Precious Lesko

B.A. Psychology Graduate | B.A. Sociology Candidate (2027) | Building Skills for Social Work, Psychotherapy & Capacity Work

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

https://t.co/kRIrDRA7L8

[fundourschools @fundschoolson]

We need the provincial government to spend money on our schools - not schemes with Staples that do nothing for teachers or students.

Register below to share that you are interested in joining our flying squad!

https://t.co/DnMX51KeDP

[icrave @icravecommunity]

@PreciousLesko This is much needed. Keep on advocating

[Elementary Educators @ETFOeducators]

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate teachers' extraordinary contributions and reaffirm our responsibility to ensure they have the resources, supports, and conditions necessary to help every learner thrive.

Notes @ETFOpresident David Mastin, “If we want teachers and students to succeed, the Ford government must act. That means reducing class sizes, expanding and strengthening supports for all students, especially those with special education needs, addressing the rise in violence in schools, advancing equity and inclusion, and tackling the recruitment and retention crisis that is leaving classrooms without qualified educators.”

#ETFO is encouraging Ontarians to reflect on the teachers who have shaped their lives and to join the call for meaningful investment in public education. #onted #onpoli

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

Today, I went on a small letter-writing campaign. I have three kids in different PDSB schools. Over the years I have watched the province promise more money for mental health and special education, while teachers are laid off, moved, given more duties, or have their positions disappear.

This year the province promised teachers money to help fund classrooms, without making clear to the public where that money comes from. Of the $750, $450 is new. $300 is taken from funds the board already allocates to schools. The school does not get it back.

Enrolment at PDSB has been declining for years, and per-student funding has declined with it. Schools on extremely tight budgets, including my son’s, are losing teachers. They were also hit with a second cut: several thousand dollars reserved for the Staples classroom-supplies arrangement.

That is the double hit. Fewer students does not mean fewer needs.

I wrote to the superintendent, the province’s supervisor at the @PeelSchools, and my local MPP (@DeepakAnandMPP). I encourage other parents to do the same. @PaulCalandra

#PeelSchools #PDSB #OntarioEducation #ClassroomSupplies #DecliningEnrolment

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, I attended the virtual presentation of Connect & Chat 2026 by @THP_hospital. It was an event that brought together healthcare workers and patient and family partners (PFP). Unfortunately, because of my schedule, I couldn't be there in person.

There were a lot of important things said including a fellow PFP who said, "I didn't want to be the person who was always complaining. I want to be the person who is part of making a difference." (I'm paraphrasing from memory.) There were also other topics covered including what happens to those hospital surveys you receive, and the future of AI in healthcare. You can watch the whole thing here: https://t.co/GqjOoW9xAk

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

On Friday, October 16, I’ll be facilitating a PeerTalks sessions on supporting someone experiencing psychosis.

I’m grateful for the chance. Nervous, but excited, to offer my perspective and what I’ve learned from years of walking alongside people through psychosis, hospitalization, and the long stretch of figuring out what support actually looks like.

PeerWorks PeerTalks is back for fall: virtual lunch-and-learn sessions, 1–2 pm EST on Zoom, for peers, peer supporters, and volunteers. October 16 is Supporting People Experiencing Psychosis. Later sessions cover case notes, eating disorders, boundaries, and grief.

If you do this work, or you’re learning how to, come sit in.

Scan the QR to register and get the Zoom link.

#PeerSupport #Psychosis #PeerWorks #MentalHealth #LivedExperience

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

As part of the active bystander training I co-faciliate, we talk about online bullying and the rise in organized sextortion rings targeting our youth. Every time I talk about it, I remember Amanda Todd. It's important that parents understand how dangerous the Internet is for everyone, especially our kids. 💔

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

When doing research assignments, I always choose topics I'm passionate about.

I've written a paper about the physical and psychological effects of gig work apps and how they work like digital slot machines, creating work addiction. I also wrote about how attachment styles affect workplace performance and group dynamics.

Today, I'm working on a sociology assignment where I discuss how paid public healthcare duties are often passed onto unpaid family caregivers, and how that affects the entire household. I decided to focus on this study to my support my argument. Anything involving children is a tough read. I'm on page two of 11 and there have been some tears.

​#UnpaidCaregivers ​#MilitaryFamilyLife #CaregiverBurnout ​#HealthSociology ​#CaregiverSupport

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

I FINALLY finished Ashley Audrain's "The Push" after having it for almost a year. Here are my thoughts:

I have a degree in psychology, so I’m always paying attention to how mental health gets framed in fiction. Ashley Audrain gets my attention immediately and holds it.

