General Discussion

4762

July 10, 2018 15:49:01

First and foremost PLEASE DO NOT STATE SPECIFICALLY WHERE YOU LIVE OR WHAT SCHOOL YOU ATTEND/ED, ETC! Though FR is full of amazing people, it's still the internet, so please stay safe and NEVER give out any clearly identifying information about yourself or your RL location!

update: always looking for more/new input! Please don't be turned off by post count or feel you need to read the whole thread. Your input, however small, is extremely useful! :D

Ok, that said -- I'd love some help building a character/scene for a story mine. I don't have any real life friends who have attended public high school in Canada, and I don't want to make silly mistakes by assuming "it's just like US high school." If you can answer any of these questions, or just want to share a little fun fact/story snippit about your experiences that may relate to the character or scene, that would be amazing! Again, please make sure abide by the bolded statement above though!

Overview: A male character in his last year (senior?) of high school (Toronto area, if specifics matter). Plays a popular sport (which one?). Raised by a strictly french speaking grandmother (likelihood of a grandmother aged character speaking strictly French in the home in Toronto area?). Lives in a not-so-great neighborhood (thinking Rexdale, but open to suggestions).

I'm looking for help clarifying anything in parenthesis above, or anything listed here below:

1. Car driving and parking at school -- what's cool, what's not cool, etc. Is it easy to drive and park, or more likely to take public transit. Does anyone take a school bus, is that common or unlikely. Also, common vehicles --trucks, sports cars, jeeps, sedans, motorcycles, etc -- what's trendy or commonplace, vs what's rare and strange to see. Feel free to listed specific makes/models if you like.

2. My character is injured in a car accident that results in the loss of his friend, who also attends the same school. When he returns to school, is it possible/likely that he would have a meeting or session with a guidance counselor, or similar school professional? Or would it be the head of the school who'd speak to him? Is it likely he'd be spoken to at all?

3. THIS IS A ROUGH ONE, obviously no obligation to answer. The loss of a student at a school: what sort of actions or announcements are made by teachers of school administrators. If you've personally lost of friend or classmate, or you know someone who's passed at your school or when you were attending high school, what sort of memorial services or announcements, if any, occurred.

Similarly, I'm also interested in any 'uniquely Canadian' elements of the high school experience that you notice are commonly overlooked in current representations of high school, whatever those elements may be. Feel free to share snippets of life experiences, stories told by friends, etc., They don't have to be huge or dramatic moments, just anything that will allow me to more authentically portray my character and his experiences. Funny experiences, angering experiences, sad experiences, boring experiences... all are great!

Thank you soooooo much to any and all who help! :)

ANOTHER QUESTION

Since gun culture was brought up, it occured to me I do need some clarification in terms of law enforcement -- are guns carried by police officers (is police officer the term commonly in Canada as well? Americans usually say cops; is that common terminology as well). Similarly, Americans kids (in my own experience) have a strange relationship with the police, with many feeling it's considered 'cool' to "hate" cops... without actually hating them (though some do) just as a form of posturing. Of course, some kids revere them, but not out loud usually. On average it seems socially acceptable to posture negatively towards cops in American culture. Do Canadian kids have particular feelings towards cops/officers/law enforcement?

Law enforcement plays an important role in two scenes of mine, and I'd like to not make any stupid errors like having them carry a gun if they don't, etc. Similarly, any little tidbits or stories that can really make my officers be more than police robots would be fantastic c:

----

And for extra credit -- RECOMMEND CANADIAN HIGH SCHOOL THEMED MOVIES/TV TO ME! If it's on youtube or netflix I can access it, and would love to hunt down and watch any/all you can think of. Documentaries and indie stuff are great as well; whatever you got I'll take ^^

Note: I often mis-type words with similar sounds (ex: Handful and Handle) or words that start the same (away and aware). I also leave out words like 'then,' 'with,' 'that,' a lot. I proofread carefully but my brain usually skips over these mistakes. My apologies if I posted jibberish on your thread! Feel free to ask for clarification! I swear I make sense. For the most part. ;D

Last edited on Jul 14, 2018 13:41:26 by Abderus

Oh, I have a recent experience with a loss of a student at my ~~(now former since I'm done!)~~ high school.
There was a formal email/letter thing sent out to parents as soon as the school found out what happened (the guy died on a Friday, and the message was sent out the next day.) Full support systems were in place during the weekend. When we went back to school on Monday, there was a photo of him sitting in the library. There was a therapy puppy there as well.
Everything in class went slowly. Teachers took things slowly. No one was really talking. Many people brought flowers.
It wasn't a good time, and I didn't even know the guy.
Now, some lighter tid bits:
-Even in "high risk" areas (aka high levels of gang activity and drug related stuff) I haven't seen metal detector at any high school in Canada.
-Just as a general thing, it is much harder to get a gun in Canada, and there isn't really a "gun culture" like there is in the US. Teens still like the idea of guns, but we have to go to a gun range to shoot them. Also, for the most part, the legal drinking age is 19 in Canada. Teen drinking is still an issue, but most of those who do tend to be fewer years underage (a 17 year old is only 2 years underage.)
-IDK if this is important, but high school in Canada is grades 8-12.
-This may be purely my experience, but I have never heard of nor seen anyone in detention.
-At least in my area, high schools tend to be on the smaller size. A small high school (gr. 8-12) is roughly 700-800 students. Bigger ones are in the ball park of 1000 students.
-Language clubs have been a huge thing in my school.
-Food sales (bake sales, samosa sales, freezie sales etc.) are also a common thing at schools.
I think that is it, but feel free to ask me questions!

