Admittedly, this is how it feels. See image. Isn’t she cute? Anyway, I’m not sure why I do this, but I have stints of working really hard followed by stints of severe rest, and the slow haul to get back to a steady work flow. I did this all of the time when I worked in K-12. The breaks are needed. Teaching can take a lot from you and sometimes you can’t even meet your own expectations. We have limitations. I do have a friend who works FOREVER at a capacity that I am unable to attain (or would strive for), but I am getting back at things and it feels good to sit down and map out the spring/summer term to get as much writing, research, and productivity done before the fall term begins. I’ve designed it this way. It’s my first term at the university without teaching a course. In our collective agreement, faculty members can have one term off from teaching, but in the teacher education program that goes year round and being teaching faculty with 8 courses per year, it’s reasonable to spread out your courses over 12-months. Now I have 10% for research, 10% doing projects for the school of education, I am teaching 6 courses now, of which I am teaching 2 courses in the fall, 4 courses in the winter, and no courses in the spring/summer. Honestly, it feels great.
I am hoping to renew my contract. I wished I was a driven as some folks I know. But, with rest and restoration, I am learning what’s important to me and what I LOVE doing. I love teaching. I love learning. I love writing reflectively. I love connection and community. I am involved in a few things that offer all of that to me so I hope I can continue doing what I am doing for the next three years. I have been reassured, but signing a contract would be nice. Now that I feel that I am back into “work mode” I feel that I need to take a moment to strategize my next steps for this spring/summer term to get the most out of the term. I have the CSSE Congress 2025 in Toronto and presenting on May 31, June 1, and June 2. I have 4 presentations. One I am co-presenting with members of a research team, another I am presenting with former students (who will be attending online), another I am co-presenting with a friend of mine, and another that I am presenting on my own. Preparing for the conference is my first course of action as well as completing a few papers that need addressing as well. After that, I have a book review and a couple conference proceedings to submit. There is a chapter I am also co-authoring with a colleague that’s due in June and there are other projects on the go. I am very excited about this term. Onwards and upwards.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 06th, 2025 | No Comments »
As we approach the end of the month and transition to the spring/summer term, I took a moment to visit my family in the Lower Mainland. My cousin and her family came from Boston to Vancouver for a week or so to visit the west coast, and I also had a short visit a niece, nephew, and aunty who also live in Vancouver. I stayed at my brother’s place for a few days. He hosted a family dinner gathering one night and my sister hosted another. On my last day, my sister, brother, and my dad got together to have dim sum, but also visit my mom at the cemetery. We bought her new (fake) flowers for her resting place. Tulips. Very seasonal, but also very MOM. She loved tulips and it’s one of my memories of her when we visited the tulip farms in Abbotsford. We also had pizza that day. It was a good day and memory of mom.
I’m not sure what it will take to get me motivated enough… or ready enough… to engage in an autoethnography. When my mom passed away in 2018, I wanted to write about those 20-days (and my relationship with my mom) to investigate my ethnic identity but in particular write about belonging, self-efficacy, and positionality. I had a wonderful conversation with my cousin one night at my sister’s talking about my mom and sharing with her what I loved about my mom and why she was so special. Was that enough? I have very good memories of my mom, not limited to those 20-days, but I also have some challenging ones. It’s almost like I want to learn more about her so that I can get a better understanding of myself, but also how I make sense of the world in context to my family. I needed to learn about myself.
I am a second-generation Chinese Canadian. I was born and raised in Prince Rupert, BC. I don’t have any language (i.e., Cantonese) or engage in any cultural practices related to my ancestry. I was essentially assimilated to Canadian culture and language by my parents and Canadian society and institutions (even though my parents spoke Cantonese) such that I spent the first half-century of my life denying my cultural heritage and ethnic identity. When George Floyd died in 2020, I was struck by the question: Can I deny who I am for much longer or do I need to step up and “be ok” with being Chinese? A weird question, but it’s one that I had wrestled with for many, many years. Also around this time, I graduated with my doctorate in 2017, my mom passed away in 2018, and I separated from my husband in 2019. I moved away from my family in 2018 to pursue a job, we faced the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and I lived in my house during the pandemic until my kid moved up with me in 2021.
