Every year I take my grade 6 class to my childhood playground – not the metal monkey bars, swings, or asphalt tarmac that most children think of as a “playground” but the open fields, streams, and forests near Shelburne, Ontario where I spent countless hours exploring, climbing trees, collecting tadpoles, and building forts.
They were deeply involved in the federal election. They met the candidates. They researched party platforms and positions. They argued and debated.
Each new school year brings with it the excitement of fresh faces in the classroom, smiles and laughter, and the shared energy of learning together. September inevitably zooms by, and, as teachers, we find ourselves once again completely immersed in the work of teaching and learning, and in the
