Online Teaching

"Technology takes you beyond the classroom: as a digital citizen, you need to be productive, organised and act responsibly, safely and legally in the digital arena to protect yourself and your learners."

The digital Teacher is a site where you can go. It's a free site. 

There are lots of platform, things like Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, WebRoom.

You can find Skype tutorial, Zoom tutorial, WebRoom tutorial. 

Teaching reading, speaking, listening and writing online is different from the face-to-face environment, but that doesn't mean it's less effective. 

Working with a group in a digital environment is different from those of a face-to-face group. 

The first thing we can do is to model good communication and polite, respectful behaviour. We need to treat our students in the way that we expect them to behave with each other and show interest in their lives in the way that we hope they show interest in each other's lives.

If possible, use breakout rooms to allow for pair or small group work. This puts learners in control of the conversation and helps them get used to conversing online without you controlling the conversation as usually happens in the main classroom.

One aspect of teaching online that a teacher must consider is online security and privacy.

Teachers shouldn't use or share copyrighted material that they don't have permission to use online. 

Lord Love a Duck!

Good Morning_and there is "a happening"_I was walking Caffé (our farm dog) on the back road of the farm, and over head, I heard BAA MEHHHH bleating!!! Lord love a duck!

It was a huge flock of sheep! in a long V formation. Caffé and I stopped and waited for them to cross the road. It is important to be able to experience true awe. While children have an innate ability to live in the moments, adults tend to find it more challenging.

When we are in front of an amazement-including-experience, we have to be present enough to allow it to overwhelm us. Every day, on my balcony, I take time to study the changing colours of the sky during an incredible sunset or during dawn.

You don't need a passport to experience AWE! just seek out nature, slow down, and have some me-time Indeed, Awe delivers the greatest boost to wellbeing.

It is very hot here, humid too, with wall to wall mosquitoes, but I love being in the countryside.
I love living in a tropical sunshine, floating in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, having the sandy beaches and whispering palms, telling me tales of a dense seascape over an incomparable blue sea. I like to take a moment to be thankful for the opportunities I have.

I am dumbfounded by the fact that I am in my 50s, apart from when I do Pilates, when I am creakier (than I used to be :) I don't think we feel different as we age. I have found my stride and everything's starting to fall into place.

I like to take a moment to be thankful for the opportunities I have. My family are down-to-earth people and I love them!

I am where I hoped I would be with my family and career. I love the fact that I teach, and I have done that for 24 years. Please, God, let the next decade be more the same!

There are still things I want to achieve, but rather than a "to-do" list, I make a "to-be" list.

My voice as an activist has been one that questions and challenges, and I am consistently using different platforms to try to make a difference.

One of the things I like most about human beings is our capacity for change. The older I get, the better I get at recognizing my flaws. But I am very lucky to have grown up with parents who instilled such a great value system in me. I am proud of my values.

I am very much a searcher and quite an active person. I cannot do the passive thing! I need to find something to do and explore.

Yes, 2020 has been challenging, but there were some amazing achievements, too. If ever there is a time to practise self-care, it is the time, now!

Liberate yourself from doing what everyone expects of you and do something just because you want to. Doodle, write and stick on pictures that inspire you.

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF!

Enjoy SILENCE! But if the silence overwhelms you, and you can't get outside because of the confinement, listen to some music or a podcast.

I have dedicated one door in our new rented apartment to photographs. This door reminds me everyday that we are bound together by love and shared memories and a willingness to keep trying.

I carry a diary and write down every achievement and accomplishment throughout the day, however big or small. When I feel sometimes as if I am not doing enough, reading back over them make me instantly feel more positive.

Have a great day!

Student Interest Inventory

A Student Interest Inventory is a survey administered to students in order to gather information about their interests. “A Student Interest Inventory . . . contains questions that help teachers relate to the students as an individual” (Cunningham, 2009, p. 144).

Every time I stand up in my classroom on the first day of school, questions swirl in my mind from the moment I meet my new students :

Who are you?

What are you passionate about?

What do you love to do when you’re not in school?

What are you really good at?

What are you not so good at? 

Through all of these questions, I ultimately want to know how I can be the best teacher possible for each of my students. 

However, when I consider the 18 brand new faces staring back at me on the first day of school, it can seem a bit overwhelming!

I do ask my students these questions because I am sincerely interested in knowing more about them as individuals. It is indeed a powerful way to start the year.

