Back-to-Basics Math Education – Ontario’s New Math Curriculum

Posted on by 12raisins

Many of us who are excited about the ‘back-to-basics’ aspect of the curriculum are relieved and looking forward to something that is hopefully more straightforward than the current system. Certainly, many think it’s the hardcore drilling of math skills that is going to benefit our students’ achievements in math. However, there’s so much data, so many lived experiences with math proving that the drilling and rote learning method doesn’t work for a lot of our students. It’s actually quite detrimental. This finding is why changes were made in math education to begin with.

Learning during a Global Pandemic

Posted on by 12raisins

We've experienced drastic change in our way of life, there's a lot going on and it's an overwhelming time for many people everywhere, without the stress of schooling. Education matters. Schooling matters. Of course it matters! But in the midst of a global pandemic where the entire world has 'shut down' and 91% of the world's children are NOT in school, my sentiments remain the same. We need to chill out and stop further stressing out ourselves, and others.We need to chill out and stop further stressing out ourselves, and others. Stop getting mad at teachers, stop getting mad at kids. Stop getting mad. Just, stop.

Lentil Curry Surprise

Posted on by 12raisins

Determined not to spend another cent on restaurant food, I opted to make a Slowcooker Lentil Curry Surprise. We have very early starts to our days, and there simply isn't enough time for my slow-poke self to cook in the mornings or evenings, while tending to a two year old. I don't have those super powers yet. With that, this Slowcooker Lentil Curry Surprise was being cooked overnight.

Carrot Soup & Aloo Gobi reinterpreted!

Posted on by 12raisins

Over the past few weeks, Mama Earth has sent us baby carrots, 'regular' carrots and purple carrots. Needless to say, we had an excess of carrots. I tried to think of a meal I could make that would use up as much carrots as possible. I decided on soup! Roasted Carrot, Sweet Potato & Bean … Continue reading Carrot Soup & Aloo Gobi reinterpreted!

Motherhood: A Little Over a Year

Posted on by 12raisins

It's been just over a year since I started this blog 12raisins, and just over a year since I became a mother. Both are still works in progress. The blogging is coming along. I'm trying to be more consistent but the mothering does get in the way. Just over a year later and it's still exhausting. … Continue reading Motherhood: A Little Over a Year

When someone shows you who they are…believe them

Posted on by 12raisins

A few weeks ago I went to what was to be the last course of my graduate studies career. I’ve been patiently and excitedly waiting to take this course for a couple of years. ‘Indigenous Settler Relations for Teachers’...how cool does that seem? Anyway, there were four of us, including the prof. Two of us … Continue reading When someone shows you who they are…believe them

I’m Library People

Posted on by 12raisins

As a child my family and I spent a lot of time there. Every Saturday we found ourselves at the Cedarbrae Public Library, partaking in the free programming they offered. For us, the library was an inexpensive place for families to read, learn, and have fun. I got to borrow and read a lot of books, watch puppet shows and, listen to storytellers with my mom and siblings. We didn’t have much, but we had the library, which was a whole lot.

Drafts, Manuscripts and Coffee

Posted on by 12raisins

I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker. Actually, I’ve never been a coffee drinker at all. I never felt I needed it, nor did I like it very much. But during that week of early commutes downtown, after sleepless nights with a baby...I was excited to get my daily mocha. I felt like I’d joined some exclusive crew, that I’d never been apart of. 

Illegal Entry

Posted on by 12raisins

No matter how hard we think about it, we can’t figure out how we could have possibly entered a whole other country without knowing it. What about border control? Immigration officers? Passport stamps? We had seen nothing to tell us we’d entered Peru. We hadn't heard anything either. No, “Passengers, we’ve arrived at our destination.” … Continue reading Illegal Entry