I stood barefoot on my blanket as a First Nations person. We were a gregarious people who moved around, visited other groups, traded, conversed, shared stories and listened to new ideas and techniques. While I did that, my blanket was taken away. As I watched that happen, I lost my identity. I no longer belonged. [...]
BY SHERRY DRADER, GRADE 4 TEACHER This past Christmas left me flabbergasted—the cardboard box STILL became the most sought after “toy” between my three kids! I’ve always been fascinated by the hours of enjoyment children get from a simple cardboard box, as the adult in me just wants to clean up the mess, flatten the [...]
I spent the last four days of Christmas break visiting my mom. She is 91 years old and still lives in her own house on the farm where I grew up. There are some things she won’t do anymore, but I am impressed and very thankful for her health and strength. For example: Last summer, [...]
I was finally about to sink my teeth into some delicious leftovers right at the end of lunch recess when the intercom blared, “Mr. Bakker, please call the office!” So much for sinking teeth into food, as a sinking feeling fell on me. I knew what was coming. Mr. Van Eerden was away at a [...]
About an hour drive outside of Guatemala City, we arrived at Bethel school in Patzicia. As usual, we were welcomed warmly into the school by the administrators, but also by the children as they were having their break. We exchanged many handshakes, high fives and fist bumps. During my trip to Guatemala at the end [...]
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 [...]
Even though our garden has been the subject of an earlier blog (remember the squash growing through the fence?), truth be told I have never been what you would call an avid gardener. I do most of the planting of the seeds and make the frames for our pole beans to grow on. I will [...]
I don’t know if you have ever taught a physical education lesson to grade 1 students before, but it is one of my favourite things to do. I have a particularly athletic class this year, so I thought I would teach a version of kickball, called Flat Mat. Usually when I teach lessons to my [...]
“Sometimes I feel like a porcupine, innocent and curious. I have a big imagination and know how to protect myself.” This is how the small, square book began. I was browsing for First Nations themed books in our wonderful library. By the time I finished this book by Danielle Daniel, I was hooked and had [...]
