Wholehearted Teaching with Adrian Del Monte Adrian Del Monte

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, t...

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. Amy h...

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 much ...

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 can...

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 talk ab...

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 that c...