🎧 Wave Reads For You
Summer was coming. It was getting to that time of the school year when the children could no longer concentrate on their lessons. Everyone was just too excited! In Mrs. Thomas’ Grade 6 class, there was non-stop chatter and giggling about big plans for two whole months of vacation.
Despite the enthusiasm, the teacher sensed a certain air of anxiety. These kids were now old enough to be aware of what was going on in the world. This year, it seemed, there was more negativity than usual about global and local turmoil. War and poverty were high on the list. Climate change and carbon footprints had become everyday terms. Tariffs and trade wars were changing relationships between friendly countries. “Why can’t things just go back to normal?”
Mrs. Thomas felt it was a good time to help the boys and girls understand the realities behind these pressures. But instead of focusing on the problems, she tried to shift her students’ thinking towards solutions. “What can we all do in our own way to better the world we live in? To protect our country, our community, and our families?” She asked them to become influencers for positive change. Then she suggested that they write about their findings and experiences to share with the class as their first assignment in the Fall.
Fast forward to September. The kids rose to the challenge. These are their stories:
A Capital Idea
By Joshua, age 11
Every summer for as long as I can remember, my family has buckled into our SUV for a four-week vacation in Miami, Florida. No one has ever asked for my opinion about this, and I have never thought to give one.
Don’t get me wrong. I love our trips. We have a great time. It’s just that this year, using all that gas and spending our money in the US just seems wrong. Mrs. Thomas got me thinking about this.
You see, I have a unique family. It’s what many people call blended. My stepdad Pete used to have a wife, but she caught cancer and passed away before I was born. They had two kids, Barry and Brenda. Barry may be my step-bro, and even though he is in Grade 12, he is also my best friend.
My other dad, Papa Joe, adopted me when I was just a few months’ old. My Nana helped him look after me, that is until she bought a house in Florida and moved there. So that’s why we go there every summer, to visit her. We also visit Brenda, who lives with her and keeps her company while she goes to school at the University of Miami.
I wanted to suggest that we stay in Canada this year, but didn’t know how to do it without hurting anybody’s feelings. Then one night at dinner, Papa Joe made it easy for me. “Hey, sport,” he said and I knew right away that something was weird. He only calls me Sport when he wants me to relax. I figured that out a long time ago.
“Things may be changing this summer. I need you to keep an open mind and help us make a family decision.” I felt very important and vowed to use my best grown-up face, whatever the news was. He reminded me that Nana was not as young as she used to be, and was having a hard time managing her house, even with Brenda’s help. And Brenda had completed her final year of university. (Brenda is ten years older than me.) So they were both coming home to live with us.
“I guess that means we’re not going to Miami?”. “That’s right, Sport.” This was working out great! “And there’s more: Barry has been accepted at Carleton University. So instead of Miami, we can drive to Ottawa to help get him settled. What do you think about that?”
I had to take a minute to let that news sink in. Living away from my best friend? I didn’t like that one bit. But instead of whining like a little kid, I chose to be mature.
So first of all, I gave Barry a handshake and told him I was happy for him because he has always wanted to become a journalist. Then I said that it would be wonderful to live with Nana again. Finally, I made my big suggestion: How about instead of using all that gas to drive to Ottawa, we take the train?
Everybody was grinning. They agreed that would be an excellent adventure.
From there, the weeks flew by. Soon enough, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the most beautiful building I had ever seen: Union Station in Toronto. That was where our train journey began. I was a little disappointed that there was a McDonalds there. It took away from the atmosphere. But not disappointed enough to refuse a hot apple pie when offered.
I felt like I was in a movie, hearing the conductor shout things like “All Aboard!”, “Watch your step!” and “Tickets, please.” Because we were a group of six passengers, we got to sit at a folding table where the seats faced each other. That was way cool and I immediately called dibs on the side that was going backwards. I was able to look back at the CN Tower and the skyscrapers for a long time, and before I knew it, we could see farms with lots of cows and corn on the cob that seemed to be six feet high! After about thirty minutes, though, I started to feel weird and had to switch. But I kept my window seat and was amazed at how close to Lake Ontario we were travelling.
We choo-chooed past lush forests and glassy lakes and pretty towns like Port Hope and Kingston. My Nana told us interesting tidbits about each place we passed. She used to live in this area in the olden days. The hours flew by!
When we got close to Ottawa. Dad pointed out the Rideau Canal. “Too bad it’s not winter,” he said, “because people skate on this river every day.” Before we could say anything else, my jaw dropped looking at the Parliament Building. Even from far away, I thought it looked more like a castle than a place where important decisions about our whole country were made. Then the train went into a tunnel for arrival at the station.
We spent a whole week exploring highlights of the city. We saw an awesome dinosaur exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Then we had a tour of the Canadian Tire Centre where the Ottawa Senators play hockey. My favourite place was the Byward Market where we went on an app-based scavenger hunt and won a prize! Followed by the most delicious treat ever… a cinnamon beaver tail doughnut. Dee-Lish-Us!
We all promised to come back to visit Barry in the winter as soon as the Canal froze over so we could go skating and eat more beaver tails! I can’t wait!
