With Good Reason

I received an e-mail from a regular reader yesterday who explained that her daughter had just graduated from high school and was about to start university in September – without the English grammar and spelling abilities one might expect — and wondered how she would survive university without those skills.

It was also explained to me that she, the mother, had asked her daughter’s high school teachers over the years about why her daughter wasn’t being taught distinct grammar and spelling.  In response she was always told they, high school teachers, didn’t have to do that. That whatever spelling and grammar she learned as a distinct subject would have been done, or at least should have been done, at the elementary level. Since that didn’t seem to have happened, the mother asked for my recommendations.

First of all, you can’t start from scratch. You can’t go back to the junior grades once your son or daughter is eighteen.  So, once your children graduate from high school with the required marks and credits to get accepted into a Canadian university, it is best to deal with where they are at right now.

As such, my first recommendation was that her daughter make sure she take part in her university’s orientation “essay” writing and related courses because some grammar and spelling would be included, if only in a contextual way.

(more…)

Filed under: Education, Technology by Sandy
No Comments »

Given that far too many of Ontario’s school boards’ elected trustees cannot be trusted to manage the public interest regarding board budgets and what goes on in Ontario’s schools, that model should be completely abolished in favour of the New Brunswick model of “School Districts.”

Yesterday, for example, Ontario’s Education Minister Kathleen Wynn, had to take over the Toronto Catholic Board’s financial affairs by appointing school finance expert Norbert Hartmann, because she no longer had confidence in the ability of its trustees to do what needed to be done. (I wrote on this last month here.) 

No doubt many other Ontario boards have also been found to be negligent in their public responsibilities. And, just try to imagine how much all these trustees are costing — money that could be going to school resources — such as membership fees in their associations, their stipends, attendance at conferences and retreats and mileage.

Back in 1995, when I was working for an Ontario PC MPP, the Mike Harris government had to take away Board of Education taxing powers because of a similar “trustee” entitlement culture. At that time it was called the “Who Does What” process but, being on the inside, I can say that much of the downloading was done so as to take away the ability of boards to continually raise education property taxes.

(more…)

Filed under: Education, Politics by Sandy
2 Comments »

While there are definitely some Toronto parents and public school supporters who agree with the notion of an Africentric program from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12, the speed at which Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustees and members of its “advisory panel” are putting forward and approving proposals is clearly political. 

For example, today’s Toronto Star editorial comment states:

“Bureaucrats at the Toronto public school board have barely begun the effort of launching an Africentric elementary school this coming fall. But now some trustees are calling for an Africentric high school to open just one year later.”

So, however well intentioned, some TDSB trustees are making recommendations for an Africentric high school without adequate “action research” and feedback on the pilot elementary program slated for Sheppard Public School in September of this year.  As such, in their unseemly haste, the needs of the students seem to have been forgotten or minimized.

(more…)

Filed under: Education, Politics, Society by Sandy
No Comments »

According to this urban legend/recipe, if you can boil water, you can make an omelet. All you need is a couple eggs, the chopped-up ingredients you want in your omelet, and a quart size Ziploc baggie (same size they want to see your toiletries in when you fly).

The recipe has apparently been circulating on the interweb for some time:

Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the quart size Ziploc bag (not more than 2) and shake to combine them. Put in a variety of ingredients such as: cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.

Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up. Place the bag(s) into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily.

Because I’ve never successfully made an omelet–it turns into scrambled eggs every.single.time–I knew I had to try this. “But is it safe?” was my nagging, second thought. After googling around, I’m pretty sure the short answer is no, not really. That’s why you don’t do it every day. Just like you don’t microwave your leftovers in Tupperware and don’t drink from plastic water bottles every day…. right?

So anyway, I didn’t take pictures of the process, but I tried this with olives, tomatoes and mushrooms inside and came out with the fluffiest, most cohesive omelet I have ever made! tah-dah! (more…)

Filed under: Food by Jeela
2 Comments »

Congratulations to the staff and students at Britannia Elementary School on Vancouver’s east side!  From a previous school ranking by the Fraser Institute of 2.8 a number of years ago, this year they made in on the honour roll with a 7.5 out of ten. Well done!

