Danica Thomsen-Harnick (she/her)
OCT, BA (Hons.) & BEd (Primary/Junior/Intermediate/Senior)

OCT STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE:

COMMITMENT TO STUDENTS AND STUDENT LEARNING

 

"Members are dedicated in their care and commitment to students. They treat students equitably and with respect and are sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning. Members facilitate the development of students as contributing citizens of Canadian society" -OCT

 

My commitment to students begins with seeing each child as a whole person. In order for students to learn, their needs must be met (Maslow). That means me getting to know them as a person first, and a student second, and prioritizing their social-emotional needs over the curriculum when necessary. Connecting with parents and working as a team builds a strong foundation for helping students reach their potential. 

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Equity over equality is very important to me. Each day each student's learning is affected by a variety of factors, and I must continually adapt to each student's daily needs. I use a strengths-based approach and Universal Design for Learning by allowing all students access to accommodations, assistive technologies (such as voice-to-text for writing and text-to-voice and audiobooks for reading), and a flexible learning environment while providing for voice and choice. I accept each student where they are and gently guide them towards whatever success means for them without judgment. 

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I am also relentless when it comes to finding ways to meet student needs when I cannot meet those needs alone. Advocating for students can sometimes be discouraging when being told "no, xyz isn't possible." However, I've found that "no" often means "not from this perspective." In 2018 I successfully referred a student from our private school to CHEO's Steps to Success program after overcoming many barriers that seemed insurmountable. In 2021 I asked for an EA in my virtual classroom to provide math and reading support and got three "no's"   before finally getting a "yes." Support is available, but it takes a lot of effort to find. 

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Another passion of mine is representation, which makes a huge difference in student learning. Representation really does matter, and it's more than celebrating Black History Month in February. My students see themselves in the curriculum through the carefully selected learning activities we do and books we read. In my high school phys.ed classes, I seek out workout videos that include people of diverse body types and ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds as well as members of the disability and LGBTQ2+ communities, challenging the narrative of what a fit person does, eats, and looks like. Where representation suitable for our purposes does not exist, I am actively advocating for our board to seek out and commission this content to be created. ​I have an extensive classroom library and I am always adding books that represent the diversity of our community, through the authors, characters, and topics presented. This year, I posted a Bitmoji classroom for Asian Heritage Month. One grade 3 student said, "Mrs. Harnick, it says it's Asian Heritage Month! I'm Asian!" 

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In my first grade placement, I had two students in the class who were colour blind. I was teaching a patterning unit and had to adapt my activities accordingly. Colour is one of the primary ways for first-grade students to create patterns, but I adapted by demonstrating and assessing pattern creation through factors such as size and shape, as well as musical patterns. I also limited other activities involving colour identification. A few students in my class also had trouble with writing and drawing, so where possible I had them complete and create their own patterns with cutout shapes. In this, all students were able to achieve the curriculum expectations in a variety of ways that worked for each of them.