Up until this point, I was not living my life for myself and I had a lot of misconceptions about “the world.” In 2021, I was starting life all over again and it took a few years to finally find myself, my autonomy, and my agency as a person and academic. Even though I wanted to write about my mom in 2018, I couldn’t. Not because of the persistent crying and sadness, but because I was not whole or ready to write about and examine my experiences in a reasonable and realistic way. Lots was happening, and I was learning more about me. I had to look this up, but I divorced in 2023 (only 2-years ago) and I bought my own place last year (only 5-months ago). My kid continues to live with me and she is finishing up her third year in the nursing program. I am no longer angry, nor am I feeling oppressed or distant from myself.
Now, I know that I am my only agent and advocate. I choose how I would like to see life to be and to do what I love to do to find my purpose, my happiness, and my joy in life. I don’t have to meet anyone’s expectations but my own. The only person I need to prove anything to is myself. I never felt that way before (in my past life) but now I understand that my happiness is my own. I create what I see. I needed this time to “feel” ready to write. Well, I think there is no better time than the present. I was already looking at autoethnography resources (again) during this blog post and thinking about how I will go about collecting data (i.e., journals, self-reflection, interviews, etc.). I am ready. Being with my family this last week helped. Many of my aunties and uncles are still alive as well (in addition to my dad). It’s an opportunity to learn more about my mom and learn more about my identity and belonging.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 29th, 2025 | No Comments »
My kid made this for me… it’s all the rage… Thank you AI.
Hooray… it’s the end of the winter term. I loved every one of my classes… EDUC 201 (Educational Theory and Practice), EDUC 376 (Numeracy Foundations in the Elementary Years), EDUC 421 (Assessment and Motivation), and EDUC 656 (Instructional Leadership). I loved the folks who were in the classes and I loved the subject matter of each class. I think what challenged me the most was the schedule. I had two 4-hour teacher education classes back-to-back on Mondays and 3-hours night classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was also balancing meetings, service work, and research. With my schedule, It sounded like a strong start on Mondays and coast for the rest of the week. I would not disagree with that as a description of my workflow, but because I had such a full Monday, I spent a good chunk of the weekend working or thinking about work. Rest was not an easy task, and if I did, I spent the whole week catching up. I am not complaining by any means, but I am grateful that that schedule is now over, my marks are submitted, and I have a few more tasks to complete the Winter 2025 term. I feel like I am reaching “the top” of my teaching career, much like I did in 2010 in teaching high school mathematics. The difference is this time is, I’m not 100% stressed out and rest is part of my way of being. I am learning how to write about my work at the university such that it appears “dreamy” and “productive”… I am not one to brag, but it’s the nature of my work to show value in what I am doing. In order to do that, I need to learn about my own value and believe it’s important. Anyway, I am digressing… I am super happy with the conclusion of the Winter 2025 term I have learned a lot with and from my students as well. I LOVE MY JOB and I love what I do. I wish I could just say that about my work, but I believe they want evidence of this “love” and a means to evaluate this feeling through some metrics to make a fair judgement. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to take a few days off this long weekend to REST and do things for myself because it makes me happy. I finally bought a small desk that a built last night to got in front of my window (it was on sale for $89), and I bought a leather chair from the Bay (which was also on sale for $64). Oh my gosh, am I happy. Cheap, but not cheap… and I’m blogging as we speak facing out of my window. I love the natural light shining on my face as I type, but I also like to people watch. There’s just enough distraction to keep me focused. It’s much like being in a coffee shop, without the barista. I did not write in my blog last week. I was cognitively paralyzed by the marking I had to do. Strangely, when I got to my marking, I loved every minute of it. As soon as I stepped away from the mindset of evaluating and grading to LEARNING (what am I learning and what did they learn), the marking process was a joy. So, I’m setting the stage… first, with a big blog ramble… and second, with my desk oriented in my room to promote creativity, joy, and writing.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 20th, 2025 | Comments Off on A New Beginning
