Signing off of social media for a few days but wanted to hammer out a few thoughts before I do. So I have it to refer to when all this teaching during a global pandemic is over & I am assessing the dents in my armour.

Skip on by if you’re not #bced peep or if you’re apolitical.

Twitter is a funny place because sometimes I am writing into a void, and then out of the blue, someone will thank me for some article I have posted, or make some comment about an event I’ve helped support. It’s a constant conversation where we just never know who’s listening.

But I do try to be as honest as possible within the platform & people will always know how I feel. I’m the person you want across from you in a poker table, because I have no poker face. Except this year. I want to keep the mask after the pandemic is over. It’s great at meetings.

This year I got my 25 year pin in the mail from the district. And a link to a video where they said my name. That got me thinking. About all the years & all the people & opportunities & learning. This has been a year of crazy & for most part I think I’ve stayed true to my values.

That hasn’t been easy. There has been lot of stress & conflict & decisions made with which I disagree. Not on school level but certainly from MoE & within my own union. That has probably been hardest of all to reconcile during this (hopefully) once in lifetime global pandemic.

Spring remote learning was extremely difficult. I teach Leadership and Mentorship, after all. These are courses that are all about connection, community, creating opportunities for others to shine. In groups, initiatives, events. Chasing students online was not fun. Herding cats.

So that was not a moment where I thrived professionally but I really worked hard to do the best I could for my students. And my students did the same. How lucky am I?

The less said about June the better. It was unnecessary & saying we “need to learn lessons”
turned out to be

End of July MoE “big plan” we had to wait for (some signalling by mid July that it was going to be “interesting”) & it sure was. Stage Two changed, cohort idea was touted, etc. When it shook out it really meant plans were offloaded to each district & everyone went into high gear.

We have worked hard to keep students & staff safe as possible in #bced & I would like to take minute to recognize that it came at great cost. The hours, the worry, in some cases the strained relationships as everyone weighed risk & benefit & made very personal safety decisions.

Everyone scrambled & put in countless hours (& continue to) to revamp linear courses into Quarter system, ensuring simultaneously Teams/Notebook up to snuff for students who had to stay home for anxiety, self-monitoring, self-isolation. And revamping all ways of being in #bced.

Managing our own unsurety while helping students manage theirs, while trying to make learning engaging in a time where it by necessity has to be mostly individual & seat work due to safety & student comfort level. And of course trying to manage same at home with our own families.

To do my part, I’ve tried to become more involved, like I have been in past years, before I became children’s Mom sports chauffeur. Reading, learning. Writing letters, answering media queries, reaching out to MLAs, poking local, poking BCTF harder. For what? Better school safety.

What does MoE need to improve? Masks policy in classes, unless medically unable, better ventilation, more physical distancing, better lunch plan as students mix cohorts unmasked while eating, more options for worried parents, actual increased mental health support for students.

There will be a lot of fallout from this global pandemic in #bced & fissures already show. If we are essential, treat us like we are. If we educate the whole child, fund us like we do. If student mental well-being depends on us, hire more counsellors, create programs, resources.

There were also fissures within BCTF, I saw those in spring. There is something big going on internally. I don’t know enough to know finer details but I will say this: we need to get that house in order & quickly. Nobody benefits from a union that looks externally for validation.

So here I am after two week break, thinking about going back to this Jan 4th. With new, more virulent variant & no MoE changes made to anything in #bced. Not even nod that things are in the works. It is disconcerting, to say the least. Jan-June just has to be different than fall.

So herein lies the rub. I’m doing my best to be optimistic about 2021, knowing wonderful moments around the corner. At the same time looking at positivity rates, what’s going on in places 3 weeks ahead of us, our current policies, I am eyes wide open. Steel will & tender heart.