by BRIGHT LIGHT Melissa Brown   The education system has long been seen as the antidote to society’s ills and a mechanism for change. Fast-forward to 2024, and the pace of change is leaving schools as we know them in the dust. Consequently, individual teachers can feel uncertain about how to navigate the day-to-day. Despite...Read More

by Vicky Essebag As adults, we can all remember the challenges of peer pressure, navigating relationships, and healthy decision-making during our school years. As parents, we don’t always know how to impart these skills, recognizing that they are a skillset that require experience and that we ourselves continue to build over a lifetime. But what...Read More

by BRIGHT LIGHT Brenda Carbery-Tang Teens these days are feeling disconnected from the world around them. They spend much of their time online passively observing, in snippets and soundbites, a world where people don’t seem to care or take care of each other. Young people show up to the classroom wearing hard outer protective shells...Read More

by BRIGHT LIGHT Sam Welbourn Finding Your “Why” in the Messy Spaces I love change when it is meaningful. Maybe our role as teachers is to make it so. When I reflect on the future relevance of schools in the age of AI, when we don’t yet know the capabilities and impact it will have,...Read More

by Ola ElKhatib In my early international teaching career, I joined a school celebrated for its commitment to professional development. Initially, interactions with colleagues brimmed with warmth and promise, setting the stage for what I believed would be a fulfilling year. As the school year progressed, a disconcerting change swept through. The high standards framed...Read More

by Jennifer Johnson B.A., B.Ed., M.A There have long been whispers in the halls that the education system needs to change and the multi-faceted set of well-being, social, and academic challenges that have resulted from the conditions surrounding a global pandemic have turned those whispers into an undeniable call for change. As one educator who...Read More

by Andy Rodford    Principals act as the guiding force in educational institutions and are often expected to embody energized leadership for numerous reasons. An energized principal is seen to set an example, inspiring enthusiasm, fostering innovation, and cultivating a culture of continuous growth and improvement. They are presumed to be the steward of the...Read More

by Dr. Michael Salvatori   “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off I was recently reminded of this quotation from one of my favourite movies as I was re-reading Charlotte’s Web with a young reader I work...Read More

by Ola ElKhatib Ever wondered why teaching is often seen as a stressful profession? It’s a juggling act.  On top of the demanding curriculum and administrative tasks, are the growing complexity of student needs. Each day, each class presents a unique mosaic as students arrive with their academic strengths and challenges, personal needs, and lived...Read More

by Angelina Gauthier   The start of the school year brings bright bulletin board displays, new school supplies, shiny floors, and clean desks. The set-up of a classroom is pretty, but for the best learning environment, the first six weeks of school are a time to slowly weave in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) to build a...Read More