Category: Education

NaPoWriMo Day 19

On By WinstonIn Education, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Personal, Poetry, Society, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Once again, I am writing a day behind. It seems to be my new standard, but at least it’s done. Only eleven more to go.  Today’s offering is about believing in your dreams regardless of what “everybody knows”.

On What Is Impossible

It’s true that wonders never cease,

More happen every day.

Impossible is just a word,

Those with no vision say.

 

Next month SpaceX will launch a ship,

With astronauts to space.

Impossible so many said,

No way they’ll win that race.

 

In Mexico a neighbourhood,

Of 3D printed dreams.

Impossible or so they thought,

Quite possible it seems.

 

A place where are all are free to live,

And be just who they are.

Impossible? I pray it’s not,

Still sometimes seems so far.

 

Eight billion mouths and more to feed,

Then better crops design.

“Impossible! I’ll never eat,

those GMOs malign!”

 

For every wonderous thing we do,

There’s shouting from the wings.

“Impossible! Impossible!

You cannot do these things!”

 

The solvers and the dreamers know,

This secret sweet and true.

Impossible is just a word,

Let none take that from you.

 

Cheers, Winston

 

 

NaPoWriMo Day 4

On By WinstonIn Education, Environment, Global Issues, NaPoWriMo, Nature, Personal Responsibility, Science, SocietyLeave a comment

Earlier I was watching TED/Ed as one does when they are at work. And I came across this talk by Xiye Bastida ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBeU6UZyPjY&feature=emb_title ). It inspired today’s offering.

On Xiye Bastida

I just believe she said to me,

as hope shone from her eyes.

I know you don’t, and that’s okay,

my dream fits every size.

 

For each good thing there is in life,

was once just someone’s dream.

Belief is what brings them to life,

hold it in high esteem.

 

Then as I saw the hope in her,

it kindled hope in me.

And as it grew I understood,

You must believe to see.

 

Now as I watch, a million more,

once more start to believe.

They share her dream and dare to hope,

it’s one we can achieve.

 

Every good thing that we have,

and every bad as well,

was once a dream in someone’s heart.

You never can quite tell.

 

Before you mock or just dismiss,

the dream she has to share.

Please understand, it’s not a plan,

Just asking you to care.

 

Now I believe. It’s not that hard.

But making dreams come true,

that takes an act of purest will,

and sacrifices too.

 

So I believe, take baby steps,

to build tomorrow’s world.

Inspired by the faith and dream,

Of this young, hopeful girl.

 

Cheers, Winston

Personal Poetry Challenge Day Sixty-Six

On By WinstonIn Education, Loving Life, Personal, Personal Poetry Writing Challenge, PoetryLeave a comment

As I said in yesterdays post, my daughter just finished college.  I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say until I started writing. 

Your Proud Dad

Three years of projects, papers, tests ,
Exam time twice a year.
All culminate in this one night,
When loved ones come to cheer.

You’ve worked so hard and stayed the course,
However hard it got.
And now you stand upon the stage,
In your deserved spot.

You’ve learned so much from books and life,
My child you’ve grown so.
And now your life unfolds ahead,
Just choose where you will go.

Your school done you look ahead,
Look now at where you are.
Look back at where you were before,
I’m proud you’ve come so far.

My graduate l’m proud of you,
And all you’ve accomplished.
You’ve learned so much and come so far,
You’re all I could have wished.

Love you Cynthia.  Win

Mr. Fischer, Mr. Huckabee, This Means You

On By WinstonIn Education, Media, Politics, Religion, Society, Uncategorized, Values1 Comment

Bryan Fischer, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and those like them have no clue how Christianity works. I’ll tell you why I say that. These are the people trying to link the Sandy Hook shootings to a lack of prayer in schools. That’s just plain stupid.

Anyone who actually takes the time to look at the Bible knows the only place Jesus needs an invitation to is a persons heart. It doesn’t say you have to pray in school, or at work, or on TV. In fact, it says quite the opposite. Jesus himself is quoted instructing his followers not to make a big public display of their faith, rather to keep their prayers private and just between them and God.

As for Mr Fischer claiming that we’ve “kicked God out of our schools”. That’s not really possible. You see God doesn’t live in our schools, or offices or even our churches. God lives in our hearts. Where ever there is someone who believes in God, God is there. You can drop a person in the deepest, darkest hole there is and carve “NO GOD ALLOWED” in ten foot high letters on every surface. If that person believes, God will be in there with them.

So Mr. Fischer, Mr. Huckabee and all those like them need to understand this. The children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary didn’t die because they didn’t pray in class that morning. They died because a disturbed person had too easy access to guns. Not everyone believes what you do (which is a good thing in your case) so they may not want their children subjected to your beliefs every morning. They have that right.

Please stop trying to use this horrible crime to score cheap points with your fan base. Those who died were actual people, not pawns in your twisted game of religious extremism. Contrary to your nasty little delusions, you can’t kick God out of anyone else’s life. You can only kick him out of your own by being vile, self-serving, scumbags.

Mr. Fischer, Mr. Huckabee thus means you.

Cheers, Winston

What Created These Student Debts?

On By WinstonIn Education, Personal Responsibility, Society, Uncategorized, Values1 Comment

I was reading an article about the student debt crisis in the U.S. and it started me thinking about the students I know here in Canada. The national number may be lower (some estimates put U.S. student debt at $1,000,000,000,000) but on an individual basis, it’s just as painful to those who must repay it.

All of this raises the question of why this debt exists in the first place. Why do students take out loans they have no reasonable hope of repaying? Having taken the loan, why are they then complaining about their debt levels and defaulting in record numbers?

At least part of the answer lies in our societal notion of entitlement. We are trained from an early age to expect the world to give us what we want. We are taught that our jobs should be fullfilling and where possible, something we love and want to spend the rest of our lives working at. Which is why I’ve known several young people who enrolled in film school. It is their passion… but how employable is it?

That is a major consideration when looking at the student debt issue. When taking out that student loan, how many people are looking at the actual projected demand for their eventual skills. Likewise, most “academic” subjects such as English Literature, Political Science, Anthropology etc have relatively few postings relative to the number of people enrolled in each cohort. A prime example being a very pleasant young man I knew several years ago. He spent 6 years working as an investment banker to pay off his Philosphy degree. He hated working as an investment banker, but there just weren’t that many paid openings for a philospher.

Since many students have shown a fairly consistent disregard for this idea, it falls to the lenders to implement it. A simple actuarial table such as those employed by insurance companies would be a start. All that would be required would be data tracking which career paths have the highest probability of repaying the loan. It’s not perfect, but it’s a place to start.

At the same time, everyone from parents to guidance counsellors need to start rethinking the message they give their children. It’s not about doing something you love, it’s all about making a living… and repaying those loans. Most people don’t love their jobs. That’s why employers pay them to show up for work. By encouraging our young people to focus less on the “dream” job and a little more on “real” jobs, we might give them a better chance to get out from under those student loans before their own kids go all post-secondary.

I know that it’s everybody’s dream to see their children graduate from college or university. The problem isn’t the dream, it’s the nightmare. It’s a student loan that prevents them from getting a car, or a house, or travelling or any of the other things that they can’t dc when they have to spend every dime servicing a massive student loan. I’m not saying they shouldn’t get a post-secondary education, I’m just saying they should be a little bit smart and a little bit choosy about what they get.

Until people on both sides of the process start thinking it through before signing the loan application, it’s not going to change. Until then, bad decisions are what created these student debts.

Cheers, Winston

“The Beast” Is Going High Tech

On By WinstonIn Education, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Religion, Society, Uncategorized, ValuesLeave a comment

John Jay High School, is part of the Northside Independent School District in Texas now requires its students to wear I’D tags with RFID chips to track students whereabouts during the school day. While some people are raising concerns about privacy, student Andrea Hernandez has a very different issue with them. Miss Hernandez believes the tags are “the mark of the Beast” as seen in the book of Revelations in the Bible.

The school has offered to issue her a tag with the chip and battery removed but this is not enough. With the support of her family, she is refusing to wear any form of ID tag issued by the government via the school. The school is being demonized in the media for allegedly threatening to expell Miss Hernandez for refusing to be tracked with an RFID chip. This is not the case.

The school district has offered a compromise, but the Hernandez family allegedly believes that “any kind of identifying badge issued by the government is the mark of the beast”. As a result, Andrea refuses to wear even the ID badge with the chip removed. That’s her right.

I don’t believe what the Hernandez family believes and that’s okay. I don’t have to share their beliefs to respect them. I would question whether either of her parents have a drivers license or social security number. Regardless of the answer to that question, what is wanted here is a little reciprocity. The Hernandez family needs to respect the school districts belief that all students need to be treated equally.

Every other student has to wear these ID tags. They have chosen to go along with the program in order to continue attending school in that district. No one is forcing Andrea to wear an ID tag. It is entirely Miss Hernandez choice. What is missing here, is the understanding that choosing not to wear the tag means choosing not to attend that school. No one is forcing her out. It’s all about the choices she is making. I’m not judging her choice as right or wrong. I simply want it acknowledged that she is the one making the decision about whether or not she will attend this school, not the school district.

Over the years I’ve attended many Bible studies and read much of the Bible. Nowhere in it is there anything to suggest that school ID cards, even ones with RFID chips are “the mark of the Beast”. It’s actually pretty clear about what that will look like. It’s nothing to do with school IDs. Unless the Bible got it wrong and the Beast is going high tech.

Cheers, Winston

A Little Glimpse Of The Future

On By WinstonIn Education, Humor, Personal Responsibility, Society, Uncategorized, Values1 Comment

This morning as I was browsing headlines from United Press International, I came across a story about 125 University students suspected of cheating on a final exam. The students are accused of either working together to come up with the answers or copying off one and other. One might reasonably suspect that it should be tricky to get it past the people monitoring the test and normally you’d be right. Not so much in this case.

You see, this was a Take Home final exam. That’s right folks a final exam you can do at home. I may have to go back to school because finals didn’t include that option back in the day. I could get into that. Have a couple of beers to help me relax so I’m not all stressed about the exam. Maybe call up the a friend or two if I get stuck…… which is apparently exactly what about 125 of them decided to do.

Now if you’re wondering what sort of “B” grade, low-rent school might offer “We don’t really give a crap.” home final exams, turns out it’s pretty common. What they call an “exam” is actually an end of term essay paper. They are done at home to allow time for research, rewrites and consults with fellow students. This only becomes a problem when large numbers of students turn in essentially the same paper, sighting the same sources and presumably featuring the same spelling and grammatical errors.

But wait the humor only gets richer as we go. The house of higher learning involved in this fiasco….. Harvard. Yep. That Harvard. Ivy league creator of future Captains of Industry and Masters of the Ship of State. They are imbuing their students with such a “victory at any cost” mentality that a rather large clump of them felt that blatant cheating was an acceptable way to compete and get ahead. Then we are all surprised when they graduate obsessed only with personal advancement devoid of any conception of right, wrong or the greater good.

As a final little pop of comedy gold can anyone guess which course The Young and The Stupid were enrolled in? Obviously, it could only have been an introductory course on……. Government! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, those who fancy themselves our future leaders have no problem cheating their asses off to avoid anything like actual work. One can only wonder to what depths they would stoop to secure that plum congressional seat or governorship.

How’s that for an unsettling little peek at the future?

Cheers, Winston

Nickelodeon Says It’s Okay To Vandalize School Property

On By WinstonIn Education, Media, Personal Responsibility, Pop Culture, Society, ValuesLeave a comment

My daughter is a fan of the Nickelodeon show Victorious.  It’s not one I’ve taken the time to watch, but the bits I’ve seen over her shoulder tell me it’s another teen/highschool dramedy.  Seen one, seen them all.  Or so I thought.  Then I caught a couple of minutes on while it was recording on the PVR.

One of the characters skips a couple of classes.  Her friends determine that she is upset because the school isn’t going produce the play she wrote.  Apparently, they found it too “strange and disturbing”.  Her friends are concerned for her, and go look for her.  They find her in the janitors closet where she is cutting up a large wastebasket with pair of scissors.

One of her classmates is impressed that she cut up the janitors large waste bin with a pair of scissors.  That’s it.  No one comments on her destroying school property.  The episode goes on from there with no further mention of it.  How is that an appropriate message?

The school won’t produce her play, so she starts destroying school property.  Everyone’s okay with this.  The writers, actors, editors, show-runners, everyone.  People complain all the time about how violent or “immoral” programs are destroying today’s youth.  How about youth programming that doesn’t think before it broadcasts?

Sure, I realize that it’s just a waste bin.  I realize that she’s supposed to be high strung and emotional because she’s creative.   She’s just expressing her emotional distress.  Yeah right.  If one of the teachers says her play is poorly written, do we get a hilarious scene of her slashing their tires.  Too much of a stretch to assume that such an emotionally stunted and self-obsessed character might respond to criticism that way?  Ummm…. probably not.

Under the guise of “youth oriented” programming, they are normalizing this type of behavior.  Let me break this down for you.  A student writes a play and offers it to their school.  The school deems it unsuitable and declines to produce it.  Rather than accepting the decision and either re-writing it or seeking another venue, the student starts destroying school property.  How is that depicting any type of healthy behavior?

Nickelodeon’s message of the day, “If someone doesn’t let you do what you want, destroy their property.  It may not solve the problem, but it will show everyone how angst laden you are about things.”  Great conflict resolution skills you’re teaching there team.

I bet Victorious gets a couple of awards for that one.  I’m just glad my daughter is eighteen.  She’s always been pretty good about understanding that not everything in “G” rated programming is appropriate in the real world.  I’m more concerned about the viewers who may not make that distinction.

Cheers, Winston

Happy 40th Greenpeace!

On By WinstonIn Education, Environment, Global Issues, Green Energy, Personal Responsibility, Politics, Society, ValuesLeave a comment
http://www.greenpeace.org

Despite the fondest wishes of so many who opposed it, Greenpeace turned forty this year.  I remember as a child back in the early ’70s listening to all the talk about this group of “hippies” that were interfering with nuclear testing.  Because of the cold war, it seemed pretty obvious to a child like me that if no one could test nukes, maybe they wouldn’t be able to destroy the world with them.  Then I learned a little more.

From my late teens to my mid-twenties, I went through a more conservative phase where I believed they were a menace.  They hadn’t stopped nuclear testing to save me, but to save a bunch of wildlife.  I like wildlife as much as the next person, but let’s get our priorities straight shall we.  Then I learned a little more.

For the past fifteen years or so, I’ve been a dues paying member of Greenpeace.  I’ve watched the world stand by and allow the wholesale destruction of the natural world.  Only one group that I’ve seen has put out a consistent message backed by non-violent action to try an curb that trend.  That group is Greenpeace.

Contrary To Their Commercials, This Is What The Tar Sands REALLY Look Like

Yep, that’s beautiful northern Alberta in Canada.  The company’s that run the oil sands projects have been putting out commercials that make it look all clean and friendly.  (I was going to put a link to the ad here, but can’t seem to find that commercial anywhere.)

Greenpeace has been fighting for years to get some sort of environmentally responsible action from CAPP (Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers).  Activists have occupied sites, caused work stoppages and worked to make the rest of the world aware of this tragic rape of Canada’s wilderness.  It’s a slow process, made more so when the government at every level is on the side of those committing the crime.

