December 29, 2025 – Reflecting on 2025

As I often deliberate whether to maintain two blogs, here I am contributing to my second blog site. So there… decision made. I had mentioned in my previous post that I have a new #OneWord2026… that is, PRACTICE. But let’s reflect on my #OneWord2025… or this year’s word… LOVE. I remember having a difficult time committing to this word. My #OneWord2024 was HAPPY. Admittedly, that word was transformative. I was in the midst of many life changes and I needed to see my value and what made me HAPPY. I had to really listen to myself and my feelings… did this make me happy? If the answer was NO, then goodbye!!

In 2024, by understanding what made me happy helped me to see my values, what I valued, and ultimately MY VALUE. It was an incredible to experience and look back at that year and how my one-word unfolded. I started the year in January almost feeling burned out from perceived work expectations and output and I reached a tipping-point and realized I was really “done with” doing things for others to find my worth and define my value to others. I was never going to meet these perceived expectations. In other circumstances prior, I only set myself up to be overburden, neglected, and taken advantage of. It’s a horrible feeling and I believed that’s how life is and should be. BOY, I WAS WRONG.

Anyway, 2024 ended beautifully with me purchasing my new home, me adopting my cat, and me having minor surgery to move my health forward in a better way. I get to live my my kid while she goes to university, and we are living our best lives. I have autonomy. I have agency. I have boundaries (because I now know my value). The end of 2024 was a clear turning point in my life and entering 2025 was somewhat uncertain and turbulent. How can you beat a HAPPY year? I wanted to continue the transformation process with the one-word of LOVE. I was very uncommitted to the word (for months). I was almost scared of it. What did I really mean by the word? I was not looking “for love”… but in the end, I did.

What am I really saying? I ended up falling in love my myself, my life, and my work. I just love where I live. I love the work I get to do. I love my kid and my cat. I love my brother and sister. I love my dad. I miss my mom, but love her to bits. I love my family… the extended ones, of course. I love my the students I get to work with, I love my professional connections, and I love my friends who accept me for who I am… unconditionally. I love that Saturdays are “be a person day” and I love that I choose to do what I want, when I want. Having agency and autonomy is FREEDOM for me. I never knew life could be this way. I LOVE IT.

So, where does 2026 bring me? My #OneWord2026 came pretty quick for me. I think I found it at the end of November or the beginning of December. My one-word for 2026 is PRACTICE. I’m thinking about sustainability, longevity, and wellness. I want to be BRAVE… I want to have the courage to take risks despite the potential consequences (I am thinking about academia, and not jumping out of a plane). I want to be HEALTHY… I want to focus on my health and wellbeing. I want to engage in the DASH diet and walk everyday (or do something for me). And, I want to be WHOLE. I would always betray myself in the past by putting everything else or everyone else’s needs first. It’s ok to focus on what I like too.

Anyway, I LOVE how 2025 has manifested and I am looking forward to 2026 and engaging in Anders Ericsson‘s notion of “deliberate” PRACTICE.

According to Google AI: “Deliberate practice is a highly focused, structured, and intentional method of skill improvement that goes beyond mindless repetition, involving specific goals, constant feedback, and pushing beyond comfort zones to master challenging tasks, a concept popularized by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson to explain how experts achieve mastery. It emphasizes quality over quantity, focusing on targeted areas for growth, often with a coach, to achieve expertise in any domain, from sports to music to work.”

Lots to do on the horizon… for work, it’s fully implementing my research study, a chapter, a book review, a program evaluation, three conference proceedings, another paper, etc. on top of teaching assessment, motivation, and numeracy with the teacher candidates, “Pedagogy of Voice” for my undergraduate course, and School Based Teams for my graduate course. I love all of the teaching and learning that will be embedded in all of these courses, writing, and research. I have learned that I LOVE LEARNING. It’s not easy sometimes, but the learner mindset is a growth mindset. It helps me to flourish but also experience JOY.

