Tina Patterson

05/23/2026

~PRO-D THAT REINVIGORATES TEACHING~

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Ottawa for professional development and experience our nation’s capital firsthand. The trip was a powerful reminder of how vital it is to seek out professional development that truly sparks a passion for learning.

It is incredibly easy to stick to in-school professional development. Frankly, there is immense value in that kind of collaborative, collective in-house training. But there is also something uniquely transformative about stepping outside our usual environment to learn deeply about topics that reinvigorate our teaching practice

For me, exploring the capital was both awe-inspiring and deeply motivational. Standing in the home of our political system reminded me of the core values that guide my classroom every day. Sitting in the gallery and watching democracy in action completely renewed my hope for the next generation. It reinforced my mission to help students become deeply engaged, active citizens.

What about you? What was the last professional development experience that truly reignited your passion for teaching? Let’s chat in the comments!




Thank-you to MP and his team for your support and efforts to make my experience so worth while.

05/07/2026

~School Counsellors: Are We Asking for the Impossible?~

Ask any educator in BC, and they’ll tell you the same thing: classrooms are more complex than ever. From elementary hallways to high school graduation lines, students are navigating a perfect storm of academic pressure, social media minefields, and economic stress. They need a lifeline. So why is that lifeline stretched so thin?

-The Math Just Doesn't Add Up-

As of early 2026, BC’s student-to-counsellor ratio sits at a staggering 1:693.
To put that in perspective, the BC School Counsellors’ Association (BCSCA) recommends a ratio of 1:250. We aren’t just missing the mark—we are nearly triple the recommended limit. Currently, BC’s ratios are among the highest (and least supported) in Canada, fueled by a mix of funding gaps and stringent training requirements.

-More Than Just a "Listening Ear"-

Most people think a counsellor's day is spent in one-on-one sessions helping with anxiety or depression. While they do provide critical crisis intervention for issues like self-harm or grief, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

On any given Tuesday, a BC counsellor is likely juggling:

* Academic Advising: Graduation credits and course changes.
* Career Coaching: Post-secondary apps and scholarship hunts.
* System Advocacy: Acting as the bridge between families and community health agencies.
* Group Work: Teaching workshops on everything from bullying to stress.

-Is "More Staff" the Only Answer?

While hiring more people is a desperate need, many are calling for a structural revolution. If we want our experts to focus on mental health, we need to clear their desks. What if we had:

1. Specialized Triage: Dedicated receptionists to handle the paperwork and "gatekeep" schedules so counsellors can actually counsel.

2. Empowered Classrooms: Better mental health training for teachers to help students build resiliency and self-regulation right at their desks.

3. Community Connection: Real investment in local resources so a student in crisis isn't stuck on a months-long waitlist.

-The Bottom Line-
We are asking our counsellors to be therapists, administrators, and career scouts all at once—for 700 kids at a time. Is that realistic, or are we setting them (and our students) up to fail?

*I want to hear from you:

What is the reality in your community schools? Do you feel your kids have the support they need, or is the system at a breaking point? Let’s talk in the comments.

05/07/2026

This is such a good post by Tod Maffin. 🇨🇦 “Imperfect, but honest.”

Expo 86 opened 40 years ago. It was genuinely extraordinary.
Twenty-two million people came to Vancouver. False Creek went from industrial wasteland to a global residential village. We got a new subway. Canada Place. Science World.

Yesterday, I was on CBC talking about its legacy. One guest talked about how much fun it was; I mentioned how I asked my first girlfriend out. It was positive.
This show was a call-in show.
The first caller they had on was mad. He talked about the displacement of over a thousand low-income residents from the Downtown Eastside in the run-up to the fair. People evicted from low-rent hotels with sometimes a single day's notice, legal because they lived in hotels rather than apartments.
Forty years later, this guy was still pi**ed.
And the host of the show, presiding over what was billed as a celebration of Canadian pride, let him talk. For a long while, too.

