The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Check Out the ATA’s Publications

The following publications of the Alberta Teachers’ Association are featured on the ATA website (www.teachers.ab.ca):

• Teaching in the Early Years of Practice: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study
• The 2011/12 National Study on Balancing Work, Life and Caregiving in Canada: The Situation for Alberta Teachers
• Transformation and Alberta’s Schools: A Time for Action
• Creating Possibilities, Balancing Priorities—the 2012 Professional Development Survey
• Alberta Voices: Teachers’ Aspirations for the Future of Teaching
• A Great School for All: Transforming Education in Alberta
• Teaching in the Early Years of Practice: Fourth-Year Report
• The New Work of Teaching: A Case Study of the Worklife of Calgary Public Teachers

To order a copy of a publication, send an e-mail to distribution@ata.ab.ca.

Travel to Rwanda

Twenty spots are available for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Rwanda to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. For 100 days, beginning on the night of April 6, 1994, the tiny African country of Rwanda was engulfed in genocidal turmoil that saw some 1,000,000 people killed. In July 2014, a group of Canadian teachers will travel to Rwanda to learn more about what happened there in 1994, why it happened and how the country is rebuilding from this troubled piece of its history. The price for the trip is yet to be determined but is currently estimated at $3,000 (plus food and shared accommodation). For more information, contact Heather McCaig at heavendawn999@hotmail.com.

Can We Talk?

The Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Canadian Mental Health Association, with support from Global Television, are raising awareness of the mental health of children and youth. Visit www.canwetalk.ca for more information on the campaign and ways you can help people affected by mental illness.

Interact with Canadian History

The Canadian Encyclopedia—Historica Canada’s flagship project—has launched a new interactive website. Since it was first published in 1985, The Canadian Encyclopedia has more than tripled in size. Today, the Encyclopedia offers more than 35,000 articles in English and French by 4,400 authors. The redesign includes interactive features, such as curated content exhibits, timelines and Canada Tweets, where the feeds of history-making Canadians are aggregated in a Twitter hub, as well as a user-generated content map that invites Canadians to share their stories. Visit Historica Canada online at www.historicacanada.ca.

fYrefly in Schools: Peer-To-Peer Education Opportunity

fYrefly in Schools is a student-education program offered by the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta. Based on Camp fYrefly, an award-winning summer leadership retreat for sexual and gender minority youth, the fYrefly in Schools program seeks to increase awareness of homophobic/transphobic bullying and equip students to become proponents for diversity, equity and human rights in their schools and communities. An experienced teacher leads all workshops, which are guided by a peer-led student discussion panel. Typically, the workshop is delivered as an interactive 60–90-minute classroom workshop. Workshops can be tailored to meet individual class or school needs. To learn more, e-mail Dr. Kristopher Wells (kris.wells@ualberta.ca) or call 780-492-9908. To book a free workshop for your classroom, please send an e-mail to fYreflys@ualberta.ca.

Calling All Educators of Indigenous Youth

Are you a K–12 teacher who is interested in mentoring Indigenous students? If yes, then consider joining an educator coaching program. The program provides teachers with an opportunity to collaborate with another teacher with the support and guidance of the Indspire Institute (https://indspire.ca/). The program’s goal is to increase the success of Indigenous students. You do not have to be Indigenous to participate in this program. Mentors receive a $600 honorarium. For information, visit http://indspire.ca/programs/peer-support.

Support the Go 2 School Initiative

School enrolment rates for Somali children are among the lowest in the world. In response, Somali authorities, with the support of UNICEF, have launched the Go 2 School Initiative. The goal is to have 1 million children enrolled in education within the next three years. To learn more, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-break-the-cycle-of-illiteracy-in-somalia-with-the-go2school-initiative.