Through these questions, I have the opportunity to hear the voices of All the students and their perspectives are valued.

Furthermore, it creates a classroom atmosphere which acknowledges and responds to students’ unique preferences and needs.

Students must feel that they are in a safe environment where their uniqueness will be respected.

Teachers need to make conscious efforts to celebrate differences.

Finding Relevant Sources

The more you know about the range of sources available to you, the more efficient and productive your search will be.

Primary Sources

• Materials written or created by people who took part in events or observed them
• Examples : personal documents such as letters, diaries, autobiographies, speeches, e-mails, and Weblogs ; first-person newspaper and magazine articles ; public documents such as birth certificates, deeds, and wills

 Advantages : Primary sources supply firsthand information ; usually provide insight into the attitudes and beliefs of the authors ; can be very detailed and specific

 Disadvantages : subjectivity and lack of perspective ; may be biased ; chance of inaccuracy

 Secondary Source

• Records created after events by people who were not directly involved
• Examples : encyclopedias, textbooks, biographies, second-person newspaper and magazine articles, historical nonfiction books, and most documentaries

 Advantages : helpful for getting an overview of a topic ; sometimes include excerpts from a variety of primary sources ; often have a broad perspective and consider many viewpoints

 Disadvantages : only as reliable as the sources on which they are based ; may be biased ; can lack the interest provided by an individual voice

Primary sources can be a reality check by balancing the more distant perspective of a secondary source, offering a sense of what it was like to witness or participate in an event. Primary sources need not be written texts ; for example, paintings, maps, and artifacts can be primary sources.

Secondary Sources may not be as objective as they first seem. For example, "both a scientist who believes in global warming and one who does not might present impressive statistics, but each scientists probably would choose and emphasize the statistics differently."

Research Focus

An experienced researcher does more than just assemble and report the findings of others. 

He or she also develops original conclusions and insights by synthesizing information from a variety of reliable sources.

• Evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different medias or formats
• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing.
• Conduct sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem
• narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate
• synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation
• Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources
•  using advanced searches effectively
• assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task
• purpose, and audience
• integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas
• Avoid plagiarism and overreliance on any one source
• Follow a standard format for citation
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
• Acquire and use academics and domain-specific words and phrases

Speak Up

Many of us are hurt and outraged by the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and Breonna Taylor.

These tragedies bring to the forefront the fears and injustice and violence that African Americans have faced every day for generations.

There is an urgent need to confront issues of race, inequality, and social justice

We must stand against racism.

We must stand for social justice.

I believe learning is a force for positive change.

Dr. King wrote in the Preface of his Stride Toward Freedom, « While the nature of this account causes me to make frequent use of the pronoun « I , » in every important part of the story it should be « we. » This is not a drama with only one actor. »

Indeed we must come together to build a deeper understanding of issues around social justice and equity for all.

Teachers believe that learning is a source of human progress and learning is the only tool which will allow us to achieve enduring change.

We, educators, are deeply committed to provide relevant and actionable learning to our students that will allow them to fight racism and inequality.

I think it might be useful for students to see how social movements for justice can be organized and how community and kindness can be created as people come together.

Teachers can play a bolder role in the racial justice movement and become better advocates for an equitable society.

One way to be bolder : SPEAK UP ABOUT RACE

Being anti-racist means more than just writing about racist attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

It means that educators and students must also actively fight racist attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.

Being members and donating to activist organizations and protesting injustices are definitely a good start.

Actively refuting prejudices in our family, and school community circles is key to lasting change, as those ideas and beliefs, are what are our children absorb.

SPEAK UP ! Among family, among friends and neighbors, at school, at work, in public

BE READY ! 

IDENTIFY THE BEHAVIOR ! 

APPEAL TO PRINCIPLES ! 

SET LIMITS ! 

FIND AN ALLY/BE AN ALLY !

BE VIGILANT!

If we don’t speak up, we are surrendering part of ourselves. We are letting bigotry win.

We can promote equality and human rights through small everyday acts.

The UN first marked February 20 as World Day of Social Justice. 

Have a conversation with your family, make a donation, volunteer, join a community group or boycott products or brands to express disapproval....among other activities. 

The key is to move from more passive forms of engagement to more active ones.

The Book that shook the USSR

After I had finished reading "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, I really began to understand what the oldest generation of Russians had lived through and how these ordeals now help them stay resilient no matter what happens.