For “be a person”… I am looking forward to taking action of my physical health. Over the last decade or so, I have focussed on my spiritual and mental health. That took some time and transformation… but now I’m ready to take care of me. I need to eat better, sleep better, and exercise. What I am learning is, if I don’t have my health, I don’t have anything. Which is true!! I need to stay healthy to continue to do the work I want to do… and enjoy… and LOVE (#OneWord2025). I also want to practice work habits, making timelines, and staying the course. This structured framework applies to both my personal and professional lives.

Thank you 2025 for an awesome year. I LOVED it. I’m looking forward to 2026.

December 22, 2025 – Learning Experientially

When I started my dissertation journey, I wanted to investigate non-mathematics specialist teachers who learned the subject matter as autodidactic learners to acquire the subject matter content knowledge needed to teach the subject area. Whew… that was a mouth-full. In the end, instead of being a qualitative study investigating how these teachers learned mathematics to teach mathematics, my dissertation evolved into a quantitative study using survey methods looking at the professional learning experiences of non-mathematics specialist teachers who are assigned (or choose) to teach secondary mathematics in BC schools.

Why am I bringing this topic up?

I am finding that lots of what we do in education is developed experientially, on-the-job, and autodidatically. According to Google AI Overview: “Autodidactism (or self-education) is the process of learning a subject independently, without formal instruction from teachers or institutions, driven by personal interest and motivation, using self-study, reading, and research to acquire knowledge and skills. An autodidact is the person who engages in this self-taught learning, often displaying strong dedication and the ability to seek out and apply information on their own.” How do people in education develop their expertise?

Looking at this definition, investigating autodidactism for out-of-field teachers in mathematics in K-12 schools would be a viable study. I focused my dissertation on high school mathematics because at the time I was teaching high school mathematics and my topic was inspired by my experiences teaching “Essentials of Mathematics 11” and the who were in that class. My research topic and question were derived from practice and I often wondered where a cycle could be interrupted or broken. The focus of my study was professional learning. And what I learned was, based on the participants of the study, most are self-taught.

So, why am I bringing this topic up?

In my practice, I am recognizing that teaching out-of-field is not uncommon, regardless of discipline, and the most pragmatic approach to learning how to teach the subject matter of a particular topic or area is to learn about it yourself. As a result, most are going to learn the subject matter (or gain experience) by learning-by-doing or essentially self-taught to gain the expertise needed. After teaching one of my graduate leadership courses, leaders in education have to learn how to lead a school experientially and autodidactically. Mentorship is often an alternative, but most this this relationship is informal. Much like me in academia. Transitioning from K-12 education to governance to research has taken some time and I feel that I am learning autodidactically myself as well.

I completed a masters degree in education, but it was more of a professional degree in curriculum and instruction rather than an Masters in Arts with a focus on education, which would have been thesis based and geared more towards academia through graduate research or teacher assistant positions, etc. I was teaching and going to graduate school at the same time. I did not have the foresight of pursuing doctoral work, but the opportunity arose (twice) and I opted to engage in this work in a doctorate in education that involved research, ethics, data collection, data analysis, and a dissertation. I thought my learning curve what there, but what I now realize is, that was the the starting point, not the end.

So what? Why does this matter?

I am having a reflective moment as I think about where I have come from, where I am, and where I am going. Learning autodidatically is a means to an end. I am so motivated by this saying, “You are the CEO of your life.” Lately, this saying is deeply resonating with me in many ways. You have to create what you want to see and in doing so, you are going to engage in some learning to build your expertise in what you are doing. I am definitely learning and I am acutely aware of my sense of self-efficacy to do this work, the confidence needed to jump-in sometimes, and the courage and vulnerability to the produce the work. It’s more than just learning the subject matter, but it entails a lot of self-development too.