Penny11

308

164

661

1411

July 11, 2018 22:21:12

Oh, I have a recent experience with a loss of a student at my ~~(now former since I'm done!)~~ high school.
There was a formal email/letter thing sent out to parents as soon as the school found out what happened (the guy died on a Friday, and the message was sent out the next day.) Full support systems were in place during the weekend. When we went back to school on Monday, there was a photo of him sitting in the library. There was a therapy puppy there as well.
Everything in class went slowly. Teachers took things slowly. No one was really talking. Many people brought flowers.
It wasn't a good time, and I didn't even know the guy.
Now, some lighter tid bits:
-Even in "high risk" areas (aka high levels of gang activity and drug related stuff) I haven't seen metal detector at any high school in Canada.
-Just as a general thing, it is much harder to get a gun in Canada, and there isn't really a "gun culture" like there is in the US. Teens still like the idea of guns, but we have to go to a gun range to shoot them. Also, for the most part, the legal drinking age is 19 in Canada. Teen drinking is still an issue, but most of those who do tend to be fewer years underage (a 17 year old is only 2 years underage.)
-IDK if this is important, but high school in Canada is grades 8-12.
-This may be purely my experience, but I have never heard of nor seen anyone in detention.
-At least in my area, high schools tend to be on the smaller size. A small high school (gr. 8-12) is roughly 700-800 students. Bigger ones are in the ball park of 1000 students.
-Language clubs have been a huge thing in my school.
-Food sales (bake sales, samosa sales, freezie sales etc.) are also a common thing at schools.
I think that is it, but feel free to ask me questions!

@Abderus
To answer some of your questions from your overview,
- We do say "senior" for grade 12, but names for other grades aren't really used. Sometimes you'll hear "freshman" for the grade 9s but it's more common for university. Grade 10 and 11 students are just "the grade 10s" or "the grade 11s".
- Lacrosse is super popular, ultimate frisbee is up and coming, and football is always a safe choice. Lots of people play hockey but mostly outside of school at their local arena.
- French families are everywhere so I wouldn't bat an eye if you had one in your story, especially if they're Quebecois.
- I don't know all the areas of Toronto, but my parents always mention Cabbagetown as a run-down area. If you want to name drop a bad area, just say "Jane and Finch". It's an intersection where a good deal of gang violence happens.

Now for your questions! For reference, I'm from a good sized city but nowhere near the size of downtown Toronto so some of my answers might not work for your story.
1. Every high school has a lot where students can park. No one really talks about their transportation so taking the bus, driving, or being driven by a parent are all accepted. School buses are pretty much only used for elementary schools while city buses are for high schools too. The public generally doesn't like sharing with high school kids as they're rowdy and disrespectful, but there's nothing they can do other than avoid that particular line after school. As for personal vehicles, most people have secondhand cars but there's always that one senior with a motorcycle and some guy with a jeep.
2. One of my high schools had a reputation for kids being hit and killed by cars. At least one person per year. The city was thinking about putting a roundabout right in front of the school for a reason I can't fathom, but fortunately they seem to have put that project on hold for now. Anyway, I don't recall the school making a big deal about what happened, and most people were encouraged to seek guidance on their own if they needed it. There would be an article in the city newspaper about the death and probably a support group would form to collect donations towards safe driving programs.
3. Whoops, kind of answered this above! I don't have any personal experience with this sort of thing so I'm pretty far removed from the actual process.

About your last paragraph, I can answer pretty much any question you think of if you want to ping/pm me. I've been to both a public and a Catholic high school so I have experiences from both sides. Funnily enough, I found the public school kids to be much more involved and enthusiastic in religious things (my biology class had a spontaneous conversation about multiple kids' church groups that they loved going to) than the Catholic school, where no one dared breathe anything about remotely enjoying religion.
Another scenario that just came to mind is from my grade 9 science class. This one kid showed up 40 minutes late (10 minutes before the end of class) because he broke his leg and had to walk up 3 flights of stairs to the classroom. Except he didn't have to, as the school had an elevator for that exact reason. He said he didn't want to bother anyone by asking for a pass but the teacher told him to get a pass or she wouldn't let him in the class the next day. Similarly, in my other school, a girl got pregnant and was 10 minutes late to class as she walked up 3 flights of stairs. The teacher asked her why she didn't get an elevator pass and she was like "Don't worry about it, miss! I'll just start walking earlier tomorrow!"

Edit: After reading Penny's post, I just want to comment on the metal detector thing. We don't have that here. We also don't have security guards or police officers patrolling the hallways. It might be a thing in inner-city schools but it's extremely rare. Neither school I went to even had hall passes, and no one really hung out in the hallways between classes. They'd either go to the caf(eteria, we don't say "canteen") or the smoke pit across the street. Gun threats are on the rise but shootings don't really happen at all. Most fights are physical and spur-of-the-moment, and every so often someone will set the hand dryers on fire.

