I see that new documentary, Waiting for Superman, will be opening in Ottawa tomorrow. I’m not entirely sure why a film explicitly about the American educational system is relevant to Canadians, but it’s coming regardless. Not that it shouldn’t, but let’s not jump to too many hysterical conclusions about the Canadian system based on this evaluation of the system to the south of us. Let’s also not forget the fact that there is no one Canadian system, and I’m pretty sure that the same is true for the good old US of A, and I think that needs to be remembered.
Since I haven’t seen the film and don’t intend to, I cannot fairly critique it. However, based on newspaper reports and Oprah’s episode on the topic , I am afeared that it might be a complete trashing of the whole American system. I gather it’s a call to action and not meant to be an unbiased evaluation, and that’s fair enough as I’m sure the problems that the film documents are real enough. I am also quite confident, however, that there are thousands of fine public schools south of the border with tens of thousands of wonderful teachers and hundreds of thousands of incredible students. I think it is important to recognize that.
It seems to me, and not just in this instance but in general, that when people criticize the educational system, they tend to forget one thing: we tend to get what we want and ask for.
Schools are a mirror of society. If it is important for schools to become better, then it is of great importance that parents and communities also be willing do better. If society’s wish is for everyone to pass and feel good about themselves at minimum expenditure, then that’s what schools will learn to deliver. I can’t fault the goal of ensuring that all students should succeed. Obviously, they should. Just as obviously, we should want all students to think of themselves in a positive light. Unfortunately, implemented properly, such goals carry a price tag, for it requires proper identification and remediation. Resources and support staff need to be made available, and that costs.
Parents also must be willing to be part of the solution and not just be vociferous complainers. If parents refuse to step up and be supportively involved in their child’s educations, they can only expect the school to accomplish so much. One example: if parents don’t insist on their child doing homework and many don’t, then teachers tend to stop assigning it or at least very much. It only makes sense, for if only a third or less of the class normally completes the work , the teacher is left with a difficult dilemma: to leave the two-thirds behind, or to try to pull the majority along even if it means having to slow the achievers down. In my experience s/he will most likely decide to try to teach as much as possible to as many as possible, leaving as few in the dust as possible. Put like that, who would have it any other way?
So, by all means, let’s examine the educational system and try to ameliorate its flaws and weaknesses, but if the goal is to make significant advances, the issue must be framed properly in the wider societal context. Otherwise, despite our angst and railings, little will be accomplished in the long term.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Checking In
Still not in the mood to write or post much, it's at least time to check in with family members. On Saturday, we went on a little studio tour. Aside from two failed indoor attempts, this is the only picture that I have to offer from that day. Across the road from our first stop, the scene looked nice enough for a photo, and then the milk tanker came up the road to add a little interest. So I quickly snapped the photo while the truck was still in the frame.
Cuppa took this next picture of Nikki Dee playing in the rain last week.
Now, for quite a few more NIkke Dee photos. I took them just an hour or two ago after an unexpected sleepover. She always wants to sleepover; sometimes, as tired as we might me, we feel compelled to give in.
She decided she wanted to call Mommy and also talk to baby brother while she was at it.
Then she played with Mommy's old doll, Saranella, for awhile ...
... before stopping to pick her ever sore lip. Perhaps if she stopped picking, it would heal.
Then Cuppa had the bright idea to pose her in dresses that my mother had smocked for Thesha. Both our girls wore them at some point, but as Cuppa observed, Thesha was much more cooperative about posing. In Nikki Dee's defense, the dresses were a bit snug, but she really would have made the session difficult regardless.
I know; all of the recent grandkid photos are of her and not him. I will attempt to rectify that in the near future, but it is she who is more of an age to spend time with Amma and Buppa. It's just the way it is.
Cuppa took this next picture of Nikki Dee playing in the rain last week.
Now, for quite a few more NIkke Dee photos. I took them just an hour or two ago after an unexpected sleepover. She always wants to sleepover; sometimes, as tired as we might me, we feel compelled to give in.
She decided she wanted to call Mommy and also talk to baby brother while she was at it.
Then she played with Mommy's old doll, Saranella, for awhile ...
... before stopping to pick her ever sore lip. Perhaps if she stopped picking, it would heal.
Then Cuppa had the bright idea to pose her in dresses that my mother had smocked for Thesha. Both our girls wore them at some point, but as Cuppa observed, Thesha was much more cooperative about posing. In Nikki Dee's defense, the dresses were a bit snug, but she really would have made the session difficult regardless.
