Preserving the past

As I sit here writing this I am listening to the Rankin Family sing a song in a language much, much older and French or English.  On Monday, the class will participate in a caribou camp celebrating the life-giving force of the caribou and what it has meant, both physically and spiritually, to the North's Dene peoples for millenia.  The students are currently working on a project about either an ancestor, a community, or an immigrant group to which they are historically connected.  So what's it all about...well, we are connected to our past. 

The past is sometimes treated as something full of hardships, politically incorrect people, and atrocities better left forgotten.  I disagree.  The past is what supports and sustains us.  We are better for knowing the past, better yet, understanding our past.  We are stronger when we have that foundation to support us, traditions to carry on, and understandings about the universe that need not be so quickly dismissed. Sure there were mistakes made in the past, but we are to move forward taking the best of our heritage with us.  The best of our heritage demands an understanding of what has come before, because, afterall, if you don't know what went into the recipe, you'll never know what you are eating.  By the way, I don't know what the Rankin Family is singing about, but the tune sure sounds familiar...

Podcasts are Up and Running

Check out the podcasts some of students made about their recent novel study.  More are on the way!

http://fc.yk1.nt.ca/~andrew.austin@yk1.nt.ca/

Lessons from Captain Kirk

Okay, no one responded to my last post.  Apparently it wasn't nearly as good as I thought.  So, since no one has stepped up to the plate and taken my offer to contribute a blog...well, here I go again. 

Having just written report cards I spent the last week or two reflecting on the work my students have done over the past few months.  One common theme kept running through my mind as I realised just how far many of my students have come and that is that there are no hopeless cases.  Of course, I knew that, but sometimes we all need a reminder of things we've already learned in life.  Captain Kirk, in one of his many great moments, once said, "I don't believe in a no win scenario."  Sometimes, we may have to alter our definition of winning, but there is always a chance to pull yourself from the wreckage.  Sometimes, that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand, but then again, maybe it isn't.  So hang in there and keep working towards a positive goal.  Congratulations, Egyptians.

Fight the Good Fight

There is no shortage of arguments out there.  People complain all the time.  Some say special interest groups are running the world.  Kids can often be found bickering because someone has gotten in their way or spoiled a moment of fun.  We try to teach them to how to problem solve, and we teach it often, or so it seems.  But what are we fighting and arguing for?  Perhaps it is not so much about solving conflicts, but knowing when to pick one.

Really, when you stop and think about it, are the things we are fighting about honest, pure, true, life-changing for others?  As old King Solomon said so many years ago (and the Byrds echoed in their 1966 hit song), "To every thing, there is a season".  So my question for the new year, and as we remember Martin Luther King Jr. this week, are we fighting a fight worth fighting?  Is it going to have a lasting, positive effect on our life, on our education, our relationships, our kids?  Or, maybe, it is time to shift a few priorities.

All the best for 2011,
Andrew

Life reflecting art

Does art reflect life or life reflect art?  That is an old question.  As a teacher, I have seen countless students over the years imitating characters they see in movies and on tv.  As an adult, I see increasing amounts of young adults imitating the characters they see in adult shows, be it Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy, etc.  Sometimes, I think the answer to this question is a no brainer.  Sometimes I think humans are no brainers!

But then there is Remembrance Day.  I am reminded of all those brave young men and women who volunteered to go and fight to liberate those countries in Europe during WWI, WWII, Korea, and then I think about our service people today in Afghanistan.  They are the real heroes.  They understand sacrifice.  Perhaps life should imitate life. 

Missed Opportunities

It is with a bit of sadness that we come to the end of the novel Bridge to Terabithia.  It was such a gripping story of a boy who, through the kindness of his heart and the help of a true friend, developed courage and self-confidence to become a strong leader.


We all loved the story, but if we just leave it there, we've missed the point.  When I think about the impact this book has on me, I think about opportunities I've wasted.  A chance to grow is not a thing to waste.  Yet people do it all the time.  Leslie certainly came close to missing a pivotal chance when she didn't want to go comfort Janice Avery, the school's bully, who had been let down by her "friend", Wilma.  Thankfully, Jesse was already developing his courage to advise her to get in there.  Jesse had always had compassion, but Leslie did not.  It was great to see Jesse helping to build Leslie's character after she had done so much of that for him.

This reminds me of the girls who won't play with boys, or the student who is afraid to explore their hidden talents, like singing, because it is "not cool" with the others.  So we don't take chances and we end up getting flushed down the stream.  Stand up, guys!  Be like Gary and Julius in Remember the Titans.  Dare to swim upstream.  Have a little faith in yourself and those who stand with you.  There are people around you who want to see you reach for what's great in this world.  Do you surround yourself with Wilma Deans?  I hope not.  Who is the Leslie in your life? 

Space - the final frontier By: Eli

Eli says:

People say there's life out there, people say there's not life out there.  What are all those stars about?  What about UFOs?  Do you believe that we'll ever live out there?  If so, or if not, please comment.  Thanks, Eli.