Deb Weston Advocacy for public education, Making a Difference Through Education, Social Justice

School Choice and Challenging Charter Schools in Canada

Image result for School Choice and Challenging Charter Schools in Canada cartoon

As a citizen of Canada, I am a strong and proud advocate of access to public education. According to John Dewey, public education reinforced a democratic community that can break down barriers “of class, race, and national territory which kept men from perceiving the full import [importance] of their activity” in democracy (Dewey, 1916).

The purpose of establishing charter schools in Canada was to increase the need for flexibility to meet students’ needs as public schools were “seen as bound by excessive regulations stemming from provincial laws, school district policies and union contracts” (Brown, & Lawton, 2013). Charter school advocates often cite the need for schools to be responsive to “the demands of parents and are places where innovative educational practices are difficult to achieve” (Brown & Lawton, 2013). “Proponents say that uniformity of public schools is a detriment to the quality of students’ education and that more choices of programs and competition among schools are needed so that ineffective schools are closed” (Brown & Lawton, 2013).

Charter schools differ in the rules that govern them. Some charter schools can pick and choose students while other schools offer lotteries. Some charter schools are essentially private schools while others received some public funding charging tuition fees for attendance.

Initially, charter schools promised better levels of education, greater efficiency in spending public dollars, and high test scores. Charter schools have been functioning long enough to assess the credibility of these promises through research studies.

Bettinger (2005) compared standardized testing in both charter and neighbouring public schools and found that “test scores of charter school students did not improve, and may actually decline, relative to those of public school students.”

 Bifulo and Ladd (2006 ) found that students made “considerably smaller achievement gains in charter schools than they would have in public schools”. Further, the authors found negative impacts on student learning due to high levels of student turnover.

After the desegregation of schools in the United States, “new policies were enacted allowing school choice, charter schools, and neighbourhood attendance zoning” (Archbald, Hurwitz, & Hurwitz, 2018). The authors engaged in a 26 year longitudinal study on the impacts of school choice and charter schools showing “greater segregation by race and income among schools accelerated after the policy changes” (Archbald, Hurwitz,  & Hurwitz, 2018).

Mindzak (2015) cited that after 20 years, charter schools “have held a precarious existence” as “only a handful of charter schools remain in Canada.” Mindzak cited the importance of “some of the historical, cultural, regional, and political dimensions of education in Canada” and further stated that the “rejection of charter schools should represent a continued commitment to public education and the principles of equity and social justice” (2015).

Charter schools are sometimes seen as places for the best and brightest students to learn so they can achieve the highest level of educational success. Bouridieu and Aarseth (2015) showed that school choice reinforces elitism in order to reproduce structure of status and privilege.

In the end, charter schools did not fulfil the promises of their success. Students did not receive better education and the public did not receive a greater efficiency in the spending of public funds. Note that in some cases, funds were diverted from the funding of public schools for the partial funding of these semi-private schools.

Instead of greater academic success, students were segregated based on race and income (Archbald, Hurwitz, & Hurwitz, 2018). Charter School students did not achieve higher test scores than their public school counterparts (Bifulo &  Ladd, 2006). In Canada today, only a few charter schools remain (Mindzak, 2015) and thus many “ineffective” charter schools were closed.

By creating barriers to learning through the segregation of students without privilege, charter schools go against The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter)“that guarantees equal rights and treatment based on a number of grounds, including race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability”.

The Ministry of Education (2008) goes on to state that in public education “Equity and excellence go hand in hand. … In a truly equitable system, factors such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status do not prevent students from achieving ambitious outcomes. Our experience shows that barriers can be removed when all education partners create the conditions needed for success (p. 8).”

Canada is unique in its commitment to public education and the principles of equity and social justice. Canada’s public education system is effective as it allows all students, regardless of their privilege, to achieve their best. Our public education system reinforces our democracy.

As teachers, we need to keep fighting for an education system that John Dewey would embrace and be proud of.

Fight for our public education … it’s worth it!

Collaboratively Yours,

Dr. Deb Weston, PhD

References

Archbald, D., Hurwitz, A., & Hurwitz, F. (2018). Charter schools, parent choice, and segregation: A longitudinal study of the growth of charters and changing enrolment patterns in five school districts over 26 years. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 26, 22.

Bettinger, E. P. (2005). The effect of charter schools on charter students and public schools. Economics of Education Review, 24(2), 133-147.

Bifulco, R., & Ladd, H. F. (2006). The impacts of charter schools on student achievement: Evidence from North Carolina. Education Finance and Policy, 1(1), 50-90.

Bouridieu P & Aarseth, H. In Maudlin, J. G., & Gaztambide-Fernández, R. (2015). ‘Private schools in the public system’: school choice and the production of elite status in the USA and Canada. In Elite Education (pp. 73-86). Routledge.

Brown, D,, & Lawton, S., Charter Schools (2013). In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charter-schools

Dewey, J. (2004). Democracy and education. Courier Corporation.

Government of Canada. (1982). The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter), Constitution Act, 1982, Part I.

Mindzak, M. (2015). What Happened to Charter Schools in Canada?. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48(1), 105-117.

Ministry of Education. (2018). Reach Every Student: Energizing Ontario Education, Toronto: Ministry of Education, Ontario.

Deb Weston Technology in school

Teaching Parents to Use Cell Phones

kids on cell phone

Photo Source: Gadgets at restaurants quiet kids, but not critics

In my 19 years teaching from grades 2 to grade 8, I’ve had many experiences with students and their cell phones. When cell phones first became popular with students, I was waiting for administration to outline rules on how to appropriately deal with cell phones at school. This took a while as education policy is always playing catch up with the practice of education.

