My thoughts on climbing out of the well
Doing Education Better
I was an elementary school teacher in Ontario for over 20 years. I recently resigned from my job, disillusioned by the lack of change in our system, even though we know better. I had been deep down a rabbit hole about the intersection of neurodiversity, parenting, education, and trauma. I had railed for years against…
The Year That Changed Everything
One year ago yesterday my twelve-year-old son and I packed up and climbed into our red SUV to set off on a cross-country adventure. Meanwhile, my husband and fifteen-year-old son boarded a plane for Victoria, BC, where we would meet them one week later. We left our family home – the place we had been…
Back To School!
Yesterday, along with millions of other Canadian parents, I sent my children back to school. I got a little teary. Honestly, it was a bit like kindergarten all over again. I sent them off believing they are ready, desperately hoping for good-fit teachers, and worrying about what MIGHT happen. I was looking forward to some…
The Missed Opportunity Surrounding Will Smith’s Slap
Wow – it’s been a while! I’ve been mired in mental and emotional stuff lately, with so many ideas competing for space in my brain that I can’t seem to get any out. They’re all related and complex, and they keep getting tangled when I try to pull a thread. But the recent incident between…
Anxiety, COVID, and School Closures
In the most recent wave of the pandemic, the Omicron variant has resulted in seven days of virtual learning for Ontario students. Schools were closed to students for the first two days following the winter break and then opened to virtual learning at the last moment, leaving parents scrambling to find child-care or to support…
Education Frustration During Omicron
In light of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Canadian provinces (like the rest of the world) have been trying to decide how best to handle children’s education. Some have delayed the start of school, others have moved online, and still others have implemented a staggered start. As numbers started to rise dramatically, there was a…
In the Wake of the Election
Here in Canada, we’ve just come through an election. An election that many are calling a $600 million cabinet shuffle. Our government looks almost the same this week as last week – a minority Liberal government. People are angry about the wasted expenditure and about having an election at an inopportune time. The Prime Minister…
The Revolution is Coming!
Wow – what a summer! I thought I would use the time this summer to catch up on blog posting, but instead I’ve done none. I have been too busy reading, listening, and watching, not to mention the time and energy it takes to reconsolidate all of my thoughts and ideas. I’ve started a couple…
Opting Out of Sex Ed
Last month we got a notice from our child’s school declaring that the unit on Human Development and Sexual Health would be taught in June. The purpose of the note was to give parents the chance to opt out of this part of the curriculum. Opt out, as in not participate, and not learn the…
Plan B, Engineering, and How Can I Help?
In my everyday life, I try really hard not to complain about things unless I have constructive ideas for a better way. I want to be part of the solution. For me, solutions start with good questions, and this blog gives me opportunities to ask questions, which in turn gets me thinking about possible solutions.…
Have We Lost Our Way?
So many communities seem to be in turmoil right now. Families. Schools. Neighbourhoods. Cities. Countries. The whole world is turning inside out, perhaps more visibly than ever before. When I see these struggles, I always take comfort in information. I read. I listen. I talk. And right now, I wonder, “Where are the Thinkers?” Where…
Building Maps
I have two sons, both of whom are good at math. One is in grade five and at the top of his math class. The other would be in grade eight, except that he is freelancing his education this year, taking a break from the standard school setting. His grade seven math teacher said he…
A Case Against Punishment
Imagine the following scenarios: A six-year-old child is fooling around and breaks a family heirloom. A grade five student repeatedly talks back to the teacher when corrected for disruptive behaviour. A high school student regularly skips English class. A 20-year-old steals a car as part of a gang initiation. A 38-year-old new parent leaves the…
Game Changer Books
I read a couple of game-changing books this year. In the fall, while awaiting COVID results in isolation from my family, I read Untamed, by Glennon Doyle. In a series of vignettes, she explores how we become caged by society’s expectation, and how she found her way out of her own cages to create a…
Lessons from 2020
Well, it’s been quite a year! It’s been a year like no other for me, both personally and professionally, and also an unprecedented year for the rest of the world. COVID-19 has derailed the lifestyles that we knew. In its wake, we are left with changed priorities, skills, and understandings. We have learned about ourselves,…
