Today I went into my school to work on the Ecoschools application. Ecoschools is a pretty cool program promoting environmental literacy in Ontario schools. I like it.
It was interesting to be back at my school, where I am a teacher, as opposed to the boys' school (well, Cameron is just in daycare there, but still, it is his school), where I am a parent. As a teacher I have a fair bit of freedom to walk through the school and into spaces such as the office, halls, library, and staffroom.
At the boys' school, my relationship to the building is completely different. I am definitely a guest there, and while can sign in at the office know that it would be completely inappropriate for me to stroll into the library unless I had a very specific purpose. There is a very small area where I am allowed to be; essentially, where I pick up John and Cameron and, if I have an appointment, down to John's classroom. Sometimes I saunter down with John to drop off his forgotten indoor shoes - outside his classroom - and I kind of feel like I am invading the teachers' space, even if they are not around. And I wonder: if I were a teacher here, would I find myself (as a parent) kind of weird and overly interested in his education?
I think being a parent is kind of tricky: I wants to advocate for my child but not be aggressive or needy about it. It's challenging for any parent, but for the teacher parent I think it is particularly difficult because I know how viciously teachers can talk about aggressive, needy, and weird parents. I really don't want to be put into either one of those categories, but at times am concerned that I am. It's much simpler to be at my own school, where I am the teacher, have some authority, and do not feel like a visitor or guest. But then I have to deal with those damn parents! Ha!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Scrabulicious
My good friend Ruth was down for a visit last week, and we played four games of Scrabble. As Ruth is the best Scrabble player I have ever played with the fact that I won two of the games was particularly significant.
I showed her suburban activist, and she questioned why anyone would want to read about the suburbs.
Hmmm.... I thought.... and agreed.... relevant insight. A suburban neighbourhood, however pleasant, and close to a bus line, and a large wooded area, and a nice downtown of a nice little town, is somewhat dull. Not many may be interested in the lawn mowing practices of my neighbours.
Hence, while I continue with the title Suburban Activist, I am going to broaden the scope to, really, anything that I am interested in or doing. These topics include: movies, reading, relationships, environmental issues, walking, hiking, activism, life in general, living in a suburban neighbourhood, religion, politics, photography, and, of course, children and the education system.
I have much time to sit around and nurse a lovely little baby boy. When I was last on maternity leave, I played Scrabulous on facebook, and was sort of obsessed with it for a period of time. (I was somewhat successful with improving my Scrabble game, as is evidenced by my Scrabble tie with the aforementioned Scrabble master). The third, and final, time around I will be, among other things, updating this blog.
Comments?
I showed her suburban activist, and she questioned why anyone would want to read about the suburbs.
Hmmm.... I thought.... and agreed.... relevant insight. A suburban neighbourhood, however pleasant, and close to a bus line, and a large wooded area, and a nice downtown of a nice little town, is somewhat dull. Not many may be interested in the lawn mowing practices of my neighbours.
Hence, while I continue with the title Suburban Activist, I am going to broaden the scope to, really, anything that I am interested in or doing. These topics include: movies, reading, relationships, environmental issues, walking, hiking, activism, life in general, living in a suburban neighbourhood, religion, politics, photography, and, of course, children and the education system.
I have much time to sit around and nurse a lovely little baby boy. When I was last on maternity leave, I played Scrabulous on facebook, and was sort of obsessed with it for a period of time. (I was somewhat successful with improving my Scrabble game, as is evidenced by my Scrabble tie with the aforementioned Scrabble master). The third, and final, time around I will be, among other things, updating this blog.
Comments?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Back at it...
That is, back at writing this blog.
Apparently, mommy blogs are all the rage. Who would have thought that? Certainly, it makes a fair bit of sense - a whole bunch of intelligent women with some desire to write and communicate, and the means to do so. I read an article in the Toronto Star about mommy blogs, and how there is a list of the top 50 of them, which subsequently led me to read some of these blogs, which subsequently led me to return to the Suburban Activist.
Where has Suburban Activist been, one may ask?
Well, my last posting, entitled "Briefly.... I have returned to work" is quite telling. I returned to work as a teacher, and subsequently was unable to keep up with the blog. Furthermore, and most significantly, I was also pregnant, and, at 41, kind of old. So I worked,spent time with the kids, and napped.
But ... tra-la tra-la .... into the world has now arrived baby Owen, brother to John and Cameron. And perhaps I will have a chance to contribute to the Suburban Activist a bit more regularly, as I ramble through my maternity leave.
Apparently, mommy blogs are all the rage. Who would have thought that? Certainly, it makes a fair bit of sense - a whole bunch of intelligent women with some desire to write and communicate, and the means to do so. I read an article in the Toronto Star about mommy blogs, and how there is a list of the top 50 of them, which subsequently led me to read some of these blogs, which subsequently led me to return to the Suburban Activist.
Where has Suburban Activist been, one may ask?
Well, my last posting, entitled "Briefly.... I have returned to work" is quite telling. I returned to work as a teacher, and subsequently was unable to keep up with the blog. Furthermore, and most significantly, I was also pregnant, and, at 41, kind of old. So I worked,spent time with the kids, and napped.
But ... tra-la tra-la .... into the world has now arrived baby Owen, brother to John and Cameron. And perhaps I will have a chance to contribute to the Suburban Activist a bit more regularly, as I ramble through my maternity leave.
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