February 16, 2026 – A Needed Break

Hello. My name is Christine. It’s been 2 weeks since my last blog post.

There… that’s my confession. My weekly blog posts did not make my list of priorities of “things to do” and normally it sits very high on my priority list. I was not going to happen. Nope. And, I feel no guilt or regret. Sometimes decisions like this need to be made and the consequences are very little. So, that’s what happened. But now I’m back, and it’s Family Day. No teaching today… just catching up with everything. This blog post will be filled with lots of gratitude.

I forgot how intense January can be. I almost burned out a few years ago and made a commitment to SLOW and REST that year so that this work can be sustainable, reasonable, and viable for years to come. That year, I was also intentional with doing only things that I enjoy doing. I love teaching, I love working with students, and I love writing about my work. What more can I ask for? It has taken some time to get here, but I feel that my work is getting there.

This year started wih getting a SSHRC Connections Grant Application submitted by February 1. Luckily, I was only a collaborator for this application.I am so grateful for the work of the Principal Investigator, Co-Applicant, and committee members for making that grant application possible. Sadly, my name was a barrier to our submission. UGH. What is my name? Good question. I was also messed up with Rogers cable and WestJet at the same time. I need to decide.

Then, my classes started a week earlier than expected. So, despite the planning and dates posted in the calendar, I returned to work a few days sooner than I though. Admittedly, it was a little combobbulating, and these courses are 4 hours long each, back-to-back on Mondays, then 2 night classes, one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday, of which run on the university calendar. The first 6-weeks were intense for my Monday classes, but we managed to get things done.

Also in January, I had to get a draft chapter written and ready for peer review. Although you think you have time to complete, it ALWAYS takes longer than you think. And when I say “you,” I really mean “me.” I have not yet mastered the time it takes to complete any task, but I continue to persist to get things done. Sadly, t’s one thing at a time, so the things-to-do list was accruing. That said, given a week extension, I called on my co-author team and things worked out perfectly.

Finally, I had to get my PAR (professional activity report) completed by FRIDAY, February 13th. Does that sound freaky? It sure does. As I have mentioned, by doing things one thing at a time, things on the “things to do” list was getting bumped to the next day. And, I was having long nights too, so sleep was important too. Friday was a full day with PAR and meetings. On Thursday, I needed to get my WestCAST conference powerpoint done for a meeting too.

Approaching Friday the 13th, it was a long marathon ending with my PAR. I had a plan to do my PAR. I revamped majorly last year, so I knew what I needed to do. What I did not anticipate was the time to work out my draft PowerPoint for WestCAST. That took HOURS!! We (the Teacher Candidates and I) practiced on Thursday and provided one another formative feedback. We are doing great!!

As for my PAR… I started it on Friday morning while addressing a few time dependent emails. I went to the university and continued to work on my PAR. I had a few meetings (one in person and two online) and I was back at my PAR. Holy moly, I thought I was organized with my stuff, but it took a tonne of time to collate every and format. In the end, I asked for the help from my kid to work out the averages on my course evaluation forms so that I can finish my submission.

Thank goodness for help… thank goodness for people. because of people, I got the SSHRC application submitted, the chapter completed and submitted, WestCAST presentation draft created with feedback, and my PAR completed just in time. There was no time requirement, but I got it in by about 5:35pm. Not horrible, but not what I wanted either. Without the kid, it could have been later.

Yay!! Those were the big things. As you can see with the image above, after my kid’s meeting at the university, we went to Earls for happy hour. A diet coke with a lime, yummy appetizers, and great service, celebrating the end of the week and the submission of my PAR, made this celebration with the kid AMAZING. But wait… I also bumped into a former student at Earls who agreed to present at a conference and guest speak at my EDUC 201 class. Yay. Also AMAZING!!

I finally took my “be a person day” on Saturday. It’s been awhile with all the things that needed to get done last month and it felt GREAT. I recycled, went thrifting, and got a tonne of AMAZING things to bring home. Yup. And it was Valentine’s Day too. I got Mexican food for lunch and Chinese food for dinner. Why not? I’m not cooking on my “be a person day.” I needed a day just for me. Valentine’s Day seems like the most perfect day for self care and active REST.

Sunday was consumed by making a script for my WestCAST presentation and revising my PowerPoint for better flow, coherence, and clarity. That work pretty much took the whole day. I did go out for dinner with a friend, but otherwise, I was in the ZONE with my presentation and I am hoping that it will resonate with those who will attend my session. The conference looks huge and AMAZING, of course, I can’t wait for Wednesday. This Monday morning, albeit a stat holiday, required some work to be done by noon. I did it, but not sure how well. LOL.

In the end, things are getting done, like this blog post. And for that, I’m grateful.