There is societal dissonance between knowing children need mental health support and the lack of access they actually have. “[Students] are trying to be more present and authentic, which is really positive but also really difficult. We’re giving young people so much more emotional responsibility and not making any space for it. We’re still giving them all the responsibilities with homework and with after school activities, and yet [not giving] them time to process any of this.”

She discussed the absurdity of distancing when there were increased class sizes that were the result of the 2019 budget freeze and a growing school population. “The laughter when the policies came out about how kids are supposed to be two metres apart at school? Oh my Lord, like I mean, if you would have kept our class sizes capped?” 

“When the UCP started announcing their education policies, the open hostility and contempt for educators [was] rampant editorially, in the media, and on social media. That was a really challenging time for our profession. It was a snippet of what we’re now seeing with the anti-intellectualism and anti-science and that’s been persistent for the last 18 months.”