We don't have a perfect record of confronting our own history here. Like our friends south of the border, we have a long and uncomfortable list of things we got wrong. Racism. How we've treated Indigenous people.
But there is a difference between being imperfect and being dishonest.
Don't get me wrong. There's a lot in the media this week about Expo and what it brought to Vancouver and Canada. And it did bring a tonne. Not just tourist dollars. Many people say Canada grew up that summer.

But mixed in with that reminiscing: an art gallery in Surrey with an exhibit this month about Expo. All of it. Including the evictions. And the protests. And the punk album that came out that year.
Imperfect, but honest.

The great American experiment has failed. School curricula are being rewritten. Archives reviewed for ideological compliance. The word "equity" scrubbed from federal websites like it's profanity.
History isn't what happened. It's what we say happened.
Some countries write their history in impressive monuments. Carve it into huge mountains. Name military bases after it.
We choose to write ours in arguments at the rink, in call-in shows, in punk albums.
It's not always pretty.
But at least it's legible.

✅ Get my free weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.todmaffin.com

05/07/2026

Langley Strong is proud to officially announce Jay Lundgren as our candidate for Mayor of the Township of Langley.

Lundgren’s roots in Langley run deep. This is where he grew up and attended school, it's where he and his wife, Melissa, are now raising their four children, and where he’s built his career and mentored more than 600 young athletes as a volunteer coach.

As VP of Business Development & Partnerships at Agency Media, Jay brings business leadership and in-depth community engagement to a campaign focused on fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and community wellbeing.

He’s joined by an experienced team of four incumbent Township Councillors united under one banner: Barb Martens - Councillor, Langley Township, Blair Whitmarsh, Kim Richter - Councillor, Langley Township, and Margaret Kunst.

announces Jay Lundgren as the Mayoral Candidate! “There’s a lot of work ahead, and we’re excited to get started.”

Send a message to learn more

05/06/2026

💃🏽May 5th, 2026 MMIWG2S+💃🏽

Red Dress Day, held annually, was initiated by artist Jaime Black in 2010, the day features hanging red dresses in public spaces to symbolize the lost lives, call for justice, and raise awareness of violence against Indigenous people. It has grown into a National Day of Awareness and action in Canada honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S+).

Red Dress Day is a crucial time to learn about and support Indigenous families and communities impacted by colonial violence@.

- what have you done to raise awareness about the violence Indigenous people face?

Keep the cause moving and share with your friends and family.🧡

04/29/2026

MY TOC CANCELLED 30 MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO COVER MY CLASS

~ The "Fail to Fill" Crisis: Are Last-Minute TOC Cancellations the New Normal? ~

Last week, I wrote about an affliction many educators face: "Sick Day Guilt." I feel it personally, but it’s just as difficult to watch my colleagues struggle with it. Lately, however, that guilt is being compounded by a frustrating new trend: the rise of the last-minute TOC cancellation.

We all know that life happens. Teachers get sick, face family emergencies, or undergo medical treatments. Because the majority of us care deeply about our students and our professional reputation, "taking a day off" is never as simple as closing a laptop and disconnecting.

One of our biggest anxieties used to be whether a TOC would pick up the job at all. Now, the stress has shifted. Even when a job is "filled," there’s a growing uncertainty about whether they will actually show up.

While there are systemic reasons for these shortages and cancellations—such as TOC shortages, not enough student teachers being trained, or personal emergencies—those explanations don't alleviate the immediate chaos left behind.

The result is a secondary wave of sick day guilt: the impact on our colleagues who must forfeit their precious prep time to cover our classes.

This happened to me last week. I had a TOC confirmed weeks in advance. I stayed at school until 6:00 PM prepping—leaving hard copies and emailing electronic versions to ensure the TOC felt supported. I even prepped my students so they knew exactly what to expect.

Then, 30 minutes before the bell, the TOC cancelled. I didn’t find out until my return the next day that the TOC called last minute leaving my first block without a teacher and my colleagues filling my other blocks.

To my fellow educators: How do you handle it when a job is dropped the morning of? Are you seeing this happen more frequently in your district?

04/26/2026

The "Sick Day" Guilt: What Happens When a Teacher Goes Missing?

Life happens. We get sick, family emergencies strike, or medical treatments pull us away. But for a teacher, "taking a day off" isn't as simple as closing a laptop.

