the active process of learning

This is a concept that I did not understand til I entered into the teaching profession and it continues to be a concept that I am struggling and working to fully comprehend. Learning is, as cheesy as it sounds, an active process and a journey. knowledge is not the destination but the journey which manifests itself in continuous questions and analysis.

Knowledge is ACTION. It should be classified as a verb because there is no closure, no stop to it unless you, yourself, make a conscious decision to form your mind around the schemas that exist within it and refuse to think outside of them.

Remember: what you pour into your heart, mind and soul will be the source you identify as you continue living. Let it be knowledge.

purpose

some people go through their entire lives not knowing their purpose, their life's meaning. others argue that there's really no such thing. but in the past two weeks, i have come to know mine. i have never felt so comfortable than at the head of a classroom. i am lucky that in 22 years, i finally was given the chance to live my purpose and to believe that i am on the path to what i truly want to do for the rest of my life.

dear John Steinbeck,

I haven't finished East of Eden yet, but the conversation I am having with you and your infinite wisdom is making me question everything.

Thank you.

my career summed up in a YouTube video

"Those who tell the stories hold the power."

- Plato

it upsets me to realize that not everyone believes in the equality that exists between humans. it upsets me that people do not see the value and worth of an African as equal to the value and worth of an American.

i understand the nationalism. in fact, i am almost envious of it being from Canada where nationalism, arguably, is not as significant in society as in other countries. i, however, believe that above our differing religions, cultures, races, genders, sexualities etc. we are all humans first. regardless of these differences, we are all classified as human. is it so hard to, first and foremost, belong to this group first? i'll admit, there are instances where i do not think about how my actions or words will affect a human, not only in close vicinity to me, but a human halfway around the world. i am aware of this. and i am trying to look past the negative effect of consumerism, personal practicality etc. that blind me and that keep me from helping my brothers and sisters.

i think we all have to become aware of our fallacies and aware of our own inadequacies when it comes to caring for our fellow human. by ignoring this, or by claiming that equality is a misplaced ideal, or by just being plain ignorant, we indirectly (or, in some cases, directly) become a facet of people's suffering.

the apprehension of joseph kony

should NOT be a national interest issue. 

is should be a human interest issue and one that continues to stay at the forefront of news, discussion and debate.

wisdom from tom shadyac

Just browsing Tom Shadyac's blog tonight and came upon this brilliant passage from one of his posts.

Inside you is the same infinite energy that created the universe.  As the modern mystic, Irwin Kula, knew, “Everything is god in drag.”

So the next time you’re told you need to be somebody, rest in the knowledge that you already are.  Hafiz implores us to wake up to this truth when he says: “I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.”

'Everything is god in drag.' What a loaded quote. I've reflected and have come to the conclusion that removing religion or faith in something (even if it is nothing) from this quote is quite impossible. If I am to apply this quote to what I believe, I cannot help but be relieved by its statement. In a couple of sentences, I believe that god comes from the goodness of people; god is present in everyone because everyone is born with the potential to do good. Whether that diminishes or grows over time can be a result of one's environment, but that core potential is there and, thus, god is everywhere. He/she/whatever is just present in differing levels and moods. So yes, god is indeed in drag. He/she/whatever wears whatever face each human is presenting to the world that day. God is everywhere.

And thank GOD that I don't need to be anyone else than who I am right in this very moment. I AM somebody. I must remain focused on who I am and what I can do rather than who I am not and what I cannot. This is something I struggle with. My mind wanders and imagines what life would be like if I was someone else or if I was doing something else. But I'm not. I am here. I am who I am and I cannot change that. I must be proud. We are all capable of such amazing things by harnessing our own selves and it is my hope that we awaken to this potential and translate it into bettering the world somehow.

occupy the classroom

  

Teachers hold our nation’s future right in front of them, as they serve 30—or at the high school level, 150—students per day. We teach academic subjects and implicitly share values and beliefs. Yet, society still devalues our importance in the development of children—paying us with lip service, handshakes, and thank-a-teacher projects, while simultaneously slipping us pink pieces of paper by the thousands. Add in the continued narrowing of our curricula, and we have a dangerous recipe that’s educating children to believe learning is only necessary for commerce.

Many teachers are protesting the direction education is heading, but we need a broader Occupy the Classroom movement to help us become the true leaders of our profession. Teachers as a whole don’t occupy—they are preoccupied. In English, that means "busy with other things often at the exclusion of other things." In Spanish, a more apt translation is "worried."

Teachers live in a space where they worry about every move they make—fearful that some administrator might come out of the bushes with a rubric that decides they're not proficient. We are preoccupied with unproven fads from the latest big expert or CEO selling a pre-packaged placebo, and it’s taking our schools down an ominous, robotic, and scripted road. via GOOD

It truly is a shame that more people either do not realize the effect or undervalue teachers have on youth. The best of teachers represent the best of society and we must begin to allow them to take control of the classroom; one teacher can make or break a student and by failing to recognize and appreciate them, we, in a sense, forsake our own futures. 

our liberty is bound together.

