Vera Teschow.ca
  • Home
  • About
    • Overview
    • Education & Diplomas
    • Consulting & PR
    • Teaching Experience
    • Workshop Facilitation
    • Volunteer Experience
    • Extra-Curricular Leadership
    • Writing
  • Learn
  • BLOG
  • Contact

Engineering Opportunities for Girls in Aviation

7/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
It was a grey, overcast morning. But COPA Flight 57 in Charlottetown, PEI was determined to host a successful COPA for Kids event, and so off to the airport I went, just as determined to make Canadian Aviation Pride’s maritime event debut a success as well!

Canadian Aviation Pride, or CAP for short, is a national organization of LGBTQ+ aviators engaged in not-for-profit work to unite, celebrate and promote diversity in the industry. We count flight attendants, air traffic controllers, aviation engineers and other aviators amongst our ranks, though the vast majority of our members are pilots. Most of our Board members are located in Vancouver or Toronto, and as a result, most of our events happen in these two cities, with more recent branching out to Montreal and a few western cities.

Being able to participate in an event in Eastern Canada was a really exciting opportunity for us, and I was pleased to represent CAP as the board donated 100 of our signature rainbow airplane necklaces and a bunch of other swag to hand out to the kids.
Picture
People sometimes ask why we volunteer at events like this, setting up a booth or table, and spending the day chatting with folks, some of whom can become mildly unpleasant or downright hostile when they discover we are a “gay” organization. The main reasons include promoting aviation as a fun and inclusive industry, so that young people, many of whom tend to be more open-minded than their elders, can see opportunities in an industry that sometimes has a reputation for homophobia, sexism and/or racism.

A big factor for us is to be models of what well-adjusted, “successful” professionals who happen to be queer might look like. This helps both LGBTQ+ youth to see themselves reflected in an exciting industry that we want them to consider, and their families, who may not yet know or may still be adjusting to the fact their their child is queer. It provides a standard for straight families to see what a gay person in aviation might look and sound like beyond a flamboyant pride parade. It also helps to normalize an often still stigmatized identity for queer families, those with two moms or two dads, etc. Lastly, it allows us to be open and visible for aviators who identify internally as LGBTQ+ but are not (yet) out themselves. We can be brave for others who are still gathering the courage to bring their whole selves to their work or hobbies.

As a queer woman, I have additional motives as well.

In Canada (and indeed throughout most of the world), flight decks comprise only about 6% women. While there are some exceptions (most notably, Porter Airlines in Toronto), most airlines are still holding steady at 6%, and this figure has been extremely slow to reach. So, I want to promote not only LGBTQ+ inclusion in aviation, but more specifically, WOMEN in aviation, queer or otherwise!

PEI is a particularly challenging environment for this work. The local flight club is made up almost exclusively of men, with wives and girlfriends being included only for things like administrative and other “helper” tasks. (The registration desk at this event was staffed entirely by women!)
Picture
And, critical as their organizational help was, I can’t help but struggle with the image this projects to the girls in attendance at such an event: All the pilots are men, and the women stay indoors and work at the desk.

The boys and their families also subconsciously adopt this image. Aviation is for boys and men.

So, as I chatted with the kids and their parents who visited our colourful booth, I made sure to talk about the fact that I, too, am a licensed pilot, and that my partner, a woman, works as a pilot for a commercial airline. This was an important message for the girls to hear, as well as their brothers, and their parents!
I was pleased to see that COPA had adopted a woman-aware approach as well, including a female aviator at the top of their banner. But I was shocked at how few girls were signed up to fly. The overwhelming majority of kids registered for a free flight were boys, and ALL the volunteer pilots were men.

Happily, as the grey skies cleared up, I got to help on the ramp, directing groups of kids to the planes for their free fam flight. This meant that I had a direct hand in working with each pilot to arrange who sat where.

You can be sure that I made certain that for every group I had with a girl in it, the girl got the right seat, up front, at the controls!!!
Picture
With 50 percent of the population still being grossly underrepresented in the cockpit and elsewhere in aviation, I feel like it’s my personal duty as a person of some periphery influence in the industry to not only expose girls to aviation, but to also engineer opportunities to make that exposure as meaningful as possible!

