When I was growing up, I remember some of my greatest fears involved conflict. Conflict between loved ones, conflict between members of larger communities, conflict at a more regional, national, or global level, or as was mostly the case—conflict in my own life, big or small. When I was young there were global conflicts such [...]
At age 44, I fulfilled one my childhood dreams. I became a schoolteacher. It’s not that I needed something to fill the oodles of extra time I had on hand (insert winky face) or that I was lacking a challenge in my marketing career path. It’s just that I’ve always wanted to be a teacher [...]
I’m a sucker for a good story. It’s hard to say if it’s nurture or nature. I’m a blend of story genetics: storytelling and story-reading. My maternal family is bursting with people who love reading. Some have even gone professional with their adoration of the written word; my mom and three of her sisters are [...]
Jack Koning is a beloved teacher who influenced generations of Abbotsford Christian School students to love music. He also taught us the benefits of perseverance, excellence, and that we are better and stronger as a community than as individuals. Jack now has terminal cancer and is in his last days. I was teaching in Red [...]
A few weeks ago, my son came home from kindergarten and shared that at recess he played with the gnome. I’m pretty familiar with the playground and the areas where kids play. There’s the little toy, the big toy, the forest, the soup tree, and the sandbox (also known as the long jump pit) but [...]
"Some of you might recall an initiative launched at the beginning of our capital campaign called the Shaping God’s World Fund. During the capital campaign (This Square Inch – TSI), the board decided that we would allocate 5% of all money raised to be set aside for a separate fund that we would use [...]
The age-old question: “How was your spring break?” I’ve decided to go with the “It was a nice change of pace” response. Suzanne and I contemplated a trip to warmer places but decided to be responsible adults and save money. We are looking to buy a “new- to-me” truck in the future. It was a sound [...]
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 [...]
BY JACINDA FLEMING, GRADE 12 STUDENT AND ELEMENTARY JANITOR Soggy cucumbers, mouldy chunks of pepperoni, and wet mushy socks are just some of the things I’ve seen on the floors of school classrooms. I won’t even start with what I’ve seen in the bathrooms. I am a janitor at the elementary campus and have been [...]
Sometimes the world is heavy. The news is heavy. Our hearts are heavy. I hear the word anxiety tossed around like a disease that people have. As a teacher I hear it often in reference to kids who “have anxiety.” I have a little girl in my class who struggles with worries and heavy thoughts. [...]