AttackTheMap

571

85

1205

1158

July 11, 2018 23:24:01

@Abderus
To answer some of your questions from your overview,
- We do say "senior" for grade 12, but names for other grades aren't really used. Sometimes you'll hear "freshman" for the grade 9s but it's more common for university. Grade 10 and 11 students are just "the grade 10s" or "the grade 11s".
- Lacrosse is super popular, ultimate frisbee is up and coming, and football is always a safe choice. Lots of people play hockey but mostly outside of school at their local arena.
- French families are everywhere so I wouldn't bat an eye if you had one in your story, especially if they're Quebecois.
- I don't know all the areas of Toronto, but my parents always mention Cabbagetown as a run-down area. If you want to name drop a bad area, just say "Jane and Finch". It's an intersection where a good deal of gang violence happens.

Now for your questions! For reference, I'm from a good sized city but nowhere near the size of downtown Toronto so some of my answers might not work for your story.
1. Every high school has a lot where students can park. No one really talks about their transportation so taking the bus, driving, or being driven by a parent are all accepted. School buses are pretty much only used for elementary schools while city buses are for high schools too. The public generally doesn't like sharing with high school kids as they're rowdy and disrespectful, but there's nothing they can do other than avoid that particular line after school. As for personal vehicles, most people have secondhand cars but there's always that one senior with a motorcycle and some guy with a jeep.
2. One of my high schools had a reputation for kids being hit and killed by cars. At least one person per year. The city was thinking about putting a roundabout right in front of the school for a reason I can't fathom, but fortunately they seem to have put that project on hold for now. Anyway, I don't recall the school making a big deal about what happened, and most people were encouraged to seek guidance on their own if they needed it. There would be an article in the city newspaper about the death and probably a support group would form to collect donations towards safe driving programs.
3. Whoops, kind of answered this above! I don't have any personal experience with this sort of thing so I'm pretty far removed from the actual process.

About your last paragraph, I can answer pretty much any question you think of if you want to ping/pm me. I've been to both a public and a Catholic high school so I have experiences from both sides. Funnily enough, I found the public school kids to be much more involved and enthusiastic in religious things (my biology class had a spontaneous conversation about multiple kids' church groups that they loved going to) than the Catholic school, where no one dared breathe anything about remotely enjoying religion.
Another scenario that just came to mind is from my grade 9 science class. This one kid showed up 40 minutes late (10 minutes before the end of class) because he broke his leg and had to walk up 3 flights of stairs to the classroom. Except he didn't have to, as the school had an elevator for that exact reason. He said he didn't want to bother anyone by asking for a pass but the teacher told him to get a pass or she wouldn't let him in the class the next day. Similarly, in my other school, a girl got pregnant and was 10 minutes late to class as she walked up 3 flights of stairs. The teacher asked her why she didn't get an elevator pass and she was like "Don't worry about it, miss! I'll just start walking earlier tomorrow!"

Edit: After reading Penny's post, I just want to comment on the metal detector thing. We don't have that here. We also don't have security guards or police officers patrolling the hallways. It might be a thing in inner-city schools but it's extremely rare. Neither school I went to even had hall passes, and no one really hung out in the hallways between classes. They'd either go to the caf(eteria, we don't say "canteen") or the smoke pit across the street. Gun threats are on the rise but shootings don't really happen at all. Most fights are physical and spur-of-the-moment, and every so often someone will set the hand dryers on fire.

Last edited on Jul 11, 2018 23:28:46 by AttackTheMap

I did the last of my education online but I went to a public high school for most of my years so I do have experience. However, this wasn't in Toronto but a small town so I am just assuming for some of my answers as it varies HEAVILY based on where you live in Canada, but I am also from Ontario and go to Toronto often so I AM familiar with the area.

Overview
1. I find that the only American "lingo" used for high schoolers tends to be 'freshman' (Grade 9) and 'senior' (Grade 12) so calling him a senior is perfectly fine.
2. It is very likely that you will have a parent/guardian at home that speaks fluent French. Even in South Eastern Ontario we have a huge French immersion program.
3. If you're looking for a really bad, well-know area I would go with Regent Park. My mother grew up there and it wasterrible, even in the 80's. She says she doesn't want to imagine what it's like now.

Questions

1. Car Driving and Parking: I live in Hickville (that's not the actual name of the town) so this answer will vary based on location. Most kids here take school buses but I would think that in Toronto it's less likely. The kids who do drive drive either small cars or pickups, I've never seen a motorcycle at the school even now when I pass by. No idea about public transit as we don't have it here so I'm unhelpful in that regard. On another note, when leaving school in a car, the older boys tended to rev their engines and speed out of the parking lot. I dunno if that's just a thing that no one but their friends find cool but I found it a little reckless.

2. Guidance counselors are abundant here. It is highly likely that he would meet one but only if he chose to set up an appointment himself.

3. I, luckily, never experienced this while in school but there was a kid who had cancer and ended up leaving. I live in a small town so there was a sign in the main hall with a giant card for him. People weren't obligated to sign it but everyone I know did.

