Mr. Clarke After Dark

Jason Schilling is currently the President of Alberta Teachers Association and has been in the profession for twenty-seven years. On this episode, Jason and I discuss student/teacher violence, the classroom size cap not coming to Alberta despite being present in others, central bargaining vs. local bargaining, PECBA legislation and bargaining for what you would like to bargain for, how there are a...

Tyler Cole is currently working in Economic Development in Nova Scotia, Canada. Tyler has also worked in Marketing and Tourism in the Fort McMurray area over the past eight years. On part two of our conversation, Tyler and I discuss the difficulties recruiting and maintaining volunteers, the details of pitching an event, the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship, the issues he has had recruiting...

Tyler Cole is currently working in Economic Development in Nova Scotia, Canada. Tyler has also worked in Marketing and Tourism in the Fort McMurray area over the past eight years. On this episode, Tyler and I discuss some of the anomalies of Northern Alberta, the local Astro-Photographer (Jon Tupper) in Fort McMurray who works with the Smithsonian, the value and transferability of post-secondary e...

Greg Pollard is currently a Physical Education & Humanities Teacher who is currently in his 17th year in the profession. On Part two of the conversation, Greg and I discuss teaching students in lower streams not to think they’re ’stupid,’ almost moving to another province, channeling his inner nerd, how presenting is not quite the gulag but is definitely still tiring, not placing your own acad...

Greg Pollard is currently a Physical Education & Humanities Teacher who is currently in his 17th year in the profession. On part one of our conversation, Greg and I discuss being called ‘Mr. Yummy,’ teaching mutual respect to students, not being a movie watcher, building relationships with students and avoiding the ‘teacher persona,’ adapting to a new school, finding sufficient ways to supplem...

Hello friends!  Chris Organ is currently a Principal who is in his 15th year in the profession. On part two of our conversation, Chris and I discuss  instilling the value of education and the love of learning in your students, the purpose of Social Studies, the teacher shortage, his initial stint as an administrator at only 28 and the challenges associated with it, not liking being called ‘boss,’...

Hello friends!  Chris Organ is currently a Principal who is in his 15th year in the profession. On part 1 of the podcast, Chris and I discuss what inspired him to be a teacher as a leader at an ADHD summer camp, how our influence as teachers expand beyond what we may typically think, what he looks for when interviewing teachers, the importance of showing growth, not being a ‘yeller,’ approaching a...

Kelly Haldane is currently a Junior High Humanities Teacher who has been in the profession for more than a decade. On Part 2 of this episode, Kelly and I discuss student personality juggling, teacher guilt, the lack of need for report cards, the transition from teacher-at-school to teacher-on-call mentality, what the barriers between teachers and parents should be like, the no-zero policy dilemma...

Hello friends,  Kelly Haldane is currently a Junior High Humanities Teacher who has been in the profession for more than a decade. On Part 1 of this episode, Kelly and I discuss the utility of our university education, her experience working in a women’s shelter in Edmonton, teaching in Kenya, a machete surprise in the classroom, how her Kenyan students created their own Track and a chance encount...

Hello friends!  Conrad Drover is currently teaching in Southern Alberta and is currently in his 5th year in the profession. On part two of our conversation, Drover and I discuss starting Track & Field and how this helped his self-esteem, breaking his fibula trying to get ice cream, calm panicking, growing as an athlete and not peaking in high school, the fall-from-grace feeling after finishing...

Hello friends!  Christina Buhler is a French Language Arts and Social Studies teacher who is currently in her 4th year in the profession. On this episode, Buhler and I discuss Imposter Syndrome, what it means to improve as a teacher in our early years, the negativity new teachers often get from more experienced teachers, finding ways to tune out the noise,  how both parents and students interact w...

Hello friends! Conrad Drover is currently teaching in Southern Alberta and is currently in his 5th year in the profession. On part one of the podcast, Drover and I discuss, with his glass of milk and laryngitis, his recent move to the Calgary area and the adjustments he has had to make, having trouble building relationships in a bigger school, how there is no hope for my diabetic cat, why the 8th...

