Today was a rainy, chilly, blustery day where I live. I am so grateful for these walls, the fireplace, the furnace, the water heater, the stove, the blankets and warm clothes… All of it. On days when I don’t much want to hang out outside, I think of those people who don’t have homes, and…
Category: Ideosophy
Let’s ruminate and ponder… and write it down.
Remembrance Day Reflections – Gratitude Day 11
I have been involved in organizing Remembrance Day assemblies at my school for long enough that I’ve lost count of how many years it’s been. It’s a day that has always meant a lot to me, and has always been an internal struggle as well. (As you already know, if you’ve been reading this blog…
My Canadian Citizenship – Gratitude Day 3
Tonight, whatever the outcome (/fallout) of the US election, I’m grateful to be Canadian. My parents were both born and raised in the United States, and moved here shortly after they married. Although the decision never felt like a choice to them, I know it wasn’t easy. (There’s a big ol’ blog post brewing about…
Gratitude as Covid-Winter-Blues-Buster
It’s late already and I need to go to bed, but I thought I would just write a little something about gratitude. Every November I consider the few times I’ve done NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month, posting every day for 30 days) and think to myself, Could I do that again? And I answer myself…
14 Nice Things I’ll Remember About Shutdown
School is upon us. Students, parents, and teachers are, I believe, universally unsettled about back-to-school. Whatever the normal preparations, uncertainties, anxieties, and excitements would be, they’re different and more intense this year. I’ll be honest: after three days of training last week, discussing with my colleagues ways to deal with all the million tiny details…
Back-to-School Thoughts from a Teacher/Parent
A week ago, as you know, it became official in Ontario: we’re going back to school this September. In the days since then, there has been an outcry from parents, staff, unions etc. who feel that the Covid-19 measures announced by the government do not go far enough to keep students and staff safe. I…
7 Things This White Person Has Learned About Racism
On November 9th, 2016, the day after the US election, when even my elementary students were freaking out about Trump, I pictured chaos in the United States. Society – which may never have truly earned the term “civil” – crumbling. Now, I feel like that moment has arrived. Pandemic, hospitals overflowing. Unemployment and poverty off…
Dear Ontario Students: You Know Your Teachers Care About You
Dear Ontario students, We are in the midst of a big week for your schools and your educators. Whether you’re in high school or elementary school, public or Catholic, French or English, your teachers have already begun job action. This week is especially important because the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (of which I’m a…
Tragedy and Evil / Hope and Resurrection
It’s been a week of religious tragedy. When news got out about Notre Dame burning last Monday, this ubiquitous, media-worthy word – “tragedy” – sprang immediately into the headlines and conversations of the day. It was unthinkable that such an iconic structure could be filled with flames, at that very moment. I have been to…
The Apocalypse is now… and the kids know it.
It’s Monday, and the 2018 Climate Conference in Poland (COP24) is in full swing. Seems as good a day as any to talk about the Apocalypse. I’ve been hesitating on this writing, because I understand that a blog post about the world as we know it going down in flames is… a bummer of sorts….