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IN THIS ISSUE
Read about how this program provides care packages to thousands of unhoused people during the holidays and connects that work to classroom learning.
Peace River region local profile
Meet members of the Peace River North and Peace River South teachers’ associations and learn about their locals.
Caring for the land with invasive species education
Encourage students to notice more about the natural world while teaching about invasive species. This lesson plan is part of a larger unit and is a collaboration between ISCBC and myPITA.
Read these stories and more in the latest edition of Teacher.
FEATURED STORIES
Jim Cairnie: A lifetime of creating lasting change in service of public education
Jim Cairnie was the oldest living past-president of the BCTF when he died at the age of 99 on August 4, 2025. He had been elected president at the age of 36 ...
President's message
Our solidarity with other unions is vital ... When we stand together for fair working conditions, equitable funding, and respect for all workers, we amplify our collective voice ...
Winter activities
Across cultures, the winter months are a time for celebrating togetherness, often through food; adorning our homes, to remind us of the light and life that’s on its way; and restoring ourselves, to recover from the year behind us and prepare for the year ahead.
Curiosity, care, and collaboration: Empowering school-based teams in an inclusive classroom
As I kick off my second year as an inclusive education teacher, I find myself reflecting on the many moments—some joyful, some overwhelming, and all deeply meaningful—that shaped my previous year.
Everybody Deserves a Smile: Teaching empathy and living compassionately
École Puntledge Park Elementary has a history of celebrating the festive season with a focus on compassion and empathy. Students in the Everybody Deserves ...
Solidarity across sectors
As unions across the province take up collective bargaining and set picket lines to demand fair working conditions and wages, solidarity across sectors is more important than ever.
Peace River region local profile: Opportunity and innovation rooted in community
The Peace River region of BC is home to a small percentage of the province’s teachers, but geographically the region is sizable. Its schools are spread out over hundreds of kilometres in BC’s northeast, near the Alberta border.
Beyond checkers: How a Filipino game revolutionized learning through math, science, and inclusion
A checkers-inspired board game used in our school years became one of the most memorable and effective tools for learning we encountered as students.
BCTF lending library
The newest service offered by the BCTF Library is the book lending service. BCTF members can browse the catalogue and borrow up to three books at a time.
Self-directed professional development
Self-directed professional development (PD) can be an excellent opportunity to develop specific aspects of your teaching practice in ways that best suit your needs and learning preferences.
From compliance to connection: Shifting how we support neurodivergent learners
Neurodivergent students often feel different, excluded, and deeply misunderstood, especially in a school system that just doesn’t seem to be designed for their moving bodies and dopamine-driven focus.
Caring for the land with invasive species education
The Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (ISCBC) is a dynamic, action-oriented organization, helping concerned stakeholders work together to stop the spread of invasive species in BC. The Provincial Intermediate and Middle Years Teachers’ Association (myPITA) provided the ISCBC with a grant ...
What can teachers do to feel hopeful?
Hopefulness is not my natural orientation. It’s something that I’ve really struggled to find. For a long time, I didn’t know what to do to help myself feel more hopeful. Hopelessness always got the best of me.
Queering outdoor education
Within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, “queering” is a phrase that, as part of reclamation of the term “queer,” has come to mean looking at ideas sideways, eschewing boundaries, disrupting the status quo, and facilitating the rise of something new and beautiful from the ashes of the old.
Amplifying youth voices for menstrual equity and education
On May 3, 2025, the students from Project RED’s after-school club brought Canada’s very first Youth-Led Period Symposium to Vancouver!
Japanese Canadian story captivates students: Review of Obaasan’s Boots and ideas for classroom activities
This year marks my 30th year in the classroom. Like many fellow educators, I’ve found that one of the greatest challenges we face is discovering resources that truly engage students, align closely with the BC curriculum, and support cross-curricular learning.
Building skilled readers: A resource to rethink practice
Lindsay Kemeny, author of 7 Mighty Moves, is a mom and practising classroom teacher whose personal and heartbreaking story draws you into her book.
Youth-led community projects to address youth health: BC Adolescent Health Survey lesson plan
The BC Adolescent Health Survey was first mentioned to me by a colleague at the BCTF. I had no idea what it was but after doing a deeper dive on Google, I was incredibly invested.
Economic justice: Unionization lesson plan
Objective: Learning how unions and collective bargaining help to raise the living standards of all workers and help reduce inequality, discrimination, and exploitation.
Living wages matter for everyone in the school community
As teachers, you witness daily the impact of economic hardship on students. You see the child who comes to class hungry because there was no breakfast, or the teenager anxious about their family’s risk of eviction.
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