Author | Lightnews

Shamelessly Shantel

@shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social

670 followers 560 following 200 posts

Co-Founder of Hold My Hand Alberta. POTS card holder. Neurospicy. Hallmark Enthusiast. Coffee Snob. Disability Advocate. Mom of ND kids, 1 with T1D She/her Treaty 6

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Nov 10

Hey! Hi!
Mom of 3 neurodivergent kiddos. Married to 1 neurospicy husband and 3 spicy cats and a dog named Fergus.

Love cheesy Hallmark movies, coffee that is really only half coffee, crosstitch and reading historical fiction.

I think there is too much ableism in the world and want to change it.

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Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

Bridget Stirling @bridgetstirling.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is disingenuous. The only public statement from the board on this was in May, prior to the Ministerial Order, and there's not a peep after that. The board has consistently failed to speak up on the issues that matter.

Statement from the EPSB board chair:

Julie Kusiek - Re-Elect Julie for Trustee, Ward F, Edmonton Public Schools 2h
Please see my statement as Board Chair on behalf of the Board of Trustees:
"Families and community members have raised numerous concerns to the Board of Trustees regarding the list of books that will be removed from Edmonton Public Schools as a result of the Government of Alberta's Ministerial Order on the Standards for the Selection, Availability, and Access of School Library Materials. The Board of Trustees agrees with these concerns and voiced our opposition to the provincial changes before the Ministerial Order was issued. As a result of the Ministerial Order, several excellent books will be removed from our shelves this fall. Division staff worked over the summer to ensure that only books that directly met the criteria in the Ministerial Order were added to the Division's removal list. We encourage anyone who has a concern about a book being removed, or the criteria for book removal set out in the Ministerial Order to contact the Minister of Education and Childcare directly
Board Chair Julie Kusiek, Edmonton Public Schools

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jul 13

I dunno!? lol

Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

FF-Suze @suze-bsky.bsky.social · Jul 12

Letter to Alberta Minister of Education

open.substack.com/pub/letterke...

An Open Letter to Alberta Education Minister Nicolaides

On October 1, Alberta will start pulling books from shelves — and when has censorship ever been the hallmark of a thriving democracy?

open.substack.com

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jul 13

Inclusive Education starts with ending ableism and presuming competence. #ABED #Education #InclusiveEducation #Disability

Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

Paula Kluth / Inclusion Rules @paulakluth.bsky.social · May 12

Day #154 from #UDLDaily "Add Identity Activities" Engagement (UDL Principle)/Sustaining Effort & Persistence (UDL Guideline)/Foster Belonging & Community (UDL Consideration) #UDL

Teachers create identity-safe classrooms because they recognize that a learner’s social identities impact their
success. In these spaces, students can learn about themselves and fully be themselves.
Teachers wanting to honor student identities in the classroom can engage in many different activities to do so.
For example, they can model identity-focused reflection and talk about how they see themselves. They can also
incorporate identity-related activities. Ideas that work well across age groups include the following:
> Bio bags. This idea is featured in Liz Kleinrock’s book, Start Here
Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School
Community. Each student is given a paper bag. On the outside
of the bag, students draw or write about VISIBLE parts of their
identity (e.g., clothing). On the inside of the bag, students place
objects related to their internal lives; these items represent the
INVISIBLE aspects of that person. Students then share these
projects. Kleinrock suggests that teachers use this activity to
remind students not to make assumptions about one another and
to, instead, focus on relationship building.
> Identity webs or wheels. Ask students to create a graphic
to illustrate their identities. This exercise can help students
understand that their identities matter and that identifying them
can be a tool for self-assessment and making connections.
> Self-portraits. Invite students to create an image of themselves.
Provide tools like crayons in different skin tones, markers, paper,
and fabric. Visit Edutopia’s YouTube channel to see an excellent
tutorial on this activity from educator Shana V. White: tinyurl.
com/UDDaily-Day154.

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Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

Paula Kluth / Inclusion Rules @paulakluth.bsky.social · May 12

Day #255 from #UDLDaily "Plot Paths & Make Wishes" Action & Expression (UDL Principle)/Set Strategy Development (UDL Guideline)/Set Meaningful Goals (UDL Consideration) #UDL