I am still building up the courage to put my work out there. I have tried so many other things, but all of those things and opportunities were only mini-tests and trials. I am learning from those experiences and in many ways I am being self-taught. You have to be wiling to make mistakes, ask for help, and look foolish sometimes. Too much of what we think we see is not really the learning that we need to see to move ourselves forward. Learning is messy and I feel that autodidactism also involves grit, perseverance, and JOY. Love what you are doing. Do what you’re doing because you love it. Learn about what you love.

My #OneWord2025 is LOVE. And I feel that I have learned so much from this word and my #OneWord2026 is PRACTICE. I look forward to the new year!!

December 8, 2025 – A Moment to Reflect

The teaching has ended for the Fall 2025 term. I have no idea where the term has gone. Although students might feel like it’s the “end of the term,” I feel like I’m just getting started. Unfortunately, none of our courses exceed 3-credits and I am sure the students are ready for the winter break. I also gave students a week after class ends to hand in final assignments. As much as I would love to finish a course on the last day of classes, I can never seem to have enough time to fit everything in. Moreover, I like to assess and evaluate students individually.

I have been at the university for 7 years. I just went to an event today and mentioned that I was “term” faculty. I got a table of surprise and stares, and one person asked me if I was OK with being Assistant Professor. Of course, I am. Life gives you many lessons and opportunities to learn. I am learning and growing. Learning requires humility and courage and I feel very grateful to have the job that I do and work with the people that I do. Despite the term contract, I am feeling very aligned to who I am, where I am and the work that I am doing.

Given that I have been here for 7 years, I’ve made good connections and friends such that I am moving forward in a good way. One of those ways is working with students. I love working and collaborating with teacher candidates and graduate students. I teach undergraduate students next term. What I am most grateful for is maintaining connections with recent graduates. In one opportunity, I had one recent graduate come to my class as a guest speaker for the teacher candidates and graduate students. Always amazing and I am very aligned to this person and their practice. Super amazing. And, I’ve reconnected with another recent graduate. A text message led to dinner out to a second dinner out and plans.

In a short timeline, we connected and collaborated to create a time for the district student advisory council to come to my class to talk about “what’s your why” and share some stories about their experiences as students and what they hope for from future teachers. They concluded my course this fall and the message shared was very clear. I was so pleased to hear that this student leadership crew planned and facilitated this event. The ideas that me and the lead teacher had were only ideas. The high school students ran with it and the morning was AMAZING. We started with introductions to an opening circle with a football (don’t ask) to small groups, a mini-TED talk, and a closing circle.

The stories members of the district student advisory council was incredible (even though I did not listen to the small group discussions as seen in the photo). I wanted to keep those discussions between the students and the teacher candidates to have candid conversations about teaching and learning. What I heard back from the teacher candidates was GRATITUDE and hope. What I also heard from the students was gratitude and hope. A teacher candidate asked me after class if I enjoyed the session. I could not give a full answer at the time because I was organizing the day and focused on timing.

Now, as I reflect on the day, I am also brought to gratitude and hope. I also think that creating space for student voice and being co-constructors of knowledge is something that I’ve always wanted and hope that I am facilitating in some way in my classes but also in these collaborative opportunities with students and recent graduates. I believe teaching and learning is social. Sense-making is not done in isolation. And, everyone has a voice and choice in their learning experiences. I am so thankful for the high school students, teacher, and school administrator for making the time to come to campus, share their voice, and create a memory. I believe the message will linger and you have made a difference. THANK YOU.

November 24, 2025 – Be the Learner

If anything from what I am reading in my education leadership courses and what I wish for teacher candidates is… to be the learner. I was chatting with one of my former students (who is now a phenomenal teacher, lead learner, and person) and we’ve had conversations about growth mindset versus fixed mindset (Dweck, 2006). As I reflect on my practice and the feelings that are embedded, to reflect in and on action (Schön, 1983), I’ve come to understand that when I am performative, I have a “fixed mindset.” I feel anxious, worried about what others think, and often self-deprecating and overthinking about how things should be based on my beliefs of other people’s perceptions. When I am THE LEARNER, I have a “growth mindset.” I feel free, joyful, and a willingness to be vulnerable such that I can move forward with humility, grace, and curiosity.

