After 17 years of mostly reflection-free teaching, I’ve finally found the perfect space to force myself to stop, step back, and think about what I’m teaching. That place is Substack.

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.

It's nice to think of the Internet as a wonderful invention that has made our lives both richer and more efficient. It's a nice notion and it's an accurate one—the Internet has changed our lives for the better. We can now communicate with people from all four corners of the globe. We can share, swap, and gain as much knowledge as we could ever want or need. There are no negatives associated with instant knowledge—or are there?

During my time as a program coordinator, I learned a lesson that has stuck with me ever since: school values don’t collapse in one dramatic moment, but rather erode one decision at a time.

When I reflect on my years working in classrooms with students, I think about how much time it took to access and use essential technology B.G. (before Google). I compare it with what it must have been like for people before electricity and after electricity. B.G.

It is not uncommon for a student to struggle with newly learned material. The question we need to ask is when does it become problematic?

Your time at school will be essential to your teaching life. From my personal experience, I believe the most important part of your teaching program is to do well in your practicum placement.

Ever since I was four years old, I dreamed of becoming a teacher. However, I never saw any teachers who shared aspects of my identities.

It is my job to motivate and mold my students, to keep them engaged, to build reading and writing confidence in all who enter my virtual classroom.