Brooks teacher Cindy Engel has met her match. This year, Engel was chosen to participate in the Educator Exchange Programs (EEP) and was matched up with Andrha Povey, a teacher from Queensland, Australia.
EEP gives Alberta teachers and school leaders an opportunity to learn from their counterparts from Germany, Spain, Australia, Mexico and the Alberta Accredited International Schools. Engel and Povey are taking part in a short-term in-person exchange, which involved Engel hosting Povey for two weeks. She will then make her way to Australia this July for two weeks.
With the first part of her exchange under her belt, Engel shares what the experience so far has meant to her.
The first part of our teacher exchange has been completed! The partnership between our Alberta Teachers’ Association and the IEU (Queensland and Northern Territory Branch of the Independent Education Union) has offered us a unique professional development opportunity! From the first time Andrha and I Facetimed to make plans, we realized we were going to have a fabulous time getting to know each other. The moment I picked Andrha up from the Calgary airport, we began chatting about our teaching styles, our likes and dislikes, and what we hoped to learn from each other. I had heard that Australia is at the forefront of education and when I was matched with her, I was excited to hear about her and her school. I was very glad when she was finally here in person.
Andrha shadowed me in my English as an additional language classes, where I teach students new to Canada. I have a diverse group of students with varying levels of English language and Andy was able to assist me with running centres, a strategy I use to accommodate and differentiate my ever-growing class size. While I arranged for Andy to observe in other high school classrooms, where teachers were teaching courses more similar to hers back home, Andy was drawn back to my class often. She mentioned she was reminded of why she became a teacher by interacting and supporting our newcomer students. She said, “It’s that simple joy of being with a student and seeing them understand something and then using their new knowledge.”
She could not be better suited for me and my professional development! It was great having Andy here to bounce around new ideas, but also to join me in lots of Canadian experiences after school hours. It helped me get my work–life balance back on track! The instant feedback for both of us and the dialogue we have had during our exchange have been invaluable. It’s like co-teaching, with all the added benefits. I am excited to be fully immersed in her classroom/school/culture for two weeks this summer and am looking forward to observing how she manages her diverse classes.
The added bonus of taking on this exchange through the ATA is that the co-ordinator has linked participants together! There are two other teachers from Edmonton participating in an exchange to Queensland and we are meeting up to travel to Cairns prior to the beginning of our placements, and again after to check out Sydney and Melbourne as well. It will be great to travel with other Alberta teachers — it’s two more colleagues to get to know and hopefully collaborate with in the future.
For those thinking about participating, the requirements needed to travel and volunteer in Australia are pretty simple. I look forward to my Australia experience and bringing what I learn back to my classroom and colleagues! ❚
Cindy Engel, Brooks Composite High School
