With the school year coming to a close, we at OJEN want to acknowledge the incredible burden shouldered by Ontario teachers at every level of education in 2020. You have gracefully and skillfully managed daily uncertainty and student anxiety all while needing to re-learn much of what you knew about how to teach. It has been hard, but it has been noticed!
We’re exceptionally proud of OJEN staff and TDSB teachers and students for making our first ever Charter Challenge by teleconference a smashing success! Thanks as well to volunteers, counsel and judges of the Court of Appeal for Ontario for hearing excellent arguments from teams from Marc Garneau and Bloor Collegiates over Google Classroom! In the words of one of the judges, you were “staggeringly good”!
We will continue to work on ways in which the OJEN content and resources you have relied on can be adapted to be supportive in both virtual and in-person formats.
Summer Law Institute 2020 Webinar Series
Our traditional, two-day Summer Law Institute at Osgoode Hall in August will not take place this year. In its place we will record a series of webinars featuring leaders in different areas of law and justice. Join us online or, for those unable to attend, they will all be available on our website.
July 22 – Charlene Bearhead – Ms Bearhead is a longtime Indigenous activist and educator. She is the head of Education and Programming for the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Colombia, the Director of Reconciliation for Canadian Geographic and was the Education Coordinator for the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG). Ms. Bearhead is the lead author of “Their Voices Will Guide Us”, a curriculum resource for teachers and student and youth engagement guide to help turn classrooms into spaces of critical thinking and reflections around perceptions and realities of Indigenous women’s and girls’ lived experiences. She will join us to speak about the national inquiry and the curriculum it inspired.
Other topics include: the top five cases of the year and fertility law.
More plans are in the works, so keep an eye peeled for more announcements and registration information.
Lastly, we are working to adapt many of our most popular resources and programs for virtual as well as classroom audiences. Like you, we don’t know what school will look like in September. We do know that you will be there for students and communities, so you can count on us to be there for you!
Stay safe and have a restful and fun summer.
Nat Paul, Director of Educator Support