Setting goals can be daunting for many people, but especially for children and teens who have limited experience with the process. To give students ideas and inspiration, engage them in goal-setting games, exercises & activities:
> Brainstorm. Give your group time to discuss goals and share ideas
with one another. Take notes during the discussion or have a “board
meeting” to give students this responsibility.
> Try 20/20 lists. Invite students to make a list of 20 things they
want to do & 20 things they want to be.
> Design mind maps. A mind map is a nice introduction to goal
exploration because a) there are no rules and b) the open-ended
nature of the tool tends to boost creativity. To make maps,
students simply need to write a few goals in bubbles or squares
and fill in additional bubbles or squares with related content, such
as resources or “notes to self.” As they find relationships between
the bubbles, they can draw lines and use color to make those
connections.
> Ask “dream questions.” To help students consider what they value
most, pose questions every now and then. You could ask, “What
job would you love to have?” or “If you had $1,000 to donate to your
community, how would you spend it?”
> Plot paths. Have students draw a path to represent a period of
time. The path could illustrate a few years, a few months, or the
first few weeks of a school year. Have them draw milestones,
achievements, and highlights along the part of the path that is in
the past. Have them draw future goals and hopes on the part of
the path that moves into the future.
> Create strengths and wishes. Ask students to generate three
strengths. They can represent these visually with circles. Then,
ask them to generate three wishes. These can be represented with
stars. This activity will not only help students come up with goals,
but give them some confidence as they pursue those goals.

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jul 13

Heartbreaking

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 24

Thanks dude!

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 11

New hair who this?

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 11

I’m here for it!

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 11

We won’t stop fighting. The Equitable education musketeers?

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 4

The boys and the amazing kids from Knock O’Hogan Dance here in Edmonton absolutely tore it up at a recent Feis in Saskatoon. So proud of them all. #IrishDance #Irish

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Jun 4

Cultural heritage and pride week with EPSB so the school later this afternoon is doing a taste of various cultures and delicacies from around the world. My husband is born in Romania and the kids love to share the very rich Romanian culture whenever they have a chance. This dish is called Mici :)

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 30

See you there!!

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 30

It just doesn’t seem to stop for our kids or their families.

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 24

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 21

While we are so proud to have been part of it we will always feel sick that it took us having to do that in order for it to end. We wish we had been able to make them see how much more you all deserved

Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

Hold My Hand AB @holdmyhandab.bsky.social · May 21

Here is our statement in response to Danielle Smith and her recent comments. We can't stand by and let people speak about our children like this.

$An open letter to Danielle Smith: We represent a group of over 3600 parents, families and educators who love and support disabled children in Alberta. We are the people affected by your recent ableist words about our kids and the rampant ableist policies enacted by your government. In March of 2020, the program Alberta families have relied on for decades (PUF) was decimated by funding cuts, as you know. While there have been minimal efforts to restore parts of the program, we currently have a fraction of the spaces we used to have. It is no wonder that 5 years later, we are starting to see the effects of not helping children individually. Global accommodations are not the same as individual supports, but that's not news. You, as the leader of our province, have created a situation that is unsustainable for all parties involved. Teachers are not required to take classes during their education about teaching disabled kids. Class sizes have exploded over the last several years. We have a fraction of the support staff we used to have. RCSD? No longer. In its place a model that sees almost zero support for K-12 students. FSCD and eventually PDD? A three year wait. So where are our families supposed to turn to get help for our kids? Wanting our children to meet their full potential is simply not too much to ask. You can't create the current reality and then blame it on the children who can't manage in this situation, segregate them, and then say it was the teachers who wanted it. We don't punch down on kids. We act like the adults in the room and work collaboratively to solve the very complex, multi-faceted situation that we have created and just is not working. At the foundation of all of it is this: Disabled children have a human right to an inclusive education. It is your job as Alberta's premier to ensure they receive that. Please make sure our kids have a seat at every table that makes decisions about them. With immense concern for our children's futures,$

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 21

Well I mean…. Seeing that we had to do a whole lawsuit just months ago to tell them it’s not ok to deny children access to inclusive education they had to know we wouldn’t stay quiet.
@drshelleymoore.bsky.social here we go again

The Breakdown AB @thebreakdownab.bsky.social · May 21

“You, as the leader of our province, have created a situation that is unsustainable for all parties involved.”

@holdmyhandab.bsky.social seem to be responding to Smith’s comments on segregation this weekend.

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 21

Well I’m sure you didn’t expect we would be silent about this after they required us to go to court with them during the last strike. You cannot deny children equitable inclusive education without a fight.

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · May 21

That just melted my heart thank you

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Apr 7

Thank you kindly! I love the love

Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Apr 2

"Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general,"
Harvey Blume

Happy #WorldAutismDay
I'm not here for your awareness or acceptance. I'm just here.
The rest is on everyone else.

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Reposted by Shamelessly Shantel

Sarah Doll (She/Her) @dollface24.bsky.social · Mar 17

Instead of correcting course on this, EPSB has continually targeted autistic students, spending 100s of 1000s building seclusion rooms each year just for them.

EPSB has also perpetuated stereotypes used against these students to justify the over use of seclusion during public board meetings. 2/3

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Shamelessly Shantel @shamelesslyshantel.bsky.social · Apr 2

Because it would appear so many leaders, politicians and educators have forgotten.

Happy Autism Acceptance Month!

Never forget how amazing you all are,How much you and your loved ones deserve to be celebrated and don’t ever let them forget you vote too.
#AutismAcceptanceMonth #yeg #Alberta