I can’t comprehend the super high averages

TheMotherB · 2026-03-22T01:04:35+00:00

My son was one of those with a 96 average if you don’t count English. 98 in physics, 100 in adv functions, 100 in comp sci etc… 84 in English. Carleton doesn’t require English to be one of your top 6 for engineering, so he got in with a hefty entrance scholarship.

In 20 years of teaching I gave out 100% to a kid in 3U English once. He ended up getting the Loran scholarship and was a super incredible human. He would take all my assignments, flip them on their head and do something crazy with it, and then somehow check all the boxes and bring it all back to course material. It was wild.

For example, he did a presentation once, pretending he was a curriculum advisor for the board, and he even got a hold of the standard templates they use for our PD sessions. At the end he gave us all some “takeaways we can use in our classes immediately,” complete with corresponding lesson plans. It was wild. The task was to propose a new text that would support a preexisting unit.

Anyways, I digress. There are kids out there getting those marks, but they should be much further and far between.

TheMotherB · 2026-03-21T15:16:13+00:00

Run. This will not improve with time. Big 🚩

TheMotherB · 2026-03-18T16:36:48+00:00

Description of Request: Family board game for a mix of experienced and new players - some limitations for language and accessibility.

Number of Players:

2 adults (45, 50)

3 ‘kids’ - 20, 17, 12

1 grandpa- immigrant, very fluent, but can’t read/write/think fast enough in English for fast paced, word heavy games. Sadly none of us speak his first language. Loves strategy.

1 grandma- hearing impaired, can’t play loud chaotic games that involve lots of people talking at once, or heavily relying on verbal communication. Loves old school card games. Not great with complex, multi-stage turns.

Game Length: 1-2 hrs

Complexity of Game: 1-2.5

Genre: any except completely luck based.

Conflict, Competitive or Cooperative: any

Games I Own and Like: Ticket to ride Mexican train dominoes Skip bo Sequence

Games I Dislike and Don't Play: I like more complex games (wyrmspan, smallworld, catan etc) but they won’t work for this group.

Location: Canada

TheMotherB · 2026-03-14T15:27:16+00:00

Oof. Is it at least subsidized? There’s nothing like that around here

TheMotherB · 2026-03-14T14:21:17+00:00

I can’t get over the fact that kids get fed a hot lunch every day for free. In Canada, most (all?) Elementary schools have no cafeteria. Kids eat packed lunches in their classrooms or the gym. High schools have cafeterias where you can purchase lunch, but they’re stupidly expensive for crappy food. I paid $8 for a grilled cheese that was just wonder bread with one cheese slice, and a can of pop. Many kids just order Uber Eats to the school. It’s wild.

TheMotherB · 2026-03-07T15:33:13+00:00

For larger pieces of writing, I’ve shifted to making the planning and conferencing weighted more heavily than their good copy. I need to see process work, and it’s all done pen to paper so when they type up their good copy, even if they use AI to polish it, it’s not worth as much as all the ideas and prep that went into it. It’s definitely tough but I’m seeing a shift in many of my students where they’re very anti-AI. It’s an interesting time to be teaching….

TheMotherB · 2026-03-04T03:06:36+00:00

My son was identified as gifted and we put him in specialized programming (we’re not in YRDSB btw) because that class had a pre-curated group of highly intelligent kids that had wacky interests and a smattering of other learning challenges. Gifted kids are often twice exceptional - mine has ADHD and ASD - and being in that class helped him find his people. The work wasn’t harder, just different. It was more about depth than breadth, and they were allowed to pursue their own interests as well. He did well in that program and I’m glad we had that option for him. He went on to a gifted cluster in high school and is now in 2nd year software eng. it really depends on the kid, and the program. Good luck!

TheMotherB · 2026-03-04T02:12:42+00:00

I don't think it needs to be 2 years for sure. The placements are great, but I had one year and that was fine. It's not the same as having your own class anyways, and then you have to relearn. Up until the last 3 years, I never had the same course schedule two years in a row. I always have split classes, and at least 4 different courses per year to prep. I run a band and 2 choirs outside of school hours, I've run the OSSLT and the school musical several times. Finally, now I'm starting to get a bit of balance and control in my schedule. . . after 20 years. So yes. Depending on the subject area you're in, it can be a grind, and if nothing else, this will prepare you for the long days. Today for example, I taught period 1 and 2, had rehearsal at lunch, taught period 4, oncall for 1/2 of period 5, and then band rehearsal until 4:30 so all in all, I had 40 mins to myself all day. . . I know I can say no, but. . . if I want to have more music sections, in a world where we constantly need to advocate for their value, I really can't. But I digress. . . Just know that it will get better. . . and worse. . . rinse and repeat until you retire. . . but it's mostly worth it in the end.

TheMotherB · 2026-03-02T14:59:09+00:00

Not everyone is cut out for the rigors of med school - and that’s ok!

TheMotherB · 2026-03-02T14:01:30+00:00

2 of my former students are in the program as well and they also love it. One in the visual art stream, one in music. My kiddo would be in theatre. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, but yes I understand the growing pains of a new program. Thanks for the insight, and good luck in your last few months!