4. I've never attended high school anywhere but Canada but I've seen plenty of movies about high school in America.

Sports: Not a school event. No one cares about the jocks except the other people on the team and their girlfriend/boyfriend. If someone does show up to the game it's because they a) have a spare and nothing to do or b) are skipping class and want to blend in. Sports do get most of the funding still though.

LGBT: I thought I would add this because people say it's "uncommon" or whatever but it's not. In my years at high school, we had an average of 1000 students. The GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) had 20 members one (1) of which was straight. There were at least five trans* people at the school at all times. LGBT couples were open and abundant, no one dared confront them because the teachers and 90% of students would kick their butts.

* Trans is an umbrella term in this case for anyone non gender conforming.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask! Hope this was helpful.

Fennelroot

623

291

300

4949

July 12, 2018 05:37:48

I did the last of my education online but I went to a public high school for most of my years so I do have experience. However, this wasn't in Toronto but a small town so I am just assuming for some of my answers as it varies HEAVILY based on where you live in Canada, but I am also from Ontario and go to Toronto often so I AM familiar with the area.

Overview
1. I find that the only American "lingo" used for high schoolers tends to be 'freshman' (Grade 9) and 'senior' (Grade 12) so calling him a senior is perfectly fine.
2. It is very likely that you will have a parent/guardian at home that speaks fluent French. Even in South Eastern Ontario we have a huge French immersion program.
3. If you're looking for a really bad, well-know area I would go with Regent Park. My mother grew up there and it wasterrible, even in the 80's. She says she doesn't want to imagine what it's like now.

Questions

1. Car Driving and Parking: I live in Hickville (that's not the actual name of the town) so this answer will vary based on location. Most kids here take school buses but I would think that in Toronto it's less likely. The kids who do drive drive either small cars or pickups, I've never seen a motorcycle at the school even now when I pass by. No idea about public transit as we don't have it here so I'm unhelpful in that regard. On another note, when leaving school in a car, the older boys tended to rev their engines and speed out of the parking lot. I dunno if that's just a thing that no one but their friends find cool but I found it a little reckless.

2. Guidance counselors are abundant here. It is highly likely that he would meet one but only if he chose to set up an appointment himself.

3. I, luckily, never experienced this while in school but there was a kid who had cancer and ended up leaving. I live in a small town so there was a sign in the main hall with a giant card for him. People weren't obligated to sign it but everyone I know did.

4. I've never attended high school anywhere but Canada but I've seen plenty of movies about high school in America.

Sports: Not a school event. No one cares about the jocks except the other people on the team and their girlfriend/boyfriend. If someone does show up to the game it's because they a) have a spare and nothing to do or b) are skipping class and want to blend in. Sports do get most of the funding still though.

LGBT: I thought I would add this because people say it's "uncommon" or whatever but it's not. In my years at high school, we had an average of 1000 students. The GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) had 20 members one (1) of which was straight. There were at least five trans* people at the school at all times. LGBT couples were open and abundant, no one dared confront them because the teachers and 90% of students would kick their butts.

* Trans is an umbrella term in this case for anyone non gender conforming.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask! Hope this was helpful.

Fen | They/them

@Penny11 @AttackTheMap @NatureDad

Thank you all so much for your replies! The info you've given me has been immensely helpful ~ individual responses to follow. Beware though, I will pick your brains to no end! :D So feel free to escape at any time! If you don't respond that's totally fine -- I completely understand :)

Also, I've added another "question" to the first post -- If you have any info/experiences you'd be willing to share, I'd be most appreciative!

Penny11 --
Thank you for being willing to share you personal experiences! (~~and congrats on graduating, whootwhoot! :D~~)I know the subject matter I'm researching isn't exactly the most uplifting, so I truly appreciate your contribution. Your description of events was very helpful, and your tidbits really helped flesh out the environment immensely. I'm embarrassed to say the drinking age was news to me. If you'd be willing to elaborate (no need to identify whether the experiences are personal) I'm curious to know what percentage (very roughly) of students would underage drink. Is it a pretty common activity on weekends/at parties, or is it a much more rare occurrence, with only small fringe groups engaging and keeping it very much on the down low? Obviously, no obligation to answer this (or any) question ^^

School size was also very useful info! My own high school was 2,500 or so kids, and so I tend to think of any big city school as being around that size. Also, can't thank you enough for those little details: detention, bake sale, and metal detectors. I've never had a metal detector at my school but I know that some schools have them. And I've never heard of a therapy puppy! Is that an actually puppy, or a therapy dog that kids can pet, or how does that work? That may be something I utilize, so I'd love to pick your brain on it ^^

AttackTheMap --

I'm really glad you mentioned the lack of 10th/11th grade nicknames. I would definitely have fallen into the trap of calling them sophomores and juniors, as that's so ubiquitous here in the states. As for sports, I originally imagined the character playing football, but I wasn't sure that was a plausible high school sport. Thank you for clarifying! Extremely glad to know a french speaking grandmother wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

Details like "Jane & Finch" are invaluable ~ I intend to do some research on that area and its history, and I can't thank you enough for that detail!

