Masks Work
I posted this on social media, and it garnered some notice: At almost half a million distinct views in four days, it’s doing considerably better than my entire blog! Of…
Marie Snyder
Student Led Differentiation
Occasionally we actually get some good ideas from PD in-servicing. I previously wrote in praise of Paul Gorski‘s anti-grit (possibly now anti-resilience) stance. Today we watched a video that, in…
Not Dead Yet!
This pandemic feels like living in a horror movie that just keeps going on and on. We think the killer is dead, but then they come back for yet another…
On Removing Mask Mandates
I’m gobsmacked by the recent move to remove the mask mandate for schools starting March 21st, at the start of spring. The Hamilton Board dared to face down the ministry,…
On Masks, Ventilation, and Contact Tracing – Yes, Again!
On Monday I presented to my school board to try to persuade them to keep masks even if (when) Ford removes mandates and to allow me to keep my Corsi-Rosenthal…
On the Importance of Civics Classes
On Monday, I did a five minute bit on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning with Ismaila Alfa about teaching civics. They called me last Sunday afternoon, having exhausted all other avenues,…
Lunatic Fringe?
I’m a bit of a social media addict, but I quietly wandered away from Facebook last summer when too many people I know in real life were making fun of…
Bad News is Increasing, but More Slowly?
Teaching in Ontario right now is an absurdist’s wet dream. Schools can only close if there’s more than 30% absent, and many classes are half full, but nobody’s actually away…
Ontario Schools Opening Monday: A Collection of Responses
There is a simmering rage out there from Lecce & Moore’s reiteration of the “leaked” news of schools being in-person in five days. Of course it wasn’t truly leaked. This…
Juris My Diction Crap
This Matrix clip has been at the front of my mind since I started looking into how to get a booster for my youngest, who’s 17, because I question if…
LTC Homes: Ownership Matters
Nancy Olivieri, Michael Hurley, Vivian Stamatopoulos, and Natalie Mehra explained Doug Ford’s sneaky passing of Bill 37 just before Christmas in today’s Toronto Star. They warn, “Hope to live out…
Resilience During a Pandemic in a Capitalist Dystopia
I learned little from English classes. I think my highest grade in high school was a 53. I mastered grammar and that formulaic essay enough to slip over into a…
Parenting in the Time of Covid
He was on his way out the door, to walk around with a new friend outside. Me: Rapid test, masks, or walking 6′ apart? Which are you doing? Him: It…
On "Fixing" ASD
I watched a course-load of videos by Dr. Alok Kanojia (@HealthyGamerGG) this past summer. He’s a therapist specializing in addiction in his day job and focused on gaming addictions online,…
Chomsky’s Lessons from 2021
Yanis Varoufakis spoke to Noam Chomsky, at DiEM25, about what 2021 has taught us. In a nutshell: the wealthy puts profits over people to their own detriment (e.g. patent rights…
On Trying to Find Peace with Prem Rawat
Since falling into a pandemic funk, I’ve tried a variety of books and videos to try to get a little inner stillness in order to continue to function. Omicron and…
Still Going On about Masks!!
I’ve never been much of a rule-follower. I’m that teacher that lets kids sneak out early and shows movies with some questionable content (with kids forewarned and allowed to leave…
Srinivasan’s "The Right to Sex"
“It is absurd to contend that vice, ecstasy, and passion would become impossible if man and woman were concretely peers” (xiii). ~ Simone de Beauvoir Amia Srinivasan’s book rivals Kate…
On Burnout
Dr. Alok Kanojia is a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction treatment. His videos are fantastic for some everyday issues as well, like this one on burnout. The most impactful line…
Monbiot on our Current Challenge
George Monbiot wrote an article that he’s calling his best bit of writing. It’s largely more of the same argument that people can’t seem to hear or respond to. We’re…