I’m happy to have had the opportunity to represent CAP in Prince Edward Island this summer. And while I am grateful to Flight 57 for including us, and for all the volunteer pilots who came out to ignite a passion for flying in the kids whose parents registered, I am also hopeful that as a result of meeting an actual email pilot and being able to spend 20 minutes at the controls of an airplane in flight, future years will include some female volunteer pilots on this still very traditional little island.
Picture
0 Comments

The Grumpy Professor’s Artist and Mathematician Nature Retreat

7/20/2019

0 Comments

 
My neighbour’s property is a little piece of heaven. His nearly 3-acre field bordered by forest/tree line on two sides lies across the road from my 1.74 acres on PEI’s north shore, a short walk from the harbour that is home to shallow waters and a gorgeous view towards the massive, parabolic dune of Greenwhich National Park.

A big big role for me this summer, apart from directly taking care of meal prep and tidying for said neighbour, has been to develop and manage his property.

The Grumpy Professor, as he’s referred to around these parts, is fairly open to ideas, mainly because he doesn’t really care all that much about the property, and is primarily interested in allowing the dog space to romp!

This has allowed me some freedom in my aforementioned development and management.

As I’ve been learning more about historical and current differences in how Indigenous Canadians and Canadians of Settler/Colonial descent view the concept of land “ownership”/use, I’ve been thinking a lot about whose land it all is, really, anyway. As a result, I have been finding opportunities to share “my” property and the one “owned” by our neighbour with others in ways that blends business and philosophy.

We have opened up both our properties to folks who want to camp here, either in their vehicles, their own tent, or one or more tents or small, rustic cabins we have set up on site.
This influx of guests has also allowed my neighbour to get out of his shell a little, and meet some interesting people of varying ages, from a wide range of backgrounds.

As the GP is a huge introvert, and really can live up to his nickname of “Grumpy Professor”, I worded any ads quite carefully to disseminate both the rustic, simple nature of the lodgings (priced accordingly) and the sometimes problematic nature of one of the hosts.

Such calls bring to bear either fellow introverts or mathematicians (the GP is a retired math professor), or folks intrigued by and interested in what we have to offer. Consequently, over the past 6 weeks, we have enjoyed learning about civil war re-enactments from a lone traveler who stayed — bundled in multiple sleeping bags — in Rick’s stargazing cabin in early May, we have delighted in reading the poems on the road of two gals traveling across Canada in their camper van, we have learned to play poker with two young American campers who also hauled wood for us and watered some trees in exchange for the use of our parks pass and wood of their own campfire, and we have enjoyed several communal meals with one or several groups of visitors.

We’ve also had a number of visitors who have just kept to themselves, parked on “our” land for the night on their way to Souris or some other place.
Picture
Observing a red fox meander across the front yard in the morning, or watching a great blue heron fly overhead to the nearby marsh in the afternoon serve as reminders that we share this land with a host of wildlife (beyond the horrid mosquitos... and even the dragonflies — who will eat their share of these small beasts — are starting to appear amidst the wildflowers).

Neither the rabbits in the back forest nor the robin whose nest (complete with three eggs!) is tucked in under the roof of the solar shelter near the front of Rick’s property pay any rent.

The struggle to reconcile what it means to “own” land vs to share it continues inside of me. On the one hand, who am I (or who is Rick) to decide who gets to use the property and when, and how much they should pay us for this privilege? On the other hand, having a well and outdoor shower installed costs money, as does the electricity to pay for the hot water bill. The composting toilet was not free to build and deliver to the back of the property, nor was the fire pit we had built, over which many of the people who stay cook some of their meals.
Picture
And so we ask for a nominal fee from those who stay, and invite cash tips or work exchange from those who feel compelled or are able to contribute more.

A lot of the proceeds (and then some!) are used to pay for the many trees Rick has been planting on his property. He is determined to contribute what he can to the betterment of the environment.
Picture
The two groups currently staying on Rick’s property have really jelled, and we are enjoying the opportunity to break bread together as we hear about their day’s adventures on this island that we call home for the summer. As an added bonus, my mother’s friend is here for a visit, and one of my boys has finally arrived!
It’s so lovely to have everyone together.

I relish my privacy and am very grateful for the privilege of home and land ownership. But I believe that the concept of “ownership” is problematic from an ethical perspective, and there are elements of this summer’s communal living experience that I wish I could enjoy year-round.
0 Comments

Spring on PEI

7/17/2019

0 Comments

 
A cold, wet July evening compels me to recall the not-so-distant spring here on PEI, one that I had the great privilege this year of watching unfold.

