A 'Found' Diary Of Secondary School Teacher Zara Knight
Below is a collection of found diary entries from a secondary school teacher named Mrs. Zara Knight. When scientists found the diary, it was missing many pages,however, they managed to recover the four pages below. The first two entries are from the year 2040, the third entry is from the year 2043 and the last entry is from the year 2045.
September 7th, 2040
Dear diary,
I can’t believe it! It is officially my 16th year teaching as a secondary school teacher. I’ve got to say that schools and the art of teaching has really come a long way. When I went to school and first started as a teacher, I don’t think I ever imagined secondary schooling would be the way that it is today, but I think it’s amazing! This semester, I am teaching two math courses and one history course. I’m not too worried about the math courses as it’s similar to what I like to call “old-school teaching”. Now, the history course, that is “new-school teaching.” I was talking to Nancy recently and she said she taught an e-learning course last year. Nancy is new blood, so she’s on top of all the tech we use in schools now. I’m not calling myself old or outdated by any means (no way!), but I have to admit that the technology has been advancing much faster compared to when I first started teaching. Soooooo, this e-learning course will be fun and a learning curve for me. The good news is that I myself was a student all the way back in 2020, when the treacherous COVID-19 pandemic hit, so I’m quite experienced being a student in an e-learning course. What I’m more intrigued about is the virtual and augmented reality field trips students and I will be taking into different time periods. Now, I’ve done this a couple times before and I can definitely say these trips are always the highlight of every course! Hmmm, maybe I can find one that’ll show students life during quarantine back in 2020. Oh, what a time that was. Anyways, I digress, that’s all for today.
Signing off,
Zara Knight
December 15th, 2040
Dear diary,
Fa la la la la, la la la la. I can’t wait for the upcoming Christmas break! But I have to say, this semester has really flown by! Only one more month and then exams! Thankfully, the semester has gone really well. The school recently renovated the e-learning hubs and a lot of my students have told me that they have really enjoyed using them. Even though I’m excited for the break, I have lots to do to prepare for final exams next month. It's been some time since the Ontario curriculum changed the assessment structure, with a greater emphasis on thinking/inquiry, application and communication, but because I’ve used the old structure for so long, it takes me some time to craft assessments, especially something like a final exam. Ah, this makes me reminisce about back in 2022, when ChatGPT took the world by storm. I can still remember being a student teacher and hearing all the contract teachers scrambling and worrying about what to do since so many students were using ChatGPT to complete their assignments. Honestly, it was definitely a challenge at first, but the emphasis on thinking/inquiry and application has really made us teachers focus on deeper learning, versus surface level learning. Sure, it definitely takes a lot more thought, effort and time to create assessments, but I find it’s much more beneficial for students. I think I’ll try and get the exams for all my classes done early so I can enjoy the rest of my break stress-free! Hmmm, I heard Wonderland is unveiling a new attraction at this year’s WinterFest where they give you a VR headset and you can try exclusive rides in the North Pole. Definitely sounds weird, but I NEED to try it out.
Signing off,
Zara Knight
February 21st, 2043
Dear diary,
I don’t know if I already said this in an earlier entry, but if I haven’t, I’ve been assigned to guidance this term. When I did guidance more than 10 years ago, it was quite different as the secondary schooling system was much more, hmm how should I describe it, structured and generalized. However, I saw that system sort of falling apart, especially after COVID, as students were so unmotivated in a lot of courses and kept saying they didn’t understand why they had to take courses which had nothing to do with their future careers. Well, the government finally heard students and now created a personalized option for them. If I know one thing, it’s that teachers are SO happy to not have to hear students complaining about being in a particular class. Students know they have options now, so complaints have gone down, while motivation has gone up! Honestly, being in guidance, I’ve already found this personalized option to be really helpful for many students. I’m seeing both students who come into highschool knowing exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life, excited to focus on only those courses. On the other hand, I also see many students who feel like they want to explore and keep their options open. It’s actually been really fulfilling to be able to give students options of personalized or generalized paths depending on where they are in their journey. I wonder, if I was a student at this time, would I opt to do the general path used in prior years or would I personalize it for a particular career???
Signing off,
Zara Knight
July 1st, 2045
Dear diary,
Happy Canada Day! I’m so glad to be done with the school year and have some down time. My husband, kids and I decided to go out and see some of the Canada Day festivities. This year, like the last few years, has been way less crowded. I know there’s been a move towards de-urbanization as a lot of people were sick and tired of the hustle and bustle in the cities. Although I do understand the appeal of moving further out, I am a city girl through and through and can’t imagine doing it. Maybe when I retire I could, but definitely not now. With all the emphasis on environmental sustainability in the last decade, this year all large attractions were mandated to implement holographic fireworks. The government tried selling it by saying “no noise, no pollution”! Surprisingly, it was much better than I had thought. Holographic fireworks, I wonder what theyll come up with next. Ok, time to rest up because tomorrow I have a huge VR tennis match!
Signing off,
Zara Knight