On not Grasping for the Good
I’m taking a university course on Asian Wisdom, which I’m really enjoying. My prof told a story about Buddha that concludes that we should only tell others of a better…
Marie Snyder
Strategic Plan: What about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic??
This isn’t a response to a question directed at me, but some people are questioning trustee campaigns like mine that speak to equity and student well being without mentioning how…
On Vaccine Mandates
Vaccine mandates were just ruled as legal and enforceable by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice after a challenge to Seneca College’s mandates by two students. I was asked my…
How Much Harm is Immoral?
If you know something you’re about to do could potentially harm people, and the only reason you’re doing it is for your own convenience, then wouldn’t we largely agree that…
Trustee Campaigning: An Expensive, Two-Month Long Job Interview
A friend asked me, You don’t put your own money into doing this, do you, and deliver all the fliers to each door yourself?? Short answer: Yup! Running for trustee…
Timothy Snyder’s Talk on The Road to Unfreedom
I haven’t read the book yet, but I stumbled on Timothy Snyder’s talk about it from four years ago. Unfortunately, it’s all still very relevant! “The things that are happening…
It Ain’t Over!!
Just a quick update on Ontario’s Covid numbers, currently: In the words of Colin Furness, MISt PhD MPH: “It’s clear politicians from all parties won’t act until there is public…
On Peanut Butter and Covid in Schools
A woman on twitter posted an unfortunate tweet, I assumed satirically, that a good solution to keep immunocompromised kids safe from Covid while they eat lunch indoors is to send…
On Divisiveness
This post is so short! As I wrote about anti-anti-racism education (and that two ‘anti’s don’t necessarily make a ‘pro’) yesterday, a connection became crystal clear to me. It’s often…
A Really Deep Dive into Anti-CRT Rhetoric
This will be a long one, but I’ll break it into headings (after this preamble) for easier bit-at-a-time reading! There’s a division among school board trustees and some parents around…
Privatization in Ontario
It’s vital in Ontario that we understand the problems with privatization because the shift of essential services from the public to private sphere is happening right under our noses. Brittlestar…
On Finding Answers in Research
I recently posted, on social media, a list of studies showing the effectiveness of masks and of mandates. One commenter said he doesn’t trust studies because they could be biased,…
A Useful Crisis
I’m a big movie buff, and I used to love watching meaty psychological thrillers and films with evil people murdering one another. No Country for Old Men is one of…
What Happened to Politics?
I want to save this thread by Jeff Rybak, defence lawyer, lecturer at the University of Toronto, and a not-for-profit corporate director: “I’m trying to understand what’s happening with politics…
Strap One On For Safety!
I wrote about the almost total absence of PSAs around using masks to prevent transmission of a virus that, in some areas, kills ten times as often as traffic collisions,…
Covid-Free Schools are Possible!
A school in Texas has been 100% Covid-free with zero learning loss. They used good masks indoors (N95 or better) with no ‘mask breaks.’ Everyone eats outdoors even in the…
On Anti-Racist Educating Provoking Bullying of White Kids
Addressing a local concern about bullying: I’m very sorry to hear about any child’s bullying experience in school. Bullying of any kind has no place in our schools, but we’ve…
On Showing My Cards
I’m showing them!! People keep telling me not to let people know what I stand for until after the election, and that doesn’t sit well with me. Others have told…
We Need to Discuss Systemic Racism in Schools
In The Record article, “Waterloo Region District School Board Trustee Mike Ramsay speaks up about sanctions against him,” Mr. Ramsay writes that he is concerned that education has shifted from…
Masked and Vaxed in School
Q. Do you support bringing back masks mandates for schools, defying provincial orders, if necessary? Do you support your board demanding that the province add vaccination for Covid to the…