I know; all of the recent grandkid photos are of her and not him. I will attempt to rectify that in the near future, but it is she who is more of an age to spend time with Amma and Buppa. It's just the way it is.
Friday, October 08, 2010
Lotsa Locks
We live near a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, the Rideau Canal, and while we have visited some of the nearby locks including those in Ottawa itself, we had neglected the more removed locks towards the southwest of us. It was time to remedy that today as we set out in perfect Thanksgiving weekend weather. So with cameras in hand, of we set.
Before I get to the picture show, however, let me digress just a little to explain what the Rideau Canal or Waterway is.
It was planned after our 1812 overture with the good, old US of A: a war which we claim to have won by the way. The idea was to enable ships to bypass the St Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston as we feared those dastardly Americans who lurked on the southern bank of the river had nothing but mayhem on their minds. The canal with its 49 locks was completed twenty year later in 1832, an engineering marvel that has withstood the test of time. The thing still works in the way it did almost two hundred years ago.
Just one caveat about the use of the word canal. People tend to think of a canal as a completely man-made channel with or without locks. In fact, the Rideau Waterway is for the most part a natural waterway, but to make the whole thing navigable, locks were constructed here and there to bypass rapids and so link two bodies of water of different heights.
Having disgorged that bit of pedantry, let's gets around to the photos. This first set is from Chaffey's Locks. Yes, it was a beautiful day in a beautiful spot. I wish that the heron in the fourth picture had been closer, but you do what you can. The final picture is or was a mill.
Then we were off to Davis Lock in a very secluded spot. I stopped on the road to take the first photo, but the rest are around the lock itself. The final picture in the Davis series is of the guardhouse, or whatever it was properly called. It was well constructed just in case those nasty Americans were to sneak up on it. I'm not sure how they would get so far into Canada from the border and, if they did, why this particular lock would be so vital because they would have done a lot of damage by the time they had made it this far, but there you have it.
Finally, we were off to Jones Falls, which required four separate locks in order to overcome a significant change in elevation. The first photo, below, is taken from the second lock, looking down at the first with Cuppa looking up towards me. The second is from the third lock. I had stupidly walked along the gateway bewteen locks two and three to get this picture. I say stupidly because I don't do heights very well.
Above, Cuppa climbs the stairs from the third to fourth lock. Below, I shoot back form about the elevation of the fourth lock back to the lower locks. The third lock is plainly visible, and one can also see how much lower the end point is from way up at the height of the fourth lock.
There was an inn/hotel at Jones Falls (below). Sadly, however, we were 15 minutes late for lunch. Somewhat famished after only having one piece of toast and one donut since early morning, we made a beeline to the nearest town, but it was a lot farther than your average bee might fly in a half hour, let me tell ya.
Note: I'm tired, so I'm going to post as is without editing and revising. Sorry, but the wit, such as it is, will have to wait for another day.
Before I get to the picture show, however, let me digress just a little to explain what the Rideau Canal or Waterway is.
It was planned after our 1812 overture with the good, old US of A: a war which we claim to have won by the way. The idea was to enable ships to bypass the St Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston as we feared those dastardly Americans who lurked on the southern bank of the river had nothing but mayhem on their minds. The canal with its 49 locks was completed twenty year later in 1832, an engineering marvel that has withstood the test of time. The thing still works in the way it did almost two hundred years ago.
Just one caveat about the use of the word canal. People tend to think of a canal as a completely man-made channel with or without locks. In fact, the Rideau Waterway is for the most part a natural waterway, but to make the whole thing navigable, locks were constructed here and there to bypass rapids and so link two bodies of water of different heights.
Having disgorged that bit of pedantry, let's gets around to the photos. This first set is from Chaffey's Locks. Yes, it was a beautiful day in a beautiful spot. I wish that the heron in the fourth picture had been closer, but you do what you can. The final picture is or was a mill.
Then we were off to Davis Lock in a very secluded spot. I stopped on the road to take the first photo, but the rest are around the lock itself. The final picture in the Davis series is of the guardhouse, or whatever it was properly called. It was well constructed just in case those nasty Americans were to sneak up on it. I'm not sure how they would get so far into Canada from the border and, if they did, why this particular lock would be so vital because they would have done a lot of damage by the time they had made it this far, but there you have it.
Finally, we were off to Jones Falls, which required four separate locks in order to overcome a significant change in elevation. The first photo, below, is taken from the second lock, looking down at the first with Cuppa looking up towards me. The second is from the third lock. I had stupidly walked along the gateway bewteen locks two and three to get this picture. I say stupidly because I don't do heights very well.