They wanted to “save the whales” before it became a catchall phrase to describe anyone who cares about the environment.  They also worked to keep Antarctica free, to stop overfishing on the high seas, to stop deforestation in South America, stop toxic and nuclear waste from being dumped into high seas, to stop our society from creating toxic nightmares by selling our electronic waste to companies that dump it on impoverished, third world shorelines to be manually broken down, recycled and burned in open fires.

Yeah, I can see now why some people think they’re radicals.  Obviously, their opposition to genetically modified crops is just a ploy to cause famine.  It couldn’t possibly have to do with Monsanto and co. owning the genetic rights to an ever increasing slice of the worlds seed crops.   Nonsense, how could that possibly be a bad thing.  It’s not like they can claim the rights to seeds from plants which have been inadvertently been cross pollinated from a neighboring field.  Oh wait.  Yes they can.

So yes, I give money every month to Greenpeace.  I’m not out protesting or organizing or any of that stuff.  That’s not me.  Not at this time anyway.  Who knows what the future will bring.  I think it says enough that right now when money’s kind of an issue, I haven’t missed a payment.   Now I’ve learned a little more.

I’m still a dues paying member of Greenpeace.  Because once you learn some things, they can’t be unlearned.

Cheers, Winston

When Different Is Deadly

On By WinstonIn Discrimation, Education, Personal, Personal Responsibility, SocietyLeave a comment

Fourteen year old Jamey Rodemeyer from western New York has allegedly killed himself as result of bullying and harassment over his sexuality. At a school dance attended by his sister who had just been to his wake, the dance organizers played his favorite song in his memory. Some of the students present chanted, “better off dead”.

Remember when you were a kid and someone said something mean? You’d report it to your parent, your teacher, whoever and you always got the same line. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It’s a lie.

I was bullied as a kid. I committed the same crime as Jamey. Not homosexuality, the bigger crime. I was different. I was the only kid in my school who didn’t have electricity, or running water, or a phone. We didn’t have a lot of money, so most of my clothes were hand-me-downs. No electricity meant I didn’t watch sports, or the newest hit TV shows.

Yep, I was different, and some of my fellow students let me know every chance they got. I’m here to tell you, those words hurt. I’ve had my nose broken, my jaw dislocated, and been beat down once or twice. All of those injuries healed up and faded one hell of a lot faster than the hits my psyche took.

My parents and teachers were a product of their time. The stock answer was “Sticks and stones…..hurt me.” My Dad’s preferred answer was to stop whining about it and stand up for myself. My Mom was sympathetic, but pretty much followed Dad’s line of “Beat up the bullies and they’ll leave you alone.” Not the most helpful advice ever. Mostly because I weighed eighty pounds, but also because beating someone up because they said something mean tended to have repercussions.

I’ll be honest, there was a while when I thought it would be preferable to be dead than to endure another day of it. But I managed to endure it. I built myself a mental hole, crawled into it, and I stayed there. I’ve spent the last twenty years digging my way out again.

I can understand why Jamey did what he did. Sometimes it gets to be too much. There’s no way to fight back. There’s no where to go. There’s no consequences for your tormentors. Dead is the only out. At least right then. Later, with a different perspective, I understand some of my other options. Jamey will never have that luxury.

But the truth is, Jamey didn’t take his own life. He was killed. As surely as if they put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He was killed by every person who called him “fag“, or “queer“, or “girly girl“. He was killed by every person who heard them and didn’t call them out on it. He was killed by the guidance counselor who’s helpful advice was,”Stop spending time with girls.” He was killed by a society that allows bullying. A society that celebrates the cult of popularity where if you aren’t popular, you’re nothing.

He was killed by a society that allows students at a school function attended by Jamey’s sister to chant “better off dead”, and one student gets suspended.

He was killed by a society where it’s okay to make a fourteen year old boys life a living hell. He was killed by OUR society, where different is too often a synonym for victim. Where different is too often deadly.

Cheers, Winston