Last April, I introduced my older brother Michael to our learning support staff at one of our meetings. He was visiting me from Toronto and I introduced him as my inspiration for working as an Educational Assistant (EA). When Michael was three years old, he and my mom were visiting family in Germany and they [...]
It became a bit of a joke in administration meetings, board meetings, even society meetings. I was tired of hearing that the increase in enrolment was a good problem to have, and I'll admit that there were times when it did get a little annoying. I always knew that the decisions made when enrolment was [...]
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. [...]
It was once my custom to take the entire Biology 12 class to the Bamfield Marine Station on the desolate west coast of Vancouver Island. The students to experienced first-hand the unspoiled, rugged coastline for which BC is famous. The opportunities to study marine life using the resources of biological station were fantastic and students [...]
I remember the moment vividly. I was in grade 9, standing in our living room beside the piano. My mom and I were in heated debate over a timer. I was a bit ticked (at myself) because once again, my younger and more musically inclined sister had taken it upon herself to learn how to [...]
The BC government is rolling out a new (or revised) education plan. As a government-funded school, we are obligated to deliver education in line with the plan. As a Christian school, our first obligation is to be faithful to our mission. And so, on a professional development day earlier this year, we devoted time to work [...]
To the educational assistant who shares this classroom with me: I know you've heard me say thank-you to the students in the class, maybe for excellent behaviour or for doing great work, for sharing their thoughts on a topic or helping out a peer, perhaps for all the pictures, cards, paintings, and notes that cover [...]
