Friend's Wedding, 2022
Simon Fraser University
EDUC 400 Portfolio
Anthony Silvano Bianco
#301187046
SFU Education 400 Outline
This portfolio is for my Education 400 class at Simon Fraser University. The portfolio has four parts: Where I come from, who I am, why I am here, and where I am going. In these parts, I will use text and other media to demonstrate the six goals of EDUC 400:
I. Situate the work of teachers and teaching on a broad scholarly foundation;
II. Develop and demonstrate understanding of the socio-political and epistemological basis of education;
III. Develop and demonstrate understanding of the historical and current contexts of diversity in Canadian schools, including but not limited to:
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First Nations, Inuit, and Métis education
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Inclusion of students with significant diversities
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Language education, multilingualism, and multiculturalism
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Race, gender, and sexuality
IV. Develop and demonstrate a commitment to social justice and ecological justice and responsibilities;
V. Develop an understanding of, commitment to, and responsibility for one's own professional development through inquiry and critical reflection; and
VI. Begin developing professional orientations and identities that recognize the expectations and responsibilities of practicing teachers, including engaging in ethical and collaborative relationship
SImon Fraser University, 2025
SFU Student ID Card, 2011
My name is Anthnoy Bianco, and I would like to begin by acknowledging that I live, work, and study on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples — specifically the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow as an educator on these lands.
This webpage is dedicated to the Education 400 portfolio for the Professional Development program at Simon Fraser University.
Part 1: Where do I come from? Tracking oneself and self-location​
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Goal: Demonstrate evidence of consideration of author's relationship to the ecologies by which they were/are nourished, the local Coast Salish territories, and the communities of which they are a part and intend to serve.
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"...knowing the stories of the place where you live is so important" (Roberts, 2024, p.143).
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I was born in beautiful Squamish, British Columbia, Canada by accident. My mother was on her way to visit my grandparents, who live in Squamish. I grew up, mostly, in Burnaby. During my childhood, I spent a lot of time going back and forth between Burnaby, Vancouver, and Squamish. This gave me an insight into the differences between cities and smaller communities. I was born in 1990, and the census for Squamish’s population in 1991 was 11,709 permanent residents. For contrast, Burnaby’s population in 1991 was approximately 160,000 and Vancouver proper about 470,000 (BC Stats, 2023). Experiencing both rural and urban environments helped me appreciate how context shapes opportunity, education, and community life. This perspective continues to inform my thinking: Learners bring with them different resources, rhythms, and ways of seeing the world, all of which deserve recognition in the classroom.​​
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Squamish Estuary, 2021
Burnaby, Vancouver, and Squamish: Places I Grew Up
I spent much of my teenage years in Squamish and Whistler: Mountain biking, skiing, and snowboarding. These experiences shaped my deep connection to the mountains, forests, and water. Whenever I travel, I find myself instinctively searching for these familiar landscapes. I feel most at home when I am near mountains or the ocean, and somewhat unsettled when the horizon stretches endlessly without either. The presence of nature, especially the convergence of rock, water, and sky, feels essential to my sense of belonging and balance. Therefore, it was exciting to hear, throughout our virtual sessions and Exploration C, how schools provide outdoor education for students.
Student Notes from Global College, Summer 2025
Goal: Develop and demonstrate understanding of the historical and current contexts of diversity in Canadian schools, including but not limited to:​
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I went to school in Burnaby, attending Aubrey Elementary and Burnaby North Secondary. Since I had friends and family growing up in Squamish and going through their school system, I became aware of the differences between schooling in a smaller community and in a city. Yet, one thing stood out as remarkably similar: Both places provided meaningful opportunities to learn about Indigenous culture and practices. I remember Aubrey Elementary hosting potlucks, school assemblies, and events where we were introduced to local Indigenous traditions and perspectives. Similarly, my friends and relatives in Squamish participated in comparable events, reflecting the strong presence of the Indigenous community there. These shared experiences helped me recognize the importance of cultural education in building understanding and connection among students. As a developing educator, I see how these early experiences shaped my belief that schools should not only teach content, but also foster respect, empathy, and a sense of place through meaningful engagement with culture and community.​
Later, in high school, my friends began calling me "Antho." While the nickname felt harmless during my teenage years, I quickly grew tired of it in early adulthood. Every once in a while, someone still uses it, and it reminds me how names carry histories and associations that shape how we feel about ourselves. Because of this, I always make an effort to learn and pronounce my students’ names correctly. Still, I recognize that I sometimes make mistakes—often because of my limited familiarity with certain languages—but I remain committed to improving.
