Guidance Counsellor – Craig Kielburger Secondary School
Photo by CKSS photography teacher – Antonia Giroux
What do you love about your job?
What’s not to love? I have been teaching a long time (I won’t say how long) and I have to say, the main thing that I love the most, is that as teachers we have the capacity to change lives at our fingertips. It is amazing that we get to work with our young minds. School is a space to challenge, and to affect change. Best of all, we get to watch the results at the end! It is so nice to see young people with their innocence in grade 9 and then witness them develop into amazing young adults the time they graduate. I revel and say “My babies are grown up” and feel blessed to see their journey in life and to see their success. Some students really struggle, and to see them turn themselves around on their own time, to being happy, that is the sweetest reward there is!.
In this challenging year, what have you tried that is working?
The biggest challenge for me that has worked in this virtual world and in this moment in time is getting so much equity work done this year. I have an amazing team with me of teachers and students working on equity, and we just recently went through planning all the opportunities for Black History Month. We have creative constraints to work within this year, it is hard to get people physically together for things like assemblies, which we often do. Instead, we have been meeting virtually to reinvent Black History Month. We have invited in a speaker who spoke about how to be an anti-racist educator and we also had a virtual student panel discussion. I’m really proud of the equity team for being more creative in the face of these new constraints this year. We were forced to think outside the box and in the end, got more engagement in the conversation than in other years. Students were really engaged – they said it was really enriching and to have the student voice in the student panel.
What is a challenge and isn’t working…yet?
In my position as guidance counsellor, it remains so hard to engage students in virtual chats. It is harder both to reach them and read them, when they need support or are in distress. I don’t get to see the students, as they don’t have their cameras on, and as a result, I can’t read them, their body language, their non-verbal cues. It is easier for students to disappear, and not check their email. Connecting with students involves a lot more follow up and calls needed than it would in a year without COVID.
What is one tiny victory you have had?
I’m so pleased, I learned to do a screencastify! We have all been stretched to learn new tools like Screencastify and Brightspace. I tried that for the first time and it has actually been really useful. We are using Screencastify to help with our presentations to students.
Words of Encouragement and Love for staff
Right now is so difficult. We are all wondering WHEN do we get back to normality? If only, then, can we make a difference. I say, let’s not wait for WHEN to make a difference, realize that we are making a difference now. I think that especially when life’s challenges are high, now is the time we can be extra encouraging and kind. Trust that we ARE making a difference, we just need to stay positive in this moment.
What is the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up?
Every morning I wake up and say a prayer. I focus on being grateful and centring myself in that for the day. I grab my lemon tea and have a quiet sit, in meditation and prayer. If I don’t do that, I find that I’m not centred during my day. I really think that practicing gratitude has had an effect on my life. It seeps into other aspects of your life. Once you name it, it becomes so.
Who is someone you would like to have lunch with?
I’d love, love, LOVE to have lunch with Michelle Obama! After reading her book Becoming, I’m so inspired by her. I’d love to sit with her and just chat about her life. Her book inspired me to start writing again and her words and life inspired and encouraged me to get back at it. I write poems and I’m loving that creative release.