In middle school, students felt that they could use their phones whichever way they wanted. Students took pictures of themselves and other students and sometimes gross things in toilets. Students also watched videos and looked at pictures, while pretending to do school work. One time I saw a male grade 8 student looking down with his hands under his desk … always a bad sign regardless of the age of the student. I discovered he was looking at pictures of basketball players. I asked him to show me the pictures which turned out to be pictures of basketball, basketball, and then a half naked girl, repeated. I had no procedure to deal with his cell phone so I asked him to put it in my locked desk drawer until class ended. I told administration what had happened and never heard about the resultant consequences.

In my middle school, we had students use cell phones to bully others and to record teachers. Once, a student handed me her cell phone stating that her mother wanted to talk to me about her math test in the middle of a fractions’ lesson. Policing cell phone use is like policing gum chewing – It’s a game of “Wack-A-Mole”, you catch one and another one shows up.

When cell phones and devices became part of BYOD – Bring Your Own Device to school, I believe this was an attempt to fill in the gap in available technology. What this did do is highlight the digital divide between students whose families could afford to buy cell phones and devices for their children, and those who could not. Rich vs. Poor, Haves vs. Havenots – I witnessed the presence of cell phones and tablets dividing students along socioeconomic lines.

As a classroom teacher, in the last few years, I’ve asked students to keep their cell phones at home or in their locker. I was able to do this because my students’ parents either could not afford phones or they were in grade 3 and too young to have one. In the current special education classroom I teach, we have solid access to technology and have no need for additional devices. I am fortunate, but not all teachers have this access to technology.

Last week, While celebrating his birthday, my partner and I went to a small Mediterranean restaurant. As we had no reservations, we had to wait a while to be seated. While waiting, I observed the occupants of the 60 seat restaurant. I counted 12 children, aged about 2 to 10 years old, in the restaurant. To my dismay, I noticed that all the children were quietly immersed in their cell phones. The children were not engaging with their peers or the adults. The two year old was being fed by her mother while she watched a cartoon video. I also observed many couples staring at their phones instead of talking to each other. This meant that a third of the restaurant patrons were there but “not present”.

The observation of these children, all on their cell phones struck me – these children were not engaging socially with adults or their peers. The parents of these children were using these devices to keep the children quiet so they could have dinner, in peace. I get this. If parents use cell phones as babysitters, then they do not have to hire a babysitter to go out for dinner.

What also struck me is that there may be a correlation between cell phone/device use and children’s inability to wait and calm themselves. Talk to teachers and they will tell you they’ve noticed an increase in students’ ability to self-regulate and self-calm.

Several peer-reviewed studies outline challenges with children and cell phone use. Studies have shown that cell phone use can negatively impact children’s ability to self–regulate emotions (Elhai et. al., 2018). In 2015, the Journal of Pediatrics commentary “warned that using a tablet or cell phone to divert a child’s attention could be detrimental to “internal mechanisms of self-regulation” (Walters, 2015).”If these devices become the predominant method to calm and distract young children, will they be able to develop their own internal mechanisms of self-regulation?”  (Radesky, Silverstein, Zuckerman, & Christakis, 2014, p. 1). “It has been well-studied that increased television time decreases a child’s development of language and social skills. Mobile media use similarly replaces the amount of time spent engaging in direct human-human interaction,” Walters (2015) citing Jenny Radesky, clinical instructor in Developmental-Behavioural Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine.

Cell phone use in children has been linked to lower self-esteem and technology addiction (Bianchi & Phillips, 2005). Another study states that use of internet and cell phone use negatively impacts emotional, cognitive, and physical states in adolescences including dependency and addiction (Cheever, Moreno & Rosen, 2018). Cell phone use increases distractibility and undermines the benefits of social interactions in families (Dwyer, Kushlev, & Dunn, 2018). Access to social media and cell phone use also negatively impacts body image and academic achievement (Felisoni, & Godoi, 2018) as well as increases bullying and cyberbullying (Bryant, 2018).

Banning cell phones in schools is not going to work. Cell phones and tablets have become engrained in schools, not as just communication devices, but as learning tools. Yesterday, I witnessed some grade 8 boys, working together, recording a script for social studies using a cell phone.

What I am proposing is to teach children how to use cell phones in appropriate ways. This means that in teaching children, parents must take the lead in teaching their own children how to use technology. Overwhelmed with socializing children, schools cannot take on yet another task.

Here are some tips on how to teach children how to use technology:

  1. Monitor children’s use of technology by putting limits on access. A recent study suggests that screen time should be limited to 2 hours a day (Dormehl, 2018). If Steve Jobs and Bill Gates limited their children’s screen time, it’s probably a good idea.
  2. Practice what you preach. Parents are the ultimate role models for their children. If children see parents using their technology all the time, children will follow in their parents’ footsteps.
  3. Know the risks of children’s use of technology. Technology impacts how children interact with the world. It could even impact mental wellness and academic achievement. Instead of cell phones and devices, teach children how to interact with their peers and adults. Teach children how to calm themselves by letting them learn through dealing with frustration.
  4. Do not use technology as a babysitter. Children need to learn how to wait and occupy themselves. Children need to interact with others.
  5. Keep discussions open about cyberbullying and privacy issues. Teach children about Internet “stranger danger”. Coach children to keep personal information private. Teach children the difference between Internet friends and real friends.

Finally, children do not need to have a cell phone in class. Nor do children need to have parents call or text them while they are at school and especially when they are in class. If it is an emergency, parents should call the school instead.

Be present with children. Spend face-to-face time with children. Plan special family time without the Internet or technology.

Be present with yourself and others.

Collaboratively yours,

Dr. Deborah Weston, PhD

References

Bianchi, A., & Phillips, J. G. (2005). Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 8(1), 39-51.

Bryant, A. (2018). The Effect of Social Media on the Physical, Social Emotional, and Cognitive Development of Adolescents.

Cheever, N. A., Moreno, M. A., & Rosen, L. D. (2018). When Does Internet and Smartphone Use Become a Problem? Technology and Adolescent Mental Health (pp. 121-131).