These personal experiences have made me more aware of the responsibility teachers have to honour each student’s identity. A name is never just a label: It is an entry point into a person’s story, family, and culture. Taking the time to learn it properly communicates care, inclusion, and respect. These are foundational values in education; and this has only been reinforced this semester though lectures, readings, videos, and presentations.
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I do have one percularity character quality best expressed by a quote in a book I read long ago: "I have no desire to trace myself back to...I am satisfied with my good old American stock" (Chernow, 2004, p. 3). In other words, I do not share the same sentiment as others might with their heritage or ethnicity. Although both of my parents are Italian, I do not glorify or revel in Italian culture; I would argue that I am disinterested in it. I think, like all cultures, it shares admirable and less than admirable qualities. I think this is important to say because I have observed that others do not share this kind of 'objectivity' about their heritage or ethnicity; many I know express deep affliation and sentiment. This is my 'positionality'.
SFU, 2025
Part 2: Who Am I?
Goal: Reflects evidence of ethical accountability and consideration fo axiological elements of teaching.​
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When meeting new people, we tend to err on the side of formality to avoid giving a poor first impression. The same care applies to how we identify Indigenous peoples. Terms change and evolve; what was appropriate twenty years ago may now be considered outdated or insensitive, or simply overused — like a once-favourite song that has been played too many times (Vowel, 2016).
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Names matter. I have always tried to be attentive to names, especially in educational settings. Throughout this semester, I have often reflected on Chelsea Vowel’s words because they resonate with my own experiences. When I was in grade six, my teacher called me 'Antony' for the entire year. It bothered me, and it also frustrated my friends and family. That experience made me aware of how important correct names are to one’s identity.
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My academic background spans psychology, philosophy, the sciences, and foundational coursework central to K–12 education, and this interdisciplinary training informs the lens I bring to teaching. Across my undergraduate work, I took courses ranging from moral philosophy to computer science. This range of study has provided me with a strong foundation for reflecting on how values, assumptions, and forms of reasoning differ and shape people, institutions, education, and societies.
I hope my teaching emphasizes accountability in two ways: First, by being student-centered; that is, by learning about how academic material can ignite their interests and how it can help them outside of school; and second, by modelling the values I hope students will develop. I am attentive to bias, and I work to create learning environments where expectations are explicit, feedback is fair, and students feel supported. I believe students thrive when educators behave with consistency, restraint, and transparency.
Part 3: Why I am Here?
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Goal: Develop professional orientations and identities that recognize the expectations and responsibilities of practicing teachers, including engaging in ethical and collaborative relationship.​
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When I think about why I am here—in this program and in teaching more broadly—it boils down to luck. Not only have been lucky enough to teach at all, but I also have been incredibly fortunate to work with students from diverse backgrounds, and to be mentored by generous, patient educators who helped me. My path toward becoming a teacher did not emerge from a single moment but rather from a collection of experiences. These experiences remind me how education can change both student and teacher.
Tutoring English Squamish, 2020
Elementary classroom, 2025
Over the years, I have had the privlege of tutoring and teaching hundreds of students in a variety of settings: At Global College, where I helped teach English to international students from Korea, Japan, and South America; at Dr. Panda Academy in Squamish, where I helped a lot of elementary and high school students with whatever homework they would bring me, as well as helping teach English over Zoom internationally; and independently, where I continue to teach AP Psychology. Each of these experiences has taught me something about teaching and education.