What an inspiring example of what can happen when everyone involved in a school makes a commitment to improve.  And, when they do, everyone benefits — clear across Canada because we are now telling their story. And that story is that school rankings, whether they be from the Fraser or C.D. Howe Institutes, can be used as the impetus for change. 

They are not, as I wrote yesterday, a “flawed picture” as suggested by the Ontario Public School Board Association (OPSBA). As Doretta Wilson, Executive Director of the Society for Quality Education pointed out today in an e-mail, there are jurisdictions in this country that are using the school rankings to make a difference and she included the link to the Vancouver Sun article as proof.  

And, make a difference they have. According to Janet Steffenhagen of the Vancouver Sun, Britannia is an inner city school. Half the children are ESL, more than half are aboriginal and the parents’ education is generally below average.  So, how did the staff take the school from a 2.8 ranking to a 7.5? One teacher was inspired to use a controversial “direct-instruction” literacy program called “Reading Mastery.” And, when students started making huge gains, the whole staff decided to use it school-wide spending up to 2 hours every single day on the program.

Memo to OPSBA and the Ontario teachers’ unions. Britannia Elementary School in Vancouver has used the school rankings to improve.  Don’t tell the government, the general public and parents, that it can’t be done. It not only can be done, it has been done.

[...] 

Note: Read Steffenhagen’s column in full. It is truly inspiring. And, let’s get the news out. Send the link to this post to everyone you know. C/P at Crux-of-the-Matter.

Filed under: Education, Society, Uncategorized by Sandy
No Comments »

So, the latest census figures released by Statistics Canada tell what many of us have been saying for years, that whether you complete a trades certificate (to become an electrician, a carpenter, a plumber or a brick layer), a college diploma (for a career as a police officer or fire fighter), or a bachelor’s degree “staying in school pays off.”

While some individuals know exactly what they want to do with their lives, others may need to do an indepth old fashioned job search before they decide where to go to school and what to study.  Here are some ideas to think about.

• SEARCH! Go to every conceivable employment search site and look at what jobs are in demand. Even look in the local and national newspapers. Get a picture of what jobs and careers are growing and where in Canada that is happening. Make up a scrap book of the jobs according to their similar characteristics.

• DETERMINE! To the best of your ability, decide which jobs represent the new economy and those which will always be in demand — such as accounting. Separate out those that you think are highly competitive and likely not to remain in demand in the future.

• ABILITIES! Think carefully which of the demand areas suits your interests and abilities. There is nothing wrong with doing something you are interested in or even love to do. And, keep in mind that the career you are choosing now will not likely be for life. Most of us experience different jobs along the way or different types of jobs within a single company. And, you know what, at the end of your working journey, when you look back at what you have done, there will be a very interesting pattern. You will take something from every job you ever had. In other words, there is no such thing as wasting your time.

(more…)

Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
No Comments »

When most of us think of the Romance languages, what usually comes to mind are the “Big Five:” French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian. All of them have a country to themselves, even if some of them share it with speakers of other tongues, such as German in Italy’s Trentino-Alto Adige region near the Austrian border. But there are other Romance languages as well. Unlike the Big Five, they can’t be matched with a nation bearing their name. Nor have they enjoyed the fortune of expanding overseas, either through colonial activity (as with French, Spanish and Portuguese) or through its status as the international language of music (Italian). However, these “other” members of the Romance family boast an interesting history and in many cases a rich literature. So it behoves us to examine each one of these languages in greater detail.

Galician is spoken in the region of Galicia – not to be confused with the region of the same name in Eastern Europe – in Northwest Spain. It separated from Portuguese around the late Middle Ages, and some linguists still view it as a dialect of the latter language. Whether dialect or separate language, Galician resembles Portuguese more than it does Spanish. For example, the word for “milk” is “leite” in both Galician and Portuguese but “leche” in Spanish. Galician is an official language of Spain.