Dormehl, L. (October 3, 2018) Drop that iPhone! Researchers suggest limiting kids’ screen time to 2 hours a day. Digital Trends. Downloaded from https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/screen-usage-kids-two-hours-per-day/

Dwyer, R. J., Kushlev, K., & Dunn, E. W. (2018). Smartphone use undermines enjoyment of face-to-face social interactions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 78, 233-239.

Elhai, J. D., Tiamiyu, M. F., Weeks, J. W., Levine, J. C., Picard, K. J., & Hall, B. J. (2018). Depression and emotion regulation predict objective smartphone use measured over one week. Personality and Individual Differences, 133, 21-28.

Felisoni, D. D., & Godoi, A. S. (2018). Cell phone usage and academic performance: An experiment. Computers & Education, 117, 175-187.

Galetzka, C. (2017). Commentary: Mobile and Interactive Media Use by Young Children: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 461.

Radesky, J. S., Silverstein, M., Zuckerman, B., & Christakis, D. A. (2014). Infant self-regulation and early childhood media exposure. Pediatrics, peds-2013.

Swain, S. K., Behera, I. C., Sahu, M. C., & Choudhury, J. (2018). Mobile phone use among children and its impact on hearing: Our experience at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Pediatria Polska-Polish Journal of Paediatrics, 2018(2), 117-120.

Walters, J. (February 2, 2015) Tablets and smartphones may affect social and emotional development, scientists speculate, The Guardian. Downloaded from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/01/toddler-brains-research-smartphones-damage-social-development

Deb Weston Advocacy for public education, Anti-bullying, Diverse Learning Needs, Gender Equity, LGBTQ2S, Social Justice

Gender Rights = Human Rights

gender theory

Education is one of the foundations of Canadian society … and so are human rights.

In Ontario, education is a “publically funded education system to support and reflect the democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all” (Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, Ministry of Education, 2013).

The Ministry of Education recognizes that factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and class can create students’ barriers to learning. There is evidence that some groups of students continue to encounter discriminatory barriers to learning. Research shows that when students feel connected to teachers and other students, they do better academically (Goleman, 2006).

So what does this mean to teachers?

Through Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, school boards must seek out barriers to learning for all students. Teachers therefore must also address barriers to learning due to factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Recently, the Ontario PC Party passed a resolution to debate recognition of gender identity which was proposed by Tanya Granic Allen of the Ontario PC party.  The resolution read as follows:

“Be it resolved that an Ontario PC Party recognizes ‘gender identity theory’ for what it is, namely, a highly controversial, unscientific ‘liberal ideology’, and, as such, that an Ontario PC Government will remove the teaching and promotion of ‘gender identity theory’ from Ontario schools and its curriculum.”

The debate of whether this “theory” is “unscientific or not”, is not meaningful to all the students in Ontario who differ in their gender identity. Students who differ in their gender identity exist in our schools and in our classrooms.

I will say this again, students who differ in gender identity are real and in Ontario classrooms. Students who differ in gender identity need to be supported through their human rights and freedoms and need to be protected against abuse and bullying.

By not discussing gender identity in classrooms presents the possibility of students who differ in gender identity not being accepted for who they are and how their difference is also real. Not discussing gender identity in classrooms puts these students at risk of abuse and bullying. Not discussing gender identity in classrooms means that teachers are being asked to pick and choose factors that can be barriers to student learning. Teachers must consider all aspects of the Ontario Human Rights code that include honouring students’ diversity in  race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

In not discussing gender identity, schools who ignore barriers to student learning risk violating the Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools which advocates for “democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all” (Ministry of Education, 2013).

In promoting to “remove the teaching and promotion of ‘gender identity theory’ from Ontario schools and its curriculum” is not going to happen as this statement is against the Ontario Human Rights Code. The Ontario Human Rights Code supersedes any curriculum and therefore teachers can promote human rights within the Ontario Human Rights Code anytime in classrooms. Discussing gender and sexual orientation issues are part of the Ontario Human Rights Code.  

Be aware, that Tanya Granic Allen has a history of odious discrimination against gender and sexual orientation rights, as well as the rights of other religious groups. The Ontario Liberals released a 2014 Granic Allen video which “spewed hatred and homophobia”. The CBC News article (May 5, 2018) states that “Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford says former party leadership hopeful Tanya Granic Allen will no longer be a candidate for the party” and followed with “We are a party comprised of people with diverse views that if expressed responsibly we would respect”. Ford goes on to state that “However, the fact is her characterization of certain issues and people has been irresponsible” but then Ford continues with “She is a welcome addition to our strong and diverse PC team.”

Granic Allen was removed by Ford “as a candidate for the party in the spring election [2018] after controversial social media messages she posted were made public” (Jeffords, November 17, 2018). Granic Allen is not a Minister of Provincial Parliament of Ontario for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound; Bill Walker, MPP holds that position. Granic Allen, in May 2018, wrote in the National Post that “The accusation by the Liberals and the press that I am somehow against the dignity and human rights of LGBT+ people is a lie” (Granic Allen, May 8, 2018).

Granic Allen also has made comments against, gay marriage and Muslin dress. CBC news cites Granic Allen tweets and blogs dating back to 2013 speaking out “against gay marriage and compares women wearing burkas to ‘ninjas’ and ‘bank robbers.’ (David Donnelly, CBC News, April 10, 2018).

Another article cites Granic Allen as a “kingmaker” for Ford. “Without Granic Allen in the race, Ford wouldn’t have had enough votes to eke out his narrow win over Christine Elliott, and he [Ford] may not have leaned as hard to the right to court social conservative members” (Fitzpatrick, March 14, 2018).

The bottom line is that it does not matter if people differ in their opinions about gay marriage or gender issues, or even Muslim dress; what does matter is that when opinions violate and impact people’s rights and freedoms according to Ontario Human Rights Code, these becomes legal issues.

Respect for all.

