In this episode, we're joined by Peel District School Board's Beth Lyons. Over the course of her 20 year teaching career, Beth has worked in 6 schools, in a variety of grades from 3-8. She has served as a Core French teacher, a teacher-librarian and, in September, she will makde the shift to a kindergarten classroom.

Beth provides some great advice for teachers making the shift this year:

1️⃣ Embrace change and see it as an opportunity for growth and excitement.
2️⃣ Maintain a strong classroom experience as the foundation of your practice.
3️⃣ Identify as an educator first and embrace the flexibility that comes with shifting roles.

Follow Beth on Twitter: @mrslyonslibrary

In this episode, we catch up with York Region District School Board educator, Jordan Rappaport. Many listeners will be familiar with Jordan's passion for mathematics education but in this conversation, you'll realize that this care for the profession goes way beyond the area of mathematics.

We talk about:

1️⃣ Embracing Change: Growth happens when we step outside our comfort zone.

2️⃣ Small Adjustments can lead to Big Impact: By starting with one change at a time, we can gradually build confidence and create a positive impact on our practice.

3️⃣ Defying Stereotypes: Sometimes we come to identify ourselves as a particular type of teacher, but embracing shifts can open doors to unique perspectives, broadens our understanding of student development, and helps us grow as educators.

Follow Jordan on Twitter at @JRappaport27.

Also, check out Jordan's work on the Make Math Moments Team

On today's episode of Shifts Happen, it's Peel District teacher Shyama Sunderaswara. We talk about:

In this episode, we talk about:

• The various shifts and changes that teachers experience in their careers, both by choice and due to external factors.

• Shyama's personal journey, including her shifts from the corporate world to becoming a teacher.

• How being an immigrant to Canada can lead to significant shifts in mindset and approach, and the importance of embracing change and having a growth mindset.

Shyama is an Indo-Canadian who is very passionate about project management, education, mental health, and children. She is also deeply interested in spirituality, human psychology, theatre, literature, music, arts, and travel. She is currently working as an elementary school teacher with Peel District School Board in the province of Ontario in Canada.

On today's episode, we're joined by Michelle McKay and Klara Redford, both "shifters" in their own rite. Their passion and expertise in the area of early years education and, in particular, the Kindergarten program allowed us to dive deeply into the uniqueness of shifting into Ontario's FDK context.

Dr. Michelle McKay is a teacher/early years educator who teaches with the Peel District School Board. She completed her Ph.D. at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto) in Curriculum and Pedagogy. Michelle’s research is situated around engaging in acts of reconciliation with Kindergarten students. Her passions include early learning, equity-based work, and inclusive instructional strategies. She provides professional development for educators from across the province on a range of topics related to early learning and play and enjoys working with early years professionals.

Klara Redford is a teacher (OCT) in the Peel District School Board and has spent the majority of her career learning alongside students in the early years where she started in the half day Kindergrten program. Klara was then part of the implementation leadership team for her Board for the roll-out of FDK and taught in the FDK program since its inception. Klara’s love of picture books (and her ever-growing collection) provides endless opportunities for students to see themselves represented, make connections, and be curious about the world around them. Klara continues to work to amplify the voices of early years educators and students and build community through opportunities for Early Years educators to learn from each other and together.
Michelle and Klara continue to develop and facilitate professional learning workshops and resources for early years educators across Ontario. Watch for upcoming events across their social media platforms.
Twitter: @ MsMichelleMcKay @kindyfriends Instagram and Threads: @theredhead.and.thebedhead

In this episode of Shifts Happen, we speak with educator, Dawn Lane about the many shifts that she has made in her career.

Some great advice for mangaging change, planning for the year and seeking support.

Dawn Lane came to teaching as a second career. She and her husband own a sign graphics business, Jack Flash signs. Owning our own business allowed her to volunteer at her children’s school. Dawn designed and ran a lunch hour art program that ran during the winter months. As her interest in education and collaboration with her children’s teachers grew she returned to school and completed two degrees- Fine Art and Education, graduating York U’s concurrent teacher training in 2002. Since then she has studied Orff music, special education with a focus on autism and learned to play the drums. YRDSB hired her in 2004 to create an elementary program for students with high functioning ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome. She studied educational leadership at Niagara U and completed her principal’s qualifications. Dawn loves learning outdoors, gardening and designing inquiry projects with families.

In today's episode, we catch up with change artist, Aviva Dunsiger about the process of shifting in education.

Aviva Dunsiger is a Reading Specialist with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. She's
starting her 23rd year of teaching, and while she’s spent most of her years teaching kindergarten, she’s taught all grades, in some capacity, from K-6.

Aviva embraces change at a professional level — both in her positions at the school Board, but also in her choice of locations (about to start teaching at her 10th school).

Follow Aviva on Twitter: @avivaloca

Diana Burchell is a PhD Candidate in the stages of her doctoral program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. By training, she is an English, French, and Special Education high school teacher. Over the past 6 years, she has been a part of many national and international projects focused on improving literacy outcomes for children from marginalised backgrounds.

For more information, check out her personal website or the Multilingualism and Literacy Lab at OISE/UT.