Calling the circle : a personal journey to establish a collaborative professional community of environmental educators across four public school districts in British Columbia

This case study explores the conditions and motives that led to the formation of a local Chapter of environmental educators and documents the successes and challenges that occurred during the Chapter’s first year as the Salish Sea Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (SSEEPSA). The thesis also explores the challenges experienced by the writer as a public-school environmental educator and highlights the learning and identity-forming experiences that occurred while she worked in collaboration with teachers who shared similar interests and passions. Details of the events that SSEEPSA organized offer best practices to implement when establishing a professional network or Chapter of a Provincial Specialist Association (PSA). In a year that was marked with additional isolation and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the thesis highlights the importance to teachers of professional communities in which to share their passions and knowledge and collaborate on projects and practices that extend beyond their classrooms.