While I’ve visited the island in May before, it’s typically been only for a few days until my weeks-long return in the middle of summer, and so in the past, I’ve played more the tourist than an islander, with the opportunity of more leisurely watching the season unfold.

This year, however, that was different, and I got to witness the slow, steady evolution of cold, grey skies and red, freshly ploughed fields to blue, sunny (mostly) days and lush green potato (or wheat, or other crops) fields. I got to see hues of purple and shades of green I’d not seen before, as the lupin and other early summer flora slowly blossomed, reigned for a few weeks, and then began to fade and make space for other island wildflowers.

The colour transformation has been magical. A few photos follow, in no particular order.
0 Comments

Playing with Time

7/10/2019

0 Comments

 
You might wonder what Vera’s been up to this summer...


When my three months of working remotely while helping our neighbour set up his property on PEI turned into three months of unpaid leave while helping my neighbour, blah, blah, blah, I thought, “This is great; I’m going to have so much TIME!!!”
Picture
All too aware of how easily time can slip away, I set about making myself a strict schedule that would include a healthy balance of writing/blogging, studying (aviation, French and other reading), music practice and yoga, along with my agreed-to responsibilities of cooking and generally looking after my elderly neighbour, and taking care of his AirBnB guests. I had also built in some time to connect regularly with my kids, who were not coming out to PEI until later in the summer, and with whom I planned to read the Count of Monte Cristo via video conference twice a week. My colour-coded schedule was looking pretty balanced; I was impressed!


Within a month of my arrival, however, I became acutely aware that I may have failed to consider some of the challenges of country living and setting up a new build.
Picture
My twice-a-week writing time had failed to materialize, and even six weeks after driving across the bridge, I had done yoga a grand total of once!!

My daily to-do list looked more like this:

  • Chase contractors
  • Water trees
  • Water grass seed
  • Stress about why grass seed isn’t growing
  • Chase contractors some more
  • Drive to Canadian Tire, buy up some home shit
  • Give up on grass seed and call seven places looking for sod
  • Gasp at outrageous sod prices; drive to nursery and buy more grass seed (the fast growing blend)
  • Buy sod after all
  • Call grass cutters for help laying sod (it’s HEAVY!!!)
  • Realize I don’t have enough sod, and fill in the gaps with newly purchased, fast-growing (haha) grass seed
  • Water sod and seed
  • Water trees some more
  • Chase contractors again
  • Download full season of Switched at Birth
  • Drive to Canadian Tire, buy up some more household crap
  • Cook supper
  • Update AirBnB listings and respond to potential guests who have clearly not read through the entire listing
  • Binge watch five episodes of Switched at Birth until 2 am while shivering under four blankets with warm dog body in tent
  • Get up with the sunrise, marvel at sunrise, make breakfast for old man and Airbnb guests
  • Deal with plumber after Airbnb guests’ kids shove 3/4 roll of toilet paper down the crapper

And that doesn’t include all the bickering with the elderly neighbour I’m supposed to be helping (turns out he’s not only old and cranky, but also super slow and indecisive, so that minor things I had not even built into the schedule, like “would you like soup, or pasta, for lunch?” turn into 20 minute debates requiring examination from all sides). Choosing meals, restaurants, where and how to walk, and what goes into which recycling bin all takes a lot longer and has to be done more frequently than I expected.

Also, we ended up buying a manual push mower, so I added about 4-5 hours a week of manual grass cutting I had not planned for, as I am now cutting the back 1/4 acre of my neighbour’s property, which is good exercise but takes a lot longer and has to be done more frequently than I expected.

And then there is the dog... one of the main goals while out here has been to train our dog-aggressive rescue mutt. We are working with a highly regarded trainer, and it’s going well, but all the exercises and homework take a lot longer and have to be done more frequently than I expected.

You get the idea.

So needless to say, my brilliant schedule has not come to fruition. Instead, I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to learn about flexibility and boundaries.

A few of the unforeseen opportunities that have arisen: A week in, I got my criminal record check (in 24 hours; unheard of in the GTA!!) and was able to volunteer in a local school for a week. It was the first time I’d been in a classroom in two years.... AND the first time I’d been in a classroom where I was not in the cultural minority. It felt very strange to be surrounded by children who looked and sounded like me. But it was fun, and I appreciated learning what a classroom experience can be like in a rural school, since the vast majority of my own teaching career was fostered in urban and suburban settings.

I also got to participate in the inaugural lighthouse beach bonfire, to celebrate the lighting of the recently restored local lighthouse lamp!