The short chapters are unusual, but they keep the pace up. Without spoiling the ending: it makes you question everything you thought you’d learned.

Because it’s written from the narrator’s point of view, it’s hard to trust what she says. She keeps stacking evidence for what she believes is true, and I still didn’t fully buy it. I stayed skeptical the whole way through, even after it ended.

Definitely worth reading. I didn’t give it five stars because of how Violet is framed. It’s possible she has “issues,” especially with that family history, but I can’t shake the feeling that the way Blythe treats her helps create the cycle. It starts to look like a self-fulfilling prophecy, and one wonders if the cycle could've been broken if Blythe had gotten the help that she needed. Even morally grey protagonists need a bit of a redemption arc.

#Goodreads #Reading #Reader #Bookstagram #Bibliophile #Bookworm

https://t.co/bIvZHii2hE

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

I finally made it back to the gym after an unintended 7-month break. I went back to school fulltime in May and it took me until now to adjust to my new schedule. So excited to shed the #Freshman15. It's technically not my first year but... Uh... I definitely got it. 😅 #MatureStudent #StudentLifeBalance #GymComeback #BackAtIt

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

@YorkUniversity I just found out I am a member of the Dean's Honour Roll. 🎓🏅🎉

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

It’s official! After a 15-year gap, shaped in large part by becoming a caregiver to different members of my family, I have graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from @YorkUniversity's Faculty of Health.

This is more than a degree.

It represents putting my life back together on my own terms.

It represents choosing order after years of chaos.

And it represents the work I want to do next.

I am back this September to begin a second bachelor’s degree in Sociology, with the goal of becoming a registered social worker. I want to build a practice that helps caregivers navigate systems and, eventually, support people who lack capacity and the families who care for them.

Grateful to York for taking me back with open arms.

And grateful to my husband and my kids, who believed I could make it happen.

#YorkUniversity #FacultyOfHealth #Psychology #Sociology #SocialWork #Caregivers

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

Even though this article is 9 years old, it's still a very comprehensive explanation of the study, how it started, how it's changed, and what they found: https://t.co/53RRHXNch2 #Happiness

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

"Loneliness kills. It's as powerful as smoking or alcoholism."

One of my profs presented the Harvard Study of Adult Development to us in class last week. It is the longest longitudinal study in the world. It started in 1938 during The Great Depression and is still going on today. The general gist of it is that the warmth and satisfaction in your relationships is a greater indicator of overall health than genes, or even the number of connections you have. Personally, what I glean from this is not that your relationships should be free of conflict, but that you have belief that when the going gets tough, the people you care about will be there for you.

I know we keep hearing "be kind" everywhere. It's starting to sound empty. But the warmth you give others can be better for them than medicine and excercise. (1/2) https://t.co/qSCClpoWRd

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

@chris_dlamini I could be 39 with a degree or 39 without a degree. I'm now about to turn 40, and about to complete my second B.A. It's never too late! :) 👩🏻‍🎓

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

Even though I started at York in the summer, this is my first "real" school week at 39.

Thursday was my only lecture day this week. I spent Friday returning emails and phone calls, and scheduling the next several months: every appointment, meeting, lecture, tutorial, and due date I have so far. I printed slides and set up binders. (I'm old school. I still read physical textbooks and take notes by hand.)

Today, I spent five hours to cover last week's readings. I have another six hours of readings before next week's lectures. And that’s only for the two classes I have actually attended. I still have two more classes to attend this week. I don't have the syllabi or readings yet.

Truthfully, I'm a little overwhelmed.

I refuse to work or study tomorrow. Sundays are my day off. I will not study and work seven days straight.

That is the habit I am building now, because I have a bad habit of taking on too much and then I crash.

Did I mention my three kids also went back to school this week?

It has been a "fun" week indeed. 😅

#MatureStudent #BacktoSchool #StudentParent #LifelongLearning #NonTraditionalStudent

[Precious Lesko @PreciousLesko]

Celebrating my degree was the fun part. Now comes the administrative reality. 💉📋

​Four clinic visits, a TB test, and waiting on vulnerable sector checks to clear before I can start my next community role. The unglamorous behind-the-scenes work nobody talks about, but one step closer!

​When I was a teenager, I helped found a youth group at my church where we’d visit local long-term care homes to sing, play music, and spend time with the residents. Getting cleared to support daytime activities in senior care feels like coming full circle.

​Fingers crossed everything clears smoothly soon! 🤞

#LongTermCare #VolunteerLife #CommunitySupport #SeniorCare #GivingBack