When we’re unwell, our brains should be resting. Instead, they’re firing off a million anxious questions:
* Will a TOC (Teacher on Call) actually show up?
* Will my colleagues lose their precious prep time to cover my class?
* Who will support students L, M, and N while I’m not there?

~The "Working" Sick Day~

There is a hidden side to teacher absences that most people never see: the Lesson Plan Pivot. We strive to create a win-win—a plan that keeps the learning alive even if the sub isn't a specialist in our subject, and one that (ideally) doesn't take us five hours to write while we’re shivering under a duvet.

Then, there’s the "show must go on" reality of Learning Updates (formerly known as report cards). Deadlines don’t move for the flu or medical treatments. I’ve seen teachers bringing marking to specialist appointments and opening laptops in waiting rooms, focusing on their students’ progress when they should be focusing on their own recovery.

~Preparing for the Pivot~

I’ve found that the best way to survive an absence is to involve the students. Before I go, we talk about what’s coming. We prep for the TOC. I’ve found that when students know the plan, they don’t just stay on track—they often "rise to the occasion" to make sure the guest teacher has a great day, too.
To my fellow educators: How do you handle the "absence anxiety"? And to our community: Next time you see a teacher back after a week off, remember—they probably weren't just resting. They were likely working from the sidelines the whole time.

03/30/2026

It’s the last day of spring break and tomorrow it’s back to the classroom. I’m excited though admittedly, I’m not sure that I’m fully rested.

This year was not for fantastic travels for us, rather an opportunity but to get my house in order - figuratively and literally.

Funny how these breaks give us time to do the things that we dont always get to do during the school year (or at least not as well as want to). For me, this was a time to:
-Deep clean my house
-Purge (donations / pass it forward)
-Read a book (or a few)
-Visit family & friends
-Go on dates with my husband (yes, multiple)
-Yoga & daily exercise
-Lesson planning
-Medical appointments
-Quality time with my boys
…and lots of walks and cuddles with my fur-baby.

Reply here with what you did this springbreak and feel free to forward to other’s. I look forward to hearing about your break!

03/18/2026

If the school year calendar dates mean something to you, check out this post.

03/17/2026

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️ May the luck of the Irish be with you today!

~Photo-Family trip to in 2023

*Like&FollowMe

03/14/2026

💯%

When exclusion occurs there are so many impacts. To me it is obvious that the student who is excluded is impacted, though sadly this isn’t always obvious to others. For example, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “there are no supports in place to include so-and-so on the field trip, what can I do, make everyone else go without?” But doesn’t mean that we provide opportunities that include every student that we are responsible for?

As well, what about the family? How horrible for parents to hear that their student cannot participate in a school sanctioned activity, let’s be real: there is not one parent who would feel ok if their child was excluded so why is it ok under the guise of ableism? Or lack of school supports?

And what about general access to school? When schools are not adequately supporting students, the impact is huge. Parents have to scramble for daycare, pay for extra educational remediation so that their child is in fact educated - that scramble comes with an important cost that often isn’t acknowledged: . Precious family time lost to extra work shifts or therapy or tutoring. Let’s be clear: not recreation or activities a child or parent choose but rather those necessitated simply because the child was excluded from school.

I get it - this is hard work for teachers who are often not adequately trained or supported to enable inclusion. This is not about blaming teachers but rather our system that says one thing (in the school act) but in practice is not available for students or teachers because of…well many reasons that ultimately pass the buck. This disconnect must be addressed because the cost is simply much too high - for students and families now as well as students and society in the future.

Many children and youth with disabilities in Canada have experienced being left out of the classroom. Yet, most students and their families feel very alone, not realizing how common it is.

FSI's first interim report on the National Exclusion Tracker is available to read. You can find the summary version of the report on the website, alongside the full report:
>>https://exclusiontracker.com/net-interim-report-2025-26/

Share this report and the Exclusion Tracker tool with everyone you know!

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En français:
>> https://exclusiontracker.com/detecteur-national-dexclusion-rapport-interimaire-national-des-constats-2025-26/