At the end of a very difficult year I went into this conversation with TCDSB Director of Education Brendan Browne looking for something: I was looking for the heart in what he would say. I knew there would be limits to how much I could ask my boss (on air!), but that's not what I wanted to hear. As you listen, I encourage you to ask yourself this question: are you heartened by the work of education this year? You’ll hear Director Browne talk about his desire to build trust in the community,...

In this week's conversation, my wife Amy and I sit down to discuss what was an extraordinary year. We hope that our story might help other parents and teachers process theirs. We reflect on the joys of the year-- our neighbourhood coming back to life, sharing laughter around the dinner table and becoming a reading family-- as well as the challenges-- wrestling with our own privilege, trying to support our sons in French Immersion, and watching so many of our friends leave the city. A...

If you're a teacher who is a parent or a spouse, this is a wonderful conversation for you! Today's guests are Dan and Rachel Vigliatore, a wholehearted husband and wife who both teach in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Dan is an elementary PHE teacher and Rachel is a secondary Guidance Department Head. They are also the parents to two lovely girls. Together, we talk about the many many parallels between teaching and parenting and even marriage. This conversation shows just how m...

In this week’s conversation I’m talking to one of the most wholehearted educators I’ve ever met: Skye Bowen. Skye is an activist, a community builder, a champion, and is working actively to dismantle systems that oppress racialized students. This conversation will give you confidence to engage in those conversations that can shift thinking and change systems. One by one, Skye addresses some common reactions and objections we hear when we really push for anti-racism classrooms: 1. "You ...

How often do we let our students (and our own children) just tell their story? That is the question I'm discussing today with Jael Richardson, author and Executive Director for The Festival of Literary Diversity. So often as teachers and parents we have certain expectations of what "learning" ought to look like. I hope that today's conversation will help you see the power of letting go and letting our students free to find themselves in the stories they consume. In particular, we tal...

When I first reached out to Kimberly Dixon, Superintendent in the Toronto Catholic DSB, I was hoping we would talk about intersectionality for much of the conversation. I assumed that because Kimberly is only the second black, female superintendent in the TCDSB, her story would be full of examples of how she had to rise above obstacles in what has been called the "dinosaur" of education systems. But this conversation turned into more than I expected. Kimberly's story is one tha...

Today's episode is the story of one teacher's journey to allyship. We speak with Anthony Perrotta, a Vice Principal and a documentary filmmaker. Like many first or second generation European immigrants, Anthony grew up up in a white, suburban neighborhood where, as he says, “white was normalized” Anthony was never really pushed to become self aware. But when he travelled to one of the most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods in Toronto he began to unlearn, learn and then re-l...

Today's episode is all about how hard it is to build anti-racist classroom. It's not just hard for our racialized students, but it's also hard for white teachers (myself included) doing the hard work of examining whatever biases we hold. But we have to do it. In this episode, Asante Haughton tells us his own story of becoming a father, a mental health advocate, a 2XTed Talk speaker and an inspirational human being. Yet, as a poor, black man he had to endure more than many of us ever ...

"This is a love story" are the first words of Penny Kittle's book, Book Love. They are words that may change how you see the students you teach. No one has been more influential on my classroom than Penny and I was so honoured that she was willing to sit down with me. In our conversation, we speak about the wonder of the classroom, the necessity of developing lifelong readers, the opportunities of challenging traditional ways of thinking, the role of Shakespeare and making...

In this episode, my students from this quadmester will share their own, occasional poems with you. This has been a wonderful group of teenagers and I have loved learning and growing with them. I want to especially thank them for their bravery and courage. Sharing something as personal as poetry takes incredible risk. Thank you for our time together. It's meant so much to me. Start Time | Title 0:00 | A Note from Mr. Del Monte 1:32 | “2Morrow’s Reali...