Contributors

Peel Teacher Local

Devon Clarke is a Grade 8 language and social studies teacher. He has over 16 years of teaching experience that ranges from working with students in kindergarten to adult learners. Some of his specific teaching roles have included core program classroom teacher, special education support person, English as a Foreign Language facilitator, health and physical education instructor, and centrally-assigned instructional resource teacher. In his current role, Devon uses an anti-racist and anti-oppressive approaches to help intermediate students develop their language and literacy skills. Aside from teaching and writing, Devon enjoys reading, working out, and travelling.

Peel Teacher Local

Colleen Elep is a centrally assigned English as a Second Language/English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD) Resource Teacher and Peel Teacher Local member who has worked extensively in middle school environments. She is passionate about supporting multilingual learners, mentoring new teachers, and culturally responsive and relevant pedagogy. When she is not teaching or writing, she can be found trying new restaurants, planning her next getaway, or drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Niagara Teacher Local

I have been fortunate to be involved with ETFO throughout my entire career and am proud to be the Chair of Status of Women with the ETFO Niagara Teacher Local. Currently, I work in a central role as an Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Coach, supporting teachers and students striving toward an environment of acceptance and inclusion. New experiences are exciting for me, and I am always looking for new learning and challenges. Blogging is definitely one of them!

York Region Teacher Local

Rashmee Karnad-Jani is a member of York Region Teacher Local and is a Primary-Junior-Intermediate Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT).

She holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. With science as her teachable subject for Junior/Intermediate grades, she has taught in the Early Years, Middle School and Intermediate divisions since 2004. Rashmee is deeply committed to examining the interlocking of marginalization due to gender, raced-class, linguistic fluency etc., with STEM teaching and learning. Rashmee has been diligently dedicated to improving social consciousness at all levels within schools. She continues to highlight the importance of ongoing, positive, and respectful partnerships between school staff and families, especially those who experience society from outside the mainstream view of what a “Standard North American Family” is supposed to be. Rashmee is a mother of two former Ontario students, speaks six languages, is a poet, and an avid gardener.

Hamilton-Wentworth Teacher Local

Diane Kim is an educator in Hamilton. Over the past 20 years, she has held various teaching positions, including classroom teacher, English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, drama instructor, and teacher librarian. Currently, she holds a system capacity building role, working with staff and students in K-8 classrooms to embed ESL best practice across all subject areas. She is passionate about multilingualism, social justice, drama-based education, and special education needs. Reimagining and redefining learning spaces to include all students is a central tenet of her work. She is looking forward to exploring ideas and resources on this blog that may help create and sustain inclusive classrooms.

Simcoe County Teacher Local

Theresa is a member of the Simcoe County Teacher Local. She has served as the ESL/ELD Lead Facilitator and held various teaching positions across grades K-8. This year, she is looking forward to heading back into a school as a Special Education Resource & Learning Center teacher.

Theresa is a dedicated, innovative, and optimistic leader, driven by her compassion and love for humanity. She firmly believes in advocating for public education and utilizes her strong work ethic, personal experiences, and passion for learning to enact meaningful change.

Theresa recently revisited community theatre, a childhood passion she had never fully explored. She is always seeking for ways to step out her comfort zone, and writing/blogging is the next challenge.

Halton Teacher Local

Jen Reid has been a classroom teacher for 28 years and is currently a Grade 4 teacher in the Halton District School Board. She loves teaching because she sees it as a place where community can be built and social justice learned, which has the potential for transformation. Her classroom incorporates big idea inquiry supported by project-based learning and subject integration. Jen utilizes a Culturally Relevant and Responsive Pedagogy model, teaches actively to support student mental health, and embraces outdoor learning experiences for her students. Jen is also active within ETFO, and currently co-chairs Halton’s Climate Justice and Sustainability Committee as well as serving as Alternate Steward at her school. Jen is finishing her fourth and final year as a member of ETFO’s Environmental Standing Committee.

Elementary Teachers of Toronto

Tracy is an educator in Toronto who has taught in a priority neighbourhood for 18 years. Her teaching career began in Special Education, which provided her a lens that is still interwoven into her practice. Moving from kindergarten to junior (and back!) made her flexible and deepened her passion for Special Education, the Early Years and most importantly, the well-being of students through the co-creation of learning environments where they and their families feel seen, heard and represented. Currently, Tracy is a centrally-assigned teacher supporting the purposeful integration of technology, global competencies/transferable skills, STE(A)M, coding and AI. Recently, Tracy had the honour of being part of an ETFO resource writing team and co-presenting at ETFO’s 2026 Summer Academy. Tracy is looking forward to sharing her tidbits of knowledge and lived experiences that have gotten her to this point: an ETFO Heart and Art blog writer!