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I am aware that my opportunities to teach have not existed in isolation. I owe my entire teaching journey to the guidance and generosity of others. My family has always supported me in pursuing education as both a personal and professional goal. I also think back to the friend’s mother who first encouraged me to consider teaching and allowed me to volunteer at Stride Avenue Community School in New Westminster. That experience showed me how much joy can come from helping students succeed, and set me on the path I continue today. My first 'real' job in teaching came from, I believe, a reference letter that that person had written me after volunteering.
Many others have shaped my identity as a teacher: Professors who modeled curiosity; hiring managers who took a chance on me early in my career; and parents who trusted me. Even the students themselves have been teachers in their own way. That is, they have allowed me to make mistakes, learn from them, and continually refined my delivery and identity. They have taught me patience and adaptability. I consider it a privilege that they have allowed me to be a part of their journey.
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This semester has taught me that becoming a teacher extends far beyond coursework: It also requires learning to navigate people, perspectives, and institutional cultures. At times, I struggled with readings and discussions that leaned heavily on critique without clearly defined, operational goals. However, this ambiguity became its own lesson. Teaching is is not always a linear process, and each student, and colleague, brings distinct backgrounds, values, and assumptions.
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"Whether we're looking at ecology, society, or our human culture, diversity is our best chance against..." (Disability Visability, 2020, p. 233).
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One moment stands out: a peer asked whether my views on Indigenous issues had changed since the beginning of the semester. Although the question felt pointed, it prompted genuine reflection. I realized that while I do not naturally see myself as an advocate, the course has shifted my thinking. I now understand why Indigenous rights require active attention and why educators have a responsibility to engage with these issues, not only intellectually but ethically. Becoming comfortable with complexity, tension, and growth is beginning to become part of my identity.
Visiting schools, meeting students, and speaking with teachers and administrators reminded me why I am pursuing this profession. Amid the politics and differing viewpoints within the program, I have come to appreciate that relationships matter just as much as instructional skill. The ability to maintain professionalism, communicate respectfully, and find common ground with colleagues is essential. That has been my most important takeaway from this semester.
Elementary classroom, 2025
Burnaby North Secondary, 2025
Part 4: Where Am I Going?
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Although I have been in educational roles for more than a decade, my experience in elementary schools this semester has made one thing clear: There are very few male elementary teachers. This is not a criticism; it is simply an observation about the demographics of the field. Given this, I suspect that I may not remain at the elementary level in the long-term, or I may eventually drift into a different grade as my career progresses.
Even if I do teach at an elementary school, I imagine I will continue tutoring or teaching AP Psychology in some form outside of school hours. I cannot picture a professional life where I am not discussing the brain, behavior, and cognition with students. That academic thread has been present for too many years for me to imagine a future without it. But I remain open and receptive to wherever this profession leads me. Education, and life more generally, has a way of offering unexpected opportunities; and I intend to follow them. I have had the experience that often one must let go to let in.
SFU, 2025
Goal: Begin developing professional orientations and identities that recognize the expectations and responsibilities of practicing teachers, including engaging in ethical and collaborative relationship.
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I know that I will inevitably encounter differences in taste, pedagogy, and philosophy when working with colleagues and administrators. I welcome this. Like dissonance in a musical composition, such moments can be uncomfortable, but they also create movement, tension, and ultimately resolution. Disagreement, when engaged in respectfully, is growth. It challenges my assumptions, broadens my perspectives, and pushes me to refine the foundations of my practice.
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An idea that was brought up at the start of the semester, and to which I have thought about yet have not been able to articulate well is, "To what extent do teachers subscribe to the concept of an apolitical practice as an achievable or desired pedagogical stance? (Sutherland, 2024). Since I have taken science courses, I have perceived knowledge as apolitical. I still hold onto this thought dearly: A scientific formula or description does not prescribe anything. It is what one does with that knowledge that can become political.