Collaboratively Yours,

Dr. Deb Weston, PhD

References

CBC News, (April 10, 2018), Tanya Granic Allen under fire for online comments against gay marriage, Muslim dress, CBC News. Downloaded from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tanya-granic-allen-under-fire-for-online-comments-against-gay-marriage-muslim-dress-1.4613483

CBC News. (May 5, 2018) Tanya Granic Allen no longer an Ontario PC party candidate after ‘irresponsible’ comments, Doug Ford says, CBC News. Downloaded from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/tanya-granic-allen-no-longer-an-ontario-pc-party-candidate-after-irresponsible-comments-doug-ford-says-1.4650360

Fitzpatrick, M. (March 14, 2018). Who is Tanya Granic Allen, the kingmaker in the Ont. PC leadership race, and what’s next for her? CBC News, Downloaded from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/who-is-tanya-granic-allen-the-kingmaker-in-the-ont-pc-leadership-race-and-what-s-next-for-her-1.4574500

Goleman, D. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. New York, NY: Bantam Dell, A Division of Random House.

Granic Allen, T. (May 8, 2018). Tanya Granic Allen: I’ve been slandered. It’s time to set the facts straight, The National Post, Downloaded from https://nationalpost.com/opinion/tanya-granic-allen-ive-been-slandered-let-me-set-the-facts-straight

Jeffords, S. (November 17, 2018). Social conservatives say their voice is being ignored at Ontario Tory convention, The Canadian Press. Downloaded from https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/11/17/social-conservatives-say-their-voice-is-being-ignored-at-ontario-tory-convention.html

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119: Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, Government of Ontario. Toronto.

Ryan, R. (November 17, 2018). Ontario PC Party passes resolution to debate recognition of gender identity, Global News. Downloaded from https://globalnews.ca/news/4673240/ontario-pc-recognize-gender-identity/

Deb Weston Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Diverse Learning Needs

6 Reasons to Say No to EQAO

testing_cartoon

Large scale assessments, like EQAO testing, were developed to support standards-based education reform on the premise of setting high standards and establishing measurable goals in order to improve learning outcomes in education.

This blog highlights how EQAO testing does not achieve its goals and, in fact, hinders learning outcomes, especially in marginalized student populations.

1. EQAO testing is unfair to students with special education or English language needs

In EQAO testing, all students are treated equally. This means that students with low intellectual levels or learning disabilities are made to write the test. Students who have low levels of English knowledge are made to take the test. There are some exemptions for students which are hard to obtain and when students are exempt, students’ tests scores of zero are counted in their school’s overall scores. These barriers to learning result in lowering school’s test scores.

Treating students all the same does not differentiate learning needs. Students who cannot read or write, due to an exceptional learning need are made to take the test. For example, I had one student, who was non-verbal, sit in front of a computer for three hours unable to complete any part of the grade 3 EQAO  test. I have also had students who just came to Canada from a non-English speaking country, sit in front of their EQAO test paper with a blank look. Schools with many special education classrooms or high levels of English language learners have lower school scores, as these students, due to their circumstance, cannot complete the EQAO tests.

The bottom line is that EQAO testing is unfair for many students.

2. EQAO testing is unfair to students with low socioeconomic factors

In EQAO results, there is a direct link between low test scores and low socioeconomic factors. Socioeconomic status impacts language development which results in decreases in vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and an overall ability to read and comprehend text (Perkins, Finegood, & Swain, 2013). In addition, “The family stress model connects poverty with parental emotional distress that affects parenting, whereas the parental investment model involves a focus on basic needs that affects children’s language (Perkins, Finegood, & Swain, 2013, p. 1). The result of this disadvantage of poverty is that schools in areas with low socioeconomic status tend to have low EQAO test scores (Langois, 2017). Schools in wealthier areas tend to have higher EQAO scores than schools in lower socioeconomic areas. 

This is why real estate agents use EQAO test scores to sell residential property – to assess the socioeconomic status of a neighbourhood.

The bottom line is that EQAO measures socioeconomic status. 

3. EQAO does not honour education policy

Through the Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, it is stated that there is a need for our “publically funded education system to support and reflect the democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all” (Ministry of Education, 2013).

The bottom line is that EQAO testing procedures do not “reflect the democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all.”

4. EQAO diverts schools’ resources and energy away from meeting students’ learning needs

EQAO testing focuses schools’ resources and energy on doing everything to increase test scores. In my years as a teacher, I find that EQAO takes over schools and students’ learning. Grade 3 and 6 teachers become obsessed with cramming curriculum into the year before the test. Some administrators direct teachers to only teach math and language, while students miss out on social studies and science. Redirecting learning turns teaching into test focused, score based tunnel vision.

This test focused, score based tunnel vision has other impacts on school practices. There is a great deal of documentation in the Ontario College of Teachers citing teachers and principals who have changed students EQAO test answers so their school will receive more favourable test score rankings.

Why do educators cheat? 

Cheating is a big problem in government testing. Teachers and principals alter students’ answers to get better results. Cheating happens internationally. Low test scores in the US have caused teachers and principals to get fired. High stakes testing puts great pressure on educators to produce good EQAO scores.

The bottom line is that EQAO highjacks teachers’ teaching and students’ learning.

5. EQAO is not a standardized, statistically measured test format

EQAO test results are very difficult to decipher and it is often unclear how the test scores really inform educators about student learning.  

Ontario’s Education Quality and Accountability Office, the source of the EQAO testing, does not cite any reliability or validity results that ensure the test questions are actually measuring the intended skills.  A test is valid if it measures what it is supposed to measure. The EQAO website does not cite checks of Test-Retest Reliability, Cronbach’s alpha for measuring of internal consistency, Convergent reliability, or Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

I wonder about the consistency or reliability of EQAO test marking. Reliability in testing means that two identical student answers would be marked the same or in other words, test marking would be consistent. I wonder if EQAO has sufficient test procedures, checks, and tests in place to ensure reliability.

Further, I wonder how much EQAO test scores are used to inform teacher practice. Some schools use the results by breaking down specific areas of need but this takes time meaning in order to do a proper job of this analysis, teachers would need to be released from their teacher duties to do this work. Further, it would be beneficial for teachers to have some knowledge of statistics in order to assess their school’s results.

