June 18, 2026 – CSSE 2026

See photo. What a great way to end my CSSE 2026 conference experience at the University of Winnipeg. Being with friends and meeting new people over food… there is no other way I want to spend my time. I am so glad that we are no longer in COVID-19 times. Although there are many things that I currently do that are COVID-influenced, like Zoom meetings and working from home, I just love a good conference. This year, CSSE (Canadian Society for the Study of Education) Conference 2026 was held at the University of Winnipeg. This year, CSSE was not part of Congress, which did not run this year. An expected consequence is, associations connected to CSSE were able to mix and mingle.

Admittedly, I am an Pro-D PIG. I love professional development, and I love professional learn, so I love going to conferences and workshops. It’s just what I love to do. I’m owning that now. Who would have thought? Well, my colleague from many years ago that I am co-authoring a chapter with has mentioned that to me several times, and well, looking back at my career in K-12, trusteeship, and in academia… I LOVE LEARNING. The kind of learning I love relates to teaching and learning. Hence, I am understanding that my research program is aligned to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (add a little leadership too).

At CSSE 2026, I presented twice for the Canadian Association for Teacher Education (CATE)… once, representing the research team from the Climate Education in Teacher Education (CETE) study from UNBC, and once with a couple of colleagues from the BC Teacher Education Network (BCTEN). The first presentation was about a couple of frameworks created by CETE that teachers to use to plan for Climate Change Education using BC’s Curriculum. the second presentation was about Connective Professionalism in BC. Both topics are about doing what’s good in teacher education and K-12 education.

The more that I am learning more about myself and the work that I do, the more I am understanding that I am continuing the work that fuelled me decades ago when I started teaching in K-12 schools as a secondary mathematics teacher. How can we improve the learning experience for students? Part of this question involves professional learning communities, learning out-of-field, and finding the love for learning. Ironically, as I listed out these three components that align to this guiding question are areas that I am also engaging in and searching for. Huh. That’s kind of cool to realize. I love that. And, I feel that I am already here.

The other part I was involved with at CSSE was being the Vice-President and Program Manager for the Canadian Association for Action Research in Education (CAARE). I went to every CAARE session to self-assess and for formative feedback as to how well the program was constructed, etc. I loved every session. The first day of the CAARE conference at CSSE 2026 was spectacular, thought-provoking, and 100% engaging. It was like… “Am I home?” I was so deeply invested in every session, and I was so mesmerized by the diversity of the research projects and by the change each project is making.

Again, I am back to my guiding question… and listening to every CAARE presentation was answering the question in their own way. Wow. No wonder I found the CAARE conference so aligned to who I am and what I want to do. Huh. This makes sense to me. OMG. What a gorgeous aha from blogging and reflection. I could not understand why I loved the CAARE sessions. I met many amazing people in CAARE, I work with some outstanding individuals on the CAARE executive, and I now know that my research program is action research. What a beautiful aha. What I do in my research is about facilitating change.

I know… people don’t like to change for the sake of change… but where I am coming from, change needs to be explored. How can we improve the learning experience for students? This guiding question is not static. Context matters. What I love about conferences and professional learning is CHANGE. People are exploring and investigating questions they have. What they find can create change. Also, in a program evaluation, trying something new in one’s practice is about reflecting on the impact of change or action. I can really see my alignment with Action Research, Leadership, and the Scholarship for Teaching & Learning.

I can do this.