English Teacher – Craig Kielburger Secondary School
What do you love most about your job?
That is a challenging question because there are so many aspects of this job that I love. One of my favourite aspects is making meaningful connections with my students. Every new class presents me with the opportunity to get to know 30 more students and find out what motivates each one. My goal is to reach every student and I enjoy the challenge that that presents. The more I connect with them personally, the greater the odds that they will be successful. I have really shifted my teaching practices this semester with the deskless classroom. I am unlearning many decades of colonized education practices and it is challenging to change patterns and habits, but it has allowed me to be more flexible, open to change, open to new ideas, open to learning new ways of thinking, knowing and being.
What is a challenge you face?
We are currently attempting to uncolonize our classroom and teaching practices. This semester we have gone deskless. Some students are struggling with the change and it is also very new for me. But we are adjusting to it.
What is a tiny victory, or quick win you’d like to celebrate?
A recent quick win I would like to celebrate today is my students being fully present during our analysis of Dennis Saddleman’s poem, “Monster” and “Monster 30 Years Later”. They weren’t on their phones and they were completely engaged in the lesson. After having a particularly challenging time facing pushback with regards to the course content- the new Indigenous studies English course and classroom set-up (deskless), it was so nice to have this tiny victory where they are starting to understand that being fully present and engaging wholeheartedly in the learning is part of being respectful.
What are some words of love/encouragement you’d like to share with your fellow Humans?
My words of love/encouragement are: You are not alone. There are people who care. There are people who will support you. As well as, this too shall pass. When you are going through a storm, know that there are brighter days ahead. Being a human means we will experience challenges, loss, heartache and for some people, trauma, but we need to remember that healing, joy, elation, excitement and passion are also a part of the human condition and these emotions are worth fighting for.
What is something others might not know about you?
Others may not know that if I could do it again, I would still be a teacher, but I would have gotten my Phys-Ed qualifications and taught English and Phys-Ed. If I wasn’t a teacher I would have wanted to be in the health/wellness/fitness industry. Recently, one of my colleagues, Andrea Bullard, suggested that I still pursue being a fitness instructor if that is one of my passions. I did exactly that, and will be starting to teach fitness one evening per week in the near future!
