Scientific method, the art of calling bullsh*t. August 11/26 Farm Report.

by NapsWithCats-ScubaMan, posted in Odd thoughts, permaculture, Ungentlemanly DIY

What’s a thing you wish schools actually taught?

PAUL LOSES HIS SHIT ABOUT BEING A TEACHER — AGAIN.

So many of my ex-colleagues were obsessed with teaching content and ignored these basic skills. It takes a lot of preparation to design labs that teach critical thinking. I’d reduce the assessment of knowledge and crank up inquiry, communication, and making connections.

Unfortunately, curriculum implementation gets a lot pf resistance from my ex-peers. And I get it. I spoke to several trusted peers who desperately wanted to build **the golden binders for course xyz**. This was the artifact one threw at a nosey administrator who was attempting to do a TPA on said teacher. It was proof to admin that teacher X had the right to be an employee. That the teacher wasn’t a fraud. If curriculum gets frequent updates, these resources become outdated. It takes time and a shitload of effort to update binder contents… even electronic binders!

Teachers need vacation time to recover from the rigours of the classroom. And the good teachers need release time to develop their craft. Yes, I would support two months off followed by a 30 day continuous (uninterupted) slot of monitored professional development. Sequestered. I know the risk of malingering during that 30 day prep period. Perhaps if teachers had to frequently present their findings to small groups of peers, it would improve the integrity of such modified teaching contracts. I agree that 3 months of no students followed by 9 months student-teacher classroom work would torpedo existing union contracts. It might even require a pay cut!

This is a joke about how people can hate a person who takes an unpopular view; this is a movie still from a Monty Python creation called The Quest For The Holy Grail.
Source: https://i.imgflip.com/348gi6.jpg; accessed 2026-08-10. Yeahhhhh, this would be the response I’d get at the next OSSTF meeting. Retired teachers need not enter the room, eh.

I don’t agree with the union’s stance on teachers coaching teachers. Sometimes coaching will identify profound weaknesses in a person’s craft. I’d accept criticism from a peer more readily than from an unhinged principal or vice principal. Perhaps that criticism can be filtered through on-staff mental health practitioners.

One of the key dynamics lacking among teachers & administrators is trust. And esprit du corp. I’d also add respect as an ingredient absent among educators. Before I resigned from the school board (let’s stop the bullshit reasons — I retired early because of the toxic bureaucracy plaguing the YRDSB [and I suspect the BWSB isn’t much better up here]), I witnessed little effort to build trust and respect among school staff. I’m sad and glad I left the industry.

By the way, there’s 5 resources that I keep thinking 🤔 about with this writing prompt:

Paul's meditations, from July 30 2026.
Screenshot, from Headspace program. There’s both a free and paid-program. As D.C.-K. once said to the pedological troops, “necessary for some, good for everybody”.

Here’s what busts my nuts: inquiry based labs and activities DO exist in the curriculum. They require frequent tweaking to adapt to current student needs. What makes them ineffective in the classroom are the timelines and workloads put upon my ex-peers. Class sizes of >20 souls/room are not manageable. I’d say 15 students/teacher needs to be the hard ceiling. Yes, teachers would need to take a pay cut to allow adequate staffing. I took a voluntary pay cut by switching to part-time employment for the last decade of my career. Did I mention that I’m glad I’m out of the school board?

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH, 2026 ROCK FARM REPORT.

TS has been doing some heavy duty permaculture on our septic system’s dispersal field. And she’s NOT pleased with what she’s discovered. The topsoil they put on top of the outfall pipes is mostly clay with boulders strewn about it. TS is getting Evolve Builders to investigate this installation and ensure that it’s working properly. I’m holding back because my temper is rising again about subcontractor oversight and supervision on our build. Perhaps the only reason our septic system is functioning normally is because it’s designed for a future B&B, that’d include 2 toilets, 2 sinks, and 2 showers. The installed wastewater processing system can afford to be mediocre because it’s not being taxed by a full wastwater load. Fuck.

A cross section of a level 4 septic system, with Paul's graffitti on it.
Page 21, figure 10, 2022 RVCA, Septic Smart. PN modified!
Tobey's August 11 efforts to find the distribution field the NBP was talking about.
26/08/11 path is parallel with the level IV treatment unit (to the left).
Tobey's efforts last week, before the inspectors arrived.
Image from last week.
Screenshot of the subcontractor's notes about the septic system.
The subcontractor’s sketch, in septic system permit.
TS will lead this investigation, not me.

When the NBP inspector dropped by last week, she said we could use a metal detector to find the necessary components that cannot have impermeable objects above them. Friends from the farmer’s market lent us a unit. We swept the distribution field (what was once called the leach-field)… we can’t find any metal structures underground. Again, TS will push Evolve Builders to verify the wastewater system’s integrity. Here’s the resource we were told to use (including the recommended septic system PDF, Septic Smart [link]).

omafra-septic-smart-understanding-home-wastewater-system-en-2022-10-14Download

Today, I sealed up the gaping holes on the pavilion. The last task will be to reinforce the locking mechanisms on the storm door. I’ll drill into the storm door and attach two 2″ barrel bolts.

South east flashing, exterior.
Pool noodle used as a gasket!
South east flashing, viewed from inside the pavilion.
SE corner, from the pavilion’s inside.
South west flashing, viewed from outside the pavilion.
Those treated fence boards are glued-screwed together.
South west flashing, viewed from the inside. Note how the pipe insulation was used to make a weather-proof gasket.
Pipe insulation foam used across the gap.
The pavilion’s more insect-weather resistant. It’ll make that zone more pleasant to inhabit!

THIS PAVILION IS FREE STANDING & UNATTACHED TO THE HOME. IT IS <100 SQUARE FEET & UNINSULATED. NONE OF OUR HOME’S STRUCTURAL NOR MECHANICAL SYSTEMS FEED INTO THIS OUTBUILDING.

Once the storm door’s secured, we can clean out the construction detritus and decorate it. TS’ dragon glass; LA’s-mum’s BE POLITE licence plate; weatherproof loudspeakers & surface wiring to a amplifier; small coffee table; cat scratching post [??]; eiry brick-a-brack that can tolerate sub zero temperatures; and, 2 additional reclining chairs for casual sitting.

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