I never thought I'd get paid to pass on existential dread to teenagers. I'm kidding of course: they bring their own, and they bring it in bucketloads. We share in the joy that is questioning everything, including but not limited to unmovable movers, uncaused causers, infinite regresses, and... temporality. Enter: Jeremy Bearimy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFm9ClqlGuo This term… Continue reading Philosophising with Kids, Paradoxes and Inventing Religions
The year has only just started and I'm already finding it difficult to turn my work brain off. Whenever I have a significant shift in my schedule, I struggle to adjust for a while. Often, a week or two (or three) is spent in limbo. Going back to school is a prime example. Does anyone… Continue reading Bribing Teenagers and Dragonfly Brain
It's been a big ol' year, folks. Anyone else feeling it? It has been a long while since my fingers have graced the wordpress stage, and I've missed it. While there have been many passing thoughts and ideas flowing through, I haven't found the time or the enthusiasm to grasp hold of one and bring… Continue reading Teachering, Tetrapaks and Tuku Mihi
It's hard to believe this is only the second time I'm discussing my autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The first time was my "coming out" blog: Aspergirl Gone Rogue. It's genuinely like that, in a way. As someone who has worked extensively with special needs youth, and is both autistic and a lesbian, the disabled… Continue reading 8 Things Women on the Spectrum Want You to Know
I'm as exhausted as I am exhilarated by my first proper week of full time teaching. My students are fantastic, my colleagues are a tremendously welcoming and lovely bunch, and my feet hurt a heck of a lot. This teachering thing I'm doing has has coincided with moving houses, so that has been a laugh… Continue reading This Teachering Thing
Despite numerous drafts on the back burner, none have quite made it live for quite some time. I would say must do better, but this is my playground, not homework. There are no deadlines, quotas or gradebooks. I'm not letting anyone down by not posting - at most I'm just barn-egging my free range-destined ideas.… Continue reading Qualified, Medicated, Elucidated.
You might think I’m a little young to be preoccupied with the passage of time, but I have acquired both an appreciative fascination for it and a vague uneasiness about it. Mostly, I'm trying to just enjoy what is - because eventually, it won't be. I'm now that cousin/aunt who says things like "I remember… Continue reading On Aging, Climate Change and Escaping Nihilism
Disgust and eye-rolls aside: I can't quite be the same anymore. That's dramatic. It feels silly to say, but it's true. Hospital taught me patience, grit, and to be gentle with others. It taught me the power of my own mind, and the necessity of guarding my energy and emotions. I am continuing to learn… Continue reading Things Hospital Taught Me | Dans l’hôpital
I am exhausted, somewhat frazzled, yet have survived week 2 of my first ever teaching practicum. Praise be. No kōrero teka - student teaching is the wild west, and I'm the cactus: prickly, conspicuously green and always full of water. The kupu Māori for immersion also means 'to drown'. It is simultaneously both poetic and… Continue reading Rumaki i te Rāwhiti | The Cactus Chronicles
While the word 'humanist' makes up half of my namesake on this blog, I realise that I have never directly discussed or addressed Humanism, what it means to me, and how I interpret and identify with it. Again, I'm not going to do the movement justice, so here is a good resource if you want… Continue reading Religious Diversity & What It Means to Be Human
