September 2007

  • Commonplace Book # 1

    I started a commonplace book a few years ago. In it, I collect quotations from things I have read or heard. I now have 245 entries in it, little tidbits of wisdom and information. I have actually put DVDs on pause so that I could write down some of the dialogue. When I read a […]


  • What a Night for Music!

    Yesterday was the day for music television. I rushed home from work to see the hip hop battle on 106 and Park. 50 Cent and Kayne West both came off as real down to life guys. It felt like a copout though when they announced the number 1 video at the end of the show […]


  • Clash of the Titans

    Two of the biggest names in hip hop right now are coming out with albums today. It’s been billed as the Clash of the Titans. Two giants in the industry competing over sales. Kayne West vs. 50 Cent. I can’t remember something like this happening in recent memory. I know that artists have to compete […]


  • Test the Nation

    Last night, I was one of many Canadians to take part in the largest interactive language test ever in the country. It was shown on the CBC and viewers could take the test with pencil and paper, a scorecard out of the newspaper, or live online. I watched the show with a teacher friend of […]


  • Recommended Reads # 2

    Recommended Reads is a series of this blog where I share with you some of my favourite books. You can keep track of all the recommended reads by clicking on the label on the sidebar. I know that there are thousands of good books and that there is no way you can possible read all […]


  • Free Preview

    I was flicking through the television stations aimlessly the other day. Nothing was on. I searched in vain to find something worth watching. It’s been a tiring week and I needed to just kick back and relax, but nothing was on. As I channel surfed, I noticed that I seemed to get a few channels […]


  • How to Listen

    Believe it or not, students need to be taught how to listen. Here is a poster I made up, (well actually I borrowed the idea from somewhere) to help focus on what we should do to listen well. Once again, being succinct is key. We listen with out eyes – look at who is speaking. […]


  • Digital Woes

    I took pictures of my first day of school that I wanted to post up here. After school was over and the students had left, I tried hooking my camera up to the computer to download the photos. I got an error message that said there was no data to transfer. I said, “What?!!?,” unplugged […]


  • It Starts Again

    It’s the last long weekend of the summer. The final hurrah. And what am I doing? Spending the majority of it in the classroom. I have to get ready for the first day of school tomorrow. It starts again. One interesting thing about teaching is that you need to constantly reinvent yourself, your routines, and […]