Life has really kicked into high gear these past couple years. We got married in August,2019, have a one year old at home, both have dreams of further schooling, and both sit on various boards. What time we do have free is spent with our dogs and our plants. We have over 200 plants crammed into our tiny basement (if you want a cutting please ask)! I am happy to report that we have survived through all this. I no longer look like I haven’t slept in seven days, Cassie (my partner) is adjusting well to academic life, and Jackson has survived a full year of new parents. Our two dogs, Sprout and Brooks, make very good babysitters.
I am a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta from Region 6 and Treaty 8 Territory. I am currently completing my Masters degree in secondary education in the graduate studies department at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Dr. Florence Glanfield and working as the Assistant Principal under the supervision of Dr. Joe Cloutier at Inner City High School in Edmonton which provides students with strength-based programming and inclusive, wrap around services. Our students are typically diagnosed with severe oppositional defiance disorder or other severe medical conditions that prevent them from participating fully in a public education institution.
I currently sit on the executive committee of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association as Treasurer. We run professional development for teachers in Alberta interested in mathematics education. Our current projects updating our website to include a searchable, indexed, historical archive of all MCATA publications going back to our inaugural 1961 conference publication, our annual conference in October, a resolution by the ARA to allow other technologies (like Desmos) to be used on standardized exams, and smaller workshops throughout the year as needed.
I’ve felt lately that I walk a fine line, advocating for public education and simultaneously working at a private institution. While we are a charity organization, we would likely be out of work were the government invest appropriately in public education. It is with care that we operate in this political climate. Nevertheless, I continue to advocate for appropriate supports that meet the needs of individual students in comprehensive programs.
I am still finding my footing, really, in the political sphere. Learning where true change comes from, what boards and which bodies represent opportunities for change. While the current government continues its barrage against public education I strive to make small steps forward in other ways. For example, we might not be able to convince our government that our students don’t need additional rounds of standardized assessment, but we might be able to alter the conditions of those assessments such that they become bearable learning opportunities for students.
Darcy House – January 2020
