I’m an English instructor at the University of Alberta, where I have been teaching undergrads across disciplines for over 10 years. I am also a researcher, podcaster, public educator, and a parent with one child in the public school system.
I have a background of activism in the areas of both sexual and gender-based violence and queer and trans rights. Since moving back to Edmonton in 2012, that activism has mainly taken place through writing and podcasting. For example, I recently co-hosted a podcast called Gender Playground, whose two seasons focused on the joys of gender-affirming care for kids. The primary goal of this podcast was to demystify gender-affirming care for all parents and caregivers, irrespective of whether they have gender expansive kids (already) in their lives. I feel fiercely motivated to continue my activism work as a trustee candidate and, hopefully, in my position as the trustee for Ward A.
Statement of beliefs
I believe in inclusive public education. Every child should be able to access the education they deserve and thrive within their own community. For this reason, every public school must have the resources to support complex needs. This includes but is certainly not limited to the supporting kids with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ kids, and kids who are English language learners such as newcomers, undocumented, and refugee kids. Every student benefits when we can make public education barrier-free right at home.
I believe that decolonizing our public schools will make public education better for everyone. Public schools should have targeted funding to hire more Indigenous teachers and education support workers without delay. Non-carceral supports like social workers, nurses, and psychologists, for example, should also be in every school to address problems of increased aggression.
I believe that teachers and librarians are education experts, that they choose educational materials with care and respect for their students, and that they are best positioned to guide young readers to age-appropriate materials that spark joy in learning.
I believe that public dollars should stay in public schools.
Priority areas
Ensure all public schools in Edmonton are safe places of learning for 2SLGBTQIA+ kids of all ages.
Advocate fiercely to the province for the reinvestment urgently needed to sustain public education.
Ensure all public schools have the resources to support students of all abilities and backgrounds.
Views on funding
The province must reinvest in public education immediately. Until every public school is sufficiently resourced to meet the needs of its entire community, public funds must not go to private or charter schools. Such a diversion of funding ensures that only wealthy Albertans have a “choice” when it comes to children’s education.
School boards require adequate funds to meet the needs of the many diverse communities they serve. Further, they have a responsibility to track and assess those needs as they change. School boards are therefore experts in the division’s educational climate and must advocate loudly for the funding needed to sustain a robust and inclusive public education system.
How learning conditions can be improved
Learning conditions in schools can only be improved through significant reinvestment in public education.
Smaller class sizes should be the first priority for improving learning conditions, but such a change is impossible given projected enrolments. The province must fund the construction of more schools immediately, and must ensure that all schools are adequately staffed with teachers and education support workers, librarians, social workers, nurses, and psychologists, to adequately address the diverse needs of our communities.
How trustees and school boards can best support teachers
A strong working relationship between school boards and teachers requires open and transparent communication. Trustees employ the superintendent, but they should also build meaningful connections with the schools in their respective communities (Wards). Trustees and school representatives to the ATA, for example, should see themselves as allies with the common goal of advocating for vibrant, well-resourced public schools.
Some teachers have expressed concern to me about the difficulty of reaching and communicating with school board trustees. The lack of communication channels is a major problem when the interests of teachers and school administration do not align. I think trustees can and should do better to represent the needs of their constituents, and this includes teachers.
Views on the new K-6 curriculum
My views on the new K-6 curriculum are shaped by what EPSB teachers have been sharing for years:
Public school teachers have repeatedly expressed concern about Alberta’s new K-6 curriculum, especially the pace of its implementation, the lack of teacher involvement in its development, and the lack of supports provided to transition to it.
Moreover, while I appreciate that after much criticism of the draft released in 2021 the province has included more teacher consultation, the ongoing lack of teacher involvement at the writing stage remains alarming. I am particularly struck by the ATA’s statement that “teachers continue to be overwhelmed by a demanding piloting and implementation schedule that is far from curriculum implementation best practice.”