teaching – coyote chalk

My Plan

17 months ago I successfully defended my thesis. Shortly afterwards, I sought a new role. I also felt, in a way, that I had earned one. No work change happened and what I came to understand were some truths: To the co-participants who lived alongside me, to my family, to those who lived and taught alongside me, the work mattered… (read more)

Grateful for Our Circle

Our school year began on a Tuesday. We had four days together that first week, students and me. Four days. I am a Grad Coach this year. I have my own program and many new faces alongside me everyday. The structure and design of our classes and days is different than my previous years in my school and in an… (read more)

Keeping Talking

~ My school division recently launched a locally developed course, Mental Health Studies 20L. This course is designed specifically to meet the needs of learners’ in our division. The course addresses positive mental health, common mental health challenges, understanding stigma in relation to mental illness, and mental health and addictions. Teachers are nudged to take up the task of offering… (read more)

A Student Support Teacher’s Pause

“Cori you teach my brother.” Zack sat back in the Adirondack chair, his feet swinging, too small to touch ground. I paused. I actually felt the pause of sifting through data to find the correct answer. Am I his brother’s “teacher?” Your brother is Josh. Josh is in grade ten. I work with Josh as his Student Support teacher (SST)….… (read more)

My Path

Dear Team, Today was the first time I have felt this undervalued as a teacher. And the truth, that’s not the case. It is just the case today. I was trained in the middle years program. This is a program with a focus on kids and curricula grades 6 to 9. Though the province lumps us in with the elementary… (read more)

Where I’ve Been

These days, every time I begin a post I end up saving it to my drafts. Why? Cause I’m tap-dancing. There’s really no other way to say it. I wish I wasn’t but it’s the truth. How am I supposed to be transparent? When it comes down to it, what I am as a teacher is the three descriptives I… (read more)

A Little Like Teaching Kids to Brush Their Teeth…

Well, we did it! My coop, my grade 8s, the dude on the other end of the BlackBerry and I finally have our classroom blogs up and running! Apparently, the 6th time is the charm! Phew! We have taken 5 full computer periods, used our Prairie South emails to get Google emails, tried edublogs 🙁 , tried… well everything it… (read more)