Ontario students do participate in international testing PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), and PIRLS (the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) and Canada usually does well, ranking in the top 10. Note that some of the scores in the Asian countries do not reflect all students as poorer students or students with disabilities do not participate in this testing for many reasons. Canada still does well compared to those countries.

Finally, I also wonder why a statistically minded organization like EQAO uses the words “standardized” tests to describe their testing. To be standardized, these tests would have to be statistically normalized on a bell curve like CAT (Canadian Achievement Test) and CCAT (Canadian Cognitive Ability Test) tests.

The bottom line is that the EQAO test structure is not statistically reliable or valid.

6. EQAO testing costs offers questionable return on investment

In considering the above points, EQAO offers questionable return on the public’s investment. EQAO testing cost $30,000,000 in 2014. That’s a lot of money that the province could be using to fix schools.

My question: Do the EQAO test results merit $30 million dollars worth of data?

Overall, I do not see the value of EQAO testing. As a teacher, I have never used the scores – sometimes I never get to see the scores.

Let’s put our education dollars into areas where the funds can improve learning. The real estate agents will have to think of another way to sell residential listings.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References

Alphonso, A. (April 21, 2018). Government-commissioned report recommends Ontario should phase out Grade 3 EQAO test, Globe and Mail. Toronto. Downloaded from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-government-commissioned-report-recommends-ontario-should-phase-out/

Hassan, F. (February 6th, 2014). It’s time to scrap province-wide testing, Toronto Sun. Downloaded from https://torontosun.com/2014/02/06/its-time-to-scrap-province-wide-testing/wcm/dc995597-1dd0-4fa4-8afb-801a797611d3

Langois, H. (2017). Behind the Snapshot: Teachers’ Experiences of Preparing Students in Lower Socioeconomic Status Schools for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. University of Toronto, Ontario.

Ontario Education Quality and Accountability Office. (2013) Top Reasons Standardized Testing in Ontario and the United States Are Not Comparable, Education Quality and Accountability Office, Ontario. Downloaded from http://www.eqao.com/en/about_eqao/media_room/communication-docs/infographic-EQAO-US-Comparison-print-version.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education. (April 22, 2013). Ministry of Education Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119: Developing and implementing equity and inclusive education policies in Ontario Schools, Ontario Ministry of Education. Downloaded from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/119.pdf

Perkins, S. C., Finegood, E. D., & Swain, J. E. (2013). Poverty and language development: Roles of parenting and stress. Innovations in clinical neuroscience, 10(4), 10.

Wong, A. (2016). Why would a teacher cheat? The Atlantic.

 

Deb Weston Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Social Justice

Barriers to Student Learning – Black Youth

Barriers 2
Illustration downloaded from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/activities/political-cartoon/about.html

 

Education is one of the foundations of Canadian society. If you are wondering why your board is addressing issues of equity and inclusion recently, a policy/program memorandum has impacted the way Ontario public school boards are conducting their business of education.

Through the Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, it is stated that there is a need for our “publically funded education system to support and reflect the democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all” (Ministry of Education, 2013).

The Ministry of Education recognizes factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and class can create barriers to learning. There is evident that some groups of students continue to encounter discriminatory barriers to learning. Research shows that when students feel connected to teachers and other students, they do better academically (Goleman, 2006).

Please refer to Barriers to Student Learning – An Overview for a more details outlined in Through Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119.

So what does this mean to teachers?

School boards must seek out barriers to learning for all students. Teachers therefore must also address barriers to learning due to factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Through Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, school boards, and teachers, must address barriers to learning that fall within prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code.

There is significant evidence to show that Black youth face significant barriers to learning within their schools. School boards such as the Toronto District School Board and the Peel District School Board have identified barriers to learning for Black youth who face systemic discrimination and who do not feel connected to their teachers or their school communities.

In developing and implementing equity and inclusive education to address Memorandum Number 119 (2009) education policy within Ontario, the Peel District Board of Education (PDSB) has identified a part of their student community who is experiencing systemic barriers to learning. These barriers to learning are supported through research that shows that black male students feel excluded, have fewer opportunities, and experienced an achievement gap in their learning. Further, research also shows that these barriers to learning are rooted in systemic biases and in negative teacher and peer perception of Black males identity and ability (Peel District School Board, 2018). These biases result in an over representation of levels of suspension and expulsions and lower levels of representation in gifted programs and high school completion (Maynard, 2017).

System-wide, cultural responsive pedagogy and practices are being put into place to have Black male students feel more included in meaningful curriculum and instruction. This curriculum should be reflective of Black voices and help students see themselves within the lessons. This curriculum should address Black culture from all over the world, and not just from “Jamaica” (Peel District School Board, 2018).

In order to integrate the experiences of Black Canadians into the curriculum, the PDSB is providing instructional resources to be embedded into core courses and through inquiry as well as classroom resources to reflect the student body (Peel District School Board, 2018). Teachers and teacher librarians will play a critical role in building culturally responsive schools. Further, purposeful assessment and student voice will to integrated into school practices. This action plan is also embedding equitable and inclusive practices in board policies and programs while identifying and removing discrimination, biases, and system barriers to the success of Black male students. There has been a system wide leadership commitment to this initiative thus changing the board’s climate and the prevention of discrimination and harassment of Black male students’ board wide. To ensure accountability, the PDBS will be tracking the impact on data of expulsion and suspension rates, gifted student numbers, and graduation rates in Black male students ensure accountability and transparency.

In the next few blogs, I will further address some of the barriers to learning that students face based on their race, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

If you would like me to address barriers to learning for a specific student group, please provide a suggestion below.

Collaboratively yours,

Deb Weston

Note that, although I do not have any direct experience with the barriers to learning addressed in this blog, I do identify as an educator who advocates for equity and for all students, especially when it comes to breaking down barriers to learning.

