History Teacher, Garth Webb Secondary School
What do you love about your job?
What I love the most about my job is that I get to learn! I enjoy learning and what is amazing is that I get to learn everyday. As an amateur historian with a passion for history, I find it inevitable that what I learn is what I teach. I am inevitably bringing it into the classroom. I like both the content of what I teach, as well as thinking deeply about teaching pedagogies. Foremost, though, I love engaging with my students.
In this challenging year, what have you tried that is working?
This year, I have been offering more choice than ever before… choice choice choice! For students, there is choice in topics, resources, and stories. A bonus from being in front of a screen so much in virtual learning is the worries about accessing content. There is a world of content for students to delve into, all at their fingertips. In particular, consuming podcasts has been a great way for students to access the (often untold) stories in history. From History Extra (BBC), to Dan Snow’s History, The Secret Life of Canada, they are a great entry point into history and often through the medium of storytelling, which is engaging and doesn’t involve a screen. I’m looking forward to getting past the days of printing 25 articles for students because students don’t have their own tech. I really think that the norm of every student learning with technology will transfer over when we go back to class.
What is a challenge and isn’t working…yet?
The challenge of connecting with the students is still very, very, real. I don’t get to talk to them enough and miss those casual moments in the classroom. Cameras off, emails are short, communicating only in the chat, breakout rooms participation, it all remains a struggle. Students are increasingly tapped out. I am finding this creates huge ramifications on assessment. I can think of a particular student that I know is absolutely brilliant but in this mode of teaching and learning, it is really hard to reach him. He is there, getting by, but if we were in person, I could have gotten to know him better, and draw out that brilliance. For students, it is still too easy for them to run away from you right now if they want to. I fear that is something we will have to unlearn when we get back in school.
What is one tiny victory you have had?
Stories are important – I’m shifting more and more to the use of stories to bring history to life. The kids want stories, it is how they best learn and are engaged. This year in particular, I have decentred the traditional narrative and recentred the stories of diversity in history. What I love is that they are fascinated by them and shocked that they never get shared. They feel like it is You are getting let in on a secret. A personalized entry to the complexities of history, beyond the single narrative you always hear.
Words of Encouragement for staff
Let go of what you used to do! You can do it! While some people find it hard to embrace new things, this year, one surprising benefit to this difficult year, is that it has been an easier time to embrace new things. We have needed to let go of the old, this year gave us a break from what we used to do. Personally, I really had a chance to rethink the structure of school, but not really the time to implement all that I’m thinking. In the quadmester model, it still feels like a churn and burn in terms of the speed of school. I’m hoping we will be able to collectively apply all that we learned this year in the upcoming years.
What is your motto?
“If I’m not trying, I’m dying.” I live by this, and say this all the time. You have to keep pushing, growing, learning!
