Have you ever participated in an ETFO retreat or Summer Academy? I recently attended the annual Women’s Retreat for ETFO members in my local. I was happily surprised that Occasional Teachers were welcome to join so I could share a cabin with a couple of colleagues who are full time teachers. The organizers put together a terrific event and the resort had great accommodations, amenities and food!
We were lucky to have Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard of Wiikwemkoong First Nation, and director of the First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University, as the guest speaker after dinner on the Friday night. What a gifted and brilliant woman to help us better understand the struggle for Indigenous women’s rights, particularly First Nation women who lost their homes, families and status if they married someone other than a First Nations person. That was not changed until 2019. She also addressed Red Dress Day, the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2 Spirit. She spoke of all the women in her family who were teachers and that this audience of women teachers was the best place to make an impact on the future. It was an inspiring talk and I highly recommend to all our readers to go and see her speak or at least watch videos or listen to podcasts she has recorded.
The evening included group games, a campfire and karaoke. We played a game of reverse charades where the entire team acts out a word and only one member has to guess. I’ve played a similar game in the classroom called Hot Seat. Yes it was silly and there was plenty of laughter. A few ”minute to win it” challenges also took place involving cotton balls being thrown into hoops and objects being blown across the floor with straws. 100% harmless fun!
On Saturday we attended three workshops with women from all different walks of life. Mine involved writing, sound bathing and wood burning art. All good for the soul! At lunch we took time to do some echo singing. During the break I had a quick dip in the lake (less than a minute) and a sauna while others chose to hike or relax by the water.
If your area doesn’t have any retreats being offered, watch for the happenings at the main office in Toronto. They offer affordable events to all members throughout the year and make them accessible no matter where you are coming from. There is funding to help with travel and accommodations. I plan to attend the professional learning for occasional teachers because it will address concerns that I deal with regularly such as classroom management techniques and instructional strategies.
Looking through the catalogue of ETFO Summer Academy offerings has me very excited. There are dozens of 3 day workshops on a wide range of curriculum areas begin offered across the province in various locations in the GTA and beyond. You will find professional learning from Waterloo to Ottawa, Niagara on the Lake to Barrie and Peterborough. Plenty of virtual workshops are also available. I’m particularly interested in art and drama workshops that I think will help me as an occasional teacher.
To register for ETFO events, create an account at https://www.etfo.ca/ under the Events tab.
If staying withing your local suits you better, there are numerous important committees that help each local thrive. We can learn more about our collective agreement, health and safety, political action, social justice and professional learning just to name a few. Being involved in the local union helps us build professional knowledge and expertise in our profession. I greatly appreciate the efforts of my local and hope you all get the chance to Ignite and Refresh yourselves like we did!
