Beyond the Report Card: Teaching with Heart and Kindness

Paige Fisher is an associate professor at Vancouver Island University with 18 years of experience in teacher education and leadership development. Her work has included embedded teacher ed programs, Indigenous teacher education initiatives, and explorations of non-traditional grading and assessment. Highlights from her conversation with Rod and Jal include: reflections on her own experiences as a student and teacher; a powerful story that illustrates the disconnect between traditional grading and student potential; how working at a community-driven homeschool program reshaped her approach to education; how Indigenous teachings have guided her leadership development; an emphasis on teaching with kindness and building community both in and out of the classroom; why you sometimes have to be more interesting than a goat to get students to pay attention; and a light-hearted lightning round that covers swimming and screen time habits!  Read Dr. Fisher's Dissertation: The Stories We Planted: A Narrative Exploration of Evaluative School ExperienceQuestions? Thoughts? Feedback? Email us at  [email protected] or Tweet us at @jal_mehta and @Rodroad219