Dr. Brent Macdonald R.Psych

Keynote: Self-Care as an Ethical Obligation: What Teachers Owe Themselves 
9 – 10 a.m.
Hyatt - Imperial 5, 7 & 9  

Breakout Session II 
10:45 - 11:45 a.m. 
Hyatt - Imperial 5, 7 & 9  

Dr. Brent Macdonald is a registered psychologist in Alberta, BC, PEI, Nova Scotia, and the Northwest and Yukon Territories and is a certified teacher with more than 25 years of experience working with individuals with various complex learning differences. Dr. Macdonald maintains consultative relationships with various public, independent and charter schools across Canada. He is a sessional instructor in the Departments of Psychology, Continuing Education, and Community, Health & Education at Mount Royal University. He is also an adjunct assistant professor with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Macdonald is a frequent guest on CBC Calgary and PEI, Global Television, Breakfast Television, CITY-TV, and CTV. He is currently the lead psychologist with his practice, Macdonald Psychology Group, with offices in Calgary and Charlottetown. He and his team provide educators and parents counselling, assessment, and consultation services. Brent has recently published Fall Seven Times, Stand Up Eight: Mental Toughness for Everyone with Kendall-Hunt Publishing, available at www.complexlearners.com. Dr. Macdonald divides his time between Calgary and PEI.

Keynote: Self-Care as an Ethical Obligation: What Teachers Owe Themselves 

9 – 10 a.m.
Hyatt - Imperial 5, 7 & 9 

We all know the analogy — if we are in an airplane and the air mask drops, we put it on ourselves before helping someone else. However, in many cases, teachers are the first to put the mask on everyone else except themselves. As professionals, we are aware of the need to ensure that we engage in effective self-care, but we tend not to be very good at doing so. In this session, we will discuss our obligations as professionals to engage in effective self-care through a lens of mental toughness. We will consider self-care not only good for our mental wellness, but we will examine the ethical necessity of engaging in self-care as individual professionals while also exploring how larger systems (school-level administration, board-level policies, provincial expectations) can work toward and against our ethical requirements for effective self-care.

Breakout Session II 

10:25 a.m. – noon
Hyatt - Imperial 5, 7 & 9  

In this session, we will engage participants in an interactive dialogue focused on developing our understanding of why self-care is important and how to go beyond often trite and ineffective approaches (casual Fridays, pizza lunches, going for walks — while helpful, they do not get to the core of the issues). Mental toughness, the capacity to identify and face challenges and to learn from experience, will provide the framework through which we will continue to examine our ethical and professional obligations for self-care.

Chris Scout

Breakout Session I
10:45 – 11:45 a.m. 
Hyatt - Stephen A/B 

Chris Scout, my Blackfoot name is Isstoi'soowa — Winter Count Coup. It was given to me by the late Andy Blackwater in a ceremony at the University of Lethbridge while completing my Master's Degree. I'm Niitsitapi from the Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta. But I was born on the traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Vancouver). I was the fourth child of Sooyi'kitstaki (the name of my mother), of the Niitsitapi, and I grew up in the areas south of Moh-kíns-tsis, in places like Akokimi (Blackfoot name for Cardston), Akapiyoyis (Blackfoot name for Fort Macleod) and Kainai. I'm a member of the Mamioyiiksi (fish eater clan). I began teaching in 2006 at the Siksika Nation High School. In 2010, I began working with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE). I held several roles in the CBE, including teacher, Learning Leader, Specialist and Assistant Principal. I'm currently the Superintendent of Education for the Siksika Board of Education and the vice-chair for the Old Sun Community College Board of Governors. I'm also in the third year of my Doctor of Education at the University of Calgary.

Breakout Session I 

10:45 – 11:45 a.m. 
Hyatt - Stephen A/B 

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its 94 Calls to Action. These calls were broken into two themes: Legacy and Reconciliation. Under these themes, there are 22 areas of focus. In the calls, the theme of education appears several times throughout. Below is a breakdown of the frequency of certain words with an educational connection (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, 2015). Given the frequent use of words related to education, it is no wonder that when former Justice Murray Sinclair spoke about Truth and Reconciliation, he would often reference the significance education will play regarding the work of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. But how prepared are we to take on this work? How well do we understand what Truth and Reconciliation is or what it looks like? How equipped are schools to take on this work in a meaningful way? As an educator, a school leader, a system leader, and also as an Indigenous person whose mother attended residential school, these are the questions that come to mind and what we will be exploring in our session.

Patrick Loyer

Roundtable Discussion 
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
TBA 

Patrick Loyer is an Indigenous educator of Nehiyaw (Cree) descent and has been involved in education for his entire professional career of forty-two years. He began his career with Calgary Catholic School District, where he held various teaching positions before becoming the Consultant for Aboriginal Education. He joined the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) in February 2009 in the Professional Development (PD) program area, where he was instrumental in growing the Indigenous policies of the ATA.

He has recently retired from the ATA, is a skilled presenter and continues to be an advocate for Indigenous issues.

Other interests he has are sports, travel and his grandchildren. Sports, in one form or another, has always been a part of his life, and currently, he is a Nationally ranked official in Olympic-style wrestling.

Roundtable Discussion

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Hyatt - Imperial 5, 7 & 9  

Panel Discussion with Dr. Brent Macdonald and Chris Scout, moderated by Patrick Loyer

The panel discussion will allow a live and interactive chat focusing on ethical considerations and practical strategies for developing effective self-care practices.