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Hello all!

These are the tomatoes from my garden. For me, they are not only a delicious addition to any recipe, they also make me feel constantly connected to my late Nonna (grandmother)! Through my Nonna I had the opportunity to learn a miriad of things, from Italian cooking, to family values, to how to maintain strong relationships and support the ones that I love most. Although she passed several years ago, this year my partner and I were given the opportunity to move into the home that she and my Nonno built, some 60+ years ago. We have been able to bring their fabulous garden back to life, and it is so special to us. With each tomato that grows, I am reminded of how wonderfully she has shaped my life, and who I am as a person and teacher.

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This is not an object 🙈 This is my cat Mishmish. He is teaching me a lot about kids and emotions. He brings happiness and love. It taught me about myself and made me more courageous. My daughter loves reading to him, and he actually sits and listens ☺️

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I am sharing a picture of a camping barrel (mine is in the basement!) I picked this item because to me it signifies that an adventure is coming up. I have taken it on countless camping trips and now it's my main 'bag' when I got to my cottage, so it's always been something I can rely on!

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My show and tell is of an elephant embroidery hoop that was gifted to me. My favourite animal is an elephant because they are my grandma's favourite animal as well. She always told us this when I was growing up and since then I have grown my elephant artifact collection. I always have lots of elephant gifts and objects around and everyone who knows me knows they are my favourite animal and favourite artifact because of how much my grandmother loves them as well, and I know I have always looked up to her.

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I brought my apron because work has played a large role in my life and is a place I enjoy being. I work in a restaurant and I began working there when I was only 15 years old. I was (an still am) a shy person, but working in a highly social environment helped me to open up more. In addition to this, I have been afforded many opportunities and experiences through the contacts I have made at work such as concerts, hockey games, watching over the owner's house, meeting many NHL hockey players, etc.

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If my child isn't this cute, I want a refund.

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Some people have cats, dogs, or crazy children running around in the background, but I got this little guy keeping me company (and showing me the ways of the force). My sister got him for me last Christmas since he's stolen my heart (and countless others) in the Star Wars show, the Mandalorian. It's just nice having him around as I work through this program. He's a reminder that it's okay to take time for myself when I feel overwhelmed with readings, reflections, and everything thing else going on. Plus, he's very wise - he's like 500 years old or something!

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This is an Austro-Hungarian coin from 18th century. It used to be a monetary instrument, but at some point, people started using them to decorate their folklore uniforms. This particular one is from my great-grandmother, and due to its size, it was a central piece of the belt part of the uniform. It has been passed down to my grandmother, my mother and now it is in my possession. To me, it signifies strong family roots and connection that we have with the homeland and our ancestors.

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When I first moved out for school, my grandma gave me a small house plant that she had cut off and had replanted from one of her own that she had for years.
My grandma was a huge part of my childhood. My mom, my sister and I lived with her for many years, and so she played a huge role in raising me. She was always fiercely independent, and completely selfless, two traits that I have always strived to inherit.
After moving away, my grandma's dementia started to advance, and now while she doesn't have a lot of time left, I have my plant, which I see as a metaphor as something tactile that will continue to live when she's gone. :)

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This artifact symbolizes overcoming challenge for me. In my last year of high school, my school put on a large scale production of a musical called Zombie Prom. I was the pianist and had to play for the entire show almost non-stop. In an effort to turn the sheet music pages quickly, I kept ripping the holes out of my giant music binder. My favourite music teacher gave me these to reinforce my pages. For whatever reason, that gesture meant so much to me because it demonstrated his support. Putting on that musical will forever be a special experience for me!

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I won a one-of-a-kind necklace at one of the the last dance competition's I competed in (2017) at the Glengarry Highland Games, and it was specially made by a local jeweler. It means a lot to me because the highland games have been a huge part of my life and are a big part of my family heritage; I've never missed an event and I've always been very involved in the games, so to receive such a beautiful object means so much to me, as I believe I would not be who I am without these events, the activities I participated in, as well as all of the people I have met.