When I am learning… I AM HAPPY.

Being the learner is powerful, and in my educational leadership courses, being the lead-learner can be transformative, in particular with instructional leadership in schools. There are so many things on the go and so many things to do, to keep myself sustainable and happy in the work I do and in life, I have taken deliberate action to REST and be compassionate and kind with myself and my time. I am still learning how to do this SLOW work and I will (and have) made mistakes. Once again, focus on the learning (not the performance) and all will be well. I cannot control what others think or believe, I can only control what I think and believe. That’s it. With this understanding, I can take each step with the knowing that I can only do my best without compromising myself in doing so.

Last week was filled with learning opportunities, and I took the time to engage in these opportunities to fill my cup. The photo above shows the poster I and my colleagues created for the ABCDE (Association of the BC Deans of Education) Spotlight Symposium on the shared responsibilities to the Renewed ACDE (Association of the Canadian Deans of Education) Accord on Indigenous Education. Each teacher education programs created a poster for this event and there were guest speakers talking about what’s happening in their jurisdictions. The presentations were inspiring in many ways, but the event also had small group discussions for participants to sense-make and share ideas. I had a really good time catching up and connecting with folks in-person I knew at this event.

The ABCDE symposium was on Thursday, and Christine’s professional learning continued on Friday with a Facebook friend of mine, Dr. Cher Hill, came from SFU to give a talk as part of the IWAU (Inspiring Women Among Us event) as a keynote speaker. It was so wonderful to see Cher in-person in Prince George. Her presentation was titled, “Trees Don’t Care About Your Pronouns: Relations Forest Pedagogies, Gender, and Belonging,” and she spoke about some preliminary findings of who did not like going outside, having her Foundations of Education classes held outside, what can be learned about gendered barriers held with being outdoors, and how the forest provides a place for belonging. It was a very interesting presentation and thought-provoking. I think about me taking my EDUC 394 class outside and the impact it has on student learning.

Saturday concluded my professional learning series with the viewing of two movies: “The Salmon’s Call” and “Nechako.” Both movies were shown at the Prince George Performing Arts Theatre as part of IWAU. The directors of both movies were women and most of the production staff were Indigenous. Each movie concluded with a panel discussion. I was so wowed by each movie in terms of the cinematography, the local content, and the political activism that is required to protect the water and the salmon and to gain the rights of Aboriginal Peoples, the land, and way of life on the land. I was heartbroken, devastated, and inspired all at the same time. I had no idea to the extent of the horror that these communities have endured and their reliance and persistence to succeed. I am very appreciative of this work and hope others in this area will/can see it.

I am so grateful to engage in professional learning. It was always my favourite thing to do when I was a K-12 teacher and it’s my favourite thing to do as an academic. Stay humble, be vulnerable, and keep learning. It is way too fun!!

November 16, 2025 – Learning by Doing

This school year, I negotiated and was offered 10% time for research. Normally, my assignment would be 80% teaching and 20% service. This year, it’s 70% teaching, 20% service, and 10% research. Moreover, I did not have any classes to teach over the spring and summer intersessions. I scheduled my classes for the fall and winter terms. This year was also the first time over 7 years to have one term without teaching. Although having a term off from teaching is part of the collective agreement, it can be challenging when the program is year round.

Slowly but surely, my job assignments transitioned from a practicum oriented role to one that is focused on coursework. I was asked several times if I wanted to assume a different role (re: Senior Instructor), but I was somewhat insistent on keeping the title, Assistant Professor, full-time term faculty. The teaching time is the same for there is no expectation of research if I was a Senior Instructor. Admittedly, I did not know what I was asking for, but emerging into research took some time. So, research I’ve done so far has been done on the side of my desk.