Oh geez… it’s the end of the winter term. I have such mixed feelings about it. I loved my classes. I was teaching EDUC 421 (Assessment and Motivation), EDUC 376 (Numeracy Foundations in the Elementary Years), EDUC 201 (Education Theory and Practice), and EDUC 656 (Instructional Leadership). Honestly, I loved all of these courses for different reasons. Two of the courses are in the teacher education and my classes were focused on the Elementary Years Cohort. The other two classes were in the undergraduate and graduate programs respectively. I learned so much from each of those classes, but also I got to share what I love and love to learn with the students as well. What a gift!! I think that I am about 90% there with feeling good about my pedagogy and honing my craft in a way that is authentic to who I am. Looking back at my former teaching practice, many elements are similar upon reflecting on how I taught secondary mathematics near the end of my time in K-12 schools. But what’s different between my two practices in teaching is taking the intentional time to REST.
One of the things I was working on and developing in 2024 is taking Saturdays as “be a person” day. What I mean by that is, do what you want to do to move life forward without feeling any guilt or shame for not doing work on that day. Often, the work for educators is endless and its often in the mind with no off-switch. I practiced this way throughout my time in K-12 education. I worked around the clock. I remembered working at 2-3 am and I was a new mom, but had returned back to work with new prep. In the dark, I heard a thump, thump, thump. It was my kid coming down the stairs with her blanket and she just stared at me wondering… what the??? Then, she hopped on the couch behind me and went to sleep. Of course, I kept on working. All nighters was a “normal” thing for me to do. I can only imagine the quality of my work after an all-nighter. This story does not mention all of the times I went to work sick. A part of me is very thankful for the COVID-19 pandemic that insists that people to STAY HOME with any symptoms that resembled COVID-19. Strangely, it was a blessing.
Admittedly, I did do a couple of all-nighters this term. My schedule was somewhat brutal in the sense that I had 2 courses back-to-back on Mondays (i.e., 8-hours of instruction) and I had conditioned myself to take Saturdays (which often included part of Fridays and Sundays) off to rest and “be a person.” Even though I know the course content, it takes about a 1:1 ratio of time to prep. I like to make the learning relevant for the learners in my class. And as you know, no person and no class is the same from year to year. The intention to cater each class so that it creates a “scope and sequence” that is personalized for those ho are in the room. A full day of teaching on Mondays, then a night class on Tuesdays and another night class on Thursdays made my schedule for the week. To prepare for and teach on Mondays, everything else is parked. I parked so much stuff that I did not catch up on what I wanted to catch up on during the 5-weeks I did not have this class due to practicum, a long weekend, and weeklong break. I’m astounded. There is so much to do and so little time.
I’m not complaining. I loved these classes and I think it took me the whole 13-weeks to figure out my flow for the term. That is so weird, but it’s true. By the time it came to my last class on Thursday nights, I felt like I got my rhythm. Unfortunately, the term ended. What I do commend myself for is recognizing the need for rest. So, what I noticed is, I cannot do any work after I teach. So, no emails, marking, or meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. I just didn’t have the energy. I would make myself a yummy dinner at home, rest on my recliner, watch some TV, and go to bed (at a decent hour). I needed to do that for myself to regulate my time and work output. I also noticed that a 3-minute email the next morning would take 3-hours to write the night before. Moreover, I noticed that my brain could only hand certain things and information when it was ready and had “space” to think about those things. It made for more sound and reasonable take-action and decision making.