And I have been volunteering at the local library (developing and facilitating a course on how to use instagram to connect with friends and family and promote your small business).

Finally, I have availed myself of the opportunity to take a few Argentinian tango lessons in town. Milonga!
Picture
Now that the dust has settled a bit, I’m learning to set boundaries by saying no to a few things in order to make space for the things I had hoped to achieve. As a result, my musical pursuits are going better: I’ve been playing my drums 3-5 times a week, I’ve had a few lessons with a trombonist in town and am actually practising more than five minutes a day, and recently, I began working on reclaiming and further developing my xylophone skills. (The xylophone was one of the larger items we stuffed into the van when we drove out here, and it’s now living in my music cabin along with my drums and an old trombone at the back of my neighbour’s property.)

The yoga plan has NOT yet come to fruition. But, I plan to attend a weekly beach yoga class at the lighthouse starting Tuesday night.
Picture
Reading the 1944 version of Stick and Rudder is helping me refamiliarize myself with flight theory and remember, too, how angry I get every time I read an aviation text; regardless of when it was written, it seems that the 21st Century has not yet hit the aviation publishing world, as everything is still about “he” when referring to pilots.

Very annoying and distracting. But at least I’m finally reading.
Picture
Duolingo tells me that I am on a three-day streak with French... and I plan to up my 5 minutes a day to 15. Soon. :)

Sitting out front of the music cabin, writing this blog post, I finally have time to consciously enjoy the beauty around me. I’ve been doing a bit of that mornings in the tent, when the bird and the sunshine wake me up around 5 a.m. and I lie around dozing for another few hours listening to the sounds of the breeze in the leaves, the twittering of the birds, the roll of the waves in the distance... but gazing out at the fields of lupin is a little more of what I had been hoping to do, and it’s nice to finally do so!
Picture
Soon my kids and partner are coming. I hope to have enough systems and routines in place by then and I can take some actual “time off“, and really just enjoy the island for a few weeks!!!

I’m amazed... shocked, really, by how quickly a gift of three months can evaporate.
0 Comments

    About Vera...

    Vera & her Sons, April 2021
    After writing for several teacher and multiple birth publications, including ETFO's Voice Magazine, Multiple Moments, and the Bulletwin, Vera turned her written attention to prolific blogging for some years, including BiB,  "Learn to Fly with Vera!"  and SMARTbansho .  Homeschooling 4 was her travel blog in Argentina.  She now spends more time on her Instagram (@schalgzeug_usw)  than her blog (pictures are worth a thousand words?!) 
    DISCLAIMER
    The views expressed on this blog are the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the perspectives of her family members or the position of her employer on the the issues she blogs about.  These posts are intended to share resources, document family life, and encourage critical thought on a variety of subjects.  They are not intended to cause harm to any individual or member of any group. By reading this blog and viewing this site, you agree to not hold Vera liable for any harm done by views expressed in this blog.
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Argentina 2013
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Cycling
    Family
    Flying
    Geocaching
    Honduras 2011
    Lakeshore
    Lgbtq
    Math Eyes
    Music
    Other Stuff
    Prince Edward Island
    Teaching And Learning
    Teaching-and-learning
    Travel

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010

Vera C. Teschow, OCT, M.Ed., MOT
Toronto, ON & St Peter's Harbour, PE
www.verateschow.ca 2021
Photos used under Creative Commons from Sean MacEntee, Studio Paars, Bengt Nyman, zeevveez, GoodNCrazy, CJS*64, Accretion Disc, CharlesLam, Courtney Dirks, CJS*64 "Man with a camera", Accretion Disc, Bobolink, Ian Muttoo, BioDivLibrary, Alaskan Dude, IsabelleAcatauassu, runran, Transformer18, jglsongs, Create For Animal Rights, david_shankbone, Paul J Coles, foilman, Newport Geographic, Photo Everywhere, kevin dooley, Claudio , Alex Guibord, Tscherno, f_mafra, Terry Madeley, musee de l'horlogerie, BobMacInnes, wwarby, jonathangarcia, amboo who?, chimothy27, Elin B, cliff1066™, Grzegorz Łobiński, Rennett Stowe, Farhill, Phil Manker, Guitarfool5931, airguy1988, dierk schaefer, Rob Stemple, katerha, StockMonkeys.com, Ramotionblog, andrewk3715, charlywkarl, AJC1, rachel_titiriga