Learning From the Best: The Educator Advisory Council
Written By Chesa Peters, Ever Active Schools
It’s teacher appreciation week and we want to show some love to our EAS BFFs – the EAC! (Enough acronyms for you?) The EAC, or Educator Advisory Council, is a group of all-star Educators who help guide our work. This council is approaching its first birthday and it’s about time we spotlight the fantastic folks who make up this unique part of our team!
The Making of the Educator Advisory Council
The Educator Advisory Council evolved from its predecessor: EAS Associated Facilitators. An Associated Facilitator was an in-service teacher trained to deliver Ever Active Schools professional learning workshops. These individuals were asked to present 1-2 times a year to fill the gaps created by scheduling conflicts and geographical proximity. This helped extend our reach and meet the requests of more schools and communities around the province. When the pandemic hit, opportunities for Associated Facilitators were greatly reduced and we had a beat to re-evaluate the relationship! We recognized that these were often the people we turned to when we needed advice, thoughts or feedback on our work. They acted as our eyes and ears “on the ground” who could provide us insight into the needs, wants and day-to-day realities of teachers in the field. From here, the Educator Advisory Council was born. This new title and role was designed to reflect our goal of centering teacher voices and experiences in our projects, products and services.
What the Educator Advisory Council is Up To
The Educator Advisory Council is a group of dedicated school health champions representing the regions of Alberta and beyond. This group comes together to learn from one another and inform on various activities and services, such as resource development, conference content and speakers, event planning and project implementation. Further, the Educator Advisors (EAs) continue to extend EAS reach, virtually and geographically, by sharing through social media and professional learning delivery in their region. At Teachers’ Convention 2024, seven of Ever Active Schools presentations were facilitated by local EAs. When asked to share a highlight from their time thus far, we heard that it was “going out of my comfort zone to present at the Teacher Convention! While this isn’t something I would normally do, the team provided me with some amazing resources to prepare me for the presentation.”
Inspired by the Educator Advisory Council
One of the most wonderful things we have seen come from the council is the growing connections being made between EAs and the feeling of fellowship that permeates our meetings. This came up several times in the highlights survey, with folks saying:
“I’ve really enjoyed our bi-monthly meetings. I love connecting with other educators across the province and learning about different resources and professional learning opportunities.”
“My highlight so far has been the sharing of information between members. I always leave the meetings with some takeaways and try tomorrows!”
“I have loved getting to know all these wonderful educators! They inspire me to be better every day and have shared some amazing things.”
They inspire us to be better too.
Shout out to our besties Adam, Brae, Brady, Bobbi, Cassandra, Colette, Dayna, Janice, Jessica, Jill, Kalli, Leanne, Lisa, Meagan, Mark, Melanie, Nathan and Sarah! Thank you for all that you do!
