On Ethos – a 2011 Documentary
“Our ethos is all that we currently hold to be true. It is what we act upon. It governs our manners, our business and our politics.” – Howard Zinn Directed…
Marie Snyder
The Elf on the #ReThink Tour
I met “Sustainable Joe” (Stephen) at Hillside this year, and barraged him with questions about his ride. I want one! And, at $5,000, I could probably make it happen. But…
People’s Climate March
Getting ready for school, I was going through files and came across an interview with Noam Chomsky for Teen Talking Circles. In it, Chomsky answers the question, “Do you honestly…
On Glorifying Psychopaths
Murray Dobbin wrote a very provocative article relating our TV viewing of psychopaths to our politics. Owen explored the glorification of psychopaths in a post discussing the article, and I…
On the Titanic and Tolstoy
I’ve heard this before somewhere, but I can’t find it to give due credit: Coping with climate change is like coping with being a passenger on the Titanic. Some won’t…
Neil deGrasse Tyson on Climate Change
In a Huffington Post interview, Neil deGrasse Tyson says things will change when people lose their wealth. If we lose the ice-caps, the water around NYC will come up to…
Diamond’s Collapse
A while back, Mound suggested I read Collapse by Jared Diamond, and I finally got to it. It’s a fascinating read particularly for anyone interested in ancient civilizations. Diamond explores…
On That List of Excuses for Not Having Sex Floating Around the Interweb
I wanted to chime in on a facebook discussion about that list (a man made a spreadsheet of his wife’s excuses for refusing sex), but it wasn’t started by an…
Shaving Minutes Off Your Cycling Time
Or, In Praise of Crappy Bikes I’m in the middle of several books right now, and I’ll write more about them as I finish. But I was thinking about this…
Just Not Ready to Laugh at Climate Change
We had a great end-of-year send off by a few teachers who took the time and effort to make the final day entertaining. Years ago, we had a team that…
What’s a Mother to Do?
It’s always harder to have something taken away than to never have it in the first place. But still… A local high school is removing a few dozen students from…
Backyard Studio and Garden Build
Three summers ago, I decided to take over the backyard, get rid of the playhouse that the kids had deserted, and build a big garden and waterfall with a little…
Brief Hiatus
I’ve been busy gardening, and then I took a break to check out NYC. The entire album, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, played in my head on a loop while…
It’s Possible…
That’s something, then, isn’t it. The IPCC released the final third of their missive today. We can get out alive, and with reasonable economic stability, but only if we dismantle…
On The Sixth Extinction
Look inside! We’re in the midst of a mass extinction, but Elizabeth Kolbert is actually somewhat hopeful about it all. We are at a truly extraordinary moment of history in…
EQAO, Literacy and Ability
My 9-year-old says that EQAO stands for Evil Questions Attacking Ontario. I think she’s on to something. We just administered the literacy test at our school this week. I’ve always…
What We Know: We’re Screwed
Addressing the issues of climate change is an issue for policymakers and leaders. It’s important they’re informed by the most accurate data. – Katharine Hayhoe, Atmospheric Scientist, Professor, and director…
Clara Hughes’ Mental Health Tour
h/t CAAWS Our school had the honour of hosting a visit from Clara Hughes yesterday – six time Olympic winner for cycling and speed skating. She’s biking around Canada –…
What Do Teachers Want?
I seem to have missed hitting “publish” on this one from a few days ago: I’ve gleaned, from Steve Paikin’s twitter feed, a version of teachers that don’t fit the…
Backing for My Views on Education
There’s an article in The Spectator, and a new book out (at your left there), that says everything I’ve been saying about education for a couple years now. It’s actually…