Having a non-teaching term and 10% research time has been extremely helpful and beneficial. During the spring/summer term, I went to a conference in Toronto and took the time to work on a harmonized ethics application, submit a proposal to write a chapter, as well as work on several manuscripts or chapters for publication. Although this was my first time having both research time and a non-teaching term so that I could do research, I am learning by doing on how to manage my time, lead a research team, do an ethics application, and publish.

What I have learned is, I really do like going to conferences and presenting. It’s much like my dissertation and doctoral work. The strongest aspect of my doctorate program was my oral defence. I am also learning how to take the lead on writing and research, while learning experientially from others by talking to them, participating in working groups, or being a part of a research team. I’m going at my own pace, which I feel being a term faculty member has afforded me. I don’t have the pressure of tenure track and I am content with my work.

I even took a pause in writing this blog post to check in to my “ongoing CV” to record some of my recent work. I did not even realize how much I did not record. That’s not a good thing. It’s a good habit to record your accomplishments as you do them in anticipation of the annual professional activity report (PAR) and for some, tenure and promotion. As term faculty, I am considering applying for promotion to Associate Professor. I enjoy the teaching and I am enjoying the research. I am also happy to stick to Assistant Professor as well. All is good.

As I return back to blogging on my OpenETC WordPress site and updating a page or two, despite the fact that I do not have to have an exemplar of portfolio work for teacher candidates, I think it’s a good opportunity to reflect on my scholarship and professional activity moving forward alongside my other blog. I am really feeling satisfied with the challenges posed in doing research while loving my return back to teaching (and teaching about teaching). Letting go on what you think things should be and just learning has been my greatest lesson.

I feel very appreciative to the many mentors along my pedagogical journey in research. Each mentor offered something different, such as “be selfish” or “your research is your teaching” and there was so much more guidance, insight, and tips from so many during my SFU and UNBC days that has led me to a place where I never thought I would be. Honestly, being here and doing what I am doing is a dream. As a child, I had always knew that I wanted to be a “doctor” but not the medical kind. I had no idea how I would get here, but now, I am here.

November 7, 2025 – Renewed & Reignited

We are all on a journey. I call mine “My Pedagogical Journey.” I spoke about it at an IGNITE session in Langley, BC. At the time, I had just left teaching in K-12 schools as a high school mathematics teacher, I think I may have become an elected school trustee while working on my dissertation, and I was one of the co-moderators on #BCEdChat on edu-Twitter (when Twitter was Twitter). Even just talking about where I was at that time, I was certainly in a state of transition. I was figuring out my next steps in my career, and knowing or not knowing, in my life as a whole.

Not to sound too traumatic, life has changed a lot since 2010. Even when I made this TEDxWestVancouverED video in 2017, I just finished my doctorate degree and still wondered what I was meant to do in life. Since this video, my mom passed away, I left the political side of education as as school trustee and moved to Prince George for work, and I am divorced from a 30 year relationship. Luckily, my kid moved up with me after the pandemic and I am still at my job, and now I am a new homeowner living independently and happily. Right now, I feel very aligned.

“Finding your place in the education system. Where is your best fit? How are we all aligned?” – Christine Younghusband – September 23, 2017

In Prince George, I am working as an Assistant Professor as a full-time term faculty member at the University of Northern British Columbia. My work is focused on teacher education, educational leadership, and intro to education. My work is currently 70% teaching, 20% service, and 10% research. Some of my teaching time is dedicated to the program in the School of Education, and I am engaged in work as part of my service such as being a member of senate, being a member of two senate committees, social media moderator for the School of Education, various committee work for the School of Education, and more recently, executive member of the Canadian Association for Action Research in Education (CAARE) as vice-president and program manager. I love this work.

I am involved in several research projects as a co-investigator and principal investigator, that are related to professional learning, out-of-field teaching, and transformative leadership. These projects may not resemble my dissertation exactly, that is, focused on mathematics education in the secondary years, but they are related to passion for professional learning, out-of-field teaching, and transformative leadership. I love the idea of ideating change, creating change, and being the change agent in education. Finally, I am also back to teaching, the primary aspect of my work at the university. I love teaching. It is something that I was meant to do, but what I love more about is the relationships, learning, and making connections to ideas, people, and the land and place. I am very happy.