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Similarly, in teaching socials or some other field where those in power have crafted the material, as long as the teacher acknowledges that there are other perspectives but for whatever reason, and the reasons are usually defesible (e.g., no perserved forms of thought, lack of people who have the knowledge to transmit it, etc.), it is all right to teach the canons of that field, in my opinion. However, I acknowledge that my way of thinking and perceiving is shaped by my biology and upbringing; I may think about mechanistically than others.
This semester in EDUC 400 made that clear. I encountered ideas, arguments, and materials that I would never have sought out on my own, and I sometimes found myself holding minority opinions during discussions. At times it was uncomfortable, but in hindsight, it was incredibly valuable.
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Teaching can be an isolating profession—one can easily remain inside one’s classroom, teach familiar units, and avoid contradictions or questions. The seminar environment , diversity of students, and schools prevented that kind of insulation.
Capitol Hill Elementary, 2025
Goal: Develop and demonstrate understanding of the historical and current contexts of diversity in Canadian schools.
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I have left what I consider the most challenging goals until the end: Those that implement Indigenous culture and learning into the western education system. But before I do so, I want to express my hestitation.
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"She repudiated with horror the introduction of spices in dishes that did not absolutely require them, affectation and abuse of the pedals in piano-playing, departure from perfect naturalness, and exageration.... From the first mounthful, from the first notes, from a simple letter she preened herself on knowing if she had to deal with a good cook, a real musician,..." (Proust, 2008).
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When I entered EDUC 400, I approached diversity and Indigeneity through a lens shaped by precision, clarity, and measurable outcomes. Much of my early writing shows this. For example, in my first formal reflection, I struggled with “the lack of clear and consistent definitions” and questioned why conversations about Indigenous rights and diversity often relied on “broad or aspirational terms rather than precise, clearly defined ways". At that time, I found it difficult to understand how large-scale historical issues could translate into concrete practices for teachers. I also felt skeptical of approaches that emphasized critique without outlining specific, testable solutions. This was not indifference, but rather a preference for action and clarity. This is something I carry over from science classes and tutoring; that is, both of these activities instills measurement and tangible outcomes. In short, my teaching ideologies are very different from relationality, land-based learning, generational roles, and sacred knowledge. My approach going forward is to learn more before incorporating Indigenous practices because of fear of inauthenticity.
Halloween, 2025
Remembrance Day, 2025
Goal: Develop and demonstrate a commitment to social justice and ecological justice and responsibilities.
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"Society wants us to 'blend in' and not draw attention to ourselves." (Disability Visability, 2020, p. 90)​. Over the semester, my thinking has changed in another way: A classmate asked me directly whether my opinion had changed about Indigenous issues “taking up space” in the news.
​"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me" (Ellison, 1952, prologue).​​
At first, I experienced the question as pointed, even adversarial, as though I had been flagged as someone whose views required correction. But the question stayed with me and ultimately pushed me into deeper reflection. I realized that while I still value clarity and measurable progress, education is not only about problem-solving—it can also be relational, cultural, and historical.
This was made clear in Exploration C. My school visits reminded me how diverse Canadian classrooms truly are: Students with immigrant backgrounds, students navigating unfamiliar systems, students with developmental and physical challenges, and students whose family histories are embedded in this land long before Canada existed. These experiences made it harder to treat diversity as an abstract theme; it became interpersonal and observable in real time. Walking through schools like Byrne Creek, I explicitly connected students’ present experiences with larger histories of settlement, migration, and cultural identity.
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"Culture is a stake which, like all social stakes, simultaneously presuposes and demands that one take part in the game and be taken in by it" (Bourdieu, 1984, p.250). I start with this quote from Bourdieu because I want to address an idea in the principles of teaching we are to adopt, that of reciprocity. I, broadly and simple-mindedly, understand this as allowing students to shape the direction of instruction. I am generally all for this, but I do not know how I allow students to shape the course of a science or math class; that is, there are certain elementary behaviors, like counting, that I cannot imagine their being much reciprocity over. I am aware that schools are extremely conservative places in what they accept and promote, and I do not know how much I can stretch curriculum to meet both what is accepted alongside new perspectives.
