Teacher to Teacher
IN MY HUMBLE OPINION
TEACHER HACKS
Special guests What is the favourite type of guest you've had visit your class or school?
Our favourite type of guest would be when leaders from our community come into the classroom. For example, our community of Fort McMurray has the Mayor's Advisory Council on Youth (MACOY) that seeks students from each school to help city council understand what the young people in our community are worried about or seeking. The speaker we had this year took her time with each student's question and really conveyed how much their voice matters. – Victoria Holota, north representative, ATA Middle Years Council
Over the course of my career, I’ve
been fortunate to meet Olympians, musicians, professional athletes, successful entrepreneurs, individuals who have climbed Mt. Everest, and even people
ISTOCK
who’ve turned their lives around in meaningful ways. These experiences have reminded me how valuable it is for teachers to invite guest speakers into their classrooms. – Chris McCullough, conference cochair, ATA Middle Years Council
Come Together Structured sharing promotes student connection
Lori Whillier
good indicator of who may need extra support to start their week. For the stu- dents, it helped them learn which of their peers could use some extra patience or understanding. At the end of the week, Come Together was more celebratory. While seated in a circle, we used a talking piece such as a rock to indicate whose turn it was to speak. Sharing was focused through a prompt such as “the best thing that hap- pened to me this week was…“ or “today I was proud that I was able to achieve….” It took time to build a sense of safety and foundational expectations for Come Together, but once established, these check-ins became a highly anticipated part of our class routine and community building. If we had to miss this routine, or if it had to be cut short, the group energy was noticeably more unsettled.
“ If we had to miss this routine ... the group energy was noticeably more unsettled.” The primary goals of Come Together were to help me understand my stu- dents’ weekly needs and to strengthen classroom community. I consistently observed growth in how students were able to authentically express themselves or feel valued as individuals. The connec- tion we established through this routine supported our collective learning, social interactions and daily experiences.
Former students speaking with Grade 10s about strategies for success in high school. – Shelley Kirkvold, past president, ATA Social Studies Council
We have had First Nations members come in for storytelling and various projects for the students that they have loved and continue to ask for all the time. – Jennifer Lacourse, president, ATA Council for Inclusive Education
Arts Consultant, Edmonton Public Schools
One of the most memorable guests we’ve had was Ophelia the owl and her wildlife ambassador, who visited as part of an inquiry project on the birds of Alberta. During a one-hour session in the classroom, the ambassador shared engaging, age- appropriate information about Alberta’s wildlife. – Meghan Clark-Jamieson, president, ATA Early Childhood Education Council
WHEN I WAS a Grade 4 classroom teacher, a routine I named Come Together was a standard practice in my classroom. I adapted this routine from Indigenous sharing circles that encourage partici- pants to speak from the heart and practice honouring the voices of others. At the start of the week, we'd form a standing circle to energize ourselves. Students would take turns expressing how they were feeling on a scale of one to 10. Students with lower numbers were encouraged to share the reason for their emotional deficit, but they were also free to pass from speaking. For me, it was a
One of our teachers created an animal rescue course for junior high students. She invited all kinds of speakers and their rescued animals (birds, dogs, cats) to interact with the students. The class organized various fundraisers so they could make a donation after their visit. The students were so engaged and positive about their impact. – Carol Knott, conference codirector, ATA Council for Inclusive Education
We've had motivational speakers come into our school and speak in the gym to our students. These are great for school morale and the students and teachers enjoy them. – Jeremy Spink, president, ATA Middle Years Council
ATA Magazine Fall 2025
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THE ALBERTA TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
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