I have been blogging since 2010 (I believe), or since 2011. I left teaching and I just became a school trustee. There has been many transformational moments in my life since such as the Pulling Together Canoe Journey, seeking help from others, and recent passing of a good friend and colleague of mine. Change is turbulent, unsettling, and uncomfortable. But sometimes, you have to endure the tough times to see the light. As much as I have been very resistant to change because I was too afraid of what’s on the other side, now I feel brave. I am not saying that I will shake the world, but what I am saying, I can only control what I can do, say, and feel. That’s it. Super empowering and it has created a lot of peace, happiness, and joy in my life. Today, I am aligned. I am in the right place in education (and my life).

May 6, 2025 – Change is OK

I am left wondering about blogging and portfolio in teacher education and in my practice. I maintain another WordPress site of which I have regularly blogged in since 2010. Originally, I wanted to practice my writing skills via blog with a “real audience” where there was some stakes in the game. I hired someone to create that website for me. I may have muddled around with it too much, and over time I had lost access to that account because of a “two-step authenticator” and buying a new phone. I got locked out of my account and could only access the account via my iPad which eventually experienced lots of limitations due to updates, etc. I had to eventually give up that website and concede to leaving my thoughts and whatever I wrote on that website as digital debris. I moved onto creating this website as part of my work in the teacher education program but also to return back to blogging to reflect on and think about my practice.

Now, I am no longer teaching EdTech or portfolio as courses within the teacher education program. How that evolved, I am not sure, but I was open to change and now here I am. Although I did include portfolio as part of another course as I took some time to grieve the change, I can see now that I don’t have to include portfolio as part of my coursework and move forward onto something new. This change reminds me of the IGNITE presentations. I did include them as part of my undergraduate course this year, which was great, but I let go of them as well in the teacher education program. So, I am left wondering, what’s next? I don’t have to maintain this website to serve an an exemplar to teacher candidates or graduate students of whom I supervised in EDUC 796 for a portfolio capstone.

One of the pieces of advice I give to teacher candidates is, follow the path that the doors open for you. Don’t try to force a direction you career. Have goals but be open to the opportunities that lie ahead of you. You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s how most of us navigated through our careers in K-12. And sometimes when you are to fixed on a goal or try to make something happen that’s not there, often it does not work in you favour. It only feels like an uphill climb and we can get disheartened by the journey. Boy, am I telling my story. However, once I let go and just went to the doors that were open to me, I am 100% happier and love what I am doing. I had no idea life could be this way. I am focused on what brings me joy and I have gratitude for the path I am on.

Of course, I did not anticipate this was the pedagogical journey I would take, nor was I prepared for the challenged I had to face, but change and being open to change has been integral to my success. Right now, I am reading a book about relationships, heartache, and letting go. This book about people but it could be about anything. I had no idea that letting go of practicum supervision, letting go of being the B.Ed. Coordinator, and letting go of portfolios would lead to more time to do what I love, teach courses that I love, and have the freedom to write and research during this spring/summer term without courses to teach. This is my first term not teaching any courses and I am wide open to doing research.

I never thought I would be here and feeling hopeful about what’s ahead. I can only do my best and do what’s best for me. I understand that now. A colleague and mentor of mine said that to me 2-years ago… be selfish. I never understood what that meant, but what it really means is, prioritize yourself. It’s taking me years to understand what I love, what makes me happy, and what I value. I am still learning and I am learning more about my value and what I bring to the table. I have nothing to lose. It’s just change. So, I am left with the conundrum of whether to continue with portfolios in one of my classes in teacher education, let it go, and if I should continue my weekly blog on this platform. Change is good.

