I can appreciate the thought behind Secret Santa gift exchange. Names are picked randomly and anonymously from a hat. Participants then buy a gift under $15 for the person they picked. The gifts are to be signed from “Secret Santa.” I have had a few bad experiences with Secret Santa. I remember when I was…

I thought I’d take my classroom economy one step further. I was really happy with how it had turned out so far, and it seemed to be a good lesson in responsibility. This time, I would sustain it for a month and make it a class challenge. I gave each student in my class $20…

It started out simply enough. I wanted to give the students in my class a genuine experience working and dealing with money. It is a very practical application of math and the work that we need to do in class. So my idea, was to give each child $5.00 of play money. They really seemed…

Today is World Aids Day. What are you doing about it? I have decided to take my usually day off of blogging and post about this important topic. I watched some great coverage on music television yesterday that really got me thinking. B.E.T. dedicated their entire show last night to raising awareness about this deadly…

Blogs give you a great opportunity to get instant feedback on what you write. I love that feature so much. Getting comments on an entry is what really makes this whole experience worthwhile. Thank you to everyone who has made a comment here at some time. I know that not every post will speak to…

When you get a loan to go to school, you don’t think about it much. I know I didn’t. I was happy to have the opportunity to go to university and teacher’s college. I love my job and would never think about going back and doing things differently. Truth is, I really needed those loans…

Yesterday’s commonplace book quotation reminded me of a great book I read this summer. It was called The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. In this book, he tells us that all of our problems in life are simply situations. How we react to these situations is what causes the drama and pain in our…

The first term of school is now over. My report cards have all been written and this week we will have parent-teacher interviews. I like the procedure my school has for handing out report cards. I haven’t seen another school do it quite this way, and I must say that I really think this is…

Who am I?The guy no one pays attention tothe guy who doesn’t fit intothe stereotypical image, you know,the one you’re used to seeing Who are you?Everyone elsefamily, friends, colleagues, nameless otherswho meander in and out,on their own agendas I can feel indifferent and unconnected in that differenceuntil I take a moment and try to understandor…

Grade 6 is when my love of running began. Mr. Smith was our gym teacher, as well as the track & field and cross-country coach. He designed great running courses in the very limited space available. I will always remember that. He made maps of the running routes and gave them names such as the…