The oldest generation had tried to suvive the Gulag-the Soviet labour camp prison system- and Joseph Stalin’s wave of terror.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn described a day in the life of a prison camp inmate, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, but there were millions like him-innocent citizens who, like Solzhenitsyn himself, had been sent to the Gulag in Joseph Stalin’s wave of terror.

"One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" is the first work of literature to speak openly and honestly about the Gulag. The novel was published in 1962 in the Literary journal, Novy Mir.

Soviet leader Nikita Krushnev had sanctioned the publication of Solzhenitsyn’s novel nearly a decade after Stalin’s death. Then, he changed his mind. Khrushchev handpicked the novel and he allowed this book on the Gulag to be finally published because he wanted to expose Stalin’s cult of personality. Allowing a book on the Gulag, Khrushchev thought, would help debunk Stalin’s personality cult. Nikita Khrushchev launched a campaign to discredit Stalin. Indeed the legacy of the past was still obvious in every sphere of life.

Solzhenitsyn’s story of one peasant’s day in a labor camp enlightens us about lives of millions of people forced into a place or situation from which it is hard to escape !

Ivan Denisovich said "Can a man who’s warm understand one who’s freezing?" The constant accumulation of sensory details gives this work of fiction the impression of incontestable and indisputable truth. We, readers, feel as if we experience Ivan Denisovich Shukhov’s cold, hunger, fear, and exhaustion.

But when we read this passage « The smoke seemed to reach every part of his hungry body, he felt it in his feet as well as in his head…remembers with disbelief…great lumps of meat », we feel that these flashes of comfort that Ivan Denisovich snatches in the present were able to help him survive the horrible life in the Gulag.

Solzhenitsyn describes the better-than-average day in the camps by using a blend of peasant slang, prison jargon. The language of the novel gives us details so matter-of-factly that we really feel they must be true. The narrative style blends folksy colloquialisms with powerful slang and prison-camp jargon. The text is expressed in the idiom of the main protagonist, a man of a peasant origin, with no formal education.

The narrator voice, Ivan Denisovich, braid smoothly and continuously throughout the book, revealing a plot full of tension and suspense.

How resourceful is Ivan Denisovich while he navigates the camp, planning each step in advance, trying to survive the Gulag. The two letters he receives annually from his wife helps him survive the Gulag. These letters give us glimpses of the life that was taken from him and of his « possible » future.

Plotting, scavenging, dissenting, and praying, Ivan Denisovich and the other members of Gang 104 (Fetyukov, Buynovsky, Alyoshka) test out different survival strategies.

The publication of  "One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" made history because it helped Russians debunk Stalin’s personality cult.

Hardline communists removed forcefully from office Nikita Khrushchev, de-Stalinisation halted, and in 1974 Solzhenitsyn was arrested and expelled.

But they were not able to save the Soviet Union. And once the USSR had fallen apart, the full scale of Stalin’s crimes became clear.

20, 760 prisoners were executed by Stalin’s secret police. Murdered were Soviet workers and peasants, scientists and sportsmen, engineers and office clerks. They had been declared enemies of the people.

Stalin died less than 60 years ago but according to a recent survey, 48% of Russians believe that Stalin had a positive influence on their country. ONLY 22% consider it was negative !

"MeToo"

Tarana Burke, the civil rights activist, worked with marginalised women in neglected American communities. She met shocking numbers of women who have been victims of sexual violence.

Tarana Burke is the civil right activist who coined the phrase "Me Too". 

She told BBC World Service's programme HARDtalk about how the Me Too movement continues to speak up for voiceless girls and women.

She declared "The beauty, I think, and the magic of MeToo is that it's a unifer in that way, and it's where survivors find community and so....definitely the mainstream media kept the focus on the actresses and Hollywood and that...but at its core the women who came forward were really no different than those girls who I served in the communities ten years before."

Tarana calls the women who were abused "survivors"! She doesn't call them victims! She prefers the term survivors because these abused women were able to carry on with their life successfully, despite the horrible experiences that still affect their everyday life.

The MeToo movement went viral because several famous movie actresses offered to give information about sexual harassment.

Indeed "MeToo" spread quickly and widely on the internet through social media.

When terrible allegations against Harry Weinstein made headlines in 2017, the MeToo hashtag became the focus for a global movement of determined women who were ready to tell their own stories about abusive sexual behaviour.