April 29, 2025 – Visiting Family

In the last year or so, I’ve been focusing on work life balance and REST. In the beginning of 2024, I almost burned out. I had to catch myself. Saying “yes” to everything is unreasonable. As a result, I spent most of 2024 focussing on what “makes me happy” and ended the year with a few wins: (1) bought a townhouse; (2) gallbladder operation; and (3) ending the term well and feeling good about it. I also went to Las Vegas with my siblings and my kid in the winter time, and I spent the Christmas holiday in my new place. XO. I feel very grateful for 2024.

Now that we are almost 4-months into the 2025 school year, I wonder how I am doing with maintaining a work-life balance. I think that I am fully moved into my place and I believe that I have all that I want to have in my new place. My twin brother brought back a few boxes from Vancouver to Prince George, of which are stored in my garage. I do need to organize my garage, in a good way. So, I guess my home is a work in progress. I have also purchased a small BBQ and a plant for the patio. The plant did not survive, but I am enjoying BBQ dinners.

As for work, I’ve enjoyed my 4 classes in the Winter 2025 term. First, I was teaching classes that were in my areas of interest: math/numeracy, assessment, educational theory & practice, and instructional leadership. I enjoyed the subject matter and the students. I also learned a lot about myself and my practice. If anything, it was a fruitful semester and I look forward to teaching these courses again. Research is also part of my work. I was able to maintain the work for one research team and I learned how to co-create and submit a harmonized ethics application for another research group of which “I am leading.” It’s been too fun.

Once the marks were submitted, I took the time to taper the term with other work that I do with respect to service and research, but also take time for myself. For years, I would push myself and “keep going” rather than taking the time to rest and restore myself to keep what I do at the university sustainable. So, I did take a few days to go to the Lower Mainland to rest, get a massage, and visit family. As much as I could feel guilty in taking time for myself (beyond “be a person day”… aka. Saturdays), I feel that I needed to let my body and mind to do what it needed to do, to be where it needed to be, and be feel ready for the next term.

Now, I am heading back to work (after the Federal Election), and I feel good. It’s a lot of cognitive and emotional work to break habits that I’ve done for decades and find a new rhythm to keep what I do sustainable and enjoyable. Stress and busyness are not good metrics for success or happiness. I look forward to a term of writing and getting some stuff done. I have one more “promise” I have made to myself to conclude to the winter term. Let’s see how this goes. In the meantime, I am very happy with my work at the university and hope to continue for another few years with a renewed term contract. Onwards and upwards. 🙂

April 20, 2025 – Formative Feedback

The last possible day to submit grades for the Winter 2025 term is April 23rd. I’m glad that I met the due date with some time to spare. That said, I took some liberty with the final due date and last assignment submission. I was open to flexing the final due date for those who needed it, but I needed some flex too. For the last few years, I’ve been challenging myself and my pedagogy in terms of how to teach at the university that would be authentic and true to my values but also model what I was teaching and still being compliant to the university.

I started with my pedagogy… in teacher education and graduate studies. I think I have a strong hold of my approach to teaching in these classes. Students were helpful in providing me with feedback and helping how to I could approach teaching in higher education. Admittedly, I was driven by perceived expectations and stereotypes of what makes a “good professor.” I could not live up to those expectations, nor did I want to. It wasn’t like imposter syndrome. It was worse. I was being someone who I was not, and I was losing myself in the practice.

With each class, I wanted to do something different. Not being different for the same of being different, but rather being more like myself and aligning my practice to who I really was. The process was rather messy. Lots of mistakes or missteps were taken, but that’s where the learning really happens. The more vulnerable I was with my practice, the more aligned my assessment practices could be. Sadly, I was often in a cognitive struggle with who I wanted to be with whom I thought I should be. It wasn’t until Winter 2025 when it came together.

In brief, students in my teacher education classes offered unsolicited moral support and I received affirmation that was unexpected. They noticed my efforts and shared their appreciation with me. I wanted to hold that space for them but also accept those compliments at face value. In past, I would have shrugged them off and not believe them because I thought I had to always fix myself to be a better self. My graduate class was always fun. It’s amazing that they were able to recognize and call my class a “sharing circle” which I will not take for granted. Finally, my undergraduate class helped to turn a corner I thought I was unable.

