FROM THE EDITOR


Te winter issue of Voice comes on the heels of one of the longest rounds of bargaining in ETFO’s history. ETFO was committed to ensuring that the Ford government ad- dressed issues that were key to elementary educators and was willing to stay at the bar- gaining table for as long as that took. Presi- dent Karen Brown writes in her column, “I am grateful to our members for their solidarity and support over this extremely long, slow bargaining round and to parents and communities across the province, who know that educators are not only fighting for fair wages and benefits but for high- quality universal public education and the


resources and supports our students need to thrive.” In this issue’s cover article, More than a Page: Our Journey with Photography and


Identity, Tina Zita reflects on creating opportunities for her students to represent them- selves by collaboratively publishing print and digital texts. “As a teacher-librarian, part of my responsibility is to ensure our community sees itself reflected in our collection, that the texts in our spaces, as Rudine Sims Bishop wrote, provide learners with mir- rors, windows and sliding doors,” Zita writes. “We thought, who better to capture the nuance of our individual identities then our learners themselves?” In Making My Way in the Makerspace Nicole Netherway writes about how the makerspace is the perfect environment to foster adaptive and creative thinking and to give students who may not excel in traditional classroom activities an opportunity to shine. In Dismantling the Gender Binary and Sexism in Our Schools, Jey Plourde reflects


on strategies educators can use to challenge stereotypes and assumptions about gender identity. “When I teach children about gender identity, I compare gender to someone’s name,” Plourde writes. “When you first meet someone and you don’t know what their name is yet, it isn’t wise to simply guess (‘Hmm, you look like a Jordan’).” Also in this issue, Sue Ducau writes about the benefits for both students and educa- tors of integrating well-being into every day classroom practices in her article Weav- ing the Treads of Well-Being. Tese articles, along with a curriculum insert on accessibility and disability jus-


tice from We Move Together, book reviews and a winter crossword are sure to make great winter reading.


Happy New Year! ETFO Executive Members


PRESIDENT Karen Brown, Elementary Teachers of Toronto


FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT David Mastin, Durham


VICE-PRESIDENTS Shirley Bell, Kawartha Pine Ridge Gundi Barbour, Upper Grand


OTF TABLE OFFICER Nathan Core, Waterloo Region


EXECUTIVE MEMBERS Tamara DuFour, Hamilton-Wentworth Mary Fowler, Durham Juan-Yahya Gairey, Peel Shideh Houshmandi, Hamilton-Wentworth Carolyn Proulx-Wootton, Grand Erie Mario Spagnuolo, Greater Essex County Mike Thomas, Thames Valley Sylvia van Campen, Upper Canada Jenn Wallage, Waterloo Sharon O’Halloran, General Secretary Lorna Larmour, Deputy General Secretary Lisa Mastrobuono, Deputy General Secretary


ETFO Voice Izida Zorde, Editor Sharon O’Halloran, Business Manager Michelle Goddard, Advertising Sales David Beyer, Design


Contributors not otherwise credited: Karen Kindree, Federico Carvajal


Member of the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM) and Canadian Education Press Association


Indexed in the Canadian Educational Index / Répertoire canadien sur l’éducation


ISSN: 1481-4072


Articles contained herein reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily express official policy of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.


Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply ETFO endorsement of the product or service. Advertising contracts are subject to cancellation if members complain.


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136 Isabella Street Toronto, ON M4Y 0B5


Phone: 416-962-3836 or 1-888-838-3836 E-mail: etfovoice@etfo.org etfovoice.ca


Printed by Thistle Printing on FSC certified, 10% post-consumer content; Carbon Lite and Green-e®


certified renewable energy paper. 4 ETFO VOICE | WINTER 2023


PHOTO BY CHRISTINE COUSINS


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