Above, Cuppa climbs the stairs from the third to fourth lock. Below, I shoot back form about the elevation of the fourth lock back to the lower locks. The third lock is plainly visible, and one can also see how much lower the end point is from way up at the height of the fourth lock.
There was an inn/hotel at Jones Falls (below). Sadly, however, we were 15 minutes late for lunch. Somewhat famished after only having one piece of toast and one donut since early morning, we made a beeline to the nearest town, but it was a lot farther than your average bee might fly in a half hour, let me tell ya.
Note: I'm tired, so I'm going to post as is without editing and revising. Sorry, but the wit, such as it is, will have to wait for another day.
Sanctuary Lost, Blogger Found
Thanksgiving weekend is here, but for various reasons we have decided to stay close to home, perhaps venturing on a number of little day trips. Yesterday, in particular, we needed to stay fairly close to home, so I checked out Google Maps, looking for some place that we had previously overlooked. Lo and behold, didn't I see the Wildlife Conservation and Bird Sanctuary on the shores of Mississippi Lake. Why hadn't I noticed this before?
So, off we headed, turning down the correct road as instructed by Google Maps. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. It's not there, or if it is, it's nothing but woodland with no public access. If there is in fact anything there, it would only be accessible by ATV or more likely helicopter.
So, off we went driving around this lake and that. There are a lot of lakes nearby, but they are all pretty well inaccessible: that is to say, all of the surrounding land is privately owned. One can drive along a road close to and paralleling the lake and not even know that it's there unless one is looking on a map. It's a little disappointing to say the least.
We did take one side road in hopes of finding a scenic spot and were able to catch a glimpse of the lake, but the man whose property we stopped adjacent to was soon out there protecting his feudal rights. Oh, he was pleasant enough, but he was surely keeping an eye on interlopers. Here is what we were able to glimpse before he trained his rifle on us (kidding).
That was it for the lake, so we turned Harriet the Chariot around with bullets whizzing past our ears (still kidding) and drove off. We were searching for autumn colour, but it's not the great year for colourful foliage in these parts. At one point we crossed a short, wooden railway bridge and hopped out to take a few pictures. Sadly, we were not as fortunate as Lorna last weekend, so a train didn't choose that moment to thunder by.
We stopped again at the edge of another lake — rather a glorified beaver pond — for a few more pictures. Once again, there's some colour, but the landscape isn't exactly resplendent.
Finally, we ended up at the cheese shop in Balderson where there's more than just cheese let me tell ya: much more, including a large adjacent Amish furniture store.
At one point, as I meandered about, I saw a woman staring at me. Actually, she was staring as if in in horror, crossing herself and mumbling prayers about dreadful apparitions. (Once again, I jest although the staring part is correct.)
I moved on, but Cuppa and I headed back in that direction a few moments later and didn't the lady approach and call my name. I puzzled for a moment because she did look somewhat similar to Sheila who lives hundreds of miles away. But she didn't look that much like Sheila. As this lady called my name again, her identity began to dawn on me at the same time as she introduced herself. Yes, it was fellow blogger, Mary G of Them's My Sentiments. Mary and we live in the same county, but we had never met. Fortunately, I post so many pictures that she had no difficulty at all recognizing me. We chatted for a few moments and posed for pictures before moving on. We had both stopped at the same cheese shop at the same time from our divergent parts of this large county.
So, it was an odd day that went from not finding a place that was on the map to a serendipitous meeting with a fellow blogger. I do regret, however, that as far as I can tell there is no suitable antonym for that great word: serendipity. It would make it much easier to coin a clever title for this post.
So, off we headed, turning down the correct road as instructed by Google Maps. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. It's not there, or if it is, it's nothing but woodland with no public access. If there is in fact anything there, it would only be accessible by ATV or more likely helicopter.
So, off we went driving around this lake and that. There are a lot of lakes nearby, but they are all pretty well inaccessible: that is to say, all of the surrounding land is privately owned. One can drive along a road close to and paralleling the lake and not even know that it's there unless one is looking on a map. It's a little disappointing to say the least.
We did take one side road in hopes of finding a scenic spot and were able to catch a glimpse of the lake, but the man whose property we stopped adjacent to was soon out there protecting his feudal rights. Oh, he was pleasant enough, but he was surely keeping an eye on interlopers. Here is what we were able to glimpse before he trained his rifle on us (kidding).
