Perspicacity

It's a nice sounding word. Now try to say it 5 times and fast! Stuck?? Perspicacity, perspicacity, perspicacity, perspicacity, perspicacity. It reminds me of part of a poem I once wrote:
Try as we might;
To shed some light;
Clarity (or Perspicacity)
Forever
Remains
Out of
sight.
On any topic, there are always more unanswered questions than answers. On love. On life. On kids. On death. On education (yes I did throw that one in!). So this summer, I am setting out on a quest to acquire a better understanding of some of these and other areas. In terms of education, I am taking an online course - yes teachers do spend their summers thinking about the fall. Until now, I wasn't really interested in the course I had signed up for. It was simply a course that I need to take another course that I plan to do next year. A stepping stone. Much to my surprise, I am really enjoying the course because I can still make links to secondary education and my prodigies are my kids. I was never interested in primary education because I felt it wouldn't challenge me in the way that I need to be challenged. I was wrong. It is the old adage: "You never know something until you try it." The course has really been interesting in terms of deciphering what kind of learner you are and what kind of learners your students are. Howard Gardner's multiple intelligence theory has been poked an prodded on so many levels that now there are so many types of quizzes used to describe learning style. So here's a really good one done by the Birmingham Grid for Learning:

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

My hidden talent

“Can you say it again,” asked my 10 grade English teacher Mr. Proctor.
Oh no, I thought, after presenting a memorized soliloquy of a Shakespearean play. Did I screw up my lines? Perhaps I wasn’t loud enough? So I repeated my lines once more as Mr. Proctor listened intently.
Afterwards he said, “You have a gift.”
So now I was getting a present?? My bewilderment was obvious.
“Your pronunciation and enunciation was flawless and your ability to move people with your voice is remarkable,” he continued.
“Oh.” I said, still bewildered and now dumbfounded. I walked back to my seat to digest the news.
I had enjoyed reading Shakespeare aloud; except for the memorization part (I have a terrible memory). By evening my glee was obvious.
“Mr. Proctor says I have a gift!” I screamed when my mom walked through the door. As I spilled all the gory details to my mom, I awaited her response.
“That’s good,” she said. “But ask Mr. Proctor how the gift can help you in your future career.”
Future career? What difference did that make? I thought. I have a gift. Period.
My mom explained, “People often make career decisions based on their talents. If this is one of your talents, then you need to know how you can use it to your advantage.”
I guess she had a point. The next day, I gathered up the courage to ask Mr. Proctor the very same question. Mr. Proctor paused for a moment then said:
“You could be an actor,”
Acting? I was definitely not into acting. I am extremely straightforward and acting in any situation is not my forte.
“Or you could go into languages.”
Okay. Getting warmer. I did love learning French.
“Or you could be a teacher.”
Maybe, I thought, he’s onto something, as I walked back to my seat.


I recently shared this story with my students last week to explain that all of them have talents in different areas. Sometimes, someone points us in the right direction. Sometimes we choose to ignore the signs. I know I did. Luckily, my career destiny did finally materialize. The signs are always there. And destiny always wins.

Le Racisme

En lisant le journal hier et aujourd’hui, j’étais bouleversée en apprenant qu’il y avait un incident de racisme et l’intimidation dans une école où j’ai travaillé, il n’y a pas longtemps. Je n’étais pas complètement surprise en entendant de ces nouvelles de racisme, parce que je sais que cela a existé pendant mon séjour. Je l'ai senti parmi quelques étudiants et malheureusement parmi leurs parents. Cependant, mon expérience personnelle n’était pas complètement mauvaise. Et d’après les 400 élèves qui ont protesté à Keswick High School contre le racisme et l’intimidation et en faveur du garçon qui a été intimidé, il est évident qu’on peut affecter le change. Pourquoi le garçon qui a été intimidé, était-il accusé, c’est une question que tout le monde pose. Connaissons-nous tous les détails de tout ce qui s’est passé ? Probablement non. Est-il juste qu’un garçon qui a été harcelé et frappé par un autre, soit chargé de l’assaut physique à cause qu’il s’est défendu contre son agresseur ? Le garçon qui s’est défendu avait une ceinture noire en karaté. Jusqu’à quel point peut-on utiliser la force pour se défendre contre l’harcèlement et l’intimidation ? Apparemment, la loi dit qu’on n’a pas le droit de se défendre jusqu’au point que l’agression devient excessif. En tant que quantité, qu’est-ce qui constitue la force excessive ? Est-ce qu’on doit attendre jusqu’on reçoit trois coups de poings avant de réagir ? Est-ce que nos lois sont trop rigides pour évoquer la justice ? Ce sont des questions que je poserai dans mes classes dans la lutte contre le racisme et l’intimidation.

It’s a cruel, cruel winter. . .