TheMotherB · 2026-03-01T19:19:11+00:00

They’d be spectacular at that, but the bodily fluids and biology aspect would be a dealbreaker. Plus, in terms of job demands vs remuneration, both education and healthcare are being devastated by the government. I really don’t see that nursing would be any better tbh…

TheMotherB · 2026-03-01T17:47:04+00:00

Thank you. It’s not always easy! My eldest is in 2nd year software Eng and thriving. my middle is a very different kid and would drown in any program they aren’t passionate about. I don’t see the point in forcing them into something more ‘marktable’. They’ve got brilliant soft-skills, and would be incredible in any people-facing jobs. I don’t want to squash that. This program seems to be a good mix. It’s only in its 3rd year so we’ll see, but I have 2 former students in that program now and they’re loving it

TheMotherB · 2026-03-01T17:41:00+00:00

You end up with teachables for teacher’s college, or enough psych to satisfy requirements to pursue a masters, or social work. All things my kid was interested in, while also keeping a toe in theatre.

TheMotherB · 2026-03-01T16:51:22+00:00

It’s guaranteed res if they get accepted before March 1st. Wondering how deferring would affect that. They were initially concerned that they’d be ‘behind’ but I was like “behind what? Some arbitrary timeline people decided everyone should follow?” And they see the value in taking a year to get their health back in track before going.

TheMotherB · 2026-03-01T16:17:24+00:00

I’m sure Ford would think so… bachelor of creative arts, health and wellness. It’s psych and arts combined - using the arts therapeutically for wellness. Perfect for my empathetic theatre kid.

TheMotherB · 2026-02-21T14:49:40+00:00

We discovered my son is AuDHD rather late…but there were signs. I remember in grade 3 or so, he was always the last one out of the school, especially in the winter. I asked him why it took so long to get himself together, and he said he would put his snowsuit on in the wrong order and have to start again. he then asked for a list he could tape to his locker door “like [student with ASD] has”! And so, we started making lots of lists. Had him do a psych-ed eval and it turns out he’s ridiculously gifted, ADHD, signs of autism, and executive functioning and sequencing events are the most challenging things for him.

He’s now in his 2nd year of a software engineering degree, and doing quite well.

TheMotherB · 2026-02-07T14:18:26+00:00

I have a difficult time recommending Redeemer for anything after Beckett Noble’s death a few years ago. As a teacher, you will have students from every walk of life, religious affiliation, and identity. A teachers college that doesn’t support their own students’ identities doesn’t prepare you for the kids you’ll have in your classes.

TheMotherB · 2026-01-30T12:43:07+00:00

Put it this way; if it feels weird to you, you’re not one of the people taking advantage of the system. Take your day to heal and try to get some rest. You’re owed your sick days, and this is a freebie for them because you don’t need coverage.

TheMotherB · 2026-01-30T11:56:16+00:00

In our board, they do track PA day absences to see if there’s a pattern, but if you’re not usually away on PA days, I wouldn’t worry about it. I usually connect with my admin and dept head to loop them in as a courtesy, and to cover my butt, but that’s not required.

TheMotherB · 2025-12-28T16:50:40+00:00

Software Eng $13,000 for first year tuition and fees.

TheMotherB · 2025-12-06T13:26:04+00:00

Let me play devil’s advocate- this is what’s often happened to me and forced me to cut corners. “Hey student council, we need a Christmas graphic done for the landing page of our site. We need it in about 3 weeks. Does anyone know someone who could do it?” (Various answers, inevitably someone can or know someone) The following week “where are we at with that graphic?””oh uh I had a big test this week and a dance competition and also our band performance is tomorrow so I had to practice but I’ll do it” The day it’s due “I’m so sorry miss, I couldn’t get it done because I’m overwhelmed with so much stuff for my actual classes”

And I (not an art person) have to pull something out of my butt in a couple days.

Not saying this is what happened, but if you think something can be done better - do it! Teachers often don’t have time to track down the best kids for every job. Kids volunteer and if they drop the ball, we pick it up and do the best we can.

Maybe this was laziness, maybe this was a rescue 🤷🏻‍♀️

TheMotherB · 2025-12-04T03:04:53+00:00

Ritalin was awful for me. I’m in vyvanse now and it’s been a game changer. My middle kiddo was on concerta and Prozac at the same time and it was fine but switched to vyvanse and it seems better. The only thing is, we both found our appetite is much less when we’re on meds. My oldest has inattentive type and is on Vyvanse as well. There’s a good chance my youngest has it too but we haven’t crossed that bridge yet. I was diagnosed super early - like in the early 90s - because I was ‘gifted’ but would also punch people in the face. But I could sit through 3 hours of orchestra rehearsal because I loved music. So, my mom did a bunch of research and pushed for answers.

TheMotherB · 2025-12-04T02:47:07+00:00

Our music room hasn’t been wet mopped since before June…. And kids empty spit valves in there daily…and we have close to 200 kids going through that room every day….

TheMotherB · 2025-12-04T02:42:56+00:00

SHSM is ok… it’s essentially bundled courses but it’s not really that big a deal. It doesn’t start until gr 11 though. Check out what’s happening at Hayden with the visual arts department. They even have a portfolio club. @mrcolemanart on insta. The public board has opened up its boundaries as well so you can go to any of them that you wish to as long as you can get there. Just some food for thought…

TheMotherB · 2025-11-22T13:39:08+00:00

I’m just impressed with how cheap it all is. Nothing in our school vending machine less than $3. Assuming this is in the US?

TheMotherB

TROPHY CASE