If anything, I wanted to not only do this balance between rest and work viable for me to stay sustainable and happy in my work, I wanted to model this way of being for my students, regardless of what program they are in. I also designed my classes so that they would respect student voice, rest, and activity. I think the “old me” wanted to keep ploughing ahead because I thought that was what was expected from me. Now, I understand, I can plough at my own pace. People can provide feedback, but I needed to be very clear about putting the students (and my wellness and wellbeing) at the centre of my practice. So, I took this weekend off. My last teaching day was last Thursday night. Assignments are due this week. I took the weekend to REST… despite the pile of work and timelines that are ahead of me. I didn’t even blog on the weekend. I did enjoy the company of a friend over breakfast and engaged in a few tasks for my home (i.e., recycling, laundry, food shopping, etc.), and I feel great!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 07th, 2025 | Comments Off on Valuing Rest
Oh geez. Can you believe it? My twin brother came to visit me in Prince George. He came to my new place with boxes that I’ve stored in his storage locker in the Lower Mainland for 6-years. AMAZING. I can honestly say that my move is “in theory” complete. All of my stuff, of which I took from my home on the Sunshine Coast is now with me. Right now, those boxes are sitting in my garage. I will get to it when the semester is over and my marking is done. I’m anticipating that the experience of going through my garage, getting the winter tires from the car dealership (and my kid’s tires from my friends place) to store is in some easy and simple, and figuring out an organizing system in such a way that my kid can park her car in my garage is very exciting to me. I’m turning to a new chapter. And yes, I park my car outside on my driveway, but that’s another blog post (if it ever happens). My turn is coming soon.
What a nice selfie. My brother suggested that I take one and send the photo to my sister as evidence of a successful arrival. My twin bro drove up to Prince George from the Lower Mainland. He is “borrowing” my dad’s car, which soon will be his. Although it’s a 2010 vehicle. My mom and dad purchased that vehicle “brand new.” It was very splurgy. My parents never bought a new vehicle for themselves before, so it’s very special. My mom passed away in 2018 and my dad insists on driving the vehicle even though he can only see out of one eye. I say that jokingly, but I’m not joking. I also think that driving a vehicle is a symbol of independence for the elderly. My dad is not getting any younger and I like to believe that it’s something that both my mom and dad took pride in. Anyway, it’s time to pass the baton (aka., vehicle) on to my brother.
I am so happy to see my brother her in Prince George. It’s nice to have company. Normally, I’m going to Vancouver and staying at his place. He arrived Friday night, we went to Mr. Mike’s for dinner for nostalgic purposes only, and spent all day on Saturday together. He just left this morning to drive back home. And, it’s a beautiful sunny spring day for driving. My twin bro is the first family member to visit my home in-person (aside from my kid who lives with me) to check my place out (and drop of the boxes of which he did not want in his storage locker anymore… LOL). The transition to where I am today was SLOW. I’m not complaining, judging, or regretting. It’s been an incredible journey and I am very excited to see what’s in those boxes. A lot of the stuff, I think, are keepsakes, framed prints, and stuff from my mom. I can’t wait to uncover them and really assess what’s stays in my home and what goes. I also feel ready to write about my mom, so getting ethics is also on my things to do.
