A number of schools have decided that the bullying problem can be solved by instituting a uniform or a dress code. To many people, this sounds like a reasonable solution to the pervasive problem of bullying. To people who actually experience bullying, it can look ridiculous, if not dangerous.

Our school lost a shining light this week. A little boy -- six years old. He, the lover of hockey, fishing and fun, was taken suddenly, leaving our school community grappling with life and death issues. In my classroom, I turned to the one sure thing I knew could shed some light, love and laughter on an otherwise dark cloud that hovered low. Your books.

We sit, huddled tightly together in the cramped space of a corner. The blinds are darkly drawn, the door is shut. Locked. Little bodies press in close together to the wall. I place my body as a barrier along the tips of their tiny feet, all the while smiling into anxious children's eyes and modelling breathing.

On December 2, poet Suli Breaks posted a spoken word video titled "Why I Hate School But Love Education." Breaks' video certainly does have some positive elements but his argument is flawed in many ways. He reduces a post secondary education to something which takes place solely in the classroom. Regardless of what Breaks believes, school can foster education beyond the traditional methods.

Our daily routine was very predictable: my son would arrive home from school, he and his siblings would be given a nutritious snack, and then it would be homework time. That's when the tantrums, rage and complaints would begin. Common complaints were that I was SO mean and unfair, or "torturing" him to do his homework! Here are some tips I have used to get my son to do his homework.

Have you ever used headphones that were turned up way too loud? If you were wearing them all the time, how hard do you think it would be for you to be able to you to concentrate on other things? Have conversations? Ask questions like these to help kids understand what autism's like.

There's a new program where elementary school kids can choose a "major" or specialized stream of learning. Unless they have a category called "Watching the Transformers Movie for the 1002nd Time," I'm thinking my own child wouldn't qualify for this program.