Without dipping too far into my bag of clichés this month, I wanted to focus on the incredible work coming from educators in respose to the “new normal” brought by the COVID 19 pandemic. The same educators who were standing up for the future of our students last month have been working hard to support […]
Teacher Wellness
New learning
It is hard to select a specific topic at this time. I find it hard each day to think about the school year, just sad to be out of the classroom and away from my students. It has already been such a hard year on the students with extracurriculars taken away and missing more than […]
Illness, Shame and the Educator Martyr Complex
A recent Twitter post from Liz Ryan @humanworkplace read: Coronavirus is teaching us that: Healthcare is a right Paid sick time is a right Many, many people could do their work from home (clearly not teachers) We are more dependent on a healthy society than we want to acknowledge This tweet got me thinking about a […]
The end is here
The end (of January) is here. Thankfully. I thought wrapping up 2019 would have signaled my surrender. I didn’t know another white flag needed to be waved so quickly, but here goes. The month of January has been particularly trying on my mental health and well being. When I say my mental and health and […]
Just a Little Patience
I’ve often been described as a person with a lot of patience. However, in my current role as a contained classroom teacher of 10 students with developmental disabilities, my patience has been tested over the past year and a half. My students sometimes demonstrate their anger or frustration in aggressive or difficult ways. Other days, […]
Did you get your flu shot yet?
Did you get your flu shot yet? It’s a good question to ask teachers as the nature of their professional exposes them to hundreds of people each working day – this includes children who get sick on a regular basis as they are still in the process of strengthening their immune system. Unlike medical workers, […]
Daring Classrooms
I state the obvious when I say that teaching is a demanding job. If you are reading this, you are most likely a teacher and this is not news to you. I’d like to highlight a resource that feeds the soul of a teacher (and quite frankly a human being) while also providing some strategies […]
Before you get hurt…again.
Student: (momentarily non-responsive to verbal interaction) slap, push, slap, hair grab, lunge, slap, yell, cry, run, crouch, cry, calm, apolgize Staff: (1 CYW, 2 SERT) block, block, reassure, block, supportive stance, reassure, block, redirect, clear space, block, reassure, follow, remain calm, reassure, accept The slaps(verbal/physical) are like slabs of concrete that a student piles up when […]
Teaching in Uncertain Times
When I graduated teacher’s college it was the beginning of the “Harris years”. Teachers were being declared redundant all over Ontario. I spent three years teaching outside of the province. Since then I have been through many rounds of collective bargaining-both as a teacher and a local ETFO leader. I have seen how Ontario’s Provincial […]
Let’s Talk About Shame
Author Brené Brown from her book “The Gifts of Imperfection” writes that there are three things that people need to understand about shame: 1. We all have it. Shame is universal and one of the most primitive human emotions that we experience. The only people who don’t experience shame lack the capacity for empathy and human […]