It’s super interesting when I blog. I love to reflect and take a moment to capture what I am feeling. I spent most of Sunday resting and relaxing. I’m cleaning up my house and taking it SLOW before getting back to the pile of work I need to address. I am doing my best on trying to have a “be a person” day and sleep at a regular time. I spent decades chasing and doing things beyond the means of what is expected of me or from me. I would do all-nighters or stay up really late to get stuff done. I’m now in a stage in my life or mindset where I feel that I would like to enjoy life, do what I love, and rest. There is nothing wrong with rest, but I am realizing that if I value this new pace of work, it’s ok to stay no as well. I guess that correlates to doing what you love as well. I really enjoyed spending time with my brother. I think we’ve done Prince George well and he even took a moment to get to know my cat. See image below. That’s a big deal and I am very appreciative. My twin bro should be home soon.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 30th, 2025 | Comments Off on Twinning
March 16, 2025 – Remembering My Mom in Different Ways
Last week I visited my mom’s resting place in the Lower Mainland. I’m not even sure if that’s what it is called. Her ashes are in an urn, in a glass enclosed shelf, in a building at the cemetery last week. I had visited Vancouver a few times over the last few months, but mostly those visits were related to work and I did not have the opportunity to go visit her. Last week was a weekend trip FOR ME and my brother had borrowed my dad’s car and we went out there to go visit her. I like to keep her updated on what’s happening and to say hello. It’s strange to go visit her. The photo of her that’s by her urn was taken before I was born. It’s not how I remember her as a child, but it’s a photo that she chose that she thought that best represented her. I remember when my mom was alive when she first invested in this resting place for her and my dad. She got name plates and everything. She wanted to take each of her children out to this site complemented with a lunch out at the golf course. By the time it got to my turn, I said… NO THIANK YOU… and that I would visit her when she was at the place, I had no desire to check out her resting place otherwise. So, there I was last week saying hello. A few thoughts shared and a few bows, all was good.
Now that I’m back home and lots of uncertainty with the economy, etc., I am very conscious about what I buy and how much I am spending. I have to pay utilities and property tax right now, and I have no idea what I have to pay for income tax, who knows what I will have to spend in the next few days, months, and years. The idea of going into a recession does not put my mind to ease by any means, but I will admit that I am more conscious about my spending habits and how much things cost as we anticipate rising costs and how much I used to spend. In the end, saving money and minimizing my spending is going to be key. I’ve cancelled a few memberships, and I wanted to cancel my cable package, but it seems like the company is no longer providing a basic cable package. I just need to find places to spend less, even though I am investing dollars in self-care. Strangely, I am just understanding it’s importance and the value in investing in those things like massages and therapy. Nonetheless, I am feeling very aware of money, with my mom whispering in my ear the importance of saving money. It was incredible how much money she was able to save. She was amazing at it. It almost reminds me of “extreme coupon,” the TV reality show.
As a kid, I remembered when we went shopping that my mom would by X-bread. This bread was found in a basket at the supermarket and it had a black X written on top of the price tag. Now as an adult, I know that the X-bread was day-old bread. Stale bread. And this bread was on sale for 50% off. I could never understand why she chose this bread. It almost seemed like she was insistent in buying this bread and I really did not like it. My dad would wake up every morning to have this bread. He would toast it, add peanut butter and honey to them, and he would eat it with a cup of Red Rose tea with milk and sugar. That was his morning ritual. I clearly remember him doing that and sipping from his tea cup. Til this day, I’m not a break-fan. It’s not my favourite even though I find myself toasting it as well, but to have an open-faced egg salad sandwich (of which was not my mom’s favourite). She was saving money. I know that now. So, when I bought this loaf of bread from the Superstore a couple of days ago, I thought of my mom. It was almost a compromise. I’m thinking about how much things cost and it was a fresh loaf of bread, but it cost $1.25. It this economy, it’s a steal. This loaf of bread will last us a long time. On the counter for a few days while it’s fresh, then it goes back into the fridge to have toast like my dad did.
Bread is still not my favourite, but I respect my mom who did what it took to make things happen. I have a huge regard for her and I realize now that I may not have acknowledged a lot that she has done. Admittedly, I never noticed until she had passed away 7-years ago. All of what she used to do for me, my siblings, and my dad are astounding. I had no idea. It’s moment like these when I am reminded that I want to write about my mom… maybe as an autoethnography or biography… not sure. As each day passes and I am “doing the work,” I am building up the courage to bring pen to paper. I will wait for this term to end and make a plan soon after. I had no idea how much of an impact my mom has made on me. I guess you don’t know until you know.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Almost Like X-Bread
There is nothing wrong with a reboot. Last week entailed trying to catch up on a few outstanding items on my things to do list and I am happy to have finish a few things, even though it took waaaaaaaaay longer than I expected it would take to do. A comment reoccurrence for me… an underestimation of time. That’s ok. I’m learning and I am taking the time to understand how things work, how long it takes, and what I need to do to get things done. Furthermore, I’m not even sure how well I’m doing things, but that will be the next hurdle when it comes. I’m not being hard on myself, but I’m trying to keep a realistic and reasonable perspective of my work, my life, and my wellbeing. Admittedly, what has served me in the last year, and what I am taking into this year, is embracing SLOW, which required intentionality, LOVE, and rest.
I’m back in Vancouver/Burnaby. Coming back to the Lower Mainland feels like HOME. I am wondering if we can have different homes. Going to Prince Rupert also feels like home. And, I love my new place in Prince George. That feels like home too. Ahh… look at that food pic. I may have shared that image before, but it is one of my favourite meals to have. Often, going to The Boss Restaurant is one of the first things I do. This meal-of-choice is fish congee and lo bok go. I love the ginger and sesame oil flavours of the soup, the tender fish, and comforting texture and taste of the turnip cake. It also reminds me of my mom and making this food in Prince Rupert when I was a kid. Again, it feels like home. This visit to the Lower Mainland, I’m staying at a hotel. Normally, I would stay at my twin-bro’s place, but he was feeling under the weather.
So, this weekend has been a splurge. I’m staying at a hotel near my brother’s place… and near the location of which I booked a massage/spa session. OMG. I tried a massage last winter with my friends. It was intense. A bit of wincing, thus I am surprised that I booked another session at a different location. It was also a different massage package too. Whoa. I think I fell asleep a couple of times. I never experienced something like that before and it was exactly what I wanted (and needed). It was 90-minutes of pure relaxation. It was interesting to notice that my mind was fully activated at the beginning of the session, then I was focused on the massage, then… I was asleep. LOL. What a perfect way to spend my Saturday (aka., be a person day) morning. The experience was pure luxury and joy. I just LOVED it.
One thought that passed through my mind during the massage was… my mom would have loved a massage. She would have NEVER done something like this. She was so frugal and every thing was for everyone else. She never tended to her needs. She ALWAYS focussed on everyone else. She wore clothes that were way too big for her because they were clothes that were more than 20-years old. She might have splurged on a pair of shoes, but they were likely on sale. I admired her stamina to save money and make something out of nothing. It was somewhat incredible and admirable. She held everything together. Now that she’s gone, I noticed (over time) that she was the heart of our family. Ever since, we’ve made efforts to connect as a family, but it’s not quite the same. Coming to Burnaby is a time to restore and reboot.
After my massage, I had dim sum at the Neptune and then met up with my twin-bro. He is feeling better. We roamed around the mall and picked up small gift for my aunt. She planned a birthday party and it was a big Chinese dinner at a restaurant with 65 friends and family. Five huge round tables of people and the food was incredible. It was wonderful to reconnect with family and I was really happy for my aunt to celebrate LIFE with friends and family… and to celebrate her. It was amazing and cup filling. My aunt just wants to make a connection, and she did. I had a really good time. Today, included breakfast at the hotel (one of my favourite things to do, even though it’s included), chilling in my hotel room lying diagonally on the king size bed, and passively watching the Brier semi-finals on TSN (because I don’t get this channel).
Whew… does it get any better than this? Yes, it does. I’m blogging, I hope to get through my emails (and get crap off my desktop), and I have snacks and leftovers to eat in my hotel room. I LOVE this slowing down (while the Brier is on). I can’t watch the game too closely. It would stress me out. LOL. This afternoon, I’m meeting up with my siblings to go to happy hour downtown Vancouver, then I’m going to Gabor Maté at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as a VIP ticket holder. I get to meet Gabor in a pre-session and take a picture with him, then go to the evening event near the front rows to listen to him talk. Now, that’s splurgy… for me. I bought the ticket before I bought my house, but no regrets. Gabor Maté’s books have resonated with me. I’ve been listening to his books online and the stories he shares are incredibly compelling.
