by: Jennifer Aston
This week, I have had both of these things on my mind. They might be two separate blogs, but I will see if I can make sense of it here. A few weeks ago, I sent out a message to staff – is there a class interested in partnering to hold a student election? I had ordered materials from CIVIX last fall for the Federal election and never had the opportunity to use.. Read More
For the past few weeks, I have been following the story of “The Great Bear“, a book by Cree author, David A. Robertson, that was being challenged at the Durham District School Board. My friend and colleague Daniel Tooker has been reading this book out loud with his Grade 5/6 class. Last year, they read the first book in the series “The Barren Grounds” (which admittedly, I just started). He and I followed.. Read More
Say that ten times fast. My thanks to Doug and Stephen for including my return to blogging in their TWIOE (This Week in Ontario Educator Blogs) a few weeks ago. I enjoyed listening (and I promise I listened to it all and not just my part!). I love that Doug remembered my colourful language when we met in person years ago! That made me chuckle. I have calmed down since then (actually that’s.. Read More
My e-bike will be arriving soon. I ordered it in January, using money I had earned through some writing that I did through the lens of Sustainable Global Development Goal #13: Climate Action. You cannot write about climate change and action for four months and not feel the need to do something more about climate change. Beyond beekeeping of course… I have been reading and following “Car-Free mama” (carfreemama.ca) through her blog and.. Read More
My blog has been pretty silent for a while. It is not that I do not have anything to say, it’s just that I have been doing some formal writing this past fall and winter. I even got paid for it! And well, the iron-clad agreement I had to sign prohibits me from talking about for whom I worked and what I wrote. It will be published soon and a few items might.. Read More
This past Spring, I was teaching my Grade 6 class online, while juggling my own three children, ages 14, 11 and 5, at home. We had 5 different schedules going on. My husband was working outside of the home most of the day. For the most part, we managed. My 11 year old thrived online but had occasional tears when she needed to figure out new tech or was stuck. My 5 year.. Read More
This summer, I took my first AQ (additional qualification course) since 2010. What’s been holding me back? Mostly the online format. Now, this might be surprising based on the fact that I am very comfortable with technology and generally like to try new things. However, for years I have been hearing from colleagues that you spend a great deal of time replying and keeping up with people’s posts online and that the learning.. Read More