Professional Development Minutes

speed walking  past  the  grocery  store  greeting  cards  (apples in hand) i notice the "happy 40th"   next to the "can't believe your 80" cards : making me feel a whole lot younger than i am. 

Frank's book has been banned over the years .  Banning books is the same as burning books.  Who wants to spend the day with me, reading a " banned book "? Scandalous. 

When life gives you lemons grow a lemon tree.  

There seems to be an alarming absence of care in the world. You don't need to look far  --  another school shooting , acts of violence on the TTC , and the  Russia-Ukraine war.   In a world filled with hate, this Valentine's Day find   ways to spread  kindness and care. 

i have given up a lot i never celebrated graduating (10 years in the making) or my last birthday  new year's eve was so-so  but i’m not skipping   this valentine’s  day: i’m going to " buy myself flowers ".

For Black History Month, I am spotlighting the poet  Derek Walcott.  Below, Walcott reads his poem "Sea Grapes". 

Nel Noddings (2012)  is a prominent care theorist, stressing the need for cooperative learning. Noddings states:  Change is needed, but it will be very difficult. All over the world, thoughtful educators now emphasise the need to place cooperation over competition. This does not mean to eliminate competition entirely; some competition is both necessary and healthy. At its best, it helps us to improve performances and turn out better products. In the 21st century, however, recognition of our global interdependence and a commitment to cooperation must replace the 20th-century emphasis on competition . Recall your schooling experiences. What role did cooperation and competition play? How have these experiences impacted your life (for the better)? I welcome your thoughts. 

Greta Thunberg spoke at the UN Climate Action Summit in 2019. Her speech (below), which focuses on the harmful effects of climate change, is amazingly raw, emotional and unapologetic. But what has happened since 2019? How have world leaders, governments responded? Where is the change?  

Noah Reid's  cover of "Simply the Best"