References

Caton, M. (January 31, 20198). Ontario Black Youth Action Plan aims to break down barriers, Windsor Star. Downloaded from https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/ontario-black-youth-action-plan-aims-to-break-down-barriers

Goleman, D. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships.-New York, NY: Bantam Dell, A Division of Random House.

Gordon, A. (October 2, 2017). Summit on barriers faced by Black male students comes to Toronto, Toronto Star. Downloaded from https://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2017/10/02/summit-on-barriers-faced-by-black-male-students-comes-to-toronto.html

Maynard, R. (2017). Canadian education is steeped in anti-black racism, The Walrus Magazine.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119: Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, Government of Ontario. Toronto.

Peel District School Board. (2018). We Rise Together: The PDSB action plan to support Black male students. Peel District School Board of Education.

Deb Weston Curriculum Planning, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, Learning About Your Students, Social Justice

Barriers to Student Learning – An Overview

Priviledge

Education is one of the foundations of Canadian society. If you are wondering why your board is addressing issues of equity and inclusion recently, a policy/program memorandum has impacted the way Ontario public school boards are conducting their business of education.

Through the Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, it is stated that there is a need for our “publically funded education system to support and reflect the democratic values of fairness, equity, and respect for all” (Ministry of Education, 2013). The Government of Ontario has established three core priorities in education:

  • high levels of student achievement
  • reduced gaps in student achievement
  • increased public confidence in publically funded education (Ministry of Education, 2013)

In “providing a high-quality education for all is a key means of fostering … diversity is affirmed within a framework of common values that promote the well-being of all citizens” (Ministry of Education, 2013). The Ministry of Education recognizes factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and class can create barriers to learning. There is evident that some groups of students continue to encounter discriminatory barriers to learning. Research shows that when students feel connected to teachers and other students, they do better academically (Goleman, 2006).

Through Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, all publically funded school boards are required to address equity and inclusive policies covering in three areas of focus including:

  • shared and committed leadership by the ministry, boards, and schools to eliminate discrimination through the identification and removal of biases and barriers
  • equity and inclusive education policies and practices to support positive learning environments that are respectful and welcoming to all
  • accountability and transparency with ongoing progress demonstrated and communicated to the ministry and the community (Ministry of Education, 2013)

The policy further goes on to state that “school board policies must be comprehensive and must cover the prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code. The code prohibits discrimination on any of the following grounds: race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, citizenship, ethnic origin, disability, creed (e.g., religion), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, family status, and marital status” and the intersectionality that may occur within this list (Ministry of Education, 2013).

So what does this mean to teachers?

School boards must seek out barriers to learning for all students. Teachers therefore must also address barriers to learning due to factors such as race, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Through Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119, school boards, and teachers, must address barriers to learning that fall within prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code. This policy will impact all ways Ontario teachers conduct their business of education.

In the next few blogs, I will address some of the barriers to learning that students face based on their race, sexual orientation, disability, gender, and socioeconomic status.

If you would like me to address barriers to learning for a specific student group, please provide a suggestion below.

Collaboratively yours,

Deb Weston

References

Goleman, D. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships.-New York, NY: Bantam Dell, A Division of Random House.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119: Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools, Government of Ontario. Toronto. Downloaded from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/119.pdf

Deb Weston Homework, Math

The Fundamentals of Teaching Balanced Math

math

Balanced math programs are not something new. Balanced math programs have always taught the fundamentals of math.

Many years ago, the board I teach for released an excellent poster outlining their approach to balanced math. The poster consisted of the importance of teaching: attitudes to math, approaches to instruction/assessment, teaching through problem solving, purposeful practice, basic facts and operational skills, and purposeful use of resources. When I saw the poster I was thrilled to see math pedagogy that aligned with my own teaching practice.

I have taught math from grade two to university level. Regardless of the grade or level of math, I believe there are four fundamental pillars in math instruction:

  1. Real world applications: Math instruction needs to connect to the real world – here students see the purpose of learning math such as measuring the diagonals of a door to ensure it is squarely/correctly installed or calculating how much paint you need to paint a room.
  2. Problem solving: Math should be taught with problem solving – problem solving adds complexity in applying math facts and operations skills within context and especially when connected to the real world.
  3. Practice to develop automaticity: Practicing addition and multiplication facts is not the most exciting part of math but without knowing them, students have to use more of their working memory to figure out the facts. This use of working memory/executive function leaves less space for working on the math that is in front of the student.
  4. Manipulatives/hands-on math: Manipulatives are not just for primary or junior grades, all students need them to make sense of abstract math concepts. I used math manipulatives to teach grade 8 students how to solve algebraic equations. Once the students did this with the manipulatives, they could work out the problems on paper. Even when I took university math courses, I always drew pictures of the math problem so I could understand my task better.

Other boards of education are also promoting balanced math programs. These boards of education may give their math programs a different name, but essentially the programs are similar.

In 2018, jobs that require math pay more than jobs than do not require math. This is a key reason to learn math!

These jobs include scientist, engineer, technologist, electronics specialist, robotics engineer, economist, game designer, roller coaster designer, animator, pilot, sports announcer, professional photographer, financial planner/analyst, cryptographer, research analyst, accountant, lawyer, marketing researcher, real estate agent, software designer/tester, global warming specialist, professional cook, and math teacher.

Math is important to students’ lives. It helps students make sense of the world as well as ways to figure out practical things like managing their money, doing home renovations, and making sense of their cell phone bills.

Do math, teach math, explore math.

If you know of anymore resources to share, please comment below so I can check them out!

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

More Information

Ford wants to get back to basics with math — but educators say balance is best

SEEING AS UNDERSTANDING: The Importance of Visual Mathematics for our Brain and Learning

York Region District School Board Comprehensive Math Program 

Peel District School Board Balance Math Instruction K-12 Program

Why is it important to study math?