"but there's always that one senior with a motorcycle and some guy with a jeep." -- I laugh because in all the ways we're different, my school definitely 'that one dude with the jeep' as well xD

The stories you gave about the elevator are extremely interesting and helpful, thank you! One area I've been having trouble developing are the unique personalities of a few of the teachers. They don't play a big role in the story, but I didn't want them to be mindless clones of America's representation of teachers. Similarly, keeping the dynamic between teachers and students as authentic as possible is also very important to me.

And a few little questions/clarifications, if that's ok ^^
1. Do most people refer to the cafeteria as caf, is speaking to another student? Also, how is the cafeteria structured? My high school didn't even have a cafeteria, just little food stands where you could buy lunch. Everyone hung out outside on benches or the grass steps, etc (I live in a warm climate). If it rained or something weird, they opened the gym and kids could hang out in there, but that was rare. So I'm seriously lacking on cafeteria knowledge (strange, I know lol). Giving me a rundown a typical lunch would be amazing! I would love to set a dialogue scene between two characters in a cafeteria. The scene currently happens in front of a classroom, and that's boring xD
2.What's a smoke pit?
3.How on earth do you set a hand dryer on fire? XD ~~i love this~~

NatureDad --

Thank you for the location specifics! I'll definitely do some research on Regent Park and the surrounds. The location has been tough for me, since I've only ever been to Toronto once and very briefly (one day) so I have little to no idea the 'vibe' of anything other than the downtown area and around the university.

Sports info is very helpful. I definitely want to downplay the importance of the sport itself, as the reason my character plays a sport is mostly for plot purposes, as an excuse to have him at the school beyond class hours. You mention skipping class and attending a game though... are most sporting events held during school hours? I'm biased towards after school games and practice, as that's the norm from my own high school experience. Any information you have on how/when practices and games are usually held would be very useful!

I REALLY appreciate the addition of the LGBT info, which I hadn't thought to ask about since I was probably going to idiotically assume representation and reception would be the same as in America. From what you mentioned, it seems respect for the LGBT community is much more of a united front than in US schools. This actually does touch directly on my character's life; I don't know why I didn't think to ask about it. Thank you! :D

Abderus

4762

July 12, 2018 12:02:42

@Penny11 @AttackTheMap @NatureDad

Thank you all so much for your replies! The info you've given me has been immensely helpful ~ individual responses to follow. Beware though, I will pick your brains to no end! :D So feel free to escape at any time! If you don't respond that's totally fine -- I completely understand :)

Also, I've added another "question" to the first post -- If you have any info/experiences you'd be willing to share, I'd be most appreciative!

Penny11 --
Thank you for being willing to share you personal experiences! (~~and congrats on graduating, whootwhoot! :D~~)I know the subject matter I'm researching isn't exactly the most uplifting, so I truly appreciate your contribution. Your description of events was very helpful, and your tidbits really helped flesh out the environment immensely. I'm embarrassed to say the drinking age was news to me. If you'd be willing to elaborate (no need to identify whether the experiences are personal) I'm curious to know what percentage (very roughly) of students would underage drink. Is it a pretty common activity on weekends/at parties, or is it a much more rare occurrence, with only small fringe groups engaging and keeping it very much on the down low? Obviously, no obligation to answer this (or any) question ^^

School size was also very useful info! My own high school was 2,500 or so kids, and so I tend to think of any big city school as being around that size. Also, can't thank you enough for those little details: detention, bake sale, and metal detectors. I've never had a metal detector at my school but I know that some schools have them. And I've never heard of a therapy puppy! Is that an actually puppy, or a therapy dog that kids can pet, or how does that work? That may be something I utilize, so I'd love to pick your brain on it ^^

AttackTheMap --

I'm really glad you mentioned the lack of 10th/11th grade nicknames. I would definitely have fallen into the trap of calling them sophomores and juniors, as that's so ubiquitous here in the states. As for sports, I originally imagined the character playing football, but I wasn't sure that was a plausible high school sport. Thank you for clarifying! Extremely glad to know a french speaking grandmother wouldn't be out of the ordinary.

Details like "Jane & Finch" are invaluable ~ I intend to do some research on that area and its history, and I can't thank you enough for that detail!

"but there's always that one senior with a motorcycle and some guy with a jeep." -- I laugh because in all the ways we're different, my school definitely 'that one dude with the jeep' as well xD

The stories you gave about the elevator are extremely interesting and helpful, thank you! One area I've been having trouble developing are the unique personalities of a few of the teachers. They don't play a big role in the story, but I didn't want them to be mindless clones of America's representation of teachers. Similarly, keeping the dynamic between teachers and students as authentic as possible is also very important to me.

And a few little questions/clarifications, if that's ok ^^
1. Do most people refer to the cafeteria as caf, is speaking to another student? Also, how is the cafeteria structured? My high school didn't even have a cafeteria, just little food stands where you could buy lunch. Everyone hung out outside on benches or the grass steps, etc (I live in a warm climate). If it rained or something weird, they opened the gym and kids could hang out in there, but that was rare. So I'm seriously lacking on cafeteria knowledge (strange, I know lol). Giving me a rundown a typical lunch would be amazing! I would love to set a dialogue scene between two characters in a cafeteria. The scene currently happens in front of a classroom, and that's boring xD
2.What's a smoke pit?
3.How on earth do you set a hand dryer on fire? XD ~~i love this~~

NatureDad --

Thank you for the location specifics! I'll definitely do some research on Regent Park and the surrounds. The location has been tough for me, since I've only ever been to Toronto once and very briefly (one day) so I have little to no idea the 'vibe' of anything other than the downtown area and around the university.

