Together feels OK

An issue filled with hope

Inevitably, we have the tropes that accompany the fall season —curling up with blankets, putting the garden to rest for the winter, preparing for hibernation. These all seem at once bleak and yet hopeful. They are signs that our world is cyclical, that there is a tomorrowå, and that we can and will get through the dark times. 

This issue of Education Forum has played out with a similar trope—a number of our articles attest to the challenges we face in public education and in our quest for a just society. They consider what has to be done to be better, to do better, and to dream better. In the article, “Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes as school-based learning activities,” OSSTF/FEESO Member, Gordon Robitaille, showcases how a little idea can bring about significant change and can unite a community.

In, “A tough fight, but winnable,” OSSTF/FEESO staff member, Chris Samuel, summarizes how the Federation used political bargaining as a novel and effective strategy in our recent fight to protect publicly funded education in the province. Samuel reviews the strategy and identifies how and when creative thinking can turn around a seemingly unwinnable situation.

One of the most touching and personal pieces in this issue comes to us from local OSSTF/FEESO leader, Garrett Metcalfe. In our cover story, Metcalfe exposes his own journey to personal freedom and the ways in which drag helped him find the support of this union community. 

The work of our Election Organizers is featured in Tim Mathewson’s piece, “Election Organizers at the heart of local activism,” where the case is made for sustained political action. This is paralleled by two articles from community activists groups Support Our Stu­dents Alberta and Fix Our Schools. Both show how public education is being undermined and how together we can fight the right’s ubiquitous disdain for public education. 

You may also notice a couple of changes in the look and feel of our magazine, especially the hard copy edition. As a team, we are working to provide a more accessible and greener product. Over the next few issues you will see a more sustainable paper stock used along with a more accessible print font and graphic designs. It is our hope that as we employ these changes that Education Forum will continue to be a publication you can snuggle up under your blanket with while sipping a warm beverage. We hope that it will inspire you in your work protecting and enhancing public education, building unionism, and furthering social justice, and equity.