President's Message - 


From Ivon Prefontaine

I hope this finds each of you and those close to you well. This was not the president’s message I anticipated writing. We lose sight of change always happening in subtle and hidden ways. In times like these, we are pulled out our daily reverie to recognize what sweeping change looks like and how we each experience it.

We returned from our annual Arizona sojourn March 12. At 8:30 AM March 13, I sat in a classroom observing a student teacher, the first of my next round of observations. Later that afternoon, the Dean of Education advised us, if we had just returned from outside the country, we had to self-isolate for 14 days. That afternoon I began moving other observations to others the following week.
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Everything was dormant through Saturday until Sunday afternoon. Our coordinator emailed that Edmonton Public and Catholic schools were closed to students immediately and student teachers should also stay home. By the end of the week, faculty and staff held multiple Zoom conferences and sent numerous emails advising next steps. Next steps remained and remain fluid and I cannot imagine what was going on behind the scenes; what I cannot see.

Yes, we are self-isolating, self-quarantining, working at home, etc., but life does goes on. The University of Alberta Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa executive is planning for what might be ahead. We cancelled our May dinner presentation, where the winner of the dissertation award was to present. Actually, we postponed that presentation until September 28, and hope it will be our first event of the 2020-2021 program. A second person agreed to present December 1, we booked February 3, March 11, and May 12, 2021 to complete our programming. We will send out details as we move closer to the September date and get a sense of the lay of the land we now inhabit.

Yes, we live in a challenging and scary moment in time. Two things emerge for me. First, what opportunities exist in what is happening societally and in education? How do these opportunities inform us moving forward? How will these changes inform how we teach and educate in K-12 and beyond? Second, what do we each appreciate? Is this a superficial question that is set aside as we emerge from the moment we are in? Will we value the essential nature of humans as social beings, re-cognizing that virtual contact has a place, but it is in the face-to-face opportunities we get to fulfill our humanity? How do we as members of the PDK community and others research, serve, and lead as we live through the pandemic and emerge from it?
 
 

Welcome to Phi Delta Kappa University of Alberta Chapter

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Excellent zoom with Andre Grace on January 21 via zoom.  


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We are on social media…
 
Facebook   PDK International - University of Alberta Chapter
Twitter      pdkinternationaluofa with a handle of @pdkinternation1 

Your suggestions for topics and speakers are always welcome.
Please contact Ivon Prefontaine (iprefontaine@zagmail.gonzaga.edu)  or Bob Garneau (rggarneau@shaw.ca)