so what do we do from here?

Our big  - hey we are doing sanctions is quite meaningless now.

no students in my room so no need to arrive early. There are still kids in other rooms, especially in 10-12 and technically they can be here til Thursday.


Today I am mostly marking assignments that have come in and getting my marks book up to date.

In other news, DS1 hears tomorrow what is happening with his team.

NHL, AHL and all our Canadian leagues are suspended. It's only a matter of time until DS's league is too.

Apocalypse now

9 AM - 13 students in the room

We carried on and did a new lesson in math for those who were here.

9:50 - break

9:57 - started period 2

10:00 - student tells me they got a text from their parent saying school is done.

I head to Social Media - Yup . Announcement from the government. 

Really bugs me they didn't share with school districts first and then on to schools and us.

They want us to be a partnership and they blindside us with info.

How can we support kids and their families when they don't give us info.

I go in the hall and see three of my colleagues with the same stunned look on their face.

It's just surreal.

By 11 AM all my kids were gone. Some cleaned out their lockers and took their stuff. Some did not.

Staff are sitting around stunned. unsure what to do.

I mean I have read a ton of Young adult books with that post apocalyptic theme, but now I seem to be living it.

Friday the 13th

Let's face it. Friday the 13th often brings chaos in schools. It's like a full moon.

I should have known things were up when there were so few kids in the hallways.

I ended up with 17 of 29 students. It was weird.

We pushed ahead and taught new things as we can't stay in a holding pattern forever.

The other gr 7 classrooms were the same. 

The news is full of Covid struggles.

Ontario, Quebec, BC and Manitoba have announced school closures.

And so it begins

Infusion day in Stoon

Hearing rumors that stores are running out of items - flour, yeast, cleaning products, toilet paper.

None of any of the above here in town.


So off I go to Stoon and the first thing I usually do is head to Costco. It's always busy there. I mean do people work??? I know why I am not at work but everyone else???

Busier than normal.

I head to the back where I always do. No Kirkland TP. I see a few people with it in their carts so there was some. Was.

I grab the permitted 2 of Purex TP. Not my favourite but...well. As a girl with colitis, I go to the bathroom a LOT. I need it. Running out would be all kinds of awkward.

There is also no cleaning products, no flour or yeast, and very low amounts of pasta, pasta sauce. It's eerie. I have to say.

At my appointment the nurses seem unconcerned. Our conversation was more of the 'why are people stockpiling' focus.

It was an odd day for sure. Only took 3 tries to get my IV in this time.

It was supposed to be a PD Day

Some of our professional development is great. It makes sense. It's realistic. It is do-able.

Some of it is definitely less so. Usually this PD is planned by the district office as something they think is very important. And usually it has no practical applicability to the every day life of teachers.  Those grandiose ideas envisioned by people who haven't been in a working classroom in years, if ever.

So today we headed in wondering which category it would be.

It was kind of ….neither.

Our teaching federation decided they were going to impose sanctions - work to rule - as our contract negotiations were going nowhere. Again, the government is another body who has no idea what life is like in the teaching world day in and day out. Or the health care system. Or farming life. or... well you get the idea.

Sanctions would start Thursday. We are not allowed to arrive until 15 minutes before the bell and must leave immediately at the end of the day. No noon hour support. No clubs or teams. It's never something we enjoy.

So our PD topic of the day was mostly  blur for everyone as we tried to figure out how to teach effectively without being able to prep effectively.

It's upsetting for students. parents. staff. everyone