As a non-profit organization focused on serving the members of our teaching community, the role of OFSHEEA is to facilitate the professional development and personal growth of educators to promote quality Family Studies programs in Ontario. We do this in a number of ways. We provide our members with engaging and relevant resources both on our website and through a variety of professional learning opportunities.
We also aim to promote the importance of Family Studies education in the Ontario classroom and to ensure that all Family Studies teachers are confident in delivering both parts – practical and theoretical – of our curriculum.
During this past year (2022), we gratefully received grant money from the Canadian Home Economics Foundation (CHEF) and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) to assist us:
- to maintain and update our bank of existing resources on the website.
- to develop NEW resources and monthly workshops that will help prepare Family Studies educators to deliver the 2013 Social Science and Humanities curriculum with fresh and current lesson ideas. Over the past two years we held sessions on Indigenous ways, diet culture, financial literacy, mental health/wellness and the sharing of resources and lesson ideas. We look forward to providing more exciting workshops this coming school year.
- to create and present curriculum advisories to support teachers in addressing current issues in our classrooms. These advisories will help teachers with planning current and timely lessons that are sensitive and responsive to current topics such as diet culture, Indigenous culture, anti-colonialism, and equity and diversity in the Family Studies classroom. These resources as they are developed will be shared in the “Free Resources” section of our website.
- to offer our “Leading Food and Fashion Labs” virtual workshops twice a year to support teachers new to Family Studies.
- to revise and update our existing resources on safety in the food and fashion lab. Expected release date of the new resources will happen in early September 2022 and will be available in the “Free Resources” section of our website.
- in the production of our new podcast titled “What the Family Studies?” Each episode will highlight professionals in the areas of Family Studies, education and home economics to support teachers in the classroom and with their personal wellness. Our goal is to release our first episode in early September.
- to create a mentoring program for teachers new to Family Studies. We are currently looking for both those who would like to mentor and those who would like to be mentored. More information can be found on social media and under the Current OFSHEEA News tab of our website.
These initiatives provide ample opportunities for the professional development of members and for them to get involved in numerous ways. Members can:
- inquire about participating in the podcasts. We are looking for guests! Email us at ofsheea@ofsheea.ca if you would like to participate.
- apply to our job postings for writing or reviewing resources. Postings come out at various times during the year – so keep watching for them on social media, through our email blasts and our website.
- volunteer to be on our Board of Directors – there are several positions and one might match your skill set. Feel free to write ofsheea@ofsheea.ca for more information.
- share any ideas you have for monthly events or workshops for PD. We always look forward to feedback to help us, help you!
In the near future we intend to:
- look for new ways to reach our members, as well as the wider Family Studies community, as education continues to evolve and change due to circumstances in the province.
- increase our use of virtual platforms to bridge some of the vast distances within our province so that we can better reach educators in all regions of Ontario.
- host special annual and monthly events to support teachers with new topics and skills for the Family Studies classroom, provide networking opportunities, and share new projects that OFSHEEA is working on.
