Community Speaker Series in Education - Nov 2025
Community partners, alumni, scholars and practitioners visit campus to discuss ideas, trends and professional journeys in Education.
Open to all Education students. Light snacks served at each event.
All events held in-person at the Learning Commons in the Faculty of Education (Rm 120)
·¡³Õ·¡±·°Õ³§:ÌýNo One Told Me That… Conversation on the First Five Years of Teaching ´¥ÌýEmotional Labor: Strategies for Awareness and Resilience as Teachers ´¥ÌýSustainability in and beyond the curriculum
Thursday, November 13 – 5 - 7pm
No One Told Me That… Conversation on the First Five Years of Teaching
(panel conversation, Q&A)
Panel of four current teachers discussing their first five years of professional practice working in various educational settings and what they wish they could tell their younger selves. The conversation and Q&A will explore various themes related to wellness, relationships with students and the school ecosystem, managing expectations and how to make the most of those first five years where 20-30% of teachers in Canada leave this essential vocation.
Read article:Ìý by Heidi Yetman - Canadian Teachers Federation, May 2025Ìý
Guests:
Karina CapanoÌý– Secondary ESL,
After teaching elementary for two years and completing a Master’s in Educational Psychology, Karina made the switch to high school ESL where she teaches Secondary 3 Enriched and Regular, and recently finished a Master’s in Educational Leadership.
Haneefa CorbieÌý- Secondary Science (grades 7,8), (private)
Haneefa has taught Grade 7–8 Science at Selwyn House since 2017. Previously, she taught at Queen of Angels Academy, where she served two years as Head of Indigenous Resources. She has also taught English in Japan and Science in the UAE. Haneefa holds a BSc and BEd from UOttawa and an MEdTech from UBC.
Yilin Guo - Elementary, Arts Plastiques (currently )
With experience in Indigenous community classrooms, resource teaching, and art, I build supportive, culturally aware, and creativity-driven learning environments.
Gary PurcellÌý- English Language Arts (currently ); Executive Director,
Gary has been a teacher at the Lester B Pearson Schoolboard in both the youth and adult sector for the past twenty years. He founded the Suspicious Fish Creative Literacy program in 2008.
Moderator:Ìý
Sabi HinksonÌý– Math & Science Educator, Founder of , 3rd Year PhD Student at 91ºÚÁÏÍø (in DISE)
Sabi’s teaching journey began while working as a scientific laboratory technician for the Lester B. Pearson School Board. She only worked with students during lab periods; however, they consistently fed off her enthusiasm for Math and Science and expressed how much they loved her teaching style: this led her to realize she could have a greater impact as a classroom teacher.
Friday, November 21 – 12:30-2:00 *SESSION FULL*
Emotional Labor: Strategies for Awareness and Resilience as Teachers
(interactive workshop)
This interactive workshop invites teachers to explore the emotional dimensions of teaching through mindfulness, reflection, and arts-based methods.
Participants will examine emotional labour, engage in scenario-based discussions, and create personalized self-care toolkits. The session fosters emotional awareness, professional identity development, resilience, and sustainable engagement in teaching practice.
Facilitator:
Laura TaylorÌýis a full-time secondary-level teacher for an alternative program for at-risk students aged 16-20 and a third-year PhD student in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education. Her research explores teacher emotional labour and disengagement through arts-based and affective frameworks.
Tuesday, November 25 – 12:00-1:30
Sustainability in and beyond the curriculum
(panel & group dialogue)
Learning in the 21st Century inevitably means confronting complex sustainability challenges like the climate crisis. Critics have increasingly called for schools and universities to do more to help learners understand and act on these challenges, but we also know how important it is to support action beyond the classroom. In this panel we'll hear from educators and change-makers working to confront sustainability challenges in Montreal and beyond. We’ll learn about the challenges and the opportunities for pursuing sustainability inside our schools, universities and beyond.
Read article: - 91ºÚÁÏÍø News, May 2025
Guests:
Brooklyn Frizzle,ÌýGeorgina Kouwenhoven & Julia Wright- Co-Coordinators at
Dr. Mitchell McLarnon -
Kristen PerryÌý- Urban Agriculture Manager - , Consultant, Facilitator, Farmer
Justus Wachs,
Moderator:
Dr. Blane Harvey – Associate Professor, Integrated Studies in Education, 91ºÚÁÏÍø
