SASKATCHEWAN TEACHERS' FEDERATION
Teachers totally on board with local flavour supplied by SPDU, facilitators

Against the backdrop of all the chatter regarding free trade negotiations these days, the Sun West Teachers' Association's convention was by all accounts a prime example of how the made-in-Saskatchewan model has wide-ranging appeal.

This was one of the eight sessions offered at the Sun West Teachers' convention and typified the sort of engagement opportunities that participants raved about in assessing this new model.

This was the second time the Saskatchewan Professional Development Unit had been contracted to help work with the local teachers' association to set up the agenda for these events. So, with four members of the SPDU team, in addition to the growing list of facilitators, the 400 teachers in attendance had a wide variety of sessions to attend.

Co-chairpersons Melanie Charnetski and Louise Michelman were both grateful for the guidance provided by SPDU in arranging the day, and equally felt a considerable sense of gratification in seeing the level of engagement at the various sessions.

Michelman, who teaches in Outlook, noted that there was much preplanning involved over the summer months. This included considerable time Skyping with Charnetski, who teaches in Leader.

Michelman said she was thankful for Charnetski's computer skills, while joking that much of her contributions focused on matters such as the catering. "It was like a big family wedding," she joked.

According to Michelman, there was a purposeful focus on having sessions that were quite broad in nature while also meeting the specific needs of Sun West teachers, most of whom teach in rural schools.

"There was a fair bit of work in organizing this, but I really enjoyed being involved. Judging from what we heard, it looks like we made the right choices in terms of the sessions. It was fun to see people's reactions and hear the feedback."

"It was nice to see how full the sessions were and how engaged teachers were, and to see the meaningful conversations in the sessions I attended. There was so much noise in the one session where I came in late, and it was totally a learning environment. People were sharing stories and strategies that we can all use," Charnetski observed.

Judging from a random sampling of those attending, those sentiments were readily confirmed.

Stacy Becker, principal at Harris-Tessier Central School, is one of those aforementioned facilitators. She was already a convert, but revelled in the opportunity to attend the sessions.

"This is what teacher-led professional development looks like. It means so much more when you can talk to colleagues who are thinking the same thing. I found there was something for everyone in these sessions. This is hands-on and very collaborative as opposed to just having someone lecture us. There's opportunity to have real input and present your ideas."

Sandra Lutz and Nicole Francoeur from Kenaston School had similar feedback, lauding the collaboration and the fact that it was local teachers who were facilitators.

"I really liked it. When it's this interactive and relevant to your situation, it gets more into your head and you remember it more. It's wonderful when you share strategies, and who I am and what I have to contribute counts. That's when you find common ground, and so it's been a very good day for sure. I can picture scenarios where I can use what I learned here and it fits into our current situation. The whole day was very user-friendly," Lutz said.

According to Francoeur, it was the sense of feeling validated that resonated with her. "I mean, there's stuff I picked up on here that I can use tomorrow so that's exciting. It's nice to know that there's this kind of knowledge in our province as a resource and we don't  have to look far away."

Tim Hom from Loreburn Central School said attending this event has only whetted his appetite for more of the same.

"It's been awesome and our facilitator [Amy Korver] was super knowledgeable. The connections she made were very concrete so I found it to be very beneficial. It made me think about what I was learning and now I want to go to every SPDU event. It was great to see how everyone contributed, and we learned from each other's knowledge. I took away so much from the day; even just to get the contact information was helpful. I know how this applies to my students and class so now I get to apply this in my own situation."

Karla Duchesne from Outlook High School concurred with her colleagues, calling the convention wonderful. She was specifically delighted with the local connection and the fact the facilitators were current teachers who know the challenges teachers in Saskatchewan face today. She was particularly pleased to have learned more about the First Nations and Métis component.

"Sometimes you don't always look forward to these sorts of events and you take very little away and leave not feeling like a professional. But this left you feeling so much more involved and you learned a lot and you can go home feeling really good about the day."