2013-2024 Form

I hate when people ask a question, then rather than answer, someone jumps in and tells them they don't need to know--but today, I will be that guy, because this is serious.Why oh why do you think you can do this yourself?Two things to consider:People who get a masters degree in Accounting then go get a CPA then start doing taxes--only then do some of them start specializing in international accounting.  I've taught Accounting at the college-level, have taken tax classes beyond that, and wouldn't touch your return.Tax professionals generally either charge by the form or by the hour. Meaning you can sit and do this for 12 hours, or you can pay a CPA by the hour to do it, or you can go to an H&R Block that has flat rates and will do everything but hit Send for free.  So why spend 12 hours doing it incorrectly, destined to worry about the IRS putting you in jail, bankrupting you, or deporting you for the next decade when you can get it done professionally for $200-$300?No, just go get it done right.

Definitely ask for a psychologist referral!  You want someone on your side who can understand your issues and be willing and eager to advocate for you with the beancounters because disability can be rather hard to get some places, like just south of the border in America.Having a psychologist means you have a more qualified specialist filling out your papers (which is a positive for you and for the government), and it means you can be seeing someone who can get to know your issues in greater depth and expertise for further government and non-profit organization provided aid.If seeing a psychologist on a regular basis is still too difficult for you, start with your initial appointment and then perhaps build up a rapport with a good therapist through distanced appointments (like via telephone, if that is easier) until you can be going into a physical office.  It would probably look good on the form if your psychologist can truthfully state that you are currently seeking regular treatment for your disorders because of how serious and debilitating they are.I don't know how disability in Canada works, but I have gone through the process in the US, and specifically for anxiety and depression, like you.  Don't settle for a reluctant or wishywashy doctor or psychologist, especially when it comes to obtaining the resources for basic survival.  I also advise doing some internet searches on how to persuasively file for disability in Canada.  Be prepared to fight for your case through an appeal, if it should come to that, and understand the requirements and processes involved in applying for disability by reading government literature and reviewing success stories on discussion websites.

Contact Barbara Case, the founder of USA: Providing Free Advocacy & Support She's incredible!

Departments of education and school districts always have to make decisions about what to include in their curriculum.  There are a lot of life skills that people need that aren't taught in school.  The question is should those skills be taught in schools?I teach high school, so I'll talk about that.  The typical high school curriculum is supposed to give students a broad-based education that prepares them to be citizens in a democracy and to be able to think critically.  For a democracy to work, we need educated, discerning citizens with the ability to make good decisions based on evidence and objective thought.  In theory, people who are well informed about history, culture, science, mathematics, etc., and are capable of critical, unbiased thinking, will have the tools to participate in a democracy and make good decisions for themselves and for society at large.  In addition to that, they should be learning how to be learners, how to do effective, basic research, and collaborate with other people.  If that happens, figuring out how to do procedural tasks in real life should not provide much of a challenge.  We can't possibly teach every necessary life skill people need, but we can help students become better at knowing how to acquire the skills they need.  Should we teach them how to change a tire when they can easily consult a book or search the internet to find step by step instructions for that?  Should we teach them how to balance a check book or teach them how to think mathematically and make sense of problems so that the simple task of balancing a check book (which requires simple arithmetic and the ability to enter numbers and words in columns and rows in obvious ways) is easy for them to figure out.  If we teach them to be good at critical thinking and have some problem solving skills they will be able to apply those overarching skills to all sorts of every day tasks that shouldn't be difficult for someone with decent cognitive ability  to figure out.  It's analogous to asking why a culinary school didn't teach its students the steps and ingredients to a specific recipe.  The school taught them about more general food preparation and food science skills so that they can figure out how to make a lot of specific recipes without much trouble.  They're also able to create their own recipes.So, do we want citizens with very specific skill sets that they need to get through day to day life or do we want citizens with critical thinking, problem solving, and other overarching cognitive skills that will allow them to easily acquire ANY simple, procedural skill they may come to need at any point in their lives?