Let's not forget that most survivors of sexual violence are ordinary women, living ordinary lives, and they don't have anyone to help them. For many women, bringing a sexual harassment lawsuit is prohibitively expensive.

But let's hope that the MeToo movement has opened up a space to talk about sexual violence in a new way on social medias.

Women need to break up social structures like privilege. Indeed it's male-dominated social structures like privilege that need to be stopped. 

The problem won't disappear overnight! 

The MeToo movement has helped motivate women around the world to solve sexual harrassment, assault, and misconduct and it has helped women to work together to expose them on social medias!

The movement gained attention because MeToo entered its most public phase! 

More and more survivors spoke out and they learned that they were not ALONE! 

Eliminate Racial Discrimination

Kofi Annan said "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we al belong to one human race." 

We must stop racism. We must stop intolerance. We must stop all forms of discrimination.

It is critical that we rally TOGETHER during this time of crisis.

There is one solution against hate: it is education.

There is one solution against racism: it is education.

There is one solution against discrimination: it is education.

We must build peace and prevent racism and extremism. We must teach our students to fight extremism and racism. Educators, parents, and children must be ALL united against HATE.

Diversity is a strength. Diversity is not a threat.

Teachers are essential to children's learning and they must make the fight against racism their priority.

There are no excuses for racism. Let's be responsible today, so we can meet again tomorrow in a world free of RACISM.

The Happy World Day for cultural diversity for dialogue and development Culture must be part of our school curriculum.

Learning about different cultures make us resilient, empathetic, and united. 

Diversity is stregth.

Cultural diversity is All around us! This is what gives vibrancy, flavour, and colour to life.

Mahatma Gandhi said " Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation." 

Our humanity has failed the test. 

We must remember that to be able to live together in PEACE we must accept differences and respect others. 

When we hear on the news about racism
When we witness racism
When we are victims of racism
we may be feeling sadness, fear, and even rage, but we must never forget that in the end, it is love that keep us together.

It is through love and understanding that PEACE will prevail.

It is through love that we will ALL prevail. 

We must build education systems that are more inclusive, that teach the students to detect racism and to fight it. 

Do not let rumors, misinformation, or hate speech hide the truth from you in the fight against racism.

To defeat racism, we need access to reliable information and facts.

Since Racism begin in the minds of men and women, it is in the minds of men and women that we have to build defenses against racism.

We have to focus on our core values, beliefs, and strengths. 

It is the only way to buffer the negative effects of bias. 

Wellness

Lao Tzu said "Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure." 

Indeed it is important to take care of our mental and physical wellbeing. 

It is never too late to start investing in our bodies. "Embodied cognition" is the idea that the physical body influences the mind.

Stepping away from our everyday lives to recalibrate, relax and restore is no longer seen as an indulgence, instead it has become a necessity.

Kanso means "keeping things simple and achieving clarity by eliminating clutter" in Japanese. 

In today's fast-paced society, we can lose sight of what really matters, such as happiness, health, and love. 

Therefore, we need to connect with what's truly important and develop our spiritual side. For example, we can fill each day of the year with items of food or clothing that can be taken to a food bank or charity to help those who are struggling. 

The true spirit of our 365 days in a year is about taking the time out of our busy lives, slowing down and connecting with those who bring us comfort and joy. 

Sharing and giving empower us to live well. 

Health, happiness and wellbeing empower us to live well.

Discover the truth-who you are in essence-through body-mind experiencing in the here and now: 

1. nurture your self-esteem and emotional healing
2. build resilience
3. manage your emotions
4. nourish relationships
5. connect to family and friends

Indeed herein lies our physical, emotional, and neurological healing, as a restorative process resulting from the rewiring of our nervous system.

How to create moments of Joy

Moments of incandescent joy are all around us!

Truly joyful people seem alive and switched on, confident about the future, and clear about what really matters.

They will use activities such as listening to an inspirational podcast or ebook.

They will walk somewhere beautiful or they will do yoga or meditation.

They will enjoy a good laugh with a friend.

They will try to avoid feeling numb, worried, frazzled, or restless.

On a group holiday, they are the one who will suggest a group activity. They will plan for all contingencies. They want to try everything! 

Truly joyful people will set themselves a new and exciting challenge and to not hesitate to vent to someone who is supportive.

