UnStructure Class

In the past few weeks, we have been in the throes of a brewing labour dispute between our province's teacher's union and the government. The simmering pot boiled over last weekend when the government unexpectedly shut down the schools on Monday, citing safety concerns during the planned work to rule actions that the union was set to start on that day.

Parents were thrown into chaos as we all tried to figure out what the heck to do with our kids. Those who could afford it, signed up for hastily created day camps. People teamed up and took turns parenting each other's kids and some were in the unfortunate situation of having to give up work for what turned out, thankfully, to be only one day out of school.

Luckily one of us could be home with the kids, but to our great surprise, they took a lot of time setting up a curriculum for Monday. Most of the tasks were internet based, but classes in "structures" and cooking also got thrown into the mix. They asked each other "what would be a good activity for gym, for music?" I was shocked at how quickly the vacuum was filled and not just by Netflix. The potential of a lengthy stay at home galvanized them with the possibilities for learning off site. It made me think that while I highly value my kids' teachers, there might be something to unschooling, or at least bouts of it, after all.

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Writing it out.

Since 2020, I have written the following: -grandiose grocery lists (written on an empty stomach) that often end up getlting left behind at home -funding proposals -delicately worded emails -harried Whatsapp messages -a slew of facebook messages (that basically kept me alive) -a tinder profile or two... -utilitarian text messages -heart felt text messages -the very occasional love note (on paper) to a friend or a loved one The things I have not written since 2020: -a journal -a multi-page handwritten letter -a play -a sketch -a novel -more than 2-3 blog posts that I didn't even publish -a pros and cons list

Playing School

Proper Cry

Photo Source: thesetingstaketime.com via Stephanie on Pinterest I love to laugh. I love laughing so hard I lose control. I love that release. For this reason and lots of others, I could not wait to see the blockbuster, Bridesmaids last summer. Everyone told me, "you are going to pee yourself. It is so FUNNY." And yes, I almost did pee myself, but I also cried through almost the entire last half of the movie. I did not laugh so hard I cried, I just plain sobbed. I felt really sad watching the story of two friends come to terms with how their friendship was changing. I was really surprised by my reaction after all the hype about how hilarious the movie was, but I knew why. The brilliance of this movie was how life can be so hilarious and painful at the same time. Yesterday, I was on a social networking site and one of the people I follow mentioned that she cried "proper tears" upon reading a story about a woman's tragic childhoo

Growing Versions

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