Here is a photo of me watching my cat watching a cat documentary on Netflix last night (aka. on “be a person day” – Saturday – a guilt-free, work-free day). I was super curious about my cat watching the documentary, but I was also curious about the value of reading break. For me, I needed it. The last month getting a little overwhelmed with my workload with teaching and various projects on the go. Although I adhered to my “be a person day” as best as I could, my stress level was over the top. I had troubles sleeping. Tasks with a timeline were always on my mind. It weighed heavily. Even though I used the time during reading break to get some tasks completed, I needed the additional time to think clearly about what was required to get those tasks done in addition to grounding myself in a pace that is sustainable and more aligned to how I want to operate. I needed to have a good night’s rest. After one week, I’ve had a few good nights sleep. Yay!!
I am not complaining. I am so grateful to do the work that I do, but I am no longer driven by the hustle-culture. What I am driven by are working with people who collectively want to work towards the same goal, to build my capacity as a researcher and educator, and connecting with others to create places and space where we can all thrive. That’s it. I just realized that I have signed up for a few things that is spilling over my cup, but I am grateful that there is so much for me to find joy in and engage in activities that challenge me. I only have gratitude. I am feeling challenged in ways that are nourishing and I am reminded by “the perfect curling shot.” Although I am not curling this season, I am reminded of the end from a couple of years ago. I was working and playing around with “A Curling Mindset.” Just focus on what matters and everything else will fall into place. This mindset requires trust, vision, and confidence. It also requires removing the noise.
If anything, I do appreciate the fact that I am willing to take time for myself. Friday nights, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday. This blocked time has created some balance, but also, I don’t have to panic about anything else. I can only do what I can do… and that’s it. I am happy with the work that I am doing and I hope to hone my skills, time management, and contributions. I am really appreciative of where I live, the work that I get to do, and for the time reading break has afforded so that I don’t have to walk through the world numb, fearful, and stressed. I hope that the students appreciated the time to get grounded, rest, and catch up on any work, if needed. Tomorrow marks the return to the regular work week for the fall, and blogging also marks me re-entering the work week. I loved the slow pace of the weekend and I am ready for this work week.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Goodbye Reading Break
I cannot believe it’s November. Where has the time gone? Although the family reunions with members from my family from G1 (my dad’s generation), G2 (my generation), and G3 (my kid’s generation) have gathered together in Vancouver this weekend (and the G1 sisters went to Vancouver Island last week with my cousin and her husband), the gathering continues for another couple of days. For me, I’m heading back to work and heading back home to Prince George. That said, I’ve had two and a bit days spending time with my family… reconnecting, getting to know one another, and having good times around food and various activities. One of those activities was curling. From what I am hearing, it was a highlight of the reunion. We went to the Marpole Curling Club and we took sheets 1 and 2. They also had club volunteers to help out with teaching us on how to sweep, throw a rock, and how to play. We were on Ice 1. Our couch was firm, formative, and enthusiastic about the game. Most of my cousins and nieces and nephews never played curling before. My sister, on the other hand, was a like returning home and was a super star!! I, on the other hand, remain injured and helped out with the coaching, took photos, and learned how to play with the stick. I enjoyed learning something new. We had a great time. On Ice 1, we managed to learn how to play and play 3-ends of the game within 2-hours and Ice 2 learned how to sweep and throw rocks. We had a great time. Time flew by before having to leave for dinner at my brother’s place where we had sushi, played intro to Majong, and watched Game 7 of the World Series. The night before, we met at my aunt’s place for Chinese take-out and we watched Game 6, before curling we had dim sum, and last night we went out to the Dynasty Restaurant for an authentic Chinese dinner. Everything was delicious. I really enjoyed connecting with everyone. I loved the photos my cousin shared. I feel very lucky.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 03rd, 2025 | Comments Off on Back on the Ice Again
First, I would like to acknowledge that today is NATIONAL BLACK CAT DAY. I am feeling super proud and excited. It’s the first one I have celebrated. Simon joined our little family when I moved into my new place last year in November. We have not been in this house yet for a year, and we have the opportunity to celebrate black cats, more specifically, Simon. She moved into the house on the first day we got possession of the house and she even slept overnight at the house with the kid. She welcomed her new home and we could not imagine life without her. You you, Simon!! It’s your day!!
Second, I was planning to write about my weekend at Vancouver. I went to the CATE (Canadian Association for Teacher Education) Fall Working Conference 2025 at UBC. Because I was so budget-conscious, I opted to leave on the 5:30am flight out of Prince George on Thursday and taught my 8:30-11:20am class remotely from the WhiteSpot restaurant at YVR. Aside from spending a fair amount on UBER and taxi, and early morning start to the day, I really enjoyed the CATE Working Conference. The working conference is intended to be formative, supportive, and mentoring to early scholars (and experienced) to publish a chapter. The topic of this book is about relationality and place-based or land-based learning. I had submitted a proposal in the summer to co-author with 3 recent teacher education graduates. We submitted twice to ensure a clear connection to teacher education and we were accepted to participate. That said, the three “new teachers” were not able to attend the working conference, and I was there to represent the crew. Admittedly, I was not sure what to expect and I did spend some time re-navigating our proposal in terms of approach and methodology. We were grouped with “Working with Indigenous Communities.”
From what I understand, at this point in time, there is a potential to have 26 chapters in this e-book. That means, there were at least 26 submissions to participate in the fall working conference and thus, we were all subdivided into small groups based on theme or commonalities. I thought I would have been put in the “pedagogies” group, but that was not the case. The small working groups are revealed at the conference at the beginning of day 2. The first day was more about gathering and listening to the first keynote speaker, Dr. Jan Hare, the Dean of the UBC Faculty of Education and new Canadian Research Chair for Indigenous Pedagogies. She shared part of her recent work and presented on “Shifting the Curricular Landscape of Teacher Education Through Land Education.” The talk was thought-provoking, and then we went out for dinner at a restaurant on campus. Day 2 was the REAL working day, and Day 3 was more about finishing up any work on Day 2 for any of the small working groups and then reconvening to share our project, feedback, and next steps with the entire group. It was a fast 3 days, and I loved every minute of it. I loved connecting, learning, and feeling connected.
Finally, the heart of this blog post (aside from National Black Cat Day), will focus on Day 2. When I found out my group and theme, I was not certain if I was in the right group. We started Day 2 with a quick check in and then we went into our small working groups. After a few quick introductions, we started to go in numerical order (each blind proposal was numbered) to provide feedback to each author. We were strategic and proceeded to give each author group 18 minutes or so with feedback and discussion. Our small group is the photo above. As each paper proceeded, we started to build up lots of momentum. Each paper topic was so interesting yet interrelated or at least relatable to each of the papers/authors. We had rich feedback and discussion on each proposal. When it came time to stop and watch a panel that was being video streamed in, we opted to keep going with the feedback discussions. Of 7 author groups, we finished 4 in the morning, and then 3 in the afternoon. I felt that we honoured each of our proposals and provided feedback respectfully and wholeheartedly. I was certain after our day together that I was in the right group. I feel very happy and grateful. I could feel the joy growing amongst us.
Midday, we had a wonderful presentation by Dr. Jennifer Tatabe from the University of Auckland, providing a talk titled, “Shifting Ground: Exploring Place and Equity in Aotearoa New Zealand.” It was a super engaging talk and it’s a phenomenon that’s happening everywhere. I loved that talk. Before lunch, UBC Faculty member, Indigenous scholar, and teacher educator Marny Point spoke to the whole group about the territory and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. Even though it was originally intended to be a walking tour, the RAIN was relentless. LOL. All is good. She gave each of us a piece of cedar from her back yard. I just loved it. And, I was reminded of the First Peoples Principles of Learning and the work was are doing in BC education. I also appreciated the dinners out on Friday night at UBC and on Saturday at Hydra in downtown Vancouver. It was an excellent opportunity to connect and meet new people. There were many familiar faces, and many more to meet and learn more about. In the end, I had a tonne of fun and learned lots.
On Friday, I was having a conversation with a colleague and he was sharing a story about how he met a particular person. I said it was SERENDIPITY (definition: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way [Google]). Ooo… I love that definition. He said, it was RELATIONAL (definition: concerning the way in which two or more people or things are connected [Google]). I was taken a back by that response, but I don’t disagree. Throughout the weekend, I continued to think about the SYNERGY (definition: the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects [Google]) forming within the small group and pondered the notions of relationality and serendipity. I am left to wonder, could it be both? Maybe it’s not one or the other, but the intersection between the two terms. Nonetheless, I loved the weekend and feel VALIDATED, seen, and heard at this conference. Thank you small group, and thank you to the facilitators, presenters, and authors for making this event so wonderful.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 27th, 2025 | Comments Off on Serendipity Semantics
Although I could only validate my week’s experience with my sister, who seemed to be having a similar week, I felt like when “it rains, it pours.” Everything seemed to be happening all at once. Nothing “bad” happened, with exception to not handing in one more conference presentation for myself for an organization I am volunteering for, but everything seemed to require my time and attention. Unfortunately, I could not accomplish all that I wanted to get done… something had to give. GB to my conference proposal… LOL. Sad, not sad. If anything, it is brought to my attention that the topic I wanted to present about is important to me. If anything, I have more time to investigate that topic as well as consider another conference.
You have to see the “cup half full” sometimes. As soon as I “let go” of the idea of submitting a proposal, I could feel some relief in the stress and tension I was experiencing last week. It seemed like all was a flurry after the long weekend and the four day work week was fulsome to say the least. I just was not sure what was happening last week, but I could not establish my footing, nevertheless rest, last week. My kid definitely noticed I was running on fumes and I am hoping my classes did not pick that up (even though I spoke about my week explicitly). By Friday, I am grateful to have a friend/colleague to hold some space from me to listen to my little rant, and then have the rest of the day to get back on track with things. Sadly, some things remain TBD.
After finishing some work for one study and having a meeting with another colleague to figure out what I needed to do for another project, I threw in the towel and opted to go out for dinner that night with the kid. I did not feel like cooking. Truthfully, I refused to cook. I could not do it. I was spent. And, guess what? I think everyone else seemed to have the same idea because the restaurant I wanted to go to was full. Admittedly, I was not 100% if they were full but the parking lot was full as well as the roadsides. My dinner dreams were dashed. We went to another restaurant and we were sat at a table near the back of the restaurant near washroom. The restaurant was full. We took the table and the service and food were good. Thank goodness, but even the dinner experience seemed to exemplify the vibe of last week. Nothing bad, some concessions made, and it was BUSY.
After dinner on Friday, the kid and I went to a couple of places to shop and walk around. I bought a couple clothing items from Costco and soup dumplings, of course (they were on sale), then we went home and I actively rested on the LazyBoy chair with the fire place on and my cat on my lap. It was pure bliss. I had full intentions of blogging yesterday (aka., on Saturday, that is, “be a person day”), but my body and mind said, NOPE. It’s be a person day. I recycled, changed the filters in my fridge, went food shopping, cooked a few things, cleaned up the house a bit, played a few video games on my phone, and well… hung out with my cat on the LazyBoy chair. That’s it. I needed to rest. No guilt. It’s Saturday. I think that I have mastered being ok with resting. That’s what I did last weekend during Thanksgiving, but felt that the week unravelled in a way that I did not anticipate. I am wondered if Karma was getting back at me for taking some time off last weekend. I put that inquiry forward to my students in all of my classes. It’s a constant dilemma for teachers. Rest, then work… or is it rest and work. I chose rest.
If anything, it’s Sunday. I feel rested. I had two wonderful sleeps on Friday and Saturday nights. I am caught up on my email, I have done my laundry, I cleaned up my office, and now… maybe… it’s time to return back to work. Although some would say that there is no work-life balance, while others claim that there is. For me, I just have to listen to myself and how I am feeling. It’s ok to say no or get things off your plate to make things happen. It’s also ok to REST and enjoy life. Do what’s best for you despite what’s happening around you. This week was a good reminder of who overwhelmed my work can be and it’s ok to just do what you can do, try your best, and feel satisfied. And, I do.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 19th, 2025 | Comments Off on Was it a Full Moon
Finally… I am listening to my body. I am always bringing my laptop downstairs with the hopes and intentions of doing work while sitting in my LazyBoy reclining chair and listening to Dr. G. Medical Examiner on YouTube via my TV. Over and over again I engage in this behaviour thinking that the next day will be a new day and I’ll jump into my work. Albert Einstein said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (citation affirmed by Google). I even knew that going to my office upstairs would be the most ideal and only way to get work done, unless I wanted to go to work and sit at my desk there. Anyway, I am HERE, sitting at my desk, upstairs, and blogging, which is a warm-up to doing work. Yay!! I’m here and working!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!!
Can you believe that it’s mid-October? I cannot. I have no idea where time is going to, but I am grateful to be here with my health, my cat, my kid, my work, and my place where I live. I have a lot to be grateful for and I am. I made turkey dinner last night. It took me about 6-hours to cook, 20-minutes to eat, and a couple of hours to clean up. Wowza. Preparing the dinner for me and my kid took most of my day and there was no way I was getting to any work last night. I also underestimated the time it would take for the turkey to cook and we ate at about 8:30pm last night. It was a late dinner with lots of snacks in between. My kid made note to me that it was a long time since I made turkey dinner. I could not remember when I made turkey dinner last. She said it was likely when I live in my other house. DAMN. That is at least 8-years ago. I’m guessing, but that has been quite some time. Admittedly, I am not looking forward to the next time. I think I’ll do what my twin brother does, especially when I live alone one day. I’ll get turkey dinner from WhiteSpot. Keep it simple. That was a lot of work for 20 minutes of eating.
I also spent the weekend resting. I had a tonne to do, of course, and I am grateful to have this work, but I needed to take a time out. I was not burning out, but I have been spending almost 2 years on focusing on myself and self-care. I am really trying to disengage from the hustle-culture and participate in work that I need to do, want to do, and rest when I need to. My teaching days of Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays heighten my workload (even though that is my workload). I am also engaged in a few research projects and projects for my department that also takes some of my time. I always appreciate Saturdays as “be a person day” where I can spend that day any way I want, guilt free. It could entail work, or not. All is good. Last week, I hosted a guest speaker in my teacher education class to help facilitate the blanket exercise. It’s a super powerful exercise depicting Canadian history from an Indigenous perspective.
In preparation for this class, I brought the blankets from home. I brought one garbage bag the night before prior to my night class, and a few other bags the next morning. I was so shocked how many people stopped to ask if I needed help. One offered me a ride to the front door. I declined. One person offered to carry a bag the next morning (I was carrying a few), and I accepted. Another person offered to carry a bag back to my car. I refused the help. And, the students in the class helped to set up the room and then folded the blankets after class ended while moving the tables and chairs in places in preparation for the next class. Overall, I was so touched by the gestures. No prompting. No soliciting. People just offered. Strangers to me (with exception to my students). I thought it aligned perfectly to the outcomes of the blanket exercise… meaning, people are kind, compassionate, and generous. My faith in humanity restored, especially after a very emotional and disturbing exercise about Canadian history. Thank you for your kindness.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 13th, 2025 | Comments Off on Faith in Humanity
I cannot believe it’s October… and, I cannot believe I’m 55. What an accomplishment. I even tested my blood pressure a couple of days ago at the pharmacy. It was the first time I got “OPTIMAL” with 115/77. Yay for medication!! I also think that I have taken some intentionality to REST and not be burdened or driven by the THE CHASE and trying to prove myself to someone. The only person I need to impress is myself. That thinking and this way of being is pure LIBERATION. Dang. I am really appreciating my 50’s and lots have happened over the last 5 years, and many years prior, to bring to this place. There were definite ups and downs, struggles and victories, but I would not have it any other way. I had to learn exactly what I needed to learn when I did. No regrets. All is good.
I just loved my birthday and how it manifested. I had no expectations. I feel very humbled and loved. Thank you to my students, my kid, and my friends for making the day so special. I am filled with gratitude and happiness. When I look at all of the well-wishes online via social media, DM, text, email, or in-person, I can see how diverse and wonderful my life has been. I often think I lead a “boring” life, but really, I have done many different things in my career and lived in different places. I’m not comparing, but honestly, I loved how diverse the folks were who reached out to wish me happy birthday. How lucky am I? I feel very lucky. I have my health (even though I’m not a super athlete and could eat a little bit better). I have a career of my dreams (I am always focused on learning). And, I have good people (and my cat) in my life. I have lots to be grateful for.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been hyper-focused on rest, doing what I love, and creating boundaries that can sustain my happiness, freedom, and autonomy. This pedagogical journey has not been an easy one, and when I look back, I had to make some critical decisions (knowing or not knowing) that took the left turns to arrive where I am today. I have never felt better. I am finally feeling like more like myself without feeling like I’m having to please or prove myself to someone else. Again, the person I need to impress is me. The person that needs to feel satisfied is me. Turning 55 is a big deal for me and I feel that I am officially starting the third chapter of this life (and I am happy to be here). At 55, my aunt (on my mother’s side) retired from her occupation in banking (very corporate) and when my dad announced his FREEDOM 55 plan, which was to leave the pulp mill and go to China before retiring in the Lower Mainland. What am I looking for?
I am looking for PEACE. I feel very content right now and yet, I feel scattered at times. So many things to do, yet so little time. That said, I have been prioritizing slowing down and pausing when I need to. Unfortunately, things like my DESKTOP, for example, on my computer has a 1000 tabs open and well as my search engine (another 1000 tabs), and lots that I would like to get done, but I am not. Let’s be clear, I am making lots of progress, and I am also finding the courage to find another journal to publish my dissertation (that has taken some time). But I know I can do better. So here are 3 short term goals (while continuing doing what I am doing with respect to rest): (1) clear off my computer desktop (aka., get organized) and write a list of things-to-do in my planner; (2) drink water and eat whole foods (aka., cook at home); and, (3) do some daily exercise (i.e., walk, YouTube videos, go outside, meditate). Small changes can lead to big change.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 06th, 2025 | Comments Off on How Many Windows
One of the things that I teach in one of my teacher education classes is, “Christine 1” and “Christine 2.” This course is situated at the beginning of a 16-month program and the focus of the course is curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching. In 13-weeks, I try to curate a course-narrative to describe what is curriculum, what is pedagogy, and what is teaching. So, “Christine 1” is “teacher-Christine.” She is performative. She exudes confidence. She is professional. She is caring, kind, and compassionate. She is the teacher that is demonstrating all of the professional standards that are required of her. “Christine 2” is my inside voice. What am I thinking? I could be pivoting. I could be reflecting in and on action. I could be making decisions in real-time. Basically, “Christine 2” is articulating “adaptive expertise.” So, I try to disclose what’s happening in real-time when plans change and why. I wanted to make the invisible, visible.
“Christine 3” is “soap-box Christine.” There are some topics in education that I am very passionate about and at times I will go on a slight tangent and share some thoughts on some these topics (i.e., assessment, teacher wellness, leadership, math efficacy, and math education). “Christine 4” could be the researcher, the writer, or educational leader… and other Christine’s start delving into the personal-side of Christine (i.e., the curler, the cat mom, the kid’s mom, the sister, the daughter, the niece, the aunty, etc.). There are many ME’s and it’s fun to articulate the ability to compartmentalize parts of me… even though all of these identities are all a part of me. Just the other day, I was out with my class at West Lake for a land-based learning experience. It’s fun to take learning out to place and on the land when exploring ideas such as land-as-teacher, land acknowledgements, and a walking curriculum. Anyway, in one instance, planning with one of the students that I “mis-mathed” the time. We giggled and I said, I used to be a math teacher… but now I’m a teacher educator. I’m all about sharing circles. Another student then said, “Is that Christine negative one?” #brilliant
Can you believe that? It’s only Week 3 of the course (out of 13) and the notion of “Christine 1” and “Christine 2” not only have meaning for these students, but the idea that these identities are on a time-continuum. I just loved it. The next day, I joined another class who went out to West Lake as their last instructional day for their course prior to final practicum. I was saying goodbye to folks and one student mentioned “Christine 1” and “Christine 2.” I shared with this student the story mentioned above, and they loved it too. I feel very grateful to do the work that I am doing, and I am learning more about the different aspects of “Christine” over time. I will continue to be learning… not to take myself too seriously… and to continue to care for the practice, the students, and myself. I appreciate the playfulness and openness for the students… and I am very appreciative for their kind remarks and positive feedback. One day at a time… and just do my best. That’s all I got. #grateful
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, September 20th, 2025 | Comments Off on Christine Negative One
Toast with butter and jam. A Sunday afternoon treat. I love it.
September 7, 2025 – Enjoy the Simple Things
Wow. That was an intense first week back to school. I can only imagine teachers returning back to K-12 schools. I hope they are kind and compassionate to self. As exciting it is to return back to school, it’s easy to “over-do-it” and over-extend oneself to the point where it’s not safe or healthy for one to do or sustain. Do I need to listen to myself and the advice I would share with other educators? Yes, I do… of course.
First of all… July came and went. I think I was fully immersed in RELAX-mode, which is not a bad thing. Rest is a good thing. Unfortunately, August was very full with lots of things to do (if not, over full) preparing for the upcoming the school year. Prior to the first week of school, I was working on addressing some provisos from an ethics application. It was an incredible learning experience, but the revisions were extensive. With my research team, we mutually decided to make some changes in direction of our work, and I was charged to making those changes in our ethics application. I needed to get this application resubmitted before school started… and I did… at 5am on September 2nd. Truth, I am getting too old for all-nighters, but that’s my best work time. It’s a dilemma, but it was submitted. Yay for me because school was starting.
September 2nd started with a morning meeting with another research team then transitioned into Day 1 of the B.Ed. Program Orientation. This event was only for a couple of hours to do some brief introductions to the new incoming cohorts then go outside in small groups to get to know one another. The day ended at 3pm and I went home with high hopes of going to bed, which I did at 7pm, soon after I learned that the book review I committed to do could be completed later in the term for a 2026 publication. I was not disappointed. I was grateful for the time to pause and rest. I needed it. The next day started early with Day 2 of the B.Ed. Orientation. It was a full day with the morning at the Northern Sports Centre and the afternoon at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. The incoming cohorts engage in activities led by the out going cohorts. Somewhere in between, I also met with my research team to update them on the ethics application and to discuss next steps. It was a very full day, but wait…
September 3rd was the start of classes and I taught my first night class after the B.Ed. Orientation. This class is a 3-hour graduate study class, which was originally designed to be an in-person course, but now it’s hybrid. Teaching that night was challenging to say the least because getting well acquainted with either the in-person or online students in hybrid class is minimized due to having two platforms of delivery all at once. I take a deep breath and remember to find some kindness and compassion for self to do the best that I can. That’s all I can offer. I cannot be everything to everyone and I will do my best to accommodate but I know that it will not be the same as a class that is either all in-person or all online. Sadly, the work continues with prepping for my morning class. It’s another 3-hour class, but with the incoming cohort. It’s the first class they will have in the B.Ed. Program. I needed to make a good impression.
September 4th started with an 8:30am class. I am not a morning person to begin with and I stayed up late to prep for this class. I think the class went well, but classic “Christine”… I went over time by 5 minutes and did not do one learning activity. That’s ok. It’s good to be over planned, but also, I had to learn how this class moved and flowed. I feel that they are moving quite swiftly and they are very adaptive and responsive. The learning activity can wait until next week, but dang… I’m already thinking… how can I get everything I have planned done? It’s ok. I’m going with the flow. As you can imagine, I wanted to go home to sleep, but the outgoing crew were sharing their final projects for one of their yearlong courses. I dropped by to say hello and had the opportunity to listen and see some of their work. It was really incredible and creative with some of the outcomes. I was really happy to see this crew, but it did take about a few hours of my time. All is good. As you know, soon after, I went to bed.
September 5th is Fri-YAY and I had no classes to attend to. However, the outgoing cohort had a second yearlong course of which they were also sharing their final projects. Some projects were offered as a gallery walk while others were online or a presentation. The session was scheduled for 6-hours. As much as I wanted to hear, see, and learn from all of the students, I committed to the morning. Again, it was good to hear what students are doing, and it provided me some solace and closure on this course. It used to be one I used to teach, but now it has a new instructor and new learning outcomes. I am happy for the students and grateful to have the opportunity to say hello, once again, with the outgoing cohorts, and head home to get to other aspects of my work… and then rest. But, this day concluded with great news!! The ethics application mentioned earlier… it was APPROVED. Woohoo!!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, September 07th, 2025 | Comments Off on Week One Is Done
Omg… I cannot believe it’s September. Goodbye summer time!! The summer months flew by… and I enjoyed every moment of it. I was able to take the time to enjoy my place and feel at home. I LOVE BEING AT HOME and I love where I am living. I love the sunsets. I love the space. I love this little community. I feel safe. I feel solace. I feel a lot of gratitude. I am so proud of myself that I am able to have my own place and that I am able take care of my kid as she approaches adulthood. I am super happy with my job and I am grateful for my autonomy, freedom, and agency in my work. It’s truly a dream. I am in a different place and I LOVE what I do, where I am, and who I am.
How lucky am I?
That said, I totally miscalculated how fast that time would go this spring/summer term. This year has been the first spring/summer term where I did not have a course to teach or be responsible for. I had fantasized that I would get a billion things done during this term. Unfortunately, I did achieve everything I wanted to accomplish in four months. If I shared my original ambition to a friend of mine, they would have said it was unreasonable and unrealistic. I’ve taken all summer to understand what SMART goals really mean. It’s ok to spend time resting and appreciating a slower pace to life. I loved it. But now, I find myself cramming to get things done and some things will not get done. Being ambitious is good, but I need to be a bit more reasonable.
What have I accomplished?
First, I have learned how to enjoy quiet time guilt-free and to appreciate taking life at a slow pace. This way of living is 100% refreshing and revitalizing. I am enjoying life as an introvert and feel that I am truly up to my INFP preferences, which is so opposite from being an ESTJ for most of my working life (as a teacher). The transition was gradual to this SLOW-way of being and I’m loving it. Although I did have to partake in a few significant life changes to get here, I have no regrets. I appreciate my own company (with the cat and kid, of course) and the quiet time I have to myself. It’s nourishing. I feel more aligned to the way I want to live my life. I am very thankful that I can do this… and afford this way of being. It’s a privilege I will not take for granted.
Second, I went to a couple of conferences and presented a handful of times. In the spring, I travelled to Toronto, ON to attend CSSE and Congress. I presented a paper at CAARE (Action Research) in collaboration with 3 former teacher candidates (now practicing teachers) about the sit-spot lesson study; I co-presented with the CETE (Climate Education in Teacher Education) research team members at CNIE (Network of Innovation) about the project; I presented (single author) at CATE (Teacher Education) about in-situ learning in my assessment class; and, I presented at a the CASIE (Indigenous Education) roundtable in collaboration with my friend about the 4 R’s and assessment. In the summer, I co-presented with the District Numeracy Teacher and an Elementary Teacher Candidate at the UNBC Teaching and Learning Conference about Numeracy Night at Edgewood. Presenting is a great way to get your work out there and share your interests with others, but also a means to connect with other people, to network, and get inspired for future writing opportunities.
Third, I got some manuscripts, chapters, and a book chapter proposal completed for submission. Although I have a few more manuscripts to attend to (as well as others on the horizon I would like to write about), I am super grateful and thankful for the work and collaborations that was accomplished this spring/summer term. There were two manuscripts submitted by the CETE research team, where I am the third author on both pieces of work. One was resubmitted for publication and the other was recently submitted for a special edition. I submitted two chapters for the Leadership Book to be produced by the School of Education; one chapter was lead by my colleague and the second chapter was led by me. The latter chapter was submitted to be a conference proceeding for a conference from a couple of years ago, but not much had manifested from that. I thought that submitting an updated version to the book would be a better opportunity for the piece to be published. I was glad to return to that piece to make the revisions it needed. Finally, I have submitted another manuscript that needed revisions with another group about cultural adaption of schools. we hope to get a second manuscript out soon to be considered as well. Lastly, I am hoping to get a book review out, but time is running out!! (… or ran out).
It’s September!!
My accomplishments is not an exhaustive list, but rather a list to reflect upon and acknowledge. I have also been working on getting ethics approved for another project I am leading and I hope to be submitting another one for a book chapter proposal I submitted to be co-written with the 3 former teacher candidates mentioned above. We made a submission and then was asked to make some revisions to that proposal to align the work to the theme of the book. They were fair comments and I am greatly appreciating the feedback that has been graciously offered to me during conferences and writing. It’s formative feedback at its finest with the wholehearted intention to make the work (and you) better. I LOVE THAT!! The learning-mindset thrives on it.
OK. Now, it’s back to work on this labour day weekend. Seems counterintuitive, but I would like to get the provisos for this ethics application done. We took a few spins on how the project would proceed (based on the feedback), and it’s taken a few revisions that is taking more time than anticipated to complete. All is good. That is what I am also learning too. If you want to take it SLOW, you have to do a little bit each day to get things done. That’s a difficult lesson for to learn, but a good one. I am finding that taking breaks during your work-span of a project actually is better for the project. I don’t think that the mindset is… it’s taking longer than expected… but rather… it takes time for good things to happen. I’m ok with that. The consequence, I am learning how long it will take to do things and thus, will take on work that I can do. And, that’s it!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, September 01st, 2025 | Comments Off on You can only control yourself
This has been a week filled with learning and it takes a lot of humility, kindness, and compassion to proceed onto the next step. After coming home from my hometown of Prince Rupert, I was filled with gratitude to return to my place, my cat, and my kid. I cannot believe that I live where I do and that I did it myself. It’s a really big deal for me. Being the youngest of three and formally married for almost 30 years, I am so grateful to achieve what I have achieved. As my friend had told me over the weekend last week, I am my toughest critic and I am really hard on myself. I don’t disagree. LOL. That’s nice. A double negative. I am learning how to look at myself and see what I see. My friend also said, I have spent my last few years protecting myself. I also don’t disagree with that claim either. I needed to take a step back and know I am creating the story that I want to create. I also know that I am doing the work. I am also aware there is a wake behind me and I cannot control how people behave, think, or feel about me. That has been a big learning hurdle in recent years. What I do know is, I am more secure and accepting of who I am and I will continue with a learning-mindset to thrive and flourish. I can keep dwelling on how I think life “should be” but really, I am living my best life. It’s not perfect, but darn… I think it’s pretty close. I feel very lucky.
This week, I went to the Grant Writing Workshop at the university. This would be the third time I’ve attended this workshop, and with each time I attend, I learn something new. This time, this session reminded me of preparing students for the Math 12 Provincial Exam. I used to be a secondary mathematics teacher and taught Math 12 for about 10-years. At the time, students wrote a provincial exam worth 40% of their grade. Given the high stakes nature of the exam and the need for high performance, I would teach the course as I would for 80% of the time, and I would prepare for the provincial exam for the remaining 20% of the time. We used old exams to practice and held math camps to work collaboratively with other high schools in the district to prepare for the exam. Then, I would facilitate “Math Olympiks” to create a collaborative competitive learning environment to engage in teachable moments with their peers and myself (the teacher). Another goal or expectation of the final exam is to “match” the course mark with the exam mark. So, there was lots at stake with the provincial exam for both the student and teacher. The Grant Writing Workshop had a similar vibe, meaning, you can have a wonderful and worthwhile project to research, but the ultimate goal is to “get the money,” so how do we do that? If anything, I saw the two-day session as being strategic, much like the provincial exam. Brilliant.
The week concludes with a couple of meetings. One meeting was about working with one research team that engaged in a lengthy conversation. The conversation focused on next steps, but also on social dynamics. Throughout the conversation, I could see that I am doing the work (i.e., the self-knowledge work) and I can understand how things were unfolding. What I am learning is, you have to feel good about what you are doing. I stepped away from some other work because it did not give me “good feelings.” Call it my gut… call it familiar feelings… call it the lesson iterates again. I believe that life’s lessons iterate themselves until you get it. These iterations will amplify over time. A long story made short, you are called to action. What do you need/want to do? What’s best for you? Anyway, human interaction are complicated and when words are not shared, trust not established, hard feelings not articulated, etc. the situation can be amplified. I was grateful for the conversation and I can see my role in the situation. I can’t change what has happened nor can I remedy the situation, the cards were laid as they were. I can accept that. My second meeting was with another research team and we are finishing a second manuscript in this study. We just resubmitted the first one and in the last steps of revising a second one for submission. Being on this team offered me many learning opportunities and I can see how I have grown over time. The meeting went very well and I am very excited to submit this manuscript. I can see how the goal is to work together to make it better.
What I am also understanding about my work is, it all takes time, it takes longer than you expect it to, and I am more successful doing one thing at a time. Although I have a few projects happening at the same time, I can only focus on one task at a time. I had full intentions to work on other projects that are outstanding, but I can only get to what I can get to. I thought I could work on Saturday, but my body said NO. I really needed some time to transition from Friday. I needed to rest. I took some time to hang out with my kid. And, I took some time to clean the house, recycle, do laundry, and get my office/room organized to prepare for the upcoming week. I can get down on myself, compare myself to others, or feel guilty, but I am not going to do that. Part of my selfishness is to “be a person” on Saturdays. I took the last year and half to block off Saturday to rest and take care of myself. Now, I just do that. I feel good now, but I was struggling after the week ended. I needed the time to “feel good” again. I don’t feel guilty about that. I keep assessing myself… looking for any bad feelings, shame, or self-doubt. I don’t feel it. This is growth. I am so pleased and I feel rested. Feeling grounded is so important to me. And once again, I am filled with gratitude. I love my place, my cat, and my kid. I have my health and I love my work. Nothing is perfect, but I will do my best to stay in the learning-mindset. That’s where the joy is.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, August 24th, 2025 | Comments Off on Saturdays are a NO go
