I love you, lovelies. Today feels like a really dark day. Like many of you, I didn’t sleep well last night. Waking up to this awful reality, the far-reaching possible consequences churning in my gut… It’s heavy. You all know – we’re not fine. I guess my shock and disbelief are products of trying not…
Category: Politethics
Sometimes, you have to get to the nitty-gritty.
The New Year Questionnaire – What Was Up in 2023
Here it is! Been working on the New Year Questionnaire since New Year’s, predictably. It’s still January (barely) and not yet Lunar New Year, so it’s still “timely”. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before? D: Attended the Annual General Meeting of the provincial Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario in Toronto….
Something Small and Simple
I have been struggling to write lately. Mostly because there’s this big, horrendous thing happening that weighs heavily on many of our minds… And it’s a thing that feels impossible to write about, but also impossible not to. On social media today, one f/Friend posted this: And another posted this: It’s American Thanksgiving, and although…
Ontario elementary schools are in crisis. The government is fine with it.
In Ontario, we are three weeks into the school year. Those who work in elementary schools are glad to be with students and colleagues, but there is a weariness too. We have a feeling it is going to be a long year. It’s been several long years in a row already. There are two main…
The New Year Questionnaire – a look back at 2022
Here’s the New Year Questionnaire! As per tradition, not even close to “on time.” (Though not as late as some New Years.) Also – shorter than it used to be, and adjusted this year to be a bit more contemplative, inspired by my amazing cousin-sister Quinn at The Retreat Space. AND… guess what, I’ve been…
Dear “Anti-Woke” School Trustee Candidates: Lay Down Your Fear
Dear “anti-woke” school board trustee candidates, Congratulations, you’ve made the national news! That’s quite an accomplishment. (I’d say you should be proud, but I know “pride” might be a triggering concept for you.) When I read the things you say about your vision for our schools, whether through the news or social media, they tend…
Farewell to Queen Elizabeth II – and maybe British queens in general?
Here it is, one random Canadian’s take on the death of Queen Elizabeth. I have to admit, even having heard on the morning news yesterday that she was “under medical supervision,” I was shook when I found out that she had died. I mean, she was ninety-six. She had seventy years of being Queen. Didn’t it just…
Election polls for Ontario’s government are making me scared.
The Ontario election is in just a couple of days, and the polls are predicting another majority win for the Conservatives. I’m honestly afraid of this result. Not just for the next four years, but for the future of Ontario in general. This is because children are the people who will populate this province in…
How can I be writing about this again?
It has been almost a decade since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Is that enough time between senseless mass killings of American children? How can we be here again? Being a human, and especially an elementary school teacher, I grieve every time this happens, anywhere. I’m sure these Grade 4 students in Texas are…
What is wrong with Putin? and other questions about the Ukraine war
This past month, as we’ve watched Russia – or rather, Vladimir Putin – do his best to crush Ukraine, I have struggled with writing. I’m not a political pundit and I’m no expert on Eastern European relations. I have too many thoughts, especially questions, and they’re all in a mess. But in the end, I think…