From the Editor - Summer 2023

The summer issue of Voice is our women’s issue, an opportunity to focus on the contributions, leadership, experiences and perspectives of women. It is also an opportunity to consider how despite all the advances we have made for equity and women’s rights, that there is so much work still to do. As President Karen Brown notes in her column, “Since its election in 2018, this government has intentionally shortchanged our public schools, trying to create a crisis in public education like they have done in healthcare. It is not lost on me as I write this column for Voice magazine’s women’s issue that these are two sectors dominated by women, where the lowest paid and most precariously employed are racialized women.”

In If Not Me, Then Who? Deborah St Amant reflects on her leadership journey as an educator and an Indigenous woman within ETFO. Writing about the importance of legacy, she says “I did not set out to be a leader, but each time an opportunity came my way, I thought: If not me, then who? Who are the Indigenous role models? Whose shoulder can I tap to ensure that we have future role models? How can I help other women succeed in leadership? Our young people are watching, and I wanted to be the best possible role model for my sons and for future leaders.”

In Forging Confident New Pathways for Girls in STEAM, Tina Surdivall considers why representation matters when teaching all students, but particularly girls, STEAM subjects. She writes, “What is not negotiable however, is that throughout our lessons, examples, projects and activities, students get to see diverse representations of success in all fields. In this way we can bolster our students against stereotype threat and help girls, in particular, forge confident new pathways in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.” In Elevating Diverse Women’s Voices in Canadian History, Amanda Cannon encourages educators to learn about and centre the voices of diverse women in Canadian history.

Also included in this issue, Jinah Kim and Tara Zwolinski unpack the details of the Right to Read report and Meagan Perry interviews Dr. Sue Winton on privatization creep. These articles, along with a curriculum insert that honours intersectional feminism, book reviews and a crossword are sure to make excellent summer reading.

Wishing you a restful summer break.

– Izida Zorde