October 2007

  • Happy Halloween!

    This is a painting that our class made together. We hope that you all have a safe and Happy Hallloween!


  • Commonplace Book # 7

    “All kinds of prison, and I’m stuck in the worst: the prison of doubt” – Twice in a Lifetime. TV episode. Twice in a Lifetime is a hard show to explain. It is a feel-good show that gives people a second chance at their life. A character dies at the start of every episode and […]


  • Canadian T.V. is not an Oxymoron!

    I know many people who dismiss any television show simply because it is a Canadian production. These people will make negatives comments and say that a show sucks even without seeing a single moment of it. I can’t really understand this way of thinking. Canadians have just as much talent as Americans. We have had […]


  • Hip Hop in Final Jeopardy

    The night before last, I was watching Jeopardy as I often do. The Final Jeopardy category was sports documentaries. The clue said something to the effect that “He was cited as creating “rap” in the 1960s in an ESPN documentary .” Huh? What? I know the history of hip hop and I know where it […]


  • Recommended Reads # 4

    I just finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I wanted to read it because it gets referenced in so many other works of art. Even rap songs mention this literary classic. Upon reading it, I can see why. It is a very poetic and touching book. I could barely put the thing […]


  • Always a Scapegoat

    Hip Hop gets made out to be a scapegoat a lot. Last night though, I laughed out loud at the latest problem that someone pointed the finger at this genre of music that I will forever champion. I was channel surfing and flipped onto MTV Live (Canada). They were talking about environmental issues in a […]


  • Truth in Joking?

    “Off-comments are, often, painfully on.” – Chase March. 2004 I wrote that line in a journal a few years back. I had gotten into a bit of a disagreement with my girlfriend. I was trying to be witty and funny and made what I thought was an off-comment. I didn’t mean anything by it. It […]


  • Play to Learn

    It seems to me that children have forgotten how to play. They sit for hours and hours in front of the television. They let video games show them imaginative worlds and mindlessly press away at the buttons. They watch all the newest movies and seemed starved for the latest releases. Do children go out and […]


  • Best Concerts Ever!

    I can’t resist a great concert. Music is meant to be experienced live. CDs, and radio are great but nothing is better than live music. Hamilton is a great city for musical events. When I was a teenager and young adult, I would go out to shows every weekend. It was amazing. Unfortunately, I don’t […]


  • Character Counts

    Next week is National Character Counts Week. As a teacher, I strongly believe in character education. It is important to teach children these ethical values; Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship. The Character Counts website calls these traits the six pillars of character. I have signed up with the website and they have some excellent […]