Elementary: A podcast from the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario: Recent Episodes
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario
Elementary is a podcast for teachers, education workers, and anyone who wants to know more about public education in Ontario. This podcast will take on some of the big issues in education, outline opportunities available for ETFO members, and bring together teachers, education workers, activists, and students to share ideas and information about education.
L'Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO), Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO), Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA), Ontario School Board Council of Unions (CUPE-OSBCU), and Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) — each served notice to bargain on employer bargaining agencies, and informed the provincial government who is a participant at the table.
Political Action Conference keynote speaker Lana Parker on protecting and defending public education.
Crystal Garvey on the impact that race, culture, systemic barriers, and the way they intersect affect mental health treatment and the need for systemic changes.
A panel discussion about Designated Early Childhood Educators (DECEs) and the work that they do. Panelists are Samia Javed, a DECE and a PhD candidate studying the work of DECEs; Cheryl Yoworski, a DECE in the Waterloo region; and Waterloo region teacher Tracy Sims.
A panel discusion on the state of special education in Ontario. Ricardo Tranjan is a political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, or CCPA, and Carolina Aragão is the researcher for the Ontario office of the CCPA. Jennifer Pinder brings her expertise as a Special Education Resource Teacher in the Waterloo Region District School Board and co-author of the resource Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
On August 11, 2025 President Karen Brown opened the ETFO Annual meeting, where delegates receive reports of the officers and committees, elect officers, and receive financial statements. Delegates also debate and vote on motions.
Joe Pitawanakwat on teaching and learning about Indigenous plants and their uses in Anishnaabek traditional medicine.
Dr. Phil McRae is associate coordinator of government research at the Alberta Teachers' Association. He studies and speaks on the use of AI in Education.
James Wardlaw and Denise Hammond work in ETFO’s Communications and Political Action service area. They examine what is ok for educators to talk about in the workplace when it comes to elections, campaigning, and opinions about politics. For more resources on elections, go to buildingbetterschools.ca.
An interview about the value of play-based learning. Dr. Kimberly Bezaire researches play literacy, family play, team-building in Kindergarten, toddler education, and how educators can document and assess play.
Dr. Alan Corbiere has focused his work on the history of Anishinaabe peoples and Anishinaabe language. In this podcast, he discusses Anishnaabek language learning and reclamation.
Dr. Alan Corbiere on the history of wampum from an Anishnaabek perspective. Dr. Corbiere teaches in the History Department at York University where he holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous history of North America, and he is a visiting fellow at Harvard University.
Author and activist Habiba Diallo has a call to action for educators in her book #BlackInSchool.
Carolyn King on the Moccasin Identifier Initiative, a tool that calls attention to the history of Indigenous peoples across Ontario.
Educator and author Matthew R. Morris speaks with Elementary about his book Black Boys Like Me, and how educators can effectively support Black male students.
Two speakers on countering anti-2SLGBTQ+ hate. MPP Kristin Wong-Tam and lawyer Kelly Doctor from Goldblatt Partners LLP, speak the rights and responsibilities of educators in creating safer spaces and stopping hate.
Since 1997, Erika Shaker has been monitoring corporate involvement in public education. She is the Director of the National Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. She spoke at ETFO’s 2024 Political Action Conference.
Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress Larry Rousseau, and Hamilton and District Labour Council President Anthony Marco on solidarity and labour councils.
An interview with one of the key figures in ETFO’s history, former ETFO First Vice-President Susan Swackhammer.
Four local leaders share organizing success stories. Speakers included President of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Occasional Teacher Local President Jen Deck, Hamilton-Wentworth Teacher Local Chief Negotiator Cindy Gangaram, Near North Teacher Local President Rob Hammond, Halton DECE Local President Amy Korzack. The panel was moderated by ETFO organizer James Wardlaw.
Two ETFO members on how teachers and education workers can work to create supportive, inclusive environments for 2SLGBTQ+ students and families.
May 15, 2023, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario held a press conference to announce the results of its all-member survey on violence. You can listen to the full audio of the press conference here.
On today’s episode, we are talking with two experts in assessment, Dr. Arlo Kempf and Kenisha Bynoe, about why teacher professional judgement, in particular, is important for student success.
Three students in grades 6, 8, and 12 talk about they started working to protect the planet, and how Elementary education has given them the tools they need to act.
A grade eight student activist, the executive director of the Toronto Youth Cabinet, and the founder of the Simcoe chapter of Parents Against Racism discuss the positive effect of having Black teachers and education workers in schools.
A new book called Unequal Benefits: Privatization and Public Education looks at some of the ways that privatization is creeping into public education spaces. It might not be where you think. An interview with author Dr. Sue Winton.
Inuit have often been described as resilient, strong, and innovative. In this podcast, a conversation about an ETFO resource that provides context and information for students as they learn about Inuit culture.
In the wake of the labour movement's victory over Bill 28, which would have used the notwithstanding clause to override the right to collective bargaining, a panel of experts - Stephen Barrett, Larry Savage, and Deena Ladd - talk about how workers can push for better working conditions, and win, even under a majority Conservative government.
Four speakers address Black Excellence at the Generation Black: You're Next! Symposium. Tyrone Russel is an occasional teacher, Pierrette Walker-Ennis is a vice-principal, Wesberlyne Avril is a teacher candidate,and the last speaker, Jhonel Morvan is a superintendent of education.
What is workplace violence? And what is its impact in schools? Our panelists are Lisa Dunbar, ETFO member who supports teachers, education workers, and students to help reduce violent behaviour, and Dr. Chris Bruckert, a professor at the University of Ottawa who studies workplace violence against teachers and education workers.
ETFO General Secretary Sharon O'Halloran and Deputy General Secretary Lisa Mastrobuono take us through the collective bargaining process in the education sector, step-by-step.
Producer and director Jennifer Holness on her documentary Subjects of Desire, which deconstructs what we understand about race and the power behind beauty.
Ahead of each round of collective bargaining, ETFO establishes a list of bargaining goals that will act as a compass for the federation during negotiations. In this episode, a deeper dive into just how ETFO decides on those bargaining goals.
Special feature on collective bargaining: Labour lawyer Howard Goldblatt provides a short history of the School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, which governs collective bargaining in the education sector in Ontario.
Panel discussion with JoAnne Formanek-Gustafson, Sarah Lowes, and Jaqueline L. Scott on a curriculum resource to build allyship and community involvement on environmental racism, climate change, and the environment.
A new report from the Ontario Teachers’ Federation follows the path of the decisions made by the Ford government on education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Paul Bocking wrote the report and he tells Elementary about what he found.
ETFO President Karen Brown started off the April 28 ETFO Political Action Conference with a call to action. Here is her speech.
Leading up to the Ontario provincial election, an interview with filmmakers Sarah Mondale and Vera Aronow about their film on the privatization of public education: Backpack Full of Cash.
An interview about the newly revised ETFO book Possibilities: Addressing Poverty in Elementary Schools, with co-writer Charmain Brown.
ETFO President Karen Brown has been an advocate for strong public education in our province for many years. In this episode, an interview with President Brown, and a special feature on ETFO’s Anti-Oppressive Framework.