They come running to the reception area with books, games, sketch pads, and friends. “Is it our day today?” they ask Mrs. Howard. Big smiles spread across the students’ faces as they scurry to different learning pods set up across the Learning Commons. To say this space is a hit would be an understatement. It [...]
It was a star. A simple star…one that would be drawn on your hand when you arrived at school…or not. I remember waking up every morning. I didn’t care about my homework. I didn’t care about what we were going to do in school that day. I only cared about whether or not my hand [...]
I had been waiting for it and somehow, I missed the call. For real? I emailed the City of Abbotsford awhile ago with some deep hopes of partnering with them on a “What’s in My Backyard?” project. A project—that post-Newcastle Island trip and amidst FSA writing in grade 7—was due to be presented at Presentations [...]
It is Thursday and Monday is coming. No, it is not Easter. I am busy cross referencing every student in Grade 6 and 7, praying I haven’t messed up a student’s allocation for their X-Block 5 Module. Cooking can only take 12, so can Cookie and Cupcake Decorating, Maker Taker can take 6, Design Thinking [...]
I remember it like it was yesterday. Grade 9 Band Tour. My suitcase was packed. We got on the bus at night. I was nervous. We were going to drive through the night and arrive in Alberta the next day. I remember the sun was just starting to go down, the smell of fresh fallen [...]
Feathers floated through the air; strands of wig hair lay scattered on the ground. Kids were running around in circles practising a classmate’s fish swim move, and the one counter space left in my classroom had become an apparent make-up station. My classroom resembled anything but a learning environment. “Mrs. Barthel, I can’t find [...]
“Can I get your autograph?” This was different. Pig tails, braids, smiling faces, toothless welcoming grins reached out their pieces of paper towards us. “You’re the government! Can we get your autograph? ” I stifled a laugh, smiled back, looked over at my newly met colleague, shrugged, pulled out a pen, and signed away. I [...]
It’s the end of the day. I have survived my day of teaching a variety of subjects to multiple groups of middle school kids. The last class I taught managed to get the room all cleaned up before first bell; you’ll understand the joy of this if you have ever had to teach art to [...]
They sat in front of me grimacing. We had been learning how to play band instruments for a few weeks and I just announced it was going to be time for a “check in,” as I call them. I probably could have called the “check in” a marshmallow, or a chocolate bar and they wouldn’t [...]
The room is warm; excitement and the odour of nervous middle schoolers fills the air. Students, wearing a mix of everyday clothing and fairy-tale wear, run back and forth in frantic frenzy between their parents, their classmates, and backstage, to make sure everything is “just right” and in place for their moment on the stage. [...]
