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I Got Mad On The Way To Work Today




I got mad on the way to work today. Not the kind of mad you can shake off with a deep breath or a few good songs. The kind of mad that grabs you by the heart and won’t let go.

As I drove through the countryside—those winding Ottawa backroads I know so well—past sheep grazing peacefully, horses flicking their tails in the early morning light, and even a field dotted with curious turkeys—I listened to the radio. @580CFRA. Bill Carroll’s voice cut through the calm like a blade.


The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board had just passed a sweeping decision. The Elementary Program Review.


A decision that will eliminate Middle French Immersion. That will shutter the doors of the city’s beloved Alternative Schools. That will force 1,500 more kids than usual to change schools by September 2026.


And just like that, I wasn’t calm anymore. I was fuming.


I had to pull over. I needed to write it all down.


Because what flashed through my mind, over and over again, was this: Chaos. Lack of planning. Lack of support. Needless transitions. And fewer safe spaces for children with unique needs.


I am the parent of a neurodivergent child. And let me tell you what this decision feels like from where I’m sitting: It feels like yet another door closing. Another reminder that the system was never built for our kids. Another loud, blaring message: “Your child doesn’t belong here.”


We’ve spent years cobbling together support. Years fighting for basic understanding. Years begging schools to see our children as more than problems to manage or behaviors to fix. And now—just like that—some of the only spaces where our kids could belong are being erased.


Here’s what most people don’t understand: When education is done right, you don’t need “alternatives.” You don’t need to carve out quiet corners as an afterthought. You don’t need to segregate kids into separate rooms to keep the peace. Because every child belongs—from the start.


Belonging should not be a privilege. It should be the ground every child stands on.

At Second Nature School, that belief is the air we breathe.


🌱 We’re not just a school. We’re a neuro-affirming, heart-centered learning community. A place where children are seen, heard, and celebrated—not in spite of their differences, but because of them.


This is the place for the child who feels deeply. Who learns differently. Who doesn’t fit into the one-size-fits-all box.


At Second Nature, kids find their rhythm. And parents finally exhale.

Here, we don’t “manage” differences. We honor them. We build relationships, not just routines. We create community, not conformity. And we cultivate a sense of safety so deep that learning becomes joyful again.


If you're feeling the way I felt this morning—heartbroken, angry, and wondering where your child will belong after all these changes—please know: you are not alone. And there is another way.


Come see what makes Second Nature feel like coming home. Applications now open for Fall. 💚

 
 
 

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