Blog

“Critical thinking” is a term that turns up everywhere. On job listings for high-paying roles, you’ll often see a requirement that reads, “Must be able to think critically.” In university learning outcomes, you’ll often find “must apply critical thinking skills to x, y and z” as part of the curricula. Parents encourage you to “think…

Online learning is still in a relatively nascent stage, only gaining serious traction in the last decade (and skyrocketing in popularity over the last four years). Because of that fact, almost every student who walks through the digital doors at OES comes from a traditional brick-and-mortar school background. These students spent their formative elementary or…

The first day of school has always solicited a mixture of excitement, nervousness and steely determination. That was true 100 years ago when kids rode the bright yellow school bus to their first day back. And it remains true in 2023, as more students return to their digital classrooms – comfortable in their own homes,…

The trees in High Park are starting to wear a few rust-coloured leaves. The occasional chilly evening forces us to reach into the back of our closet for a jacket. And whenever you turn on the radio, you’re hit with commercials for back-to-school savings. That’s right – it’s almost September again, the beginning of another…

A school should be a community. It should be a place where students can go to feel empowered, intellectually stimulated and supported. It should be a place to share your hopes and aspirations for the future, and then see that future slowly come together as you progress through your studies. It should be a place…

Every student thinks differently, learns differently and experiences their time at high school differently. Some students are happy to drive through high school in the leisurely right-hand lane, savouring every last day of their education, friend groups and semi-structured lives. Others, meanwhile, are itching to get on with it. Armed with tenacity, eagerness and (some…

There’s a common misconception among some students that high school is like a sports match; if you fail to score the first time around, there’s nothing you can do about it. This line of thinking runs contrary to the fundamental goal of education. The aim of a high school education isn’t to label you with…

“Survival” might be a strong word for working your way through summer school. Yes, there are uphill challenges with attending high school courses over the traditional summer break. (How are you expected to study when the weather’s this nice!?). But summer school also carries its fair share of advantages. It allows students to work ahead…

For students, the “peak-end effect” kicks in around this time of year. These final, waning moments of the traditional school year influence how you view your past accomplishments – and set the stage for your future motivation. Our goal in this article is to ensure that you view the past school year positively. We want…

As you might have gathered in your physics or chemistry courses, energy is governed by laws of thermodynamics. And the first of those laws states that energy cannot be created or destroyed – only transferred. The same principle applies (albeit with some creative license) to your studies. You are an isolated system, possessing a finite…