It was only a few hours ago that the Invisible Children celebrated a huge win when the President of the United States, Barack Obama, announced that 100 American advisors were to liaise with the Ugandan Military in order to apprehend and remove Joseph Kony and other top-ranking members of the Lord's Resistance Army from the battlefield.

I will admit that when I first read the headline of the Al Jazeera article which stated, "Obama sends US combat troops to Uganda", I was a tad apprehensive. I am a firm believer in providing people with the ability to help themselves rather than through monetary aid and donations when it comes to situations like this. But I continued reading and was immediately comforted by these quotes:

"Although the US forces are combat-equipped,they will only be providing information, advice and assistance to partner nation forces.  

They will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defence. All appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of US military personnel during their deployment" - Barack Obama

“To be clear, the 100 troops deployed are being sent in an advisory role, to support and augment the Ugandan Military with technology and strategy. They will not be involved in any offensive action. So any reference to an invasion or new war by the United States is absolutely ridiculous. This is a step in the right direction that we should all be proud of as Americans.” - Jedidiah Jenkins

Invisible Children has been SO influential in this decision and I, and many others, I'm sure, consider this a humongous win. I'm so incredibly proud of everyone at Invisible Children for all the work that has been done to secure THIS win, past wins and the future wins that are to come. We can do this.

Every war has an end.

The Fire - Katherine Neville

I have to say that I'm a little disappointed with this book. On numerous occasions when I felt like putting it down and giving up, I rallied because of the hope that it would get better.

It didn't.

And as a firm believer in the strength of the protagonist, there just wasn't any in Alexandra. She was no Cat Velis. I found her to be depending wholly on Vartan, Nokomis, Nim, her mother, her father, her boss, etc. etc. etc. She didn't have any agency as the main character. It's too bad, really. The book is definitely well-researched and Neville knows what she's talking about when it comes to chess, history, and geography, but the places she could've gone with this book were just never reached.

the pacific northwest roadies pay vancouver a visit

My heart is absolutely swelling with love after spending time with the Roadies. They make me so proud an they humble me with their hard work, generosity and enthusiasm. They have re-ignited my belief in the agency of youth and only make my faith in the goodness of people stronger. 

They are, quite literally, the movers and shakers. They are, as one person said tonight, doing the job the media has forgotten to do or has completely, purposely ignored. They are, without a doubt, messengers of empathy and they're on a rollercoaster ride that will change the world. I can only hope that Invisible Children will allow me to eventually jump on that rollercoaster with them.

the price of oppressing your women.

The following quotes are taken from a Al Jazeera article:

"At the top of the list - the "Best Places to be a Woman" - we see the usual suspects: Iceland and the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Canada. On that planet, we see rankings in the upper 90s for the survey's five categories: Justice, health, education, economics, and politics.

Women are out-earning men in college degrees (United States), domestic abusers are being banned from their homes and tracked with electronic monitors (Turkey), and female prime ministers are being elected (Denmark and Australia).

Now look at the other planet, "The Worst Places in the World to be a Woman". In Chad, the worst of the worst, women have "almost no legal rights", and girls as young as ten are legally married off, which is also true in Niger, the seventh worst place for a woman. Most women in Mali - the fifth worst - have been traumatised by female genital mutilation. In Democratic Republic of Congo, 1,100 women are raped every day. In Yemen, you are free to beat your wife whenever you like."

"When poor countries choose to oppress their own women, they are to some extent choosing their own continued poverty. Female oppression is a moral issue; but it also must be seen as a choice that countries make for short-term "cultural" comfort, at the expense of long-term economic and social progress."

"It is not politically correct to attribute any share of very poor countries' suffering to their own decisions. But it is condescending to refuse to hold many of them partly responsible for their own plight. Obviously, the legacy of colonialism - widespread hunger, illiteracy, lack of property or legal recourse, and vulnerability to state violence - is a major factor in their current poverty. But how can we blame that legacy while turning a blind eye to a kind of colonialism against women in these same countries' private homes and public institutions?"

"If you are not innumerate, you can start a business. If you are not living in mortal fear of rape and beatings at home, you can organise your community to dig a new well. If you are not subjecting your daughter to traumatic genital injury at three and marrying her off at ten, she can go to school. And, when she does marry and has children of her own, they will benefit from two educated, employed parents, which means twice as much literate conversation in the home, twice the contacts, and twice the encouragement to succeed.

Educated, pushy mothers make all the difference.

As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton put it in the Newsweek issue, "The world needs to think more strategically and creatively about tapping into women's potential for growth. Studies show that helping women access trade and grow businesses helps create jobs and boost incomes."