Untamed Words
I just recently read a book that may have changed my life. Untamed, by Glennon Doyle, is an incredible call to the wild roots of your inner self. It says that we all have the right, or moreover, the OBLIGATION to take up space in the world, and to live our one life according to…
Orange Shirt Day
On September 30th, we wear orange in recognition of all of the Indigenous children and youth who endured residential schools in Canada. We acknowledge our mistake as a nation in trying to force Indigenous people to assimilate, and apologize for the methods used to ‘educate’ them. We listen to the pain of survivors and their…
An Open Letter on Re-opening Plans
First of all, thank you. Thank you to our leaders, who have worked tirelessly to learn about this new threat to society, to seek out and follow sound medical advice, and to explore creative ways to keep us safe. I am cautiously optimistic about the upcoming school year. In Ontario, we have done a fantastic…
Dystopian Vision of Fall Education
As part of the response to my idea of lessening curriculum expectations to allow a mental health focus this year, it was suggested I write to the Globe. I read their requirements and decided I needed to present the information differently. Here is what I sent. This is my dystopian vision of what this fall…
Possibilities for School Re-Opening: A Letter
COVID has been hard. It has isolated individuals and families. It has closed businesses and shattered dreams. It has interrupted commerce, education, faith communities, sports, and social interaction. People are tired. We are frustrated. We are fearful and anxious about the future. But there are positives to this situation – silver linings of sorts. Many…
Education During COVID
Sweltering through the hot days of summer, school seems a long way off, but it seems to be on the minds of many. Parents, teachers, employers, and the general public are watching closely, waiting for news about what education will look like in the fall. There is no easy answer to the dilemma of how…
Is Racism Really the Problem?
Having read and listened to a host of articles and interviews on racism in the past few weeks, I am impressed by the strength, clarity, and passion of the voices I am hearing. I see acts of compassion. I hear impassioned pleas. I see and hear cogent arguments and a range of ideas on how…
To Speak Out or Hold Space?
A couple of years ago, I started a Master’s of Social Work program. I was shocked by what I found in the first few courses. More accurately, I was shocked that it had taken getting to a master’s level of education before I came across the information presented. How could this be the first time…
First Thoughts on Racism
I nervously step out into unfamiliar water. Nervous that I will say the wrong thing. Nervous that my words won’t matter. I know that they are not enough. But I refuse to stay silent. I will not continue to be someone who turns my head away and does nothing, claiming there is nothing I can…
Starting from a Place of Love
Parenting is hard. Beautiful, exhilarating, healing, and wonderful… but hard. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It is gruelling, dirty, emotional, frustrating, and unbelievably exhausting. But it’s getting easier. Not easy by any stretch, but I am beginning to feel like we could live through it. Like all of us – the whole family.…
Dreaming Bigger
So, we want to change the world… but where do we start? There are so many things that need changing. There are so many balls in the air. How do we balance the economy with the environment? How do we balance the fear of leaving our homes as we reopen amid COVID with the fear…
The Neurodiversity Paradigm
Imagine believing there was only one ‘right’ way to be and that everyone had to fit into that box. One right race. One right sexual orientation. One right body shape. To be fair, it wasn’t that long ago when some of those WERE almost universally accepted. This is the basis of racism, homophobia, and sexism.…
Neurodiversity Explored Through Thought Experiments
My son has struggled with traditional schooling for some time now. He finds it physically overstimulating, mentally understimulating, and emotionally overwhelming. For years we have tried different strategies to help him adapt to the realities of his circumstances. Kids have to go to school. Individuals have to learn to participate in non-preferred activities. We all…
Post COVID Visioning
One month into the COVID-19 inspired shutdown, we have had plenty of time to adjust to ‘The New Normal.’ While there are differing opinions on how long this crisis will last, how severe the restrictions will get, and what might put an end to our current situation, most people seem to agree that we will…
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to Out of the Well! I am a teacher, parent, and human being interested in finding creative solutions to the myriad challenges that face us in modern society. I have been half-heartedly meaning to start this blog for years, and more recently had a false start where I ALMOST got going. Now…
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Out of the Well 