Sports info is very helpful. I definitely want to downplay the importance of the sport itself, as the reason my character plays a sport is mostly for plot purposes, as an excuse to have him at the school beyond class hours. You mention skipping class and attending a game though... are most sporting events held during school hours? I'm biased towards after school games and practice, as that's the norm from my own high school experience. Any information you have on how/when practices and games are usually held would be very useful!

I REALLY appreciate the addition of the LGBT info, which I hadn't thought to ask about since I was probably going to idiotically assume representation and reception would be the same as in America. From what you mentioned, it seems respect for the LGBT community is much more of a united front than in US schools. This actually does touch directly on my character's life; I don't know why I didn't think to ask about it. Thank you! :D

Note: I often mis-type words with similar sounds (ex: Handful and Handle) or words that start the same (away and aware). I also leave out words like 'then,' 'with,' 'that,' a lot. I proofread carefully but my brain usually skips over these mistakes. My apologies if I posted jibberish on your thread! Feel free to ask for clarification! I swear I make sense. For the most part. ;D

@Abderus
Feel free to pick my brain as much as you want! I've done a bunch of school research for my own writing so I know how nice it is to have someone to bounce questions off of.

1. Everyone says "caf", even teachers. Maybe 5-10% of students will be outside on a nice day but otherwise everyone stays in for lunch. The caf is a big open room with picnic-style tables (bench attached to the table) in rows. Both my schools also had the main stage in the caf, so it would double as a theatre for after school events. During lunch the stage would be empty unless there was something special going on like a Smash Bros tourniment or fundraiser. We also had a small lunch room beside the caf where you could buy food. I never did so I don't know the full menu but it had the usual things like french fries, cookies, yogurt, pizza (not everyday, I think), and fruit. Buying lunch was considered a treat and almost everyone brought their own lunch. Some people would go out in packs to the restaurants or grocery store across the street, and this was more common than buying from the lunch room. My friend would also do her grocery shopping on her lunch break since the store was right there.

2. Your school didn't have a smoke pit? That's weird o.o Since you're not allowed to smoke on school grounds, students would just walk across the street and smoke there. It was never a designated area (or a literal pit) but a spot that just became popular by everyone using it all the time. It was pretty common on the days when an assignment was due for the teacher to look out the window and say "Jeff's in the smoke pit again. Can someone go get him so he can hand in his assignment?" Sometimes the principal would go over to try to get everyone to go to class instead of skip, but it was entirely ineffective and they'd all be back out there the next period. The pit was usually 5-10 people.

3. I have no idea but I'm always weary about using hand dryers now. I know it involves a lighter and not much else but I don't know the exact procedure.

As for teachers, there are so many personalities! In general, people like the teachers who teach well because they'll learn the material and won't feel stressed in the class. They'll never admit to liking the teacher, though. Here's a short list of memorable teachers I've had:
- My French teacher who was Spanish. She had big curly black hair, always wore a skirt and high heels, and ran a tight ship. Every period started in the dark with two overhead projectors of worksheets while she sat at her desk with a coffee in one hand and a magazine in the other. She was strict but told hilarious stories about her time in France, and she was one of my favorite teachers.
- My geography teacher who I hated. He knew exactly what was needed for the curiculum and nothing more. I had a terrible group of classmates that I already hated and he knew how to rile them up to be even more annoying. He also showed stupid movies that taught nothing about geography, like Dante's Peak and The Day After Tomorrow.
- My business teacher, who was African but came here from England. She used all the typical English phrases, like "hoover the floor" and "shed-ule" instead of "sked-ule" (schedule). She could handle every student and did it well.
- My grade 9 English teacher who was a complete and entire pushover. She was like 5'0 and I took 3 pages of notes that whole semester. One day the class planned a party, complete with who was bringing what, and all she could do was "I guess I can put on a Shakespeare movie..."
- My grade 11 English teacher who was a monster. I was in grade 10 at the time and there was one other grade 10 girl. The teacher didn't like me because I wasn't the other girl. She (the teacher) gave me terrible marks for entirely stupid reasons, like being too modest on a self-evaluation. I sat beside this guy who would either sleep or play Mario Kart on his DS all class, and she'd give me heck for doodling instead of reading (I always finished reading early) while she totally ignored the guy beside me sleeping.
- Finally, my grade 10 math teacher. He was Russian and had a doctorate in physics. He loved parabolas and could tell you exactly when and how his grandfather died in "the war" (the teacher was old so I'm guessing WW1?). He also ran the math club, which had 3 people plus me for the few weeks he suckered me into going. One day there was a fire alarm and he insisted we stay in the class because we were in a portable and "there's no fire in here". Great teacher, except the school was known for being full of idiots so he only lasted one year before moving somewhere else.