But on Planet Worst, forcing terrified, uneducated women to remain at home is more socially acceptable than facing the fact that this means choosing to drag down incomes for everyone. It is time to stop tiptoeing around the poorest countries' responsibility to do something essential about their own plight: Emancipate their women."

This article just spells it out in brilliant fashion. The education of women is underrated in what the article calls "Planet Worst" countries. When we allow women to expand out of the private sphere and into the public, we add 51% of the population to the labour force thus improving the economy. If we look at it from a strictly economic standpoint, this makes absolute sense. These countries are sacrificing economy for the cultural past. Does it say in your rulebook that you cannot make new traditions? That you cannot change or adapt? Do not adapt for the West's sake. Adapt for your own. Emancipate your women. Their education will better your country.

labels.

Privilege and oppression are around us every day. Because of society, we have these scripts, these preconceived notions of people based on their socially constructed differences. And yes, these may never go away, but it definitely aids personal development and growth if we become aware of our differences and immerse ourselves in them.

Some believe that the best method of addressing differences is to completely ignore them and say that everyone is equal because everyone is the same. Everyone shares their humanity. While this is true, merely doing this only perpetuates the dominant culture. By ignoring differences, we say that they don't matter. We become colorblind and, as such, we don't see the entire picture. Slapping a label on someone or pushing a stereotype onto them only perpetuates societal colorblindness. Not only does it damage society, but it takes away a person's agency to define who they truly are through their own actions.

These stereotypes can't be ignored. They're everywhere. But we need to open our minds and realize that humanity is beautiful because it is comprised of different souls and beings. We are beautiful in our differences and it is our duty as human beings to respect and accept each other for who we are.

See the person. And, above all, show them love.

We are the 99%

I have spent the last two days at the Occupy Wall Street gathering. It was a beautiful display of peaceful action: so much kindness and gentleness in the camp, so much belief in our world and democracy. And so many different kinds of people all looking for a chance at the dream that America had promised them.
When people critique this movement and say spurious things about the protesters’ clothes or their jobs or the general way they look, they are showing how shallow we have become as a nation. They forget that these people have taken time out of their lives to stand up for values that are purely American and in the interest of our democracy. They forget that these people are encamped in an urban park, where they are not allowed to have tents or other normal camping gear. They are living far outside their comfort zone to protect and celebrate liberty, equality and the rule of law.
It is a thing of beauty to see so many people in love with the ideal of democracy, so alive with its promise, so committed to its continuity in the face of crony capitalism and corporate rule. That should be celebrated. It should be respected and admired.
Their message is very clear and simple: get money out of the political process; strive for equality in taxation and equal rights for all regardless of race, gender, social status, sexual preference or age. We must stop poisoning our food, air and water for corporate greed. The people on Wall Street and in the banking industrial complex that destroyed our economy must be investigated and brought to justice under the law for what they have done by stealing people’s homes and savings.
Jobs can and must be created. Family farms must be saved. The oil and gas industry must be divested of its political power and cheap, reliable alternative energy must be made available.
This movement transcends political affiliations. America has been debased and degraded by greed. This has touched 99% of America’s population. The other 1% is doing just fine – with more than a third of the wealth of this nation. We all know people who have been hurt by the big rip-off. We all know people who have lost their jobs or their homes. We all know people who have had to go and fight wars that seem to have no objective and no end – leaving families for years on end without fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.
The 99% of us have paid a dear price so that 1% could become the wealthiest people in the world. We all pay insanely high energy prices while we see energy companies making record profits, year after year. We live with great injustices in the land of justice. We live with great lawlessness in the land of the law.
It’s time to check ourselves, to see if we still have that small part that believes in the values that America promises. Do we still have a shred of our decency intact in the face of debasement? If you do, then now is the time to give that forgotten part a voice.That is what this movement is ultimately about: giving voice to decency and fairness.
I invite anyone and all to participate in this people’s movement to regain your dignity and what you have worked for in this capitalist society. Each of us is of great value to the whole. Do not forget your greatness. Even when the world around you is telling you you are nothing. You have a voice. You want a better life for your children and the people you love. You live in a democracy. You belong, and you deserve a world that is fair and equal. You have a right to take your place and be heard.
Show up at an Occupy Wall Street gathering in any major city in the US. Hit your social media outlets. Tweet it. Facebook it. Talk it up. It’s easy to do nothing, but your heart breaks a little more every time you do.

If I had to add anything on to this beautiful piece of writing, it would be that you should never forget that regardless of what nation you live in, what religion you believe in, what culture you imbibe, how much money is in your pocket or your definition of family, we are all brothers and sisters in humanity. It is worth remembering that human emotion: hurt, joy, suffering and the ability to love cross between the lines of class, culture and the other minute differences that separate us. Whether you choose to express this empathy on a local, national or international level, however, is up to you.