I was at the last basketball game of my son's high school career, two weeks ago. They finished 6th, losing in the final seconds of their second game to the team that went on to win the championship. It was a sad day for me and for my wife. Not just because we lost, but [...]
On a coffee break from marking provincial exams, I was talking to some fellow English teachers about the use and abuse of technology in the lives of students. One of these fellows recounted a conversation he had with a younger colleague who said that there is nothing wrong with texting while doing homework in that [...]
by Karlena Koot I wasn’t prepared to eat boiled octopus. Even after months of preparation, language classes, cultural lessons, packing, watching anime online, and praying, nothing could have prepared me for that. We were, however, warned about the copious amounts of rice and seafood. We were told that the language would be a barrier, that [...]
I couldn’t believe he belched in my class—and it was on purpose. This was my first year as a teacher, teaching grade 7. This guy was full of energy, and a bit of a stinker too, so I had my hands full. Being so new to the profession, I hadn't developed the instincts for dealing [...]
I’m 50 and I’ve begun to skateboard. But, this board isn’t anything that you could imagine. My nephew Kyle Doerksen in California graduated from Stanford with multiple degrees in engineering and then went on to work eight years for an innovative design and consulting firm called IDEO. For eight years he invented things that never [...]
I never learned as much as when I became a pigeon farmer. I remember walking to the barns on the day of possession, wondering what I had gotten myself into. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility, and with my ignorance as to how to produce the young pigeons (squab) that were so coveted by the [...]
I never got to light an Advent candle when I was a child. The idea terrified me. I imagined myself in front of all those solemn people who were expectant, not only for the coming of our Lord, but for the timely lighting of the candles. I saw myself desperately trying to get the lighter [...]
I think I forgot what it was like to be a high school student. I figured the only way to really know was to become one. So I did. Today I was a student at ACS Secondary. Just for a day. (Read Part One and Part Two) PART THREE: Passing the Test Lunch was over, and [...]
I think I forgot what it was like to be a high school student. I figured the only way to really know was to become one. So I did. Today I was a student at ACS Secondary. Just for a day. (Read Part One) Part Two: TAKE YOUR SEAT, A day with Grade Nines My day [...]
When one of my kids came home on a Friday and declared, "I have to finish my project," I was filled with dread. Weekend plans were abandoned so I could try to achieve the impossible: learning the material the project was supposed to demonstrate, balancing my child's expectations with reality, understanding the standards against which the project would be [...]