That was it for the lake, so we turned Harriet the Chariot around with bullets whizzing past our ears (still kidding) and drove off. We were searching for autumn colour, but it's not the great year for colourful foliage in these parts. At one point we crossed a short, wooden railway bridge and hopped out to take a few pictures. Sadly, we were not as fortunate as Lorna last weekend, so a train didn't choose that moment to thunder by.
We stopped again at the edge of another lake — rather a glorified beaver pond — for a few more pictures. Once again, there's some colour, but the landscape isn't exactly resplendent.
Finally, we ended up at the cheese shop in Balderson where there's more than just cheese let me tell ya: much more, including a large adjacent Amish furniture store.
At one point, as I meandered about, I saw a woman staring at me. Actually, she was staring as if in in horror, crossing herself and mumbling prayers about dreadful apparitions. (Once again, I jest although the staring part is correct.)
I moved on, but Cuppa and I headed back in that direction a few moments later and didn't the lady approach and call my name. I puzzled for a moment because she did look somewhat similar to Sheila who lives hundreds of miles away. But she didn't look that much like Sheila. As this lady called my name again, her identity began to dawn on me at the same time as she introduced herself. Yes, it was fellow blogger, Mary G of Them's My Sentiments. Mary and we live in the same county, but we had never met. Fortunately, I post so many pictures that she had no difficulty at all recognizing me. We chatted for a few moments and posed for pictures before moving on. We had both stopped at the same cheese shop at the same time from our divergent parts of this large county.
So, it was an odd day that went from not finding a place that was on the map to a serendipitous meeting with a fellow blogger. I do regret, however, that as far as I can tell there is no suitable antonym for that great word: serendipity. It would make it much easier to coin a clever title for this post.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
In Passing
I seem to have hit a bit of a dry spell with regards to blogging. It happens. As Thanksgiving weekend is upon us, and I'm not sure what we'll be doing or where we'll be going, I can't say that new posts are likely to rain down anytime soon. You never know though.
I have two pics to leave with you, however. Nobody around here seems very healthy lately, so when we dropped by the other day, Nikki Dee required a cuddling. It wasn't long before she was snoring on my shoulder. I wasn't quite able to join her in Slumberland, but I was giving it my all.
I have two pics to leave with you, however. Nobody around here seems very healthy lately, so when we dropped by the other day, Nikki Dee required a cuddling. It wasn't long before she was snoring on my shoulder. I wasn't quite able to join her in Slumberland, but I was giving it my all.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Signs of the Season
In preparation for winter, I'm sorry to inform you that the battening of the figurative hatches hath begun. Canadian Thanksgiving will be upon us next weekend, and as turkeys cower in corners in an effort to look too small to cook, the rest us us can hear Jack Frost whistling in the distance, and we tremble too.
Yesterday, we cleaned out our tiny, barely-one-car garage to make room for Harriet the Chariot whenever the nasty truly weather threatens to burst upon us. The bikes were hauled into the basement and other items were stored in the garage's overhead shelves. So we're ready to drive the car in on a moments notice.
First steps were taken in readying the gardens for winter. The impatiens were pulled although the perennials have been allowed to remain in ground for the time being. I swear I can hear their petals chattering in the cold, however.
This morning, I felt compelled to extract our little portable heater from the depths and use it to warm up the bathroom prior to showering.
Furthermore, as temperatures descended to 15°C/60°F this morning, I eyed the furnace thermostat with lust in my heart. I did resist as the mercury began to climb to a balmy 16°C/61°F (please note the palindromishness of those numbers) and hopefully higher, but I will probably cave in any day now and flip the heating switch to the on position.. What can I say? I'm soft.
Meanwhile, I find comfort in wearing my hoodie in the house. We baldies lose the heat and feel the cold on our uppermost extremity, and I can't afford any more brain freeze than is normal to my sluggish thought processes.
That's all I've got today, which I don't think is all that bad considering that it's not yet ten o'clock and that I've already been up for seven hours. I did have two hours of sleep, however. I am forced to take what I can get ... and down the Tylenol like it's the most delicious candy known to humankind. Fortunately, I had a good book to keep me company through the bleak hours. It helps — quite a lot actually.
Yesterday, we cleaned out our tiny, barely-one-car garage to make room for Harriet the Chariot whenever the nasty truly weather threatens to burst upon us. The bikes were hauled into the basement and other items were stored in the garage's overhead shelves. So we're ready to drive the car in on a moments notice.
First steps were taken in readying the gardens for winter. The impatiens were pulled although the perennials have been allowed to remain in ground for the time being. I swear I can hear their petals chattering in the cold, however.
This morning, I felt compelled to extract our little portable heