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…
Teaching
On Claims of Porn in Schools
There’s a call to arms on a social media from a few people who think the memoir in graphic novel form, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (e/em/eir pronouns), should be…
Last Day of Teaching – Ever!
Well, never say never. But I’m officially done at KCI, at any rate, where I spent part of my grade 13 year as a student back in ’85, then was…
Open Letter to Universities Removing Mask Mandates
Open Letter to Dr. Deborah MacLatchy, PhD, President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University, president@wlu.ca, and Dr. Vivek Goel, CM, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, president@uwaterloo.ca RE:…
A Bit More on Burnout
I was listening to VoicEd.ca last week (Wednesdays at 8:45 am), and they recommended Lynn Thomas’s post on resilience and burnout summarized from a talk by Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe. I…
On Optional Grade 13 – aka Breaking the 34-Credit Threshold
When Conservatives Mike Harris and Ernie Eves decided to get rid of grade 13 and the OAC year – Ontario Academic Credit – in 2003, I was opposed to the…
The Harrowing Road for Candidates – and the Rest of Us
I’ve recently read two articles on the problem and solution to the current nastiness in elections after hearing first hand about serious issues candidates have had at the door. You…
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 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,…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Nobody’s Rules
We’re becoming subject to unrest in our schools and hospitals, with anti-vax picketers yelling at cancer patients and school children alike: “Stop being sheep! Take off your mask!” It’s not…
The View from Here: Preventing School Spread of Covid-19
Stuck in another gruelling semester of school, it’s striking how a minor schedule change can completely disrupt time and energy. I’m falling asleep as soon as I get home! But…
On Work and Connection
I just read this lovely essay by Esau McCaulley. In it he discusses how our new nearness to death has affected our lives: “This pandemic has left conversations and lives…