Math Resources for Parents and Teachers

Queens University

Mathies

Peel District School Board Parent Guide to Learning Math Today

Peel District School Board Engage Math for Parents

Parents Guide to the Fundamentals of Math

Deb Weston Health & Safety

School Kiss and Ride Zone Safety for All

Kiss and Ride

School Kiss and Ride zone locations are designed to drop off and pick up children in vehicles before and after school. In some schools over 200 students are picked up and dropped off every day. In winter and on rainy days, this number increases relative to worsening weather conditions. In addition, parking lots are often located beside and as part of the Kiss and Ride drive through. Kiss and Ride lanes are designed to have up to 100 vehicles driving through during a 20 minute period.

It is important to keep all students and staff safe. Rules and guidelines are put in place to keep vehicles moving and to ensure the safe entry and exit of students from vehicles. Some of these rules include:

  • Drivers adhering to limiting speeds
  • Drivers, parents and students following school staffs’ instructions
  • Drivers not parking and waiting in the Kiss and Ride lane (It’s called Kiss and Ride NOT Kiss and Park)
  • Drivers yielding to pedestrian traffic
  • Drivers treating staff, students, volunteers, passengers, and other drivers with respect
  • Drivers not double parking beside the Kiss and Ride lane (students crossing between vehicles could be injured by other vehicles)
  • Adults making sure students fully exit or enter the vehicle before driving away from the Kiss and Ride lane
  • Ensuring all passengers, especially students, have seat belts on at all times while in the vehicle
  • Drivers remaining in the vehicle while in the Kiss and Ride lane so as to not block the flow of traffic
  • Drivers not parking in the Fire Route or School Bus zone
  • All people following directions of crossing guards and school staff acting as crossing guards
  • Drivers not idling vehicles in the Kiss and Ride lanes or Parking Lot zone areas

There rules and guidelines are put into place to prevent accidents. Students, parents, and school staff are injured every year. In February 2018, a student was and killed hit by a car as a result of vehicles inappropriately parking near a school (Maharaj, 2018). Another school closed their Kiss and Ride lanes after safety concerns became overwhelming (Milton Canadian Champion, 2013). As a teacher on Kiss and Ride duty, I have personally witnessed near missed of vehicles almost hitting children and adults.

Kiss and Ride Zones can also be a problem by exposing children and adults to high levels of pollution. A University of Toronto study (Adams & Requia, 2017) showed that Kiss and Ride school zones contain a “Halo of air pollution” due to idling vehicles nearby (Elliot, 2017).

Teachers need to be especially vigilant in keeping themselves safe while on duty in Kiss and Ride areas and in school parking lots. For the most part, teachers should use their common sense and professional judgement. Here are a few common sense suggestions to keep you safe from injury at the Kiss and Ride:

  • Do not help students in and out of vehicles – your arm could be injured if a vehicle drives away or you could injury a student while closing a vehicle door (think car doors closing on little fingers!)
  • Do not put your back to vehicles – you cannot see where they are or how they are moving
  • Teachers do not have to enter cross-walk zones if they feel unsafe – do not use your body to block a car
  • Do not put up with abuse from drivers and/or parents
  • Do not intervene in Kiss and Ride/Parking Lot disputes between drivers – you are there to supervise students, not adults
  • Use your professional judgement to consider reporting dangerous drivers or students not in seat belts to the administration

If you have any additional common sense suggestions in keeping all people safe in Kiss and Ride Zones, please share them with me and I will add them in this blog.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References

Adams, M. D., & Requia, W. J. (2017). How private vehicle use increases ambient air pollution concentrations at schools during the morning drop-off of children. Atmospheric Environment, 165, 264-273.

Elliot, J. (August 10, 2017). School drop-off zones expose kids to high levels of pollution: study, CTV News. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/school-drop-off-zones-expose-kids-to-high-levels-of-pollution-study-1.3540552

Maharaj, S. (February 28, 2018) Scarborough student’s death sparks call for safer school zones, Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/4054718/duncan-xu-kennedy-public-school/

Milton Canadian Champion. (2013). Traffic issues bring safety blitz to Escarpment. Milton Canadian Champion. https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/2885147-traffic-issues-bring-safety-blitz-to-escarpment-view/

Deb Weston Health & Safety, Teacher Wellness

The Risks of Vaccination Vacations

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Canadian Health Headlines 2018

 Measles case confirmed at Skookum Festival, multiple Vancouver locations

Why does Europe suddenly have measles?

Mumps makes a comeback in Canada and the U.S.

Whooping cough outbreaks in Canada tied to lower vaccine immunity

Update on invasive meningococcal vaccination for Canadian children and youth

How HPV is causing more than just cervical cancer

Tuberculosis in Canada: Over 1,700 people diagnosed

Vaccinations – In my grandmother’s day, they didn’t exist. Both my mother’s parents and many of their relatives died of complications due to Tuberculosis. My mother’s parents met in a Tuberculosis sanatorium and my mother was born there in the late 1930s. My mother lost more than a year of school due to contracting Mumps, Rubella, and Rheumatic Fever. My mother’s school lost several children due to what are now preventable diseases – and she saw many child-sized coffins during that time.

In Canada, there were no antibiotics until the 1940s (BBC,1999,  A brief history of antibiotics). The 1950s brought significant vaccinations improving public health and eliminating Polio in most of the world. The Smallpox vaccination eliminated the disease worldwide in 1979 (The Immunology Advisory Centre, 2017, A brief history of vaccinations).

As a result of immunization, my children did not contract these preventable diseases nor do they have the telltale vaccination Smallpox scar as I do.

 So what changed?

In the late 1990s, the manipulation of medical data was done for profit (Weston, 2013). A most notable and unconscionable example is the scientific publication of data linking the childhood Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism and gastrointestinal difficulties in children that was published in the well-respected medical journal, The Lancet (Wakefield et al., 1998). Wakefield and colleagues based their data results on a study of 12 children, which were, in turn, manipulated to discredit the MMR vaccine. Wakefield was purposely trying to discredit the MMR in order to promote his own Measles vaccine. This study was later found to be fraudulent, and the paper was retracted by The Lancet (The Editors of the Lancet, 2010).