January is scorching by in its usual frigid way and what are you still doing? Feeling cold? Feeling sorry for yourself as you brace for the next snowfall or record cold temperatures? Hibernating? Trying to nurse a cough or a cold which just won’t go away?

Prepare for summer. Ahhh, summer. The sweetness of summer is indescribable, like opening up that 1st delectable chocolate truffle and feeling it melt in your mouth as you close your eyes. In the summer, birds in the sky retract their wings to say “thank you.”

Winter must also be thanked for its blahs and blues. The true meaning of summer cannot be understood without a good dose of winter. Its stark contrast is what makes it apparent and appeasing. Like Black and White. Imagine. A black man in a white house. That is apparent and appeasing.

The winter is long and bitter. It tempts and taunts us with its glittering icicles and singable snowmen. It is not long before frostbite sets in. There appears to be no end in sight.

Never fear. Summer is here. Imagine a field. Imagine the wind blowing softly upon this field. Imagine the sound of music. A dance, perchance? Only the imagination can conjure up images of such contrived contradiction.

The reality of summer may be months away but its image is forever etched in our hearts.

Teaching the universal culture

Many proponents of 2nd language teaching have often claimed it necessary to not only teach a language but also the culture. In the case of French language education, this culture would be the Québécois or French (France) culture. I have heard many professors from French backgrounds discuss the importance of conveying the context in which the language is being spoken to the students. I do not agree with this assertion.

As Julie Barlow and Jean Benoit-Nadeau claim in their book “The Story of French”, French is the world’s second international language after English in terms of number of countries where it is spoken. That is to say, its culture is universal and cannot be watered down to two places where the language may have originated.

As an immigrant who learned French as a second language and now teaches it in high school, I can say that I am not “culturally enriched” in the language. Instead, I teach French as a tool for communication. It can be used to express ideas orally and in writing. Unfortunately when French is taught in the context of its founding country or province, many universal truths are missed.

French is spoken in over 52 countries in the world and is a dominant language in Africa. Although the accent varies, it is widely spoken and understood. I remember going to Nairobi, Kenya and teaching French at the Aga Khan Academy. The kids did not have textbooks, only paper and pens. I was the textbook and they took copious notes. Did I talk about France and Quebec as I taught them? No. Here I was, halfway around the world and I was teaching French – as a communication tool.

As a French Immersion teacher, I teach novels. Many schools over the years have taught typical French and Québécois novels in which there are many cultural expressions and thought. I have shied away from Québec plays and instead teach “La Route de Chlifa” – a wonderful novel about a boy from Lebanon and his experiences during the war. It is fraught with many ideas. One such idea is to leave a country of strife during the war but then to get an education, go back and improve the living conditions of the people in the country.

The novel does not teach us about the French culture. Instead it teaches us about others’ culture, of their strife and of their ways to cope. It simply conveys these ideas in French. French is a means to an end. Let's make it a universal end.

La Réussite!!

On réussit à quelque chose quand on se sent satisfait avec les résultats de nos efforts. En tant que professeur, on veut toujours inpirer nos étudiants à réussir. En leur réussite est ma réussite. Je suis très contente aujourd'hui avec la réussite de mes étudiants. 2 ont été publiés dans un journal français et je me sens un peu responsable alors qu'ils suivaient mes directions. Cependant la réussite appartient à elles, qui ont fait des recherches et l'analyse non seulement de l'article mais aussi de ce qui se passe dans le monde à propos du SIDA. J'en suis très fière. Quelle réussite!!

Voici le lien (les deux commentaires appartiennent à mes étudiants!)

http://www.lexpress.to/forum/467/

Violence in Schools

In the wake of yesterday's shooting at Bendale Technical Institute, many people in Toronto are weighing in on the issue of violence in schools. I used to work for the TDSB at a school not too far from Bendale (but with a great view of the lake). I have also worked at a school in a more violent neighbourhood, across from CW Jeffries, where Jordan Manners was killed. Any administrator will tell you that a school's utmost priority is the safety of its students. As teachers, we are given the responsibility of helping to maintain that priority (without endangering our own lives, of course.)

Many schools in the TDSB have uniformed police officers in the hallways who will be patrolling the schools but also will begin to get involved into school life as coaches and mentors. As time goes on, Toronto schools are slowly beginning to resemble schools south of the border where uniformed officers (and non-uniformed) and metal detectors are present.

The YRDSB has not yet encountered this magnitude of violence in its schools. That is not to say it is unlikely. Perhaps in a few years, it too will resort to different levels of security for its students. Currently, teachers and administrators "police" the schools. That is to say, we have "hall duty" or "cafeteria duty" etc. Do we take our walkie-talkies with us? Absolutely! We also stage code red drills where students practise "taking cover" to simulate a "lock down" situation for the school. We have video surveillance in the halls and outside the school. We have a great relationship with the police.

Precautions in place, can a school truly be safe? No, but we will continue to try!!