So, when folks ask me if I am in Vancouver for business or pleasure… I’m here for me… for pleasure!! PS. I even went out on Friday night with a friend of mine who was in Metrotown… for business. I enjoyed the serendipity of our meeting. They sent me a food pic to make me jelly… and I said, I’m going there too. LOL. Life is so fun!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 09th, 2025 | Comments Off on Nothing Wrong with a Reboot
March 2, 2025 – What does it take to do a self-study
I have written to date 9 journal reflections for a self-study with two more on the horizon to “feel like” I am caught up. I might tackle them after this blog post but each journal reflection takes about 2-hours each to complete. Oof. It’s a bit much. I’m not sure why it takes that long, but it does. Although I thought I would talk more about the subject matter, I am finding that I am more focused on social dynamics, agency, and leadership. Maybe that’s what my learning is, but I did not realize that until I worked my way through these reflections. Moreover, I had to figure out “my flow” with the suggested template. I tried several times, but felt restricted or guided in my thinking. As a result, I had procrastinated or avoided doing these journal reflections.
Now that I have found my flow with the template, I did not anticipate how much time it would take to complete. I have invested about 16-hours so far and underestimated the task. I thought I could finished my journal reflections on Friday, they flowed into Saturday and now Sunday. I’m not sure if I can do it, but I would like to take a moment to reflect on the remaining journal reflections to feel “caught up.” I will have to continue contributing to these journal reflections as part of this self-study but I have not idea if I’m contributing what I need to. Each journal reflection is about 3-4 pages single spaced. Not a small feat, but in the next few weeks, I need to catch up on these journal reflections and other work to catch up on. This is the time!!!
It’s practicum, so I am not teaching a couple of classes on Monday. As a result, I have a workload pause so that I can catch up on these journal reflections and other work. So, I’m glad I took a moment to contribute to my blog post to see that light, rather than my aching forearms due to typing on my laptop. Life is good and really… I’m grateful to do the work that I do… and it’s ok to rest on the weekends too. It will be a short blog post for this week, but I am happy that I’ve landed in a place of gratitude.
PS. I love my cat too.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 02nd, 2025 | Comments Off on Reflecting Like a Pro
Here is a photo of a food pic that I have not yet posted onto social media. This blog post seems like a good place to share this image. I went out for dinner this weekend on “be a person day” and we went to a restaurant that serves green curry. Now that my gall bladder is out, I can return to this kind of food without fear of having a gall bladder attack. Damn. This dish was delicious and comforting. It was not too spicy, but rather tangy with bits of mango in random bites. I approached this beautiful meal by mixing it all up so that every grain of rice was covered in green curry. I ate the whole bowl and ended the meal with a dessert. Best of all, this place had diet coke. It was a meal that I really enjoyed and really wanted. Yes, the meal brought me lots of JOY. I LOVE eating a great meal. I was HAPPY to know that I can get a meal like this, but also pad Thai, if I was in the mood, in Prince George. I loved a place in Vancouver where their chicken green curry dish had eggplant in it. Green curry just hit the spot.
When i was in Vancouver, I went out to dinner with family. We went to a place that I wanted to go to. It’s family-style eating where you order a bunch of dishes to share. It was not a Chinese food place, but rather western, and I love the vibe and food of this place. To make a long story short, one person did not want me take pictures of the food. I normally do, but this person was trying to convince me, or shame me, into not taking food pics. I replied by saying I did not care about what other people in the restaurant thought of me. In the end, this person did not want me to take pictures. I complied and did not make a big deal out of this situation but what disappointed me was the fact that the person could not tell me that me taking photos embarrassed them. Nonetheless, the meal was good and I ended up paying for the meal. I enjoyed the experience and I wanted to express my gratitude for the evening. Anyway, what the evening taught me is, I like taking food pics because food is part of my identity.