AttackTheMap

571

85

1205

1158

July 12, 2018 12:55:14

@Abderus
Feel free to pick my brain as much as you want! I've done a bunch of school research for my own writing so I know how nice it is to have someone to bounce questions off of.

1. Everyone says "caf", even teachers. Maybe 5-10% of students will be outside on a nice day but otherwise everyone stays in for lunch. The caf is a big open room with picnic-style tables (bench attached to the table) in rows. Both my schools also had the main stage in the caf, so it would double as a theatre for after school events. During lunch the stage would be empty unless there was something special going on like a Smash Bros tourniment or fundraiser. We also had a small lunch room beside the caf where you could buy food. I never did so I don't know the full menu but it had the usual things like french fries, cookies, yogurt, pizza (not everyday, I think), and fruit. Buying lunch was considered a treat and almost everyone brought their own lunch. Some people would go out in packs to the restaurants or grocery store across the street, and this was more common than buying from the lunch room. My friend would also do her grocery shopping on her lunch break since the store was right there.

2. Your school didn't have a smoke pit? That's weird o.o Since you're not allowed to smoke on school grounds, students would just walk across the street and smoke there. It was never a designated area (or a literal pit) but a spot that just became popular by everyone using it all the time. It was pretty common on the days when an assignment was due for the teacher to look out the window and say "Jeff's in the smoke pit again. Can someone go get him so he can hand in his assignment?" Sometimes the principal would go over to try to get everyone to go to class instead of skip, but it was entirely ineffective and they'd all be back out there the next period. The pit was usually 5-10 people.

3. I have no idea but I'm always weary about using hand dryers now. I know it involves a lighter and not much else but I don't know the exact procedure.

As for teachers, there are so many personalities! In general, people like the teachers who teach well because they'll learn the material and won't feel stressed in the class. They'll never admit to liking the teacher, though. Here's a short list of memorable teachers I've had:
- My French teacher who was Spanish. She had big curly black hair, always wore a skirt and high heels, and ran a tight ship. Every period started in the dark with two overhead projectors of worksheets while she sat at her desk with a coffee in one hand and a magazine in the other. She was strict but told hilarious stories about her time in France, and she was one of my favorite teachers.
- My geography teacher who I hated. He knew exactly what was needed for the curiculum and nothing more. I had a terrible group of classmates that I already hated and he knew how to rile them up to be even more annoying. He also showed stupid movies that taught nothing about geography, like Dante's Peak and The Day After Tomorrow.
- My business teacher, who was African but came here from England. She used all the typical English phrases, like "hoover the floor" and "shed-ule" instead of "sked-ule" (schedule). She could handle every student and did it well.
- My grade 9 English teacher who was a complete and entire pushover. She was like 5'0 and I took 3 pages of notes that whole semester. One day the class planned a party, complete with who was bringing what, and all she could do was "I guess I can put on a Shakespeare movie..."
- My grade 11 English teacher who was a monster. I was in grade 10 at the time and there was one other grade 10 girl. The teacher didn't like me because I wasn't the other girl. She (the teacher) gave me terrible marks for entirely stupid reasons, like being too modest on a self-evaluation. I sat beside this guy who would either sleep or play Mario Kart on his DS all class, and she'd give me heck for doodling instead of reading (I always finished reading early) while she totally ignored the guy beside me sleeping.
- Finally, my grade 10 math teacher. He was Russian and had a doctorate in physics. He loved parabolas and could tell you exactly when and how his grandfather died in "the war" (the teacher was old so I'm guessing WW1?). He also ran the math club, which had 3 people plus me for the few weeks he suckered me into going. One day there was a fire alarm and he insisted we stay in the class because we were in a portable and "there's no fire in here". Great teacher, except the school was known for being full of idiots so he only lasted one year before moving somewhere else.

@AttackTheMap

1. Caf, check. Sounds a lot like the cafeteria I had in elementary school, what with the stage and all that, and I know exactly the table/bench/mabobbers you're talking about. In regards to grocery shopping, that surprises me! In my high school you had to have signed paperwork from your parents saying you were allowed to leave campus at lunch, and you had to be at least a junior or a senior. They'd put a little sticker on your ID card. Chain length fences surrounded the whole property, with dedicated gates and low key security guard people. Without that, you were effectively stuck on campus until after 1pm or whenever it considered 'end of day', I forget. We had staggered scheduling, so people started school and ended school at different hour, and same with lunches. My senior year was 7am to 1:10pm I think, so I had the earliest lunch shift, which overlapped with the second lunch but didn't overlap with the third, if I recall. Anywho, I guess my questions are: a) Can you effectively leave campus whenever you want? Is the property fenced in any way? b) How long was your lunch? Is there only one lunch for everyone? c) (random) Did you ever use or have those cliche lunch trays in caf, for any reason?

2. Illegal to smoke until 18 here, though that didn't stop the determined of course, but you'd get cited if any of the gate security people saw you or saw you within eye sight of campus. So a handful of seniors could legally smoke, sure, but there was no designated place to do it. Anyone caught smoking in their cars in the parking lot or across the street were cited, if caught. Suspensions happened for repeat offenders, etc. Feel free to laugh at me, but when you said smoke pit I was thinking like a bbq/campfire pit and I was like how dope is that, you can go outside and chill by a campfire between classes xD

On this note, was skipping class (for smoking or any other reason) pretty common? Was attendance taken at the beginning of class/did it count for part of your grade?