To truly joyful people, a life well-lived means making a difference and taking every opportunity that comes their way. They will always try their best self and they will always make the most of every day.

Are you one of them?

Am I one of them?

Joy often comes in tiny packages that are easy to miss. Sometimes we may seek joy in all the wrong places. 

We need to nurture our inner optimist. As Voltaire said we need to cultivate our own garden. We need to treat ourselves with compassion and to spend time with people who uplift us. 

Indeed Happiness is under our control. Living a life of meaning is possible and it seems to always be a work in progress but it is worth it. 

If we bring our daily habits in line with our values, then, JOY will follow. 

Joy is a form of resilience

Joy allows us to develop more resilience and find purpose in the midst of challenges!

Little moments of joy can help our bodies recover from the physiological effects of stress, and indeed they can help us find meaning and purpose in difficult times.

Joy is a form of resilience!

Studies have shown that cultivating an optimistic outlook is key for building resilience and finding more JOY in our life.

As Voltaire reminds us at the end of Candide, "We must cultivate our own garden" of joy. The garden represents the cultivation and propagation of joy, which despite all their misery, the characters choose to embrace. 

In fact, research by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson reveals that if we allow ourselves to experience small moments of joy, such as buying ourselves a bag of sweets, we will be more likely to see the bigger picture when solving difficult problems, as well as coming up with creative solutions.

Fetell Lee said that we need to become a joy detective! We need to start keeping a joy journal to note down all the times during the day that we experienced joy. 

1. who were you with?
2. what sensory experiences were present?
3. what was happening?
4. record the details
5. the more specific, the better
6. what was the silliest thing that happened to me today :)

Fetell Lee said that "we have hypersensitive fingers and all we give them to do is tap away on a keyboard." SO TRUE! 

It is so important to focus on the senses. How to keep our senses Alive? (sight, smell, touch, sound, taste)

People express joy in different ways. Some express themselves externally and for others the expression of joy is more inward-focused. 

Some people need to remove themselves from the ordinary distractions and noise of everyday life in order to feel an inward joy. In silence and meditation the focus is turned inward instead of outward.

All I need to do is turn my awareness inward and focus on a quieter energy during the breeze at dawn. Rumi said "The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don't go back to sleep." I never miss the breeze at dawn. 

The breeze at dawn helps me focus on gratitude instead of focusing on the loss. 

Indeed there is a plan to create joy in every area of our lives. We need to make a list of all the tiny actions that make us feel more joy on a daily basis. 

Think of how you can create uplifting moments in your day. 

Why boundaries are important?

Boundaries keep us safe in relationships, giving signals about behaviour we will accept and behaviour we find intolerable.

If we

• fear conflict and are a people pleaser
• feel responsible for other people's feelings
• say yes when we want to say no
• allow people to take advantage of us
• put others' needs before our own
• agree to things that make us uncomfortable or that we don't want to do 

If we display any of the following behaviour, we do not have strong boundaries.

In order to strengthen our boundaries, let's look at this list which will help us exercise healthy boundaries.

1. I have the right to...
2. If my boundaries are violated, I will...
3. Other people may not...
4. I will not accept...
5. I will no longer allow...
6. I will not continue relationships with people who...
7. Having clear boundaries will enable me to ...

If we have a controlling or aggressive person in our life, we need to remember that their behaviour is not about us. It is how they are. We are not responsible of their behaviour and we need to say it loud and clear: I will not continue a relationship with you!

If we have to deal with difficult people, we need to listen to them without feeling the need to justify ourselves. We need to listen to them without feeling the need to solve their problems.

Indeed we need to learn to see them with a soft compassionate eyes but we need to let go of feeling responsibility or guilty.

Some people need to be the centre of attention even if it means starting fights or making unpleasant remarks about others. Therefore, boundaries keep us safe in relationships, giving us signals about the behaviour we find not acceptable!

Breathe in that word "joy"

Take a moment right now and breathe in that word "joy". 

Joy can be found All the time. 

Joy can be in those fleeting moments when someone texts us unexpectedly. 

JOY can be that feeling when we are experiencing success.

Joy can be a walk on the beach followed by a warm bath. 

I have a friend who is battling postnatal depression. I told her the sure path to find joy again is to dance everyday. She loved the idea! An hour of dancing each week got her out of the house and doing something that she loved brought definitely back JOY in her life.

We often forget to just stop and breathe. 

