Disciplinary problems were high, student achievement was low, and so was my patience. I knew I couldn’t do this again the following year, so I decided to change my approach.

As the assistant head of special education at Vaughan Secondary School in the Toronto area, Tim Wesson describes his professional learning journey as one driven by the desire to improve the standard of living for autistic students and to seek ways to build partnerships in the school community.

I avidly recall a second grade class that would excitedly huddle around my rocking chair for story time. Students scrambled around sliding chairs to the carpet where I read heartwarming and sometimes zany tales, they reminded me that story time was counted among the most meaningful and cherished moments of a child’s day. Story time is a child’s portal into endless worlds, kingdoms, and dimensions.

The child stepped closer and closer until she paused just two feet away, locking eyes with me. “I don’t like you,” she declared, then kicked me in the leg and casually strolled back to the playground.

Every year, almost every student says, “I suck at writing. I hate it.” I hear this phrase far more than “Hello,” “Thank you,” or even “Can I use the restroom?”

When the RCMP Crisis Negotiation Unit visited my high school law class, I expected some interesting guest speakers. What I didn’t expect was just how profoundly they would change the way my students communicated.

In March 2020, we received a rather cryptic message from our Technology Director: “Bring your computers home during the break, just in case the situation changes.”

Over the years, I’ve found one of the best ways to help kids understand how an economy works is to have them take an active role in managing their own money.

Now is the perfect opportunity for teachers and students to develop consistent mindfulness practices, together.