My views have changed in a specific way: I still do not see myself as an advocate in the loud, performative sense, but I now better understand why advocacy exists and why students need teachers who understand the histories that shape their lives. I wrote earlier that I wanted to “hear less talk about reconciliation and observe more Indigenous culture in practice.” What I missed at the time was that talk, language, and narrative are themselves forms of presence. This is especially true for groups whose histories were actively suppressed. I see that incorporating Indigenous perspectives is not simply an aesthetic addition to the curriculum, but a recognition of the historical and ongoing contexts that shape Canadian schools: colonial displacement, language loss, cultural erasure, and the resilience of communities who continue to rebuild.
Finally, my school visits reinforced this shift. Seeing students succeed despite systemic barriers — immigrant credential barriers, socioeconomic constraints, disability challenges—helped me understand diversity not as a political slogan but as something lived by actual children in actual classrooms. I noticed that students bring vastly different relationships to school culture, expectations, and authority. This reminded me that “each individual is different, and requires different treatment” and that teachers must respond to those differences with care and nuance.
Understanding diversity, then, is not only about large historical narratives but about the capacity to recognize and respond to difference in the everyday.
Capitol Hill Elementary, 2025
SFU, 2025
In this way, I have changed: I now see diversity and Indigenous contexts not as competing with clarity, but as expanding the scope of what clarity must include. Teaching requires both the precision I value and the cultural awareness I once treated as secondary. This semester taught me that diversity is not an interruption to academic goals—it is part of the context in which all academic goals unfold. And while I may never become a traditional “advocate,” I now feel a responsibility to ensure that my classroom is a place where history, identity, and learning can coexist meaningfully.
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Being challenged, by peers, by instructors, and by the readings, forced me to articulate what I believe and to reconsider what I thought I already understood. These moments of dissonance have become part of my learning. I hope to maintain that openness moving forward, inviting dialogue rather than resisting it, and seeing professional differences not as obstacles but as opportunities to deepen my practice.
Being challenged—by peers, by instructors, and by the readings—forced me to articulate what I believe and to reconsider what I thought I already understood. These moments of dissonance have become part of my learning. I hope to maintain that openness moving forward, inviting dialogue rather than resisting it, and seeing professional differences not as obstacles but as opportunities to deepen my practice.
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References:
BC Stats. (2023). British Columbia municipal census populations, 1921–2021. Government of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (R. Nice, Trans.). Harvard University Press.
Chernow, R. (2004). Titan (2nd ed.). Vintage Books.
Ellison, R. (1952). Invisible man. Random House.
Proust, M. (2008). Days of reading (J. Sturrock, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published 1905)
Roberts, C. (2024). Re-storying education: Decolonizing your practice using a critical lens. Portage & Main Press.
Sutherland, G. (2024). Investigating practitioner navigation of institutionalized social justice education in British Columbia secondary schools (Master’s thesis). Simon Fraser University.
Vowel, C. (2016). Indigenous writes: A guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit issues in Canada. HighWater Press.
Wong, A. (Ed.). (2020). Disability visibility: First-person stories from the twenty-first century. Vintage Books.
Bonus: EDUC 400 Portfolio Acoustic-Song.
A short, acoustic guitar song about luck and education, based on an adaptation of the band Queen's song 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love.
Lyrics:
This thing called luck /
I just can't handle it /
This thing called luck /
I must get more of it /
I ain't ready, crazy little thing called luck
This thing called luck /
It moves in ways you'd never dream up /
It swings, it brings people who lift you up /
I'm so thankful for this crazy little thing called luck /
I learned I learned to teach /
From kids who let me fumble /
Oh and who still believed /
From friends, and professors, and teachers who mentored me /
So I gotta be cool /
Relax, get hip, and take off my tie /
Take a backseat, hitchhike /
And take a short ride through ED 405 /
'til I'm ready /
Crazy little thing called teachin'/
Crazy little thing called luck /
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Vote to hear is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LZKNIngRCb55FJsq3JXDEtLku70_VgvLf--IOPUjOiQ/edit