Catalan is the mother tongue of a sixth of Spain’s inhabitants. As its name implies, it is spoken principally in the northeast Spanish region of Catalonia. It is also used in the Balearic Islands; Valencia; the nation of Andorra; Southern France; and the city of Alghero in Sardinia, a former Spanish colony. Catalan enjoys official status in Spain together with Galician, Basque (a non-Romance language), and Castilian Spanish. There are a number of newspapers, television stations and other media in Catalan. A well-known native speaker of the language was architect Antoní Gaudí.
(more…)

Filed under: History by Emilia Liz
2 Comments »

According to the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star, Louise Brown says that the Toronto District School Board is proposing to put “Canada’s first Africentric alternative school within a school — not a free-standing building — for a wing of sprawling Sheppard Public School near the northwest corner of Sheppard Avenue West and Keele Street” in Toronto.

Scheduled to open in September 2009 for children in Grades JK to 5, area trustee James Pasternak said the new school would bolster falling enrollment at Sheppard and add a vibrant program that would NOT be separate from all the other students attending Sheppard.

“There ’s this misconception of two solitudes running down the halls, but that’s incorrect — these kids (in the regular school and the Africentric wing) would be together in the schoolyard, together in the playground, together in the lunchroom,” said Pasternak.

While it looks like all the criticism has had an effect on the board’s decision making and spin, there now appears to be more questions than answers. For example:

• Is this proposal just to avoid the political fallout of closing Sheppard Public School? 
• Why does the proposal just include the youngest of elementary aged children — from JK to Grade 5?
• How can children who are together with the main student body most of the time be considered an “alternative school” – as opposed to a special program?
• And last but not least, on what basis does the board believe that the children will all get along and that there will be no problems? 

(more…)

Filed under: Education, Society by Sandy
3 Comments »

The term ‘Israeli-Palestinian conflict’ is so common that a generation has grown up thinking this is a normal state of affairs - with no real consequence outside the Middle East.

Throughout the course of recent Mid-East history, the struggles on this relatively small piece of ancient land have been closely watched for different reasons. Biases on this subject have become even clearer since the American War on Terror emerged from the ashes of September 11 2001.

Both globally and within North America itself, there are different views on modern Israel - for instance, Catholics have tended to see the regime as oppressive to Palestinians - although recently the Church seems to be warming relations, or at least toning down rhetoric. Evangelical Christians see the existence of the Jewish state as integral to their faith. For Jews themselves, Israel provides a geographical link to the origins of Jewish culture - and provides a ‘homeland’. For Muslims, Israel is clearly viewed as an aggressive regime illegally occupying and colonizing Palestinian-Arab lands.

As a distant observer, Israel presents a unique dichotomy. It does not cleanly fit our world’s post-colonial evolution; the move away from European empire-centred cultures, towards regional indigenous diversity (or at least to the ’strongest of the indigenous’). On the one hand, Israel is often viewed as direct proof that modern American imperialism is alive and well - often also lumped in with some kind of Zionist global conspiracy. On the other hand, Israel is clearly in existence because of an innate drive shared by many Jewish people - who see themselves as ‘indigenous’ to that land. This migration push - often referred to as the Zionist Movement, grew while Palestine was under Britain’s brief control in the aftermath of WWI.
(more…)

Filed under: Politics, Religion by Alien
1 Comment »

Quite often, the best music is discovered by accident. Local artist and longtime friend Aia asked me to videotape a concert he was promoting at the Drake Hotel. Aia was opening for Tycho, a California-based graphics artist and music producer well respected in IDM (Intelligent Dance Music) circles. IDM is a highly experimental genre that can be difficult on the untrained ear; however, Tycho’s audio-visual performance was both accessible and inspiring. The artist’s website describes his music as follows:

Tycho is the music project of San Francisco based artist and producer Scott Hansen. As Tycho, Hansen blends swirling melodies into vaguely triumphant arcs that crisscross between stuttering beats and vocal samples, creating rolling sonic landscapes that extend off into the horizon.

To my ear, Tycho manages an impressive feat in layering lush, hyper-melodic sounds capes over throttling beats without crowding the frequency spectrum. Often, the beats evolve along with the melodies and at times embrace the boom sound associated with early-90’s hip hop - yet the melodies remain intricate and soothing enough to be “chill-out” music. At times Tycho’s retro-warbling is reminiscent of Scottish outfit Boards of Canada, while other times resembling the Japanese electronica featured heavily in anime. The sum of the parts is nonetheless original.
(more…)

Filed under: Arts, Video by Blink7
No Comments »