Fairy Creek Blockade - As I See It

Jack Emberly (M.Educ. U.B.C.)

During the last 7 years, Jack Emberly’s column – Along the Fraser - (environmental/social issues) has appeared in the Maple Ridge, BC News. Most recently, Jack has written and co-hosted a Podcast series entitled, The 100 Years War on Alouette River Salmon (a BC river that supported thousands of salmon before a dam was built on the river in 1926).
Jack continues to be an active member of the Maple Ridge Community, serving – in past years – as a director and vice president of the Centre for Education and Environmental Development, an organization devoted to promoting community building projects and activities.

Jack Emberly is a retired teacher, (Resource Room, Learning Assistance, and classroom ) who has effectively employed drama and storytelling to promote self-discovery and self-management in children and adults. For more than 20 years Jack has directed numerous groups of elementary children in confliction resolution skits performed at schools and theatres. Articles describing this unique approach have appeared in numerous publications including Crosscurrents, the B.C. Special Education Association Journal.
Using fairytales to model the difficulties one encounters in life, Jack also helps children explore themes of resiliency and personal accountability for actions.
The use of drama and stories with children has led to three publications. “The Boy in the Mirror,” is an audio cassette and teaching guide which features stories of kids in conflict situations, and follow-up activities for practicing the skills for positive interaction and communication.
Let’s All Act Up in Class, Jack’s second publication, is a how-to-do it manual for teachers exploring drama to develop the objectives of the personal planning curriculum. This compilation of seven easily staged, often humorous skits focuses on the themes of accountability for one’s actions, responsibility, positive communication, and the avoidance of making negative assumptions.

Jack’s most recent work is a book of stories featuring children whose bullying and irresponsible behavior has led them to the brink of expulsion from school and home. Entitled, “The King of Anger Mountain.” It tells the story of Ringo, described as “an angry kid” who didn’t like school. At teacher professional days Jack frequently “told” parts of Ringo’s story to teachers, counsellors, and other who work with children.

As a younger reporter writing for the North Shore Citizen Newspaper Jack received one of the top awards for feature writing in B.C., the prestigious MacMillan Bloedel Award for community newspapers. Before turning his full attention to teaching, Jack wrote articles for Lower Mainland magazines including B.C. Woman to Woman, and Easy Living. His email is: jackemberly@gmail.com