Every year, I volunteer with Crohn's and Colitis Canada, a charity aimed at helping people diagnosed with Crohn's disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). I have a family history of IBD, so it's near and dear to my heart. For 3 days, I help run a camp for children living with Crohn's and IBD. It's... Continue Reading →
Follow our Fearless Leader
As a teacher, I see that my profession is often compared to the private sector. Metrics including wages, hours, pensions, and contracts are measured against private corporations. While there is certain value that can be ascertained from specific comparisons, it must also be recognized that public and private services are notoriously difficult to adequately compare.... Continue Reading →
Teaching Girls Bravery, Not Perfection
"We're raising our girls to be perfect, and we're raising our boys to be brave", says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program -- two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot... Continue Reading →
How Movies Teach Manhood
An interesting TED talk from Colin Stokes, the director of communications for Citizen Schools. Citizen Schools is an American nonprofit organization that partners with various public schools around the US to expand the learning day for children in low-income communities. Its stated mission is "educating children and strengthening communities". When Stokes' 3-year-old son caught a glimpse of... Continue Reading →
How People Learn
How do people learn? There's a lot of information out there, so it's difficult to filter out the myths from the facts on how to best facilitate learning. It's a seemingly simple question - how do people learn? - with an intricately complicated answer. Educational psychology and behavioural and cognitive sciences attempt to guide pedagogy... Continue Reading →
The 6 Secrets of Change
Michael Fullan offers tremendous insight into leadership and elements of change and achievement. One of the most influential works entitled, The Six Secrets of Change: What the Best Leaders Do to Help Their Organizations Survive and Thrive, explore organizational change in a school system as opposed to a hard and fast approach. Fullan refers to... Continue Reading →
Medical Apps for Patients and for Teaching
Guest Blogger: Dr. Stephen Chow, M.D. University of Mississippi Medical Center Division of Gastroenterology "Our patients are craving these new, innovative ways to manage their wellbeing." As medical apps change the way patients view their health and wellbeing, physicians must adapt and pivot with this consideration in mind. Patients and consumers are using fitness measurable... Continue Reading →
The Pros and Cons of Medical Apps
Guest Blogger: Dr. Stephen Chow, M.D. University of Mississippi Medical Center Division of Gastroenterology "Physicians and patients are approaching healthcare differently due to the rise and popularization of medical apps" More and more I’m seeing that the way physicians and patients are approaching healthcare is evolving due to the rise and popularization of medical apps. There... Continue Reading →
Want to Help Someone? Shut Up and Listen!
We tend to offer our help in a way that we want help, but not necessarily how the receiver wants the help. Ernesto Sirolli, founder of the Sirolli Institute, created an international non-profit institution that teaches this doctrine. It helps community leaders understand, establish, and maintain sustainable economic development projects, specializing in developing areas like Kenya and... Continue Reading →
Social Media in the Classroom
Imagine a world where resources were limited to what was found in the classroom or the school closet known as the "Curriculum Materials Room." Picture a world where students wrote letters with pen and paper to communicate with other students and adults outside of the building. Due to postage costs, the teacher either sent the... Continue Reading →