher to finish.
  • A thank you message on a heart cut out from Good On One Side Paper in a Grade 5 classroom by a student with whom I sat when she had some math questions to finish.
  • A pinch of sand from that first trip to the beach, here.
  • A pressed flower from a plant the class grew from seeds.
The Secret Ingredient
Many gifts and moments appear in our busy lives on gossamer threads of vulnerability from the gift giver who wonders “is that too small, too silly, too simple?”  It isn’t. It’s  perfect. It’s exactly what I need to think of when things feel monumental and much bigger than I can ever solve. I know you think that too when things are left on your desk, pressed into your hand and brought to your classroom door. What appears as “ oh one more mug” to a dismissive heart is an overflowing of friendship, familial respect and care.
We don’t have to always bring material gifts to people that cost an awful lot of money. The economies of the world are so arranged that sometimes the currencies of the places from where these gifts may have come from don’t always “measure up” in monetary value when measured through the gaze of the western world. 
How Do I Continue This Practice?
I recently gifted a large perfectly intact sycamore leaf in a plastic frame for a sweet child who like me, likes to collect leaves when he is outside with his mother, who is my friend. On the last Friday of the work week before the winter break this year, I held up my palm filled with a few glass beads and marbles and a smooth rock (I carry them in my jacket pocket). I offered these simple items to a friend who always saves a seat for me at our monthly meetings. Sometimes, we have assigned seating but we always find time to connect.  “Take one,” I said. My colleague selected a shiny multicoloured marble and I was glad. She is scheduled to present an important topic to many teams in the organization soon. I want to continue the connection because I want her to know I am thinking of her on those days when she may feel wobbly.
Here is a practice that I have let go. I do not fix a value to the gift, which is a huge life lesson in a world filled with price tags.
When we offer these gifts to people who matter to us, let us not say “it is not much” because it is more. These gifts we bring and the ones we receive are a lot more than monetary value.
Let’s keep our hearts open. That’s how hope gets in.
With you, In Solidarity
Rashmee Karnad-Jani