Blog

It’s kindness week in Ottawa.  This is a great initiative to see a city take, we all feel better when someone shows kindness to us.  I was reflecting on how this effects my profession, and thought that when adults are working with children it is particularly important that we show [...]

There has been a great deal of discussion around the early identification of children with dyslexia using brain scans recently.  This has me thinking a great deal about early identification not only of dyslexia but of learning disabilities (LD) across the board.  While brain scans seem like a big leap, [...]

This year I have added significantly to my personal learning network (PLN).  While in the past I have been in communication with other teachers, parents, administration, as well as teacher’s college professors, my network was more insular than I would have liked.  This year I have made a concerted effort [...]

As an educator I feel it is very important to ensure that students have a chance to broaden their horizons.  An insulated environment can only provide so much in terms of education.  This is why it is so important that we keep students aware of current events and issues in [...]

It is exam week at Heritage Academy, and things are well under way.  Many of our students are accommodated in a variety of ways at our school for these assessments.  Depending on their needs as learners students have; unlimited time, a quiet room, exams printed on coloured paper, organisational tools, [...]

  I am currently the Vice Principal of Heritage Academy. I completed Teachers College at Dunedin University in New Zealand, where in addition to honing my teaching skills, I also learned how to shear a sheep in under 5 minutes. Upon my return to Canada, I was hired by Heritage [...]

I have recently entered the world of both blogging and micro-blogging. They both have their advantages in education. I have seen the value in blogging for a long time, but I have only recently have I personally tore down the stigmas attached to Twitter and Facebook and joined the conversation [...]

How do you create a positive learning environment in a school? This is not an easy question, and it takes a variety of components to make it all work. All too often we dissect the classroom as the learning environment, and it is important, but I would like to take [...]

Well, there is no question that the coolest thing I get to do every year as the vice-Principal of Heritage Academy is see our students on the first day of school. There are new students ready to experience our school for the first time, and the familiar returning ones, back [...]

Homework can be very challenging for many students, specifically students with learning disabilities.  It has become evident from my conversations with parents also ends being a challenge for them.  The parents I talk to tell me that in trying to help their child, they themselves are not sure how to [...]