This past week, I had two major gatherings from two organizations that I am heavily involved with: our annual Think Tank for the board of directors involved with the Association for Media Literacy, and our annual general meeting for the board of directors for Canadian School Libraries. Various Ontario subject associations have also been incredibly busy preparing for the upcoming Teaching Lifeline virtual conference, happening on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Over 200 elementary school teachers have registered for this free two hour extravaganza, focused on helping K-8 teachers who are often tasked with teaching subjects beyond their comfort level.
I'm going to be overt in my message delivery for this post: I think more teachers should get involved with education-related volunteer organizations. It benefits the individual teacher as well as the profession as a whole.
1) Forming Long-Lasting Friendships
I've met some wonderful people thanks to my involvement with different organizations. These are folks with similar interests and passions, joined together in a shared cause/purpose. Yes, we work, but we also have fun too. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
2) Meeting New Friends and Networking
These organizations aren't static; they are constantly adding new members or getting involved in projects that connect you to other organizations with other like-minded people. When you attend a conference, like I did at IBBY's World Congress representing Canadian School Libraries recently, you can be introduced to different people from around the world, that, in turn, hopefully will remain as a contact at least, if not a potential friend.
3) Enjoying Opportunities to Travel and Learn from Others
Because of my work with Ontario School Library Association in the past (as the editor of The Teaching Librarian from 2006-2018), I have visited almost every province in Canada - I still have to make it to Saskatchewan - and these voyages were because of presenting at conferences as a representative for, or at a conference run by, these educational organizations.
Volunteering with organizations has expanded my horizons. I am a relatively new traveler, but as of 2026 I have flown to three continents, and all of them have been due to conference opportunities abroad.
4) Developing Resources that Assist Other Teachers
These organizations aren't just excuses to have socials around the world. They produce resources and materials that aim to improve the minds and conditions of educators all over. For instance, CSL is busy planning Treasure Mountain Canada 9, a school library research symposium. The papers generated for TMC9 are open-sourced research and can be inspirational to other school library professionals. (Please consider offering a submission - notify tmc@canadianschoollibraries.ca if this is your plan.) Members of AML helped edit a recent issue of the Journal of Media Literacy devoted to the ideas of Marshall McLuhan. This contribution to scholarship is admirable. This upcoming Teaching Lifeline conference involves 13 subject associations - you can see more about it at https://aml.ca/teaching-lifeline-a-free-virtual-conference/
5) Supporting Others In Similar Circumstances
You never feel alone when you are connected to volunteer organizations. Struggling to find programming ideas? Need advocates to support increased funding? There are others in the same position that are willing to make the effort to make change.
As I prepared my annual report examining the 2025-26 school year, I looked at the list of memberships to professional organizations I've held. These are the board-external subject-specific ones.
- International Council For Media Literacy (IC4ML)
- Canadian School Libraries (executive board)
- Educational Computing Organization of Ontario (ECOO)
- Ontario Library Association (OLA)
- Ontario School Counselors Association (OSCA)
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