Is anyone else feeling a bit whiplash-y about AI? At the risk of sounding like an oldie-timey bumpkin, this newfangled AI business seems a mite bit fishy. Mayhap downright unsavoury. Folks, could be we’re all being bamboozled. People in all parts of my life are using AI, many on a daily basis. Some are using…
Category: HotButtonitis
#ElbowsUp, humans – in more ways than one
What an era to be living in. It’s the second time in a decade that we’re thinking, “Well, this is a moment for the history books.” (Or the Wikipedia pages.) Are there any existential threats that AREN’T buzzwords right now? It feels like all the things are on the line. No wonder #elbowsup was a…
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…
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…
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…
Truckers vs. Convoy-ers and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
It’s now been almost two weeks since the “Freedom Convoy” truckers and allies rolled into downtown Ottawa and started honking their horns, ostensibly to protest vaccine mandates. As Canadians know, many protesters left the area after that first weekend, but some are still there and still making noise. Well, not just noise, but according to…
Dilovely’s New Year Questionnaire for 2021
Here we are! The fresh (2-week-old) new year of 2022! Off to a roaring start with Omicron. A friend of mine on Facebook was reflecting this New Year’s that at the end of 2020, we were so happy to see the year finish, full of hope for an end to the pandemic. Then, 2021 crushed…
Worrying about my unvaccinated friends
Since mass vaccinations against Covid-19 began this past spring, I’ve become aware of a small number of friends and family who remain unvaccinated by choice. Some I suspected would be, and some I was surprised about. At this point, I’m aware that the number of such folks might be considerably higher than I’d realized. Covid…