A Seat at the Table: Equality in the Classroom
We may believe we are creating inclusive, “multicultural” teaching environments, all while being completely unaware of the systemic racism that still impacts our students.
Diverse Voices
Teaching About Pride
I started my teaching career at a public middle school in Toronto about two decades ago. At that time, I was not comfortable being personally out to my students.
A Lesson on Empathy: Refugees and the UN Rights of a Child
During our staff meeting that afternoon, my colleagues and I learned our school had six new students who were Syrian refugees.
What’s in a Name? Implicit Bias of ELL First Names
First names of English Language Learners, even for the most experienced and caring teacher, can evoke an implicit bias of which we must be aware.
Updating the Moccasin Telegraph: Indigenous People Embrace Digital
Within the classroom, it is important to share content that doesn’t position Indigenous people in the past but brings them into the present and future.
Talking to Young Students About George Floyd
I search, “Talking to children about racialized violence.” I know experts say children are never too young to talk about race, but none of them have a lesson plan for me.
Women In and Out of the Closet
By removing the phrase “male person” from the crime of gross indecency in 1954, the Canadian government declared sex between women a crime.
Growing a Gender-Inclusive Biology Curriculum
Biology is the study of a diverse range of living things, and biology affirms all genders.
Uncomfortable Truths: What if Santa Claus was Gay?
There is a world out there for which we are preparing our children, and that world includes people who identify as LGBTQ+.
“Try to Lay Low”: Growing Up Gay in Pre-1969 Canada
It isn’t easy to teach the history of homosexuality in Canada. We interviewed three gay men who were there and remember what it was like growing up before Decriminalization.