To have more joy in our lives, we have to slow down.

Lord Byron said "There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar."

In a frantic world, finding pockets of JOY can be tricky. We know about the downward mood spiral and how our brains are primed to scan the world for threat. 

But what if we play with the idea of creating an upward spiral and put our focus on what brings us JOY? 

When I feel overwhelmed, the beach is my favourite place. The Atlantic Ocean air and the sound of the waves never fails to blow away my anxieties and re-energise my mind. 

We need to remember to take time out for ourselves. 

"Don't worry, be happy" is the passport to serenity. We need to enjoy things, rather than constantly worrying. 

As Holocaust victim Anne Frank, while facing mankind at its worst, said in her diary: "I still believe, in spite of everything that people are truly good at heart." 

It looks as if, for the most part, she was right. 

Humans are good.

And this last sentence gives us cause to have faith in humanity. 

Coronavirus and Kindness: Kindness amid the coronavirus

Teachers need to create ways to show that kindness can be just as contagious as coronavirus.

We need to ask our students to share acts of kindness, large and small, that they have witnessed during this time of coronavirus.

Indeed all these share acts of kindness are glimmers of light amid the crisis. All these acts of kindness that happened amid coronavirus pandemic help us stay positive and hopeful!

From students playing violins and flutes, to citizens making mask, to people delivering flowers at people's doors, we have learned that amid the fear, there is also community support and hope.

People are coming together to sing on Balconies in Italy, France, Spain...People having virtual movie nights and creating choreographed dances over video chat to share with the world.

Indeed we need to tell our students that the benefit of helping others is that it is good for our own mental health and wellbeing.

Students can show their kindness in different ways:

• send someone you know a picture of a cute animal
• send a motivational text to friend who is struggling
• arrange to watch a film at the same time as a friend and video call
• reach out to call a friend, family member or neighbour who is experiencing loneliness or isolation
• arrange a popcorn and soda virtual catch up with a friend

KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS. 

Reading "New Boy Othello Retold" by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier relocates Othello to 1970s America, where four teenagers compete in the school playground.

The novel is concerned with the way that people are isolated from others in different ways.

These two quotes taken from "New Boy"make us realize why sometimes teenagers do isolate themselves from others without even knowing why.

"People believe what they want to believe. Even if it isn't true."
"Perhaps I can't escape the image that others have created for me, but if I don't try, I will never know if I can or not."

The tragedy of Othello is transferred to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard, where kids fall on and out of love with each other, and practice a casual racism picked up from their parents and teachers.

Owen Richardson wrote in The Sunday Morning Herald, "Like Othello, Osei moves in a white world that doesn't really want him: all he has ever known of America are upscale schools and neighbourhoods where his family are the only people of colour."

Having taught different grade school children, I understand that some serious drama can happen on the playground.

The novel explores the psyche of a boy isolated by racial difference.

Our mission in school is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and with knowledge and tolerance we can defeat RACISM.

Critical thinking and learning about the past are the two keys that we will help us prevent and combat Racism. 

We need to empower students to become youth ambassadors in their own schools and communities, and spread awareness on how to deconstruct the mechanisms underlying racism and discriminations. 

Racism must stop NOW. It is up to ALL of us to fight racism. 

Every day. Everywhere. 

No Excuses for Racism

There are no excuses for Racism.

R. Rosaldo said "When someone with the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing."

Educating children and youth against racism is our responsibility as teachers, educators, librarians, and paraprofessionals. Educating teachers, librarians, and paraprofessionals against racism is also the responsibility of every school director or directress.

Race and racism are complex topics with long histories. Therefore, we need to have a curriculum adapted to this complex topic which will help us educate our students to become aware of racism.

We've got to teach our students that racism is wrong.

First of all, we, as educators, should focus on basic concepts that are fundamental to understanding race and racism and their impact on our society. Secondly, we need to explore how these concepts relate to and can be applied to our school environment. Finally, we need to fight the popular theories of racism.

Our anti-racism curriculum must provide teachers with the resource materials that will help them assist students with class discussions and to help make concepts clear.

Concepts like

• stereotypes
• tokenism
• character roles
• lifestyles
• power
• heroes and heroic traits
• self image
• dominant perspective
• representation
• knowledge representation
• language 

Evaluating class materials is very important. 

We should teach our students how to use their critical thinking in order to detect racist language or stereotypical characters. 

