You know you're the parent of a child with additional needs when... ...you celebrate things other families might never notice. A full day at school. A new food. One new friend. A haircut. Making a phone call. Those "little" wins are actually huge. #OntEd #edusky

What's a hill you'll die on when it comes to supporting students? #OntEd #Edusky

Hard Truth: The number of students needing support is growing faster than the number of supports available. Fact: Educators across Ontario report increasing academic, behavioural, and mental health needs among students. Question: Where should additional funding be prioritized? #Edusky

We need to normalize the fact that some students require accommodations to access learning — just like some people require glasses to see clearly. #edusky

Ontario school boards record more deficits a year after supervisors sent in globalnews.ca/news/1195540... #edusky

A student asking for help is showing strength. #edusky

Ottawa public school board recommends students not participate in Pride parade for ‘safety’ www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic... #edusky

Many parents assume an IEP automatically guarantees support every day in every class. But implementation can vary depending on staffing, communication, and classroom realities. Understanding the difference between: ✔ documented accommodations and ✔ consistent implementation #edusky

The Worst Part of an Ontario Report Card as a Parent of a Child with Special Needs #edusky #onted #education #reportcards open.substack.com/pub/ontspeci...

Parents say 9-year-old excluded from summer camp over disability concerns, despite having a spot www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...

Summer learning doesn't need worksheets - cooking together is math, reading recipes, measuring, and following steps builds real-life skills.

#SummerLearning is for all. ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/summerlear...

Truth When people say “you’re so strong,” I never really know what to say. Most days it doesn’t feel like strength. It just feels like you keep showing up because you have to. If you’re a special needs parent, you know — you don’t really get breaks from it. You just keep going. #EduSky

Every day is a marathon. “Relaxing” leads to guilt. “Self-care” is sitting in the car for an extra few minutes… all alone.

Truth When people say “you’re so strong,” I never really know what to say. Most days it doesn’t feel like strength. It just feels like you keep showing up because you have to. If you’re a special needs parent, you know — you don’t really get breaks from it. You just keep going. #EduSky

Unpopular opinion: Not every special needs parent loves being their child's therapist, case manager, teacher, advocate, and crisis coordinator. Most of us would happily trade all of that just to be "Mom" or "Dad" more often. #edusky

#SummerLearning is for all. ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/summerlear...

Summer learning doesn't need worksheets - cooking together is math, reading recipes, measuring, and following steps builds real-life skills.

Everyone talks about the excitement of summer break. But for some Ontario families, June is the start of the hardest transition of the year. Read my newest article here: ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/when-schoo... #edusky #Onted #specialneeds #transitions

The Worst Part of an Ontario Report Card as a Parent of a Child with Special Needs ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/the-worst-...

Everyone talks about the excitement of summer break. But for some Ontario families, June is the start of the hardest transition of the year. Read my newest article here: ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/when-schoo... #edusky #Onted #specialneeds #transitions

The Worst Part of an Ontario Report Card as a Parent of a Child with Special Needs ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/the-worst-...

The Worst Part of an Ontario Report Card as a Parent of a Child with Special Needs #edusky #onted #education #reportcards open.substack.com/pub/ontspeci...

Every year in June, students start to unravel—and we call it behaviour. But what if it’s actually exhaustion, overload, and transition stress showing up at the same time? This is what I mean by The June Problem in Schools. #Edusky ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/the-june-p...

Students from 2 Canadian schools published Holocaust denial quotes in their yearbooks. Why it went unnoticed www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Every year in June, students start to unravel—and we call it behaviour. But what if it’s actually exhaustion, overload, and transition stress showing up at the same time? This is what I mean by The June Problem in Schools. #Edusky ontspecialneeds.substack.com/p/the-june-p...

For many students, June is actually the hardest month. Routines are breaking, energy is low, and expectations are still high. #EduSky

Not every disability is visible. #edusky

Canada's AI Strategy Must Address the Technology's Use in K-12 Education www.techpolicy.press/canadas-ai-s... #Edusky

After the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands more kindergarteners faced developmental challenges theconversation.com/after-the-co...

Here’s my perspective on what putting students first actually looks like. substack.com/@ontspecialn... #EduSky

Hard Truth: Everyone agrees students should come first. Fact: Education discussions often focus on budgets, structures, and staffing because they directly impact what schools can provide. Question: What would putting students first look like in practice? #OntEd #EduSky

Parents, a reminder: Not all growth shows up on a report card. Confidence, resilience, self-advocacy, and independence may not be graded, but they are some of the most important skills a child can develop. #EduSky

A child who is constantly misunderstood eventually starts to believe the labels. “Defiant.” “Lazy.” “Attention-seeking.” “Rude.” What if those behaviours aren’t character flaws? What if they’re signs of stress, anxiety, overwhelm, or unmet needs? Let’s look beyond the behaviour. #edusky

The Importance of Getting a Student's Name Right open.substack.com/pub/ontspeci... #onted #edusky

OntSpecialNeeds's Substack ontspecialneeds.substack.com?r=8kxfmv&utm...

Children with special needs shouldn't have to "fit in" at school. The school should already be set up to include them open.substack.com/pub/ontspeci...

I just wrote my first note on Substack substack.com/profile/5188...

An IEP is only as effective as the supports available to implement it. Fact: Many schools are supporting students with increasingly complex needs while managing limited staffing resources. Question: What's the biggest challenge you've seen with IEP implementation? #OntEd #edusky

Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. That doesn't mean every student needs the same support. Equity and equality are not the same thing. #EduSky #OntEd

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One of the biggest misconceptions in education is that identifying a student's needs is the hardest part. Truth: Often, it's finding the resources, staffing, and services needed to address those needs that becomes the real challenge. #OntEd #SpecialNeeds #InclusiveEducation #Edusky

Hard Truth: Smaller class sizes are one of the few education investments that almost everyone supports, yet they remain a major bargaining issue in 2026. #OntEd

Hard Truth: Smaller class sizes are one of the few education investments that almost everyone supports, yet they remain a major bargaining issue in 2026. #OntEd

Do you prioritize taking your child to the library?

"What I am seeing in my classroom is no longer a hunch. There is a measurable, generational collapse in sustained reading and writing, and the academy is responding to it with improvisation and exhaustion rather than the structural overhaul it requires." 🗃️ #EduSky www.chronicle.com/article/my-s...

Hard Truth: Waitlists for assessments and services can mean students spend months or even years struggling while everyone waits for help to become available. #OntEd

Some parents spend years being told to “wait and see” while their child struggles academically, socially, and emotionally. Early support matters. Go with your gut, reach out to your doctor and insist.

The Minister has no answer for why his govt is prioritizing $5 billion for a runway in Lake Ontario while teachers and edu workers are being fired, except to talk about the private sector and accuse me of socialism. With this govt, our kids and the people who support them always come last. #onted

A lovely reflection as the end of the school year comes near. 'Because the talking is never just talking. It’s managing needs. It’s redirecting behaviour. It’s trying to reach everyone — even when there are not enough versions of me to go around.' #OntEd #TeacherTired #IYKYK