An unofficial AU advocate at large, Jason never misses a chance to recount the merits of an Athabasca education. Jason’s studies began alone in front of a rustic rural fireplace in December of 2003 and carried on through various brick and mortar college classrooms yet always with Athabasca as part of his journey. In 2014 he completed his BA in Sociology and in 2022 graduated with an MA in Cultural Studies. To this end, his columns seek to explore edifying moments of learning how to learn within the challenging ideological terrain of that great bugaboo facing students everywhere: the real world!
The prospect of AI proof-reading our sloppy rough drafts contains an air of excitement. Sure, a few nuggets of genius emerge as we write and re-work our various essays but, along the way, countless hours fall off the cliff of time as we dot our proverbial I’s and mind our proverbial Q’s, bearing in mind… Read more »
Motivation and attentiveness are twinned foils for countless creative and educational pursuits. Both sensations induce sighs of underwhelmed lassitude at the prospect of climbing another of life’s hillocks, and flitting glances adrift from the scene of the present to the yawing gulf of the imagination. The history and practice of education may largely be seen… Read more »
Visible human minorities, to those of a less generous or downright bigoted bent, can seem to present a bit like plants out of place who threaten to overwhelm the garden of our culture. As such, those dreaming of a better life by entering North America bear the brunt of unfair criticism. But let us to… Read more »
As a child on a farm, I enjoyed bringing treats to the chickens, cows, and sheep. On occasion, during a humid summer, caterpillars would bloom freely on feral apple trees in our pasture. I’d climb up and tear down some branches infested with pulsing hordes of caterpillar nests. Then I’d drop the branches amidst our… Read more »
Whether it’s blameless tragedies, like ice cream faceplanted onto pavement, or injurious words offending a visible minority, unfairness is rife in this world of ours. It takes a noble spirit to face the forces of darkness and disappointment, a stance augmented by post-secondary education where we learn the reasons and details for assorted social maladies. … Read more »
Awaking from an unpleasant dream in which I was compelled to carry a plastic fast-food tray laden with food through a gauntlet of wheezing, jostling, and sneezing people it occurred to me what a mild sort of heroism to which my unconscious must aspire. Overcoming violent terrorists or bringing food to hungry refugees? Nope. All… Read more »
F.W. Taylor was the original closet organizer guru on Netflix—only his reality docudrama series was based on maximizing the amount of pig iron that a man could haul in 1911. He was irked that the passions or desires of the workers were so easily stirred when these people wanted to – that is, were enjoying… Read more »
A boisterous elementary school lunch hour (it was hot dog day!) gave way not to scholarly study but to an exuberant noisy classroom of kids with bums steadfastly resistant to remaining seated in their plastic chairs. Not flustered, our teacher with his metre stick gave a loud rap on the chalkboard. “Kids” he announced, “we’re… Read more »
The notion of two people bonded together, joined at the hip, nowadays extends more and more to two additional realms: dogs and phones. While to argue the value of an interlocutor’s prize pooch proves as fruitless as questioning the belovedness of another’s child, the reality of the digital realm’s tactile interface with the essence of… Read more »
Summer is a season of cold drinks and hot fun – but for some, a brain freeze from a 7/11 Slushie drink is nothing compared to the perpetual chill felt in the soul even as one’s external disposition remains sunny and breezy. While it’s true that fair roads and good weather may be a great… Read more »