From the Editor - Fall 2024

With the fall issue of Voice, we are focused on supporting educators with the issues you are facing as you return for another school year. As President Karen Brown writes in her column, “Years of funding cuts from the Ford government mean larger classes and fewer resources for the students who need them. Schools are struggling with fail-to-fills, violence in the classroom, and very little access to mental health and other supports. Your union is working hard to address these and other issues through all of the channels available to us.”

In this issue’s lead story, Zaiba Beg and Todd Rimmington consider the causes and impacts of the fail-to-fill issue in Ontario. Asking what it would take to meaningfully address this issue, they write, “This crisis could have been mitigated by informed, collaborative and focused public education supports from the provincial government and education stakeholders.”

In Teaching and Learning about Truth and Reconciliation with Our Youngest Learners, Michelle McKay writes about how educators can shift their approach to engage young students on these issues. “There are powerful possibilities for developing a strong foundation for knowledge, skills, and understanding about truth and reconciliation with students in Kindergarten and the early years,” she writes. “They are not too young to engage in learning and make a difference by taking action towards change.”

In Taking a Walk Through and About Media Literacy, Chelsea Attwell reflects on the learning she has done with her students on community walks. “As students document sounds and images, they develop voice and agency. They are keen to point out different signs, excited by the fact they can “read” the environmental print, but also puzzled and quick to inquire about signs that seem unfamiliar or even unfair,” she writes.

Also in this issue: Uloma Onyido writes about participating in Project Overseas, Matthew Morris talks about supporting Black male students, a roundup of news from Annual Meeting and a curriculum insert on teaching students to be race-conscious. Wishing you a wonderful start to the new school year!

– Izida Zorde