Sonya's Teaching Blog

What is this list? Lately, I have been reading quite a bit of LGBTQ2+ young adult fiction. I was finding it hard to find and identify books with non-binary characters - meaning characters whose gender identity isn't exactly that of a boy or a girl (for more information, check out this page from the National Center for Transgender Equality). Books for young people with non-binary characters are becoming more common, but are still under-represented. It's estimated that 25%-30% of transgender people are non-binary ( Webb et al. ). And so this list was born. It is meant for teens and parents interested in finding more stories including non-binary experiences, as well as teachers and librarians who want to recommend books with non-binary characters or include them in their teaching. It is meant for everyone who just wants to read a good book! If there is enough interest in this list, I will keep it as a living document and will continue to add and update books based on my ...

At the beginning of author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, " The Danger of a Single Story ", she tells of her experiences with stories as a young girl in Nigeria. Growing up reading books from Europe and America, the only stories she new were of people with white skin and blue eyes, eating apples and doing other distinctly European activities. Since those were the only stories she had read, that was all she knew to write. It's a powerful example of why it's important to have stories available everywhere by local writers. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie "The Danger of a Single Story". Video care of YouTube. Writing and publishing books around the world would surely have amazing benefits, but is easier said than done. Adichie mentions in her talk the non-profit  Farafina Trust , which currently provides annual writing workshops in Lagos, Nigeria, and their dreams of building and refurbishing libraries there. To be inspired to write, people first need...

Being a Teacher-Librarian is a complicated task, one far more complex that it appears at first glance. Our job is not only to maintain resources and to promote a love of reading, but also to support the curriculum, offer students a gathering place, and support technology education in schools. Strong libraries with dedicated teacher-librarians are linked with higher student-achievement , but budgets to school libraries and teacher-librarian hours are being reduced across Canada . The timing for these cuts couldn't be worse with an explosive increase in technology in education and in the role of the school library. Considering these conflicting facts, the role of the teacher-librarian is becoming increasingly more difficult. When I was a student in the public school system, libraries were simple compared to today. Any school research or reading for pleasure was done using the books in the library, and once you knew how to use the card catalog  and the encyclopedias, y...

I have never been drawn to technology. In fact, I'm much more likely to seek, out very old tools and technology, such as learning to spin and dye my own wool. That being said, I can still recognize that technology is inevitably becoming a part of our lives and I will gladly integrate any tool that that will make my life easier as a teacher or improve the experience of the students in my classroom. Reluctant as I am, there are certainly teachers in schools even less inclined towards technology that myself. I believe that my reluctance towards technology puts me in a better position to understand the more technology-averse teachers in the school and as the teacher-librarian, I would be in a great position to try and reach out to support their development of ICT skills. 3D printers are incredibly satisfying to watch. Video by WildRose Builds. One of the most scarce resources for teachers is time. When in their busy schedule of writing lesson plans, marking and (hopefully) livi...

When it comes to technology, I am far from an early adopter. That being said, if I see something that I think will make my life easier or my teaching better, I'm going to jump on it. During my teaching practicum, I had been frustrated that I had no way to physically draw on documents that I was either creating as handouts or showing to the class on the projector. So when I found myself in need of a new laptop, I decided to get one with a tablet option and drawing tools. Until now, I had not learned to use it in any way other than as a conventional laptop. Now is the perfect time to learn, and I decided to document my process as an example of how I develop my own ICT skills as a teacher. Someday, this will be me. Image care of   Getting Smart . Initially in this process, I leaned heavily on my personal learning network. I asked fellow teachers what worked for them and consulted my many friends who work in IT for their advice. In the end, I wound up with a Lenovo Flex 5 ...

In this review, a reference work currently in the library's collection is evaluated for use in the high school setting, and a replacement is suggested and evaluated. Works are evaluated using the following rubric: Criterion Unacceptable Acceptable Exemplary Currency Published >10 years ago Published 5-10 years ago Published <5 years ago Relevancy Material is incorrect, or deals with irrelevant topics, places, or peoples. Material is factually correct, can be related to universally or locally on a broader scale. Material is accurate, deals with matters of local interest and is up to date with current information on topics of interest. Purpose Material is clearly biased – information is left out, contains deliberate misinformation and/or is attempting to sell a product. Material comes from a trusted authority and attempts are made avoid biases.  Material is made by a trusted author...