After two unpredictable years, it has been wonderful to see the Trinity College School campus and hallways buzzing with the energy and excitement that comes with the spring term. This liveliness has been especially apparent in the “200s” – the English hallway – as students complete their summative projects and prepare for their exams.
We encourage parents/guardians to ask their student about their summatives. There are a number of creative approaches being taken to assess the four strands established by the Ministry of Education: reading, writing, oral and media studies. For example, the Travel Education students are creating projects that represent a marginalized group in Canadian history. For the English portion of the summative, they are reflecting on how the choices they made regarding text, colour, images, symbols and sound work together in their project to create meaning. Meanwhile, the Grade 10 students are watching a timely film, Jackson Katz’s Tough Guise 2, and reflecting on how toxic masculinity is present not only in one of their core texts but also in our own world. The Grade 11 students are completing a podcast covering a significant event or issue in The Kite Runner. Finally, the various Grade 12 topics are offering a wide selection of activities, including a TED Talk; the choice to represent their understanding of key themes in a text through a creative, abstract manner, such as a painting or song; or a video offering advice to next year’s Advanced Placement English Literature students.
As the school year comes to a close, it also inspires us to reflect on the past year, which has been a busy one for the English department. While COVID-19 forced us to hold the Grade 11 Public Speaking Contest online in February, in May we were excited to host the Grade 10 contest in person for the first time in two years. Another first in a couple of years, the Travel Education Grade 10 English and Canadian History course travelled – this time to the East Coast of Canada. We also were able to bring in guest speakers, and Alyssa Cooper from “Poetry in Voice” spent two days at the School, running six separate poetry workshops with our Grade 11 students. Additionally, Chris Jones, a journalist and screenwriter, spoke with our Grade 12 Writer’s Craft students about screenwriting and a few of his well-known articles.
Outside of the classroom, the English department continued to reflect upon and evaluate the curriculum we deliver. This discussion began during the 2020-2021 school year when we conducted a thorough audit of our texts, noting such traits as the ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability and socioeconomic class of our texts’ authors, protagonists and secondary characters. The goal of our audit was to be informed and intentional when choosing to add or remove a text in order to create an even more inclusive curriculum. We continued this reflective process this past November when the entire English department participated in the National Council of Teachers of English online conference. The focus of this year’s conference was “Equity, Justice, and Antiracist Teaching.” The department gathered together to watch the opening keynote speaker, former First Lady Michelle Obama, who reminded us of the importance of reading: it is an avenue for “recognizing the truth in stories that aren’t [our] own. With a world that’s seemingly growing more complicated by the day, English teachers play an even more critical role in helping [students] make connections with the world around [them] – and each other.” From guest speakers, such as author Colson Whitehead, to the closing speaker, Amanda Gorman, we were reminded of how vital it is to select texts that will afford our students the opportunities to experience lives unlike their own as well as for students to see themselves in the books we teach. Session after session encouraged us not only to share ideas with incredible educators from across North America but also to reflect on our own teaching.
Throughout the year, we continued our professional development and reflection on the texts we teach by inviting a current Grade 12 student to speak with us about the diversity of our texts with regard to gender and sexuality. Additionally, we asked members of the Black Student Alliance to reflect on the texts they have studied throughout their time at TCS. We commit to continue selecting texts that are not only academically rigorous but also inclusive.
As I recall this past year, which saw a bit more “normalcy,” especially in this spring term, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to work with my colleagues in the English department. They are innovative, creative, dynamic and passionate teachers who are creating engaging and enriching experiences for our students.
- By Barbara Brough, head of English
