“I can do this, yes I can.” That was my mantra, literally, a few weeks back when I walked a half marathon. Actually, the mantra was drowned out in the last 5 kilometers by heavy rains and winds. But I repeated it over and over and over for the first 16 kilometers, sometimes out loud, …
On November 19, 2017, CBC Radio’s Cross Country Check Up discussed Violence in Schools. There have been several media reports on this topic including a Ottawa teacher, Tony Lamonica, speaking out about his experience of violence on the job. Lamonica’s experience was horrendous and life changing. Violence is not something any person should have to …
A neighbour recommended The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna. The book is highly visual and, as with many self help genre books, promises to take you to that quintessential moment – “oh right, that’s what I am supposed to do with my life!” I spent a lot of my early motherhood years reading …
I am baffled about the recent spate of hashtags telling educators, specifically during ‘Treaty Recognition Week’, to #teachlikegord. This is not intended as an insult to Gord Downey; he recognized that his social status and impending death allowed him to focus people’s short attention spans on issues affecting Indigenous people in Canada. Good on him. …
“Do you have kids?” Societal label: mom “What do you do for a living?” Societal label: valued/not valued I used to work in special education (teaching assistant). People always said, it’s takes a special kind of person to do that job. Special, maybe. Well paid, definitely not (not valuable). I took two years off work to …