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For my show and tell I chose the card game Dutch Blitz. I chose this item because my family loves playing games together, so it reminds me of hours spent playing different games together. I also chose this because my grandfather immigrated from Holland when he was ten years old, so it is a connection to my dad's side of my family, in a way.

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I wanted to show and tell a photograph of my late cousin. He is the reason I became a Crisis Responder and I'm grateful to have joined Kids Help Phone. I have grown empathetically and my perspective on mental health has developed profoundly. He's the reason I want to bring a focus on mental health in my classroom. r.i.p P.N.

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When my mother retired, she took up painting. She worked in oil and became quite good as an amateur artist. There came a time when she could no longer work with oil paints, and although intimidated, she tried a new medium. This is her first water colour painting. She gave it to me for Christmas many years ago. It reminds me of a special family gathering, and inspires courage and creativity.

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The item I have chosen to share is my stuffed animal, Duke! Duke has many meanings to me. My Dad's first dog was an Alaskan Malamute named Duke so when I named this stuffed animal it was named after that dog. The way I received this stuffed animal, was it was passed down to me from my Mom, who received it from my Dad on one Valentine's Day before they were married. It became my favourite stuffed animal because it reminded me of Duke and my parents. When I was 9, my parents separated and Duke became that much more meaningful to me. Duke really symbolizes so much about life to me, whether it be love or connectedness even when things don't seem so connected, and it especially symbolizes hope -  that when things don't seem to be working out everything happens for a reason and all will be good in the end. Lastly, I love dogs and hope to have my own one day!

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My parents used to let my sister and I stay up an extra half hour if we were reading, so we both became big readers early on. We used to go to the little town library every few days and pick a huge stack of books. It was such a friendly place! My card still has the stickers the librarian gave me on it. (And, yes, this is still my current card. But who doesn't like Lilo and Stitch?)

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Although she isn't exactly an object, I chose my cat Mia to present in the show and tell. I struggled with picking an actual object because I don't often feel connected to inanimate things.

I adopted Mia when I was in grade 11, and she has stuck by my side over the past 7 years. Through my years as an adolescent and young adult, there were many shifts in my identity and lifestyle, and Mia was always the constant in my life to ground me. I've lived with many different friends and family over the years, and she has been with me each time, so she is also treasured by all my loved ones. She is definitely a big representation of my identity because she has been with me through all of the ups and downs of life.

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This is a water bottle I received as a gift from the soccer team I coached this past summer. It was a U5 team and I was very nervous at the beginning of the summer as they are very young and I wasn't sure how I was going to structure the practices and games. I ended up having a very fun summer! On the last day one of the kids brought water balloons and they are spent time throwing them at me and they were all laughing hysterically. At the end of the last day, they gave me this water bottle. I was very happy to receive it as I knew that they enjoyed me as their soccer coach. Very excited to coach next summer!

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Photo album and scrapbook of our travels to South America. 

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I chose this artifact because the trip was very special to me. I actually made this as a gift for my husband, but I consider it a gift for us. It is a fun way to look back on our adventures and remember the diverse cultures and landscapes that we saw.

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This music box is meaningful to me as it belonged to my grandparents. As a child, when I would visit their house I always gravitated towards it and loved singing along to its tune. Unfortunately my grandparents passed away. Now, hearing the song it plays reminds me of them and our lovely visits together. Fittingly, the song played is "Memory" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Trevor Nunn.

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This is my violin.  It was made by Johannes Cuypers, a dutch maker, in 1792.  The violin was loaned to me by a man (Keith Jolly) who had bought it in his youth in the UK, and then became an engineer.  He knew it was a valuable and nice instrument, and wanted a young violinist to love it in the way that he had when he was young.  When he passed away a few years ago, much to my surprise, he left it to me in his will.