Now, I approach my end of term marking period as a LEARNING opportunity for me. Instead of grading and evaluation… which involved lots of judgement and scrutiny… I took this marking season as a learning one. I was learning about what they learned. Did they meet the criteria? Did they personalize their learning? Did they complete the assignments? Did their work reflect who they are as a learner? Did they meet the expectation of the assignment? These questions regarding assessment made sense to me. The students completed the work, personalized their assignments, and met or exceeded expectations.

April 7, 2025 – Finding My Rhythm

As I approach the end of this 3-year contract as a full-time term faculty member, I am beginning to find my rhythm with teaching and learning in higher education. Can you believe that? I’ve joined the university almost 7 years ago. This is what I love about teaching. You can NEVER perfect this job. You are always learning. And when you feel like you have mastered the profession and you have nothing else to learn, adapt, or change… it’s time to retire or find a new job to pursue.

That sounds a bit intense. Another direction is burnout, but this blog post is not about that either. I want to dwell in my happiness and joy of my classes. This term I had 4 classes to teach: EDUC 421 (assessment and motivation), EDUC 376 (numeracy foundations in the elementary years), EDUC 201 (educational theory and practice), and EDUC 656 (instructional leadership). What a beautiful combination of courses (and students) to make this term sooooo awesome!!

In each course, I learned so much. In EDUC 421, I designed the course that aligned and responsive to their pedagogical learning needs. “I did not expect the course to end the way it did.” That’s what I said to the students at the end of the course. In EDUC 376, a 4-hour class, followed the 4-hour class of EDUC 421. It was an endurance test and because both classes were held on Mondays, we lost hours to professional development day and Family Day. I learned that I had to let go of the constraint of time and do what I could do in the time given.

I loved that I prioritized working with schools. In EDUC 421, we engaged in in-situ learning with Harwin Elementary, and in EDUC 376, we contributed to Family Numeracy Night at Edgewood Elementary. In EDUC 376, we had guest speakers from the school district and we went to 3 numeracy/math sessions with Carol Fullerton on the professional development day. I also engaged in personal professional development in math with BCAMT Interior and Mathematizing 24/7. I just so much learning about math/numeracy and working with folks in the field.

In EDUC 201, I learned so much. I always left that class thinking and wondering. We played and experimented. We examined equity in K-12 schools. I tested myself if I had the capacity to do teach this course and hold space for others. I learned what it means to be a student who is taking education as an elective course with some folks considering teacher education as a possible career. I was humbled and I felt scared most times because I was too worried about teaching the class that might be different from what they experienced in other undergraduate classes. In Week 8 or 9, we engaged in a Fish Bowl making MY LEARNING PUBLIC. That class was a game changer for me. Thank you all!!

Finally, EDUC 656 was an online class. After our first class, I knew this would be an awesome class. What a wonderful way to end the week and I always knew I would end the class inspired and revitalized. I would like to thank my colleague for pointing me in the direction of instructional leadership literature by Hallinger, of which how we started this class. Then we moved onto books by Peter Dewitt and Michael Fullan, and ended the course with Carolyn Roberts book on Re-storying Education. Wow. The pieced seemed to “fit together” serendipitously. We just had fun working with and listening to one another. I loved this course. I am hopeful.

I am teaching faculty. I am not on a tenure-track and I am not tenured or on a continuing contract. I am just learning how to be who I am. What a wonderful way to engage in Parker Palmer’s Heart of a Teacher – Identity and Integrity. I have approached this teaching year striving for AUTHENTICITY versus ATTACHMENT (re: Dr. Gabor Mate’s work). As precarious my position can be, I stopped worrying about (in fact, fearing) what others may think of me or my practice. I stayed true to my purpose and my love… the students and teaching.