I took a bunch of food pics of the congee, turnip cake, and tea from The Boss when I went to Burnaby/Metrotown and of the Chinese food I brought home from Vancouver to Prince George. I took pictures of the soup dumpling lunch and hot pot dinner with the teacher candidates in Burnaby (before and after the WestCAST conference) and I generally like taking pictures of food. You never know when you are going to use these images, just like the one above, but also I love sharing pictures of food I love and food that reminds me of my mom (which I also love). I was teased by my siblings by going to the same places when I come to Vancouver. Of course I do… I love going to the ocean and I love going to Chinese restaurants… and Thai too. Anyway, the food reminds me of my mom, but also I can’t get this food in Prince George (nor am I close to the ocean in Prince George). The food connects me to my ethnic identity, just as being by the ocean. Last year, I was focused on doing things that make me happy… but now, I will do things that LOVE. Food pics is one of those things. It’s who I am. 🙂
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 24th, 2025 | Comments Off on Food Pics Represents Identity
February 16, 2025 – A Photo from the CHY’s archives
I just finished writing my Professional Activity Report (PAR) for 2024 on Friday. It was due that day. Valentine’s Day. I am more convinced that maybe my One Word for 2025 is LOVE. Oy. Let’s not talk about that again. But, on the day of LOVE, I spent about 11 hours working on and finalizing my PAR. I did spend some time collecting information and updating my CV, but I definitely underestimated the time it would take to compose my PAR and send it to the Chair. Thank goodness, from what I noticed, that there was not a time that it needed to be submitted. I could be wrong, but at least I got it in on the day it was due and found it to be a fruitful exercise.
Despite the time it took to summarize what I have accomplished in 2024 in my work, I found it to be an awesome way to look back at my work in a critical and appreciative way. I did not realize how many professional development or professional learning activities I engaged in, which included beading for 4-months at the art gallery. I also did not realize how many conferences I attended and presentations I gave. I was somewhat astounded. I also joined another research group and I am leading another. I am grateful to my peers for collaborating with me on a chapter I led and co-wrote with another research team. I assisted another team with writing an NSERC grant and a participated in course evaluations. It’s been about 8-years since I embarked on that practice wholeheartedly. It’s not easy, and I have been un- and re-learning life again.
Why this photo from 2009 is so important to me is to recognize and understand that my practice has not changed over the last 30-years. Can you believe that? 30-years. I graduated from UBC with my teacher education in 1994. I look back at old photos and I am reminded that I love collaborative work, I love creating community in my classrooms that were centred around formative assessment, and I loved to try new ways to teach was new to me, non-traditional, or student-centred (i.e., the student does most of the work). I was a favourite teacher to some, and not so liked by others. Overall, I loved what I did and took photos of students then too… in class, during grad, or during prom. I had a connection with students and I enjoyed teaching.
Were there ups and downs in my K-12 job teaching secondary mathematics? Absolutely. Are there ups and downs with my current position? Absolutely. What I don’t want to lose is my love for LEARNING, building community, and having a connection. I may not be “the best” teacher where I am winning awards or ranking 5 out of 5 on course evaluations. I love to learn and part of that in my teaching practice is, I sometimes delve into crappy moments where I’m not great, not certain, or not on top of what I am doing. And, guess what? That’s ok. I left teaching for about 8-years to work on my dissertation and during that time I was an elected official, not teaching. Guess what? It was not where my heart is. I love to teach. I love to learn. And I hope, I can and am leading with that LOVE. Here are are again… LOVE. Surprise!! LOL.
My biggest fear is, I’m not perfect. I feared being “wrong.” Guess what? It’s all good.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Overcoming My Biggest Fear