The fallout from this publication connecting the MMR vaccine and autism resulted in a significant reduction of immunization of all vaccines among school-aged children (Smith, Ellenberg, Bell, & Rubin, 2008), and a resurgence of previously preventable childhood diseases (Dominus, 2011).

Some children cannot be vaccinated.

Some children have significant health problems which prevents them from getting the full spectrum of vaccinations. Not vaccinating one student is not impactful as populations can rely on herd immunity  which comes from most people (the herd) being vaccinated.

Herd Immunity Works

A public health problem occurs when a large percentage of the population do not get vaccinated or fail to update their immunization. For mumps, herd immunity is about 90% vaccinated. Another challenge with vaccinations is that one shot of the vaccine does not provide full protection. With Measles, one dose provides 93% protection while a second shot give 97% protection from the disease.

Vaccinations do not always work on the very young or very old.

An additional challenge with immunization is that not all people respond to immunization. Very young children and seniors may not develop a very strong immune response thus making them even more susceptible to preventable diseases, even with vaccinations. This is particularly relevant for the yearly Flu vaccine. During school-administered vaccinations, I often remind my own students that vaccinations are not to protect them but to protect the very young and very old people in their families.

How do the lack of student’s vaccinations impact teachers?

In the fall of 2009, my grade 7 student had a birthday party, with most of the class attending. Most of the students came down with H1N1 and so did I. When it struck, I felt like a truck had hit me. I could hardly walk. My students, of course, recovered faster. At the time, the H1N1 Flu vaccine had not yet been released.

By January 2010, I was still weakened from my H1N1 Flu experience. A shopping trip to Buffalo – USA, resulted in me getting a “100 day cough” which turned out to be Whopping Cough. At the time, my doctor and her family were very ill with H1N1, so it took me months to finally see her – and instead I had the see of a series of walk-in clinic doctors. When my doctor did see me, she took one look at me and announced I had Whooping Cough.

Having Whooping Cough was a nightmare – I spent many nights sitting up coughing instead of sleeping. I took every Wednesday off for several weeks as I was so tired from coughing and not sleeping – I could hardly drive myself to school – it lasted 5 months. The next year, I contracted Whooping Cough again, as getting the disease does not make a person immune. My doctor informed me that the immunization only lasted about 4 years and public health relied mostly on herd immunity to control outbreaks. Now I get the DPT vaccination (diphtheria, pertussis-whooping cough, & tetanus) every 4 years.

So what can teachers do to prevent outbreaks of preventable diseases?

  1. Update your own immunization
  2. Immunize your children
  3. Ensure your elderly relatives have their immunization updated
  4. Wash your hands, often.
  5. Stay home when you have a fever, rash, diarrhea, and/or vomiting

As teachers, we care very much about our students and their health. As teachers, we can advocate for the immunization of students. And we can work to protect the health of others.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

This blog is for the purposes of information only and is not a venue to engage debate.

References

Dominus, S. (2011, April 20). The crash and burn of an autism guru. New York Times Magazine. The Editors of The Lancet. (2010, February). Retraction–Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 375(9713), 445.

Smith, M. J., Ellenberg, S. S., Bell, L. M., & Rubin, D. M. (2008). Media coverage of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism controversy and its relationship to MMR immunization rates in the United States. Pediatrics, 121(4), 836-43.

The Editors of The Lancet. (2010, February). Retraction–Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 375(9713), 445.

Wakefield, A. J., Murch, S. H., Anthony, A., Linnell, J., Casson, D. M., Malik, M., … WalkerSmith, J. A. (1998). Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. The Lancet, 351(9103), 637–41.

Weston, D. (2013). A Positive Constructivist: An Internal Debate on Opposing Educational Philosophies. Teaching and Learning, 8(1).

Deb Weston Teacher Wellness, Women's Health

Let’s talk about P

Let’s talk about P

Image result for teacher bladders

Yes, this blog is about teachers’ urination and the lack of opportunities to do so!

I’ve been teaching over 19 years now and I know I am having a good day when I have eaten my lunch – before 3 pm, and had a pee break. Teachers often joke about this, but based on anecdotal evidence, I believe that teachers are so busy that they often don’t have time to pee.

Teachers are known to have large bladders, probably due to their practice having to hold it. Too bad some of our “break-seeking” students haven’t tried this yet. After several bouts of whooping cough and two months of bronchitis (and two natural childbirths), I found myself paying attention to the special underwear protection commercials. I felt resigned to using these products for the rest of my life.

One day while sitting in my physiotherapy clinic, I noticed signs for women only Pelvic Floor Therapy group information session. The thought of not wearing protective products daily compelled me to signup. The session was very informative.

Did you know that holding back on urination actually helps develop pelvic floor muscles and bladder control? Instead, I was rushing to the washroom in order to avoid an accident.

Other things that strengthen bladders include limiting coffee and tea (I am still drinking my two cups every morning – for my students’ sake). Bladders and the rest of the human body need regular hydration through the drinking of water. I find teachers often have a drink in their hands as teachers need to talk a lot in their job and vocal cords need to stay hydrated to keep working well.

The last thing women need to do strengthen their bladder control and pelvic floor is Kegel exercises (you were probably wondering when I was going to get to this). After having a private session with my physiotherapist, I discovered that when doing Kegal exercises, you are not supposed to use your leg muscles. My therapist showed me how to do proper, pelvic floor strengthening, Kegel exercises. She also showed me how to sneeze and lift things to avoid the dreaded leakage. Further, she gave me excellent tips such as doing Kegals at stoplights and other times when my partner might notice. Within a few months, I was free of the protective products, and still am.

My physiotherapist, a woman, is specially trained and certified in Pelvic Floor Therapy. She also had two natural births in the last few years. This therapy made a huge difference to me in my life.

So when you see a woman at a stoplight, in her car, with a concentrated look on her face, consider what she may be doing for her own health and wellbeing.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston