By Jason Menard
I must have gone to the wrong schools. At least, to the best of my knowledge, we didn’t have anyone like Samantha Ardente in our hallways – and now it looks like Etchemins High School won’t either.
Ardente (her stage name) worked as a clerical worker at the high school. That’s by day. It seems she also has a side project: a porn star. Continue reading
By Jay Menard
I was going to ask ‘How did we all let it get away from us?’ but the answer’s painfully clear: it’s apathy. So the next question has to be, “If we’re all on board and want to go in the same direction, why can’t we just start rowing that way?”
But that’s the problem with apathy. It’s a fast-moving current – and once it’s moving against you, it’s very hard to paddle upstream. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
Today is National Grammar Day and while there appears to be increasingly little to celebrate if you survey the linguistic landscape, perhaps it’s time to reassess where the actual blame lies.
We all know about the challenges to the language that are our youth. Schools have increasingly abdicated their obligation to teach, instead settling for the lowered bar that is comprehension. Text and on-line messaging have also conspired to diminish the language as the next generation’s current form of communication is actively impeding their ability to express themselves.
So we could blame the kids – after all, that’s the easy way to do. Continue reading
By Jason Menard
My hollies are a little less jolly today. Earlier we found out that, as a result of multiple school closures caused by Snowmageddon, Son of Snowmageddon, and Hey?-Isn’t-This Just-a-Normal-Canadian-Winter-But-We’ve-Been-Spoiled-By-Higher-Than-Average-Temperatures-Lately-And-Why-Are-You-Still-Not-Driving-On-Snow-Tires-Ageddon, the highlight of my holiday season has been postponed into the New Year.
Yes, it’s true. The annual Christmas pageant has been cancelled. So where else am I going to find that wonderfully festive combination of shock and awe? This is the most wonderful time of the year – especially for those of us with school-aged children. We approach this day with equal parts anticipation and dread! Continue reading
By Jason Menard
If I had to change career course mid-stream, you know what I wouldn’t want to be? A teacher.
Well, to be honest, I’m thinking being a postcard salesman would be number-one on my list – really, does anyone send postcards anymore? Even if you’re on vacation most people simply send an e-mail with digital photos that they’ve taken themselves – beats the bejeezus out of those cheesy “Wish You Were Here” photos.
But besides that and a few other jobs involving sewage treatment and other similar tasks, I think being a teacher would tax my sensibilities. That said, I already have a solid grasp of one of the fundamental philosophies of modern teaching techniques.
The lowest common denominator. Continue reading
The M-Dash by Jason Menard 