In-person instruction has been a common source of stress during what I have dubbed “The Year of COVID,” with instructions on how to teach changing by the second.

I was recently involved with an art exhibition in the Thanet District of Kent, England, that helped students see themselves as artists, advocates, and changemakers.

Throughout the decade I have spent working in education, I’ve seen the most positive impact when I’ve incorporated hope-based strategies into my teaching.

Teaching is a great responsibility. I teach English and believe that the ability to communicate, at a personal and societal level, is what builds strong communities and ensures ownership over one’s future. Thus, it’s important that we teachers spend a lot of time on our craft—deliberating the best ways to teach and make lessons fun, interactive, and relatable to students. Professional development thrives on discipline pedagogy and school departments meet to align goals and assignments and to discuss data assessment.

I’ve always believed in the importance of history and that the past has many crucial lessons to teach us. I also care deeply about ensuring that the curricula I teach reflects the diversity of our school and gives each student insights into the experiences of others.

I am Teacher. I can wear fifteen different hats on my head and not one of them from the same shop.

In honour of Asian American Heritage Month, which is celebrated every May, I tasked the students in my three Asian American Literature classes with a special project.

Under the umbrella of Digital Citizenship (DC) are some complex concepts. Netiquette, Internet safety, information usage and cyber bullying are just a few of the topics that teachers explore as they help students unpack what it means to use technology responsibly. Our school went wireless this past January.

Teaching art history in an entirely online environment has brought a new set of challenges and opportunities that I’ve come to embrace with enthusiasm.