February 16, 2025 – Reflecting on Last Year

Apologies for the photo of my cat. It’s all I have as recent photos… or photos of my patio. Simon the cat just turned one-year old on Valentine’s Day. Why not? It’s approximately on this day, based on her adoption records, so we made it so. I love her to bits, even though she spends more time with the kid. That’s ok. I’m not jealous… LOL. And, I’m not mad that she’s destroying my bed for the soul purpose of hide-and-seek. I’m ok with that. LOL. That said, she is soooooo cute. I took this photo today when I was cleaning up my bedroom/office. How can you not take a photo? I was cleaning up the paperwork spread out in my room. She LOVES paper!! She loves ripping it, rolling in it, and siting on it. It’s her thing.

Why does this matter?

It doesn’t, except I spent all of Friday, that is, Valentine’s Day and Simon’s birthday, working on my Professional Activity Report (PAR) for 2024. I had been collecting and collating information, but stopped updating my CV in August and left my course evaluations in sealed envelopes or online on MS Forms. As I write this, I just didn’t have the time or prioritized this work while I was teaching. In the fall term, I had 3-courses (and some assigned work), and in the winter term, I am teaching 4-courses. I have not quite established the pace of 2025 yet. With 8-hours of teaching on Mondays and two night course during the week, as well as helping out edit two manuscripts in January. The days have been full.

Unfortunately, I underestimated the time it would take to collate and compose my PAR for 2024. It was due on February 14th and I managed to get it in by 7:30pm. This year, I have included course evaluations, of which, I took the time to summarize and review, as well as I got to include the chapter I’ve led with my research team in climate education in teacher education. I learned a tonne from that work, and now I feel like I’m being supported and mentored with a couple of friends/colleagues to lead another research project. Moreover, I joined another research team that is interdisciplinary with computer science and education.

As much as going through my PAR to update my CV and highlight my work in 2024 and make goals for 2025 in teaching, research, and service, the PAR process is an opportunity to reflect on what I have achieved and what I need to learn. Course evaluations scare the kajeebees out of me… trauma, really. Doing course evaluations was a STRETCH for me and a moment of growth to receive feedback and to think of ways to improve my practice for next year. Reviews were mixed but grateful for those who participated to give me some feedback. It’s truly a gift… not easy to read sometimes, but it’s humbling and informing.

I am also finding my groove in teaching and I love partnering with folks in the school district to provide learning opportunities or be guest speakers for my classes. I have also learned that keeping a “growth mindset” in my teaching and research practices, I can move forward with humility, curiosity, and happiness. I am also learning how to be myself and to honour myself and my time. I love going to conference and presenting at them. I went to CSSE Congress 2024 in Montreal, QC, Outdoor Learning Conference in Banff, AB, and WestCAST 2024 in Calgary, AB. I also participated in a tonne of professional learning too.

My PAR 2024 was approximately 90 pages and I feel a lot more confident and competent with what I have accomplished and submitted. After 7-years at the university and at the end of my 3-year contract, my work experience took many ups and downs, shifted from practicum to undergraduate and graduate courses, and finding opportunities to develop my research agenda with respect to writing, collaboration, ethics, and grant writing… I have no regrets. Everything happened for a reason and with each opportunity, I am learning. More importantly, in 2024, I have found my way with my work and feel good about my work and progress.

I hope to be renewed for another 3-years and continue the trajectory I am on. I am finally understanding my positionality and I would love to return back to my doctoral work in mathematics education and out-of-field teaching, and pursue my life’s work in an autoethnography to seek some understanding on belonging, family history, and ethnic identity as a second-generation Chinese Canadian woman and how these impact my understanding of the world. Part of this study is also about “20-days” and my relationship with my mom and how she impacted who I am as a person. It’s been 7-years since she passed. I am ready to write.