Hello friends!  Christina Buhler is a French Langauge Arts and Social Studies teacher who is currently in her 4th year in the profession. On this episode, Buhler and I discuss white girl anthems, becoming new teachers after Covid-19, teacher comparison, issues regarding French education and parental debate over whether their kids should go into it or not, the personalization of language, the gap b...

Scott Barr is currently is the Director of Human Resources & Administration with the Fort McMurray Public School District and is currently in his 27th year in the profession. On part two of our conversation Scott and I discuss standardized testing, how society undervalues teachers, how everyone thinks they can be a teacher through their ‘institutional biography,’ ways to make Education more co...

Scott Barr is currently is the Director of Human Resources & Administration with the Fort McMurray Public School District and is currently in his 27th year in the profession. On part one of the episode we discuss the pros/cons of teaching PhysEd and the stereotypes associated with them, how Martial Arts have helped him with personal growth, the adjustment from teaching to administering, creati...

Sheldon Dahl is a Social Studies Teacher who is currently in his 20th year in the profession. On this episode, Dahl and I discuss mentoring young teachers, professional learning, the idea of teaching before entering vs. having skin in the game, the strangeness of teacher resource competition, the four types of students you will encounter, the value of the high school diploma, handling teacher busy...

Steve Hulan is a Physical Education Teacher now in his 18th year in the profession. On this episode Hulan and I discuss going for ‘old man floats,’ the internal pressure we put on ourselves to be constantly productive, maintaining discipline in the age of student agency in punishment decision-making, spicing up the PhysEd classroom, how classroom sizes change our role from teacher to manager, and,...

Thomas Wickens is a Physics & Chemistry Teacher who has been in and out of the profession for over a decade. On part two of this episode, Wickens and I discuss inflatable penguins, if Humanities and Science Teachers should earn the same wage, his initial start as a Secondary Science Teacher, going into his first full year back and … right into Covid, recovering from Covid, staying in the class...

Steve Hulan is a Physical Education Teacher now in his 18th year in the profession. Steve and I discussed his Newfie roots, the significance of the ‘shed,’ if being an administrator is worth the money & finding ways to supplement your teacher income, how teacher burnout is different for everyone, dealing with insane gym class sizes, how your perception of teaching changes if you are in the pos...

Thomas Wickens is a Physics & Chemistry Teacher who has been in and out of the profession for just over a decade. On this episode, Wickens and I discuss his Chemistry Masters Program working on cancer research at Dalhousie, his first teaching gig at an all-girls school in England, his jobs working as a professional protein taster (supplement quality control) as well as working for a cigarette...

Kevin Garbuio is currently a Vice Principal and has been teaching for more than a decade. On today's episode Garbuio and I discussed how to begin the new year to establish relationships and routines, letting students have some control in the room, being the 'not-mad' administrator, teacher self-comparison, embracing your idiosyncrasies as a teacher, summer school life, dealing with...

Kevin Garbuio is currently a Vice Principal and has been teaching for more than a decade. On today's episode Garbuio and I discussed student/teacher personality clashes, choosing not to win when in conflict as a teacher, turning consistency from words into practice, Special Education, split VP roles, when to start your Masters, teacher burnout and the role peers play in either its alleviation...

Hilary Morgan is a Secondary English & Social Studies Teacher who is currently in her seventh year teaching overall. Initial apologies here as this episode is using the backup audio as Adobe Audition crashed before I could save the main audio. On today's episode, Hilary and I discuss making marking more efficient, letting the rubrics do the work for you, moving from a rural, mainly Indige...

Nicole North is currently in her first year of teaching after receiving her Education Degree from the University of Alberta. On this episode Nicole and I discuss her immediate two-month junior high placement following the end of her university studies, the adjustment from student to teacher, understanding how long it takes students to do seemingly menial tasks, being terrified as a new teacher, ma...

On this episode, Keca and I discuss winners and losers, how Baseball is stupid, the problems with athletes specializing in one sport only, establishing relationships with students, athletes, and community supporters, teaching communication, networking, embracing your individuality as a teacher and coach, dealing with morale on struggling teams, delegating leadership to your players, leaving coachi...