3. definitely looking this up xD

Teachers: wow, thank you for these portraits! I can relate to a LOT of these character types XD What does strike me as very different is how international your high school teachers were. I can think of maybe two teachers in my school who were international. I'm sure there were more, but none but those two come to mind. Also, geography class interests me. That's not a subject we have in high school, at least not at my school. I remember doing geography in elementary school, but from then on it sorta just gets lumped into history and the context of whatever you're learning about in other classes, without any sort of dedicated curriculum.

Abderus

4762

July 12, 2018 14:00:08

@AttackTheMap

1. Caf, check. Sounds a lot like the cafeteria I had in elementary school, what with the stage and all that, and I know exactly the table/bench/mabobbers you're talking about. In regards to grocery shopping, that surprises me! In my high school you had to have signed paperwork from your parents saying you were allowed to leave campus at lunch, and you had to be at least a junior or a senior. They'd put a little sticker on your ID card. Chain length fences surrounded the whole property, with dedicated gates and low key security guard people. Without that, you were effectively stuck on campus until after 1pm or whenever it considered 'end of day', I forget. We had staggered scheduling, so people started school and ended school at different hour, and same with lunches. My senior year was 7am to 1:10pm I think, so I had the earliest lunch shift, which overlapped with the second lunch but didn't overlap with the third, if I recall. Anywho, I guess my questions are: a) Can you effectively leave campus whenever you want? Is the property fenced in any way? b) How long was your lunch? Is there only one lunch for everyone? c) (random) Did you ever use or have those cliche lunch trays in caf, for any reason?

2. Illegal to smoke until 18 here, though that didn't stop the determined of course, but you'd get cited if any of the gate security people saw you or saw you within eye sight of campus. So a handful of seniors could legally smoke, sure, but there was no designated place to do it. Anyone caught smoking in their cars in the parking lot or across the street were cited, if caught. Suspensions happened for repeat offenders, etc. Feel free to laugh at me, but when you said smoke pit I was thinking like a bbq/campfire pit and I was like how dope is that, you can go outside and chill by a campfire between classes xD

On this note, was skipping class (for smoking or any other reason) pretty common? Was attendance taken at the beginning of class/did it count for part of your grade?

3. definitely looking this up xD

Teachers: wow, thank you for these portraits! I can relate to a LOT of these character types XD What does strike me as very different is how international your high school teachers were. I can think of maybe two teachers in my school who were international. I'm sure there were more, but none but those two come to mind. Also, geography class interests me. That's not a subject we have in high school, at least not at my school. I remember doing geography in elementary school, but from then on it sorta just gets lumped into history and the context of whatever you're learning about in other classes, without any sort of dedicated curriculum.

Note: I often mis-type words with similar sounds (ex: Handful and Handle) or words that start the same (away and aware). I also leave out words like 'then,' 'with,' 'that,' a lot. I proofread carefully but my brain usually skips over these mistakes. My apologies if I posted jibberish on your thread! Feel free to ask for clarification! I swear I make sense. For the most part. ;D

@Abderus

- You say 'around the university,' so I must ask, which one? There are three main ones, University of Toronto, Ryerson and York.
- I wouldn't say most games are held during school. It really depends on the sport. Some are during school but some after school as well.
- Where I live, practices are held on Wednesdays because we have late buses on that day only. I feel as if that wouldn't be an issue in Toronto, though.
- Guns are carried by police officers. Most people say cops here as well, but we also say OPP, which stands for Ontario Provincial Police. I don't feel like I'm the best person to discuss relationships with the police as I've never had troubles with the law. I'm also a white person in a mostly white area so I don't hear about problems with police brutality too often. I haven't heard of people hating cops to be cool but I, like I said, live in Hickville.

Fennelroot

623

291

300

4949

July 12, 2018 14:34:25

@Abderus

- You say 'around the university,' so I must ask, which one? There are three main ones, University of Toronto, Ryerson and York.
- I wouldn't say most games are held during school. It really depends on the sport. Some are during school but some after school as well.
- Where I live, practices are held on Wednesdays because we have late buses on that day only. I feel as if that wouldn't be an issue in Toronto, though.
- Guns are carried by police officers. Most people say cops here as well, but we also say OPP, which stands for Ontario Provincial Police. I don't feel like I'm the best person to discuss relationships with the police as I've never had troubles with the law. I'm also a white person in a mostly white area so I don't hear about problems with police brutality too often. I haven't heard of people hating cops to be cool but I, like I said, live in Hickville.

Fen | They/them

@NatureDad - My apologies, University of Toronto. What an absolutely amazing campus... wow. Only got to see a little of it, but it was truly stunning :D
Thanks for the info, this really does help! I've never heard OPP before, so that's very useful. As for sports, how does that work for sports that practice daily? (at your school specifically, forget big city schools.) Is it more like a "practice on your own and then one weekly official practice" kind of thing? Games during school hours are interesting too. Were they at the same time as classes? Was it considered ditching class to go to a game/ aka would you get in trouble for it?

Abderus