The Herdmans Part 4-1

The Herdmans – Part 4-1 Billy K’s behaviour continued to be an issue. He could go several days without incident but then WHAM. I suppose his belief was, go big or go home. While his brothers needed academic support in the classroom their behaviour wasn’t much of an issue. By this time, one of the…

Pokemon cards

Phil Elwood and I were in the same R.O.U.T.P. division during the summers of 1978 and 1979, and we keep in contact to this day. He is the consummate nice guy – a true gentleman. Throughout my adult life, Phil has been the standard to which I have compared good people. I have met and…

Une Quelle Suprise

Une Quelle Suprise First a bit of background: a toque is a knitted cap, usually without a brim in Newfoundland, the birthplace of my parents, the protruding part at the top of a hat is often called a pook During the fall of 2006 I was granted an Educational Leave (sabbatical). I enrolled in a…

Turtle Coffee

Earl Campbell is a member of my Masonic Lodge. When I was a youth I was a member of the Order of DeMolay (Building better citizens for tomorrow, today). Although Earl wasn’t an official adviser for my Chapter, he did serve as a mentor. His work ethic includes, Early in the day, early in the…

Ready For Christmas?

Ready for Christmas? A number of years ago a close colleague asked if I was ready for the Yuletide season. The conversation went like this: “Hey G, you ready for Christmas?” “Are you asking if I am ready to rejoice in the knowledge that we are about to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of…

Tobacco-Free School?

Daryl Doiron was a buddy of mine in high school – we have shared a lot of laughs together over the years. In addition to being rugby and football teammates, he was in my grade 11 chemistry class. I recall the day Daryl was having difficulty figuring out a gravemetric stochiometry problem. I took the…

An Indigenous Encounter

I am going to take a side-step today. Most of my posts have focused on actual classroom experiences. Today’s submission falls under the banner of life-long learning; specifically, my learning of late. I was in Winnipeg last week. This city lies in the middle (east-west) of Canada and is often referred to as the Gateway…

Me, a Freak?

Over the years I have worked with a number of school custodians (janitors). During that time I have also been involved with extra-curricular activities that, invariably, have added to their workload: locker and shower rooms in need of cleaning, stages needing to be swept, supplies to be replenished. Here’s a shout-out to those who came…

Rant # 1 – Where Do We Draw the Line

Rant # 1 – Where Do We Draw the Line I just read an article in the Globe and Mail titled, How should Canada teach financial literacy in schools? It included the statement, “School is an excellent place for young Canadians to learn about smart money-management habits and practices.” This statement brought back a number…

A Song in the Making

I believe it was 1991 when kindergarten was introduced to the New Brunswick public school system. Several years later, the Department of Education had the audacity to refer to grades 9 & 10 as the Foundation Years. So I guess that made K-8 the Pre-Foundation?  I want to salute our primary (K-2) teachers. They are…