Source

Source, a podcast from the Canadian Teachers’ Federation/Fédération Canadienne des enseignantes et des enseignants (CTF/FCE), is well worth the listen. Source addresses many concerns of educators and has covered critical issues like workplace violence, the staffing and retention crisis, our professional mental health, and the impacts of information technology in rapidly evolving digital learning environments.

Source is a professionally produced podcast that amply demonstrates CTF/FCE’s core values. The content includes the latest research in whatever area it examines, including contributions by leading academics and advocates, such as Michael Geist on the subject of workers’ digital rights, or Fae Johnstone on supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ students and educators. Appearances by scholars or researchers are always well balanced with the voices of teachers and education workers in schools. The podcast is bilingual, with both official languages used in many episodes, and some entirely in French. This is where Source is strongest: many episodes are rightly focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion, with a particular emphasis on female educators, highlighting for example the achievements of women union leaders and criticizing the inadequate representation of women in Canadian politics.

However, Source could perhaps concentrate more on the particular struggles of the unions which comprise the CTF/FCE, as they grapple directly with neoliberal underfunding of public education. There could be more detail on how affiliates (or locals) have undertaken particular political actions, bargaining fights, or member and community mobilizations, to win against the many problems the podcast so justly and thoroughly explores. If the intended audience of Source is the CTF/FTE members themselves (and not just a general public ignorant of the attacks on our work), then such an additional focus could help make the podcast an educational and organizational tool for educators across Canada looking for templates for action.

Source is available at https://ctffce-source.buzzsprout.com/ and on most streaming platforms.

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Podcast Review by Chris Chandler (he/him)
Vice-President, Teachers’ Bargaining Unit, District 12, Toronto