“There are Worse Things to Happen”

Not long ago I had a conversation with an acquaintance. We’ve known each other for a long time. During our chat he informed me that his son had recently come out. I was curious, “How hard was it for him to tell you?” He gave me an account of the moment and the questions that…

Two Tired

Back in September I was serving as the tour guide for a group of grade 9 students from Rio de Janeiro. It was a class trip, and the students and their teachers were touring southern New Brunswick. On this particular day, we were in Fredericton and the group arranged for bicycle rentals through a recreation…

Not so Hidden Bias

A while back I was attending a rugby referee clinic. One presentation was about the ref’s role in reducing the potential for injuries. To make his point, one of the facilitators referred to a particular game he had officiated. “The ball was kicked high into the air. The fullback, who wasn’t very big, was in…

A Simple Request

Recently, I had a conversation with Gerry. We first taught together thirty years ago. He has been retired for twenty-four years. He is doing well. I was reminded of a staff meeting we had in 1989. Gerry was getting close to retirement. During these meetings he would sit quietly and stare at the papers in…

The Rat Trap

My first teaching job was in Newfoundland. My home was in a small town. It was an active and fun place to live. The town included a movie theatre; actually, it was a garage. An older couple ran B listed movies, or older popular ones, on weekends. The local students referred to the establishment as…