On Nov. 20, the third annual Increasing Teacher Diversity event was held on the Waterloo campus. Organized by Laurier’s Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigenization coalition (EDI&I), the event brings together high school students from across Waterloo with aims to inspire future educators from equity-deserving groups.
“We ask the students who come to our event, how many of you have teachers that look like you or have had teachers that look like you, there are very few,” said Jennifer Straub, assistant professor in the faculty of education and co-chair of the EDI&I coalition.
Students arrived at 9 a.m. and had a full day of events. On the schedule was an Indigenous Circle Opening, a Q&A panel of current teacher candidates, campus tours and a human library where students could interact with racialized teaching candidates and faculty at various stations. Lunch, a photo booth and networking opportunities were also available for students.
Straub said that there have been some improvements since the EDI&I’s first teacher diversity event. In 2022, the event saw 50 students whereas this year and last around 100 students were in attendance. “This year we had so much more interest from school boards and now we plan to do another teacher diversity event in Brantford in the spring,” she said.
Grade 11 student Isabella Figueiredo and grade 12 student Angelina Anello, from St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge, attended the event for the first time. “It’s been nice to network and make connections with people and just ask some questions that research alone can’t answer,” Figueiredo said.
“I really like hearing other people’s experiences too. This university seems like a good environment,” Anello said.
There is a considerable teacher diversity gap in Ontario. As of 2014, only ten per cent of secondary school teachers and nine per cent of elementary and kindergarten teachers were from racialized groups.
“Diversity is one of the foundational building blocks to create more inclusive environments. In this context, we’re focusing on schools, but we know schools are part of a larger ecosystem that correlate with faculties of education, the non-profit organizations, the families they serve,” said Ardavan Eizadirad, assistant professor in the faculty of education and EDI&I co-chair. “We are planting some seeds here around people and being intentional, letting them know we see you, we’re here to support you.”
Having students from different secondary schools interact is another powerful component of the event, Straub said.
“They come to the event, they’re a little shy at first. At the end of the day, they’re exchanging Instagram and they’re making those connections so that hopefully when they do come to campus, there are a few friendly faces that they recognize,” Straub said. Eizadirad concluded by noting that the event ultimately aims to support students entering the next phase of their life.
“We’re trying to make the decisions easier and let folks know there’s a network of caring adults in different roles they can tap into to identify what their future goals are. We’re encouraging them to go into teaching, but success can look like many different pathways and we’re okay with that,” he said.