The book "If a bus could talk (The story of Rosa Parks), is a non-fiction book which every library must have! It is written by Faith Ringgold. 

If a bus could talk, it would tell the story of a young African-American girl named Rosa who had to walk miles to her one-room schoolhouse in Alabama while white children rode to their school in a bus. It would tell how the adult Rosa rode to and from work on a segregated city bus and couldn't sit in the same row as a white person. 

This book is a valuable introduction for children to learn about the discrimination people of colour were forced to face in the United States not so long ago, as well as highlighting the continuing struggles and efforts being made to gain equal rights. 

Sustainable Development in Humanitarian Action

Besides teaching my regular classes, I ran a Youth group dedicated to build Peace and Justice during 5 years.

Run as an after school activity, my Youth group had attracted many students and had been active and vocal in supporting sustainable development in humanitarian actions in the local community.

Incorporating sustainability into humanitarian action is key to making humanitarian organisations more effective and accountable.

We understood the importance of ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for All.

We understood that a government must ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning for All.

We understood that if we are to leave no one behind, we must make sure that everyone has access to sustainable, healthy food resources.

We believed and fought for the campaign One free meal for every student in school.

Pupils must have access to better health options and necessary micronutrients by strengthening the local food systems.

In today's interconnected world, many young people are concerned about global issues and sustainability remains one of the most important topic of the 21st century.

What are life's Limitations?

Many people have had the advantage-and confusion-of a double heritage.

I am one of them.

I have struggled to maintain a sense of my own culture and traditions after being engulfed in those of the French and English that I had acquired in school.

The French Empire brought the French language to a large part of the globe and The British Empire brought the English language to a large part of the globe.

In our world of modern conveniences and endless possibilities, it is hard to think about limits. But for most people who lived in Africa and grew up in Africa, life's limitations were readily apparent.

From scarce resources and opportunities, to premature death and dangerous health threats, ordinary people faced innumerable obstacles in their lives.

People often have yearnings that are difficult, if not impossible, to fulfill.

Thomas Jefferson wrote that "all men are created equal," but he and the other Founding Fathers left out many men and women when they first considered rights in the new United States.

Why equal rights have historically been so difficult to achieve?

The reason why equal rights have historically been so difficult to achieve is because women presented themselves as weak and delicate, which causes them to depend on men.

I urged mothers to teach their children to recognize and take pride in their strengths.

Women should be encouraged to develop themselves and to avoid dependency upon men.

Indeed too often we are so caught up in the bustle of our lives that we lose sight of what's important.

The most important thing is to find a common ground.

When people find common ground with those they think of as different, they are more likely to reach out and help these people.

It helps us to break down prejudice and create social harmony.

It definitely channels our energies in a positive direction.

2013 a path to a cleaner, productive future

In June 2012, world leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a summit on environment and development.

Bhutan convinced the UN to adopt a resolution on "Happiness: a holistic approach to development." This resolution commits nations to create "the necessary political, social and economic conditions to enable the pursuit of happiness by citizens within a stable environment."

I agree with the Buthanese leader when he said that promoting happiness and well-being is indeed an important objective.

But we also need to agree on a new approach for achieving a prosperous and sustainable future.

Sustainable development means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

We must stop nations from destroying irreplaceable natural resources and polluting the planet! Human behavior must change in order to prevent more divided societies, increased poverty and worsened environmental damage!

About 3 billion people on the planet, many of them in Africa, lack access to electricity. They are forced to use wood, coal, or other unhealthy materials for cooking or heating homes.

We must develop green-energy programme to increase the production of energy from geotherman, wind and bio-fuel power.

African heads of state and ministers must meet more often and agree on a consensus response about sustainable development programme (increasing commitments to agricultural productivity, providing access to safe drinking water, manage hazardous wastes, climate change...).

African governments must pledge to make development work for all... governments must listen to the people, not the polluters...

In Africa, urban planning is slow and bureaucratic, and by the time it reaches implementation, things have already chnaged, growth has outstripped the plans!!!

Many urbans Africans currently are obliged to live in slums!

How can we change our political system? The only way to fight corruption is to improve our institutions. You and I can change this situation... the power of people can no longer be undermined...

My brothers and sisters, based on what history has taught us, it is up to our voices, voices of thoughtful concerned citizens, to stand up and resist corruption.

Enough is enough! We need a strong civil society across Africa!