I have played this violin since I was 16 years old (21 years, now!) and it has carried me through many stages of my life; school, grad school, new jobs, across three continents, living in 8 different cities. I feel like I know it so intimately that it feels like a part of me. I love that it carries little marks from all of the people who have played it before me - you can see where their fingers have slipped off the fingerboard and left indentations from the fingernails. I love that I feel that I am carrying on the spirit of everyone who played it before me, and I feel a great deal of responsibility to pass it onto someone in a meaningful way when the time is right.

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This red pocket was given back to me this year. My mother kept this since I was 6 years old. I was struggling very hard to find success after my undergraduate, ultimately bed ridden when my first choice of teachers college at York University was rejected. However I wanted to do something with my life and imediately applied to uOttawa. My mother gave this to me for good luck. Now I'm here and I still look back at this everyday.

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My comfort cross is meaningful to me because my faith is a major part of my identity. I hold this when I am anxious or stressed and it calms me down. It is also special because I gave it to my Grandmother to hold when she was sick and as she passed away.

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This was my dad's camera, Iv'e shot on it for close to 20 years. While not particularly into photography, he bought this sometime in the late 70's shortly after getting married. It makes me think of his desire to capture his budding family in images. Those photos are now heirloom items for my family and I. The camera reminds me of him and his admiration for our family. Those photos, many of which are from before I was born, influenced my interest in photography, in its storytelling abilities (especially as collections of photos) and as its abilities to let us "peek" into other lives.

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I used to be a plant murderer.

No matter what plant it was – succulents, even a cactus – for some unknown reason I could not keep it alive.

If I have given my plants sunlight, water, and care, why are they so eager to die? Is it a genetic condition to be horrible at caring for simple houseplants? A friend suggested: “Maybe it’s like when you thought someone was just really good at math naturally in school but actually they just worked a lot harder than you.” Am I not working hard enough?  It was sad and incredibly frustrating, but I never gave up.

Now I’m constantly surprised (and yes even a little proud) that I’ve managed to keep most of these plants alive for a few years.

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This is the goalie mask I would play ball hockey with all the time as a kid! It doesn't fit anymore but it just reminds me of some pretty fun times. Everyday after school I'd play ball hockey for a couple hours with my brother and friends before we'd get called in for supper and then do our homework.

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This is the rosary my mother gave me when I was confirmed in the church. It was my grandmother's who passed away when I was 14 years old but raised me!

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My artifact is a mask I made in my grade 2 art class.

As a little girl, I was very serious and deeply introverted. I’ve always said to myself that I’m not funny and not fun in the light-hearted way that I enviously see others be. Yet, I recently encountered an anomaly. On my mother’s wall hangs a self-portrait that I made out of clay when I was seven years old. In the mask, I am enthusiastically sticking out my tongue in a playfully rebellious gesture. Is this how I saw myself?!? The stories we tell ourselves are not always true!

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The item that I chose is my mantra band bracelet with the word "fearless" engraved on it. I received it as a gift from my mom right before going on a student exchange for 5 months. It was my first time travelling and leaving Canada on my own and I was super anxious. I cried a lot in the days leading up to my departure but before I left and while I was there, I wore this on my wrist everyday to remind myself to be fearless! Also, Fearless is the name of one of my favourite T. Swift albums.

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I chose this framed photograph because my family means a lot to me. I have a large family and they have all impacted the person I am today. Photography is also very important to my family. My Dad started his own photography business and taught us all how to take photos. I love taking photos because it captures a moment in time and allows you to share a memory!

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This is a little teddy bear that my mom made for me when I was away in Ottawa doing my undergrad. I was always homesick during my time at university. I remember receiving a package one day from home, and inside was this little bear. He's been with me in Ottawa ever since. I love his little red scarf, I think he's so cute. I love him because he reminds me of my mom. :)

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I found it hard to choose because I'm very sentimental. In the end, I chose this picture of my sister and I. It's a picture of us kayaking at a campground in New York that I've been going to since I was a baby. It's where I fell in love with nature and being outdoors. I'm so grateful that all my family vacations were here, all of my cousins, aunts and uncles would go for 2 weeks. We made a lot of crafts, told stories, came up with games. It is where my creativity grew as a child and I believe it stuck with me into adulthood!

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For this weeks show and tell I chose to bring this owl Pandora charm. My mom gifted this charm to me when I graduated from my undergrad. It is meaningful to me because she has always been my biggest supporter in all of my academic endeavours. I have always loved school and have been an independent learner. My younger sisters struggled in school...my mom and I would work together to help them complete their homework and assignments. She always joked that I was as wise as an owl.  My mom works as an educational assistant in elementary schools, she shares the same passion for learning as I do. Throughout my entire life my mom has always been interested to know what I was learning and was so proud of me when I graduated from Laurier. My mom was also the first person I told about my decision to attend teachers college. Whenever I look at this charm it reminds me of everything I have accomplished, and it makes me want to be the best teacher that I can be.

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The artifact that I have chosen to share is my prints. These pictures were all taken by my uncle, in both Thailand and Newfoundland and Labrador. Growing up I used to frequently talk to my uncle via email when he was in Thailand for work. When I moved into my first apartment 3 years ago, he printed off all my favourite pictures he's taken over the years and made them into prints so I could hang them up in my apartment. To this day I still hang them in my room, as they help me feel connected to not only my home province, but also my family.

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My artifact is my grandma's wedding rings. My grandpa gave them to me after she died. When they were in their late 80s one of the stones fell out and my grandparents took them to the jewelry store to get them replaced. My grandma thought they were aquamarines and my grandpa was all prepared for an expensive bill. But it turned out they were coloured pieces of glass. My grandpa had forgotten that the stones weren't real. When he first bought them, he didn't have enough money for the real thing. They ended up replacing the missing stone with another piece of coloured glass. My grandpa was a joker and forgetful. My grandma used to giggle and say "Oh George." When I look at these rings, I can hear their voices.

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Hi everyone, I chose the book “The Count of Monte Cristo” and my longchamp handbag! These items hold significance to me as I took a trip to France in 2015 to study this book. I visited places described in the book and it made a significant impact on my understanding of literacies and overall learning. Prior to this trip, I was a very shy person. I wasn't able to order my meal at a restaurant, ask someone for help etc. because I was so shy. This trip forced me to develop my own voice and identity. To mark my trip, I remember calling my mom and asking her if I could buy this handbag to remember my trip by. I purchased it at the store along Les Champs Élysée and it will forever be special to me.

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The artifact I've chosen to share is my bike! As an adult I find a lot of us stay within our comfort zone and rarely try new activities because of the fear of failure. This summer I learned how to downhill mtb and it was so much fun to see my progression. This is meaningful to me because I think it's so important for us to continuously learn and push ourselves to try new things, especially as future teachers to show our students that everything is a learning experience! My grade 12 leadership teacher always used to say "progress happens outside your comfort zone!"

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Hi everyone! My meaningful object is a bookmark (actually, two)! Books are very meaningful to me for various reasons, but it's a little difficult to choose a book. I've always loved a good bookmark (though I have been known to use receipt papers and napkins in place of them), and I absolutely love these two. Mostly, though, these bookmarks are meaningful to me because they make me excited to read! They make me think, not only about the books I'm currently reading or have read, but about the books I will read. So that's why I chose them :)

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Hello,
My show and tell object is my stuffed rabbit Cadbury. She was adopted into my life during first year university when I was missing Easter for the first time, and feeling very alone.  She reminds me that even though she came into my life when mentally I was at my worst, that I got better. The bad times can pass and people you care about don't always leave you. You are worth it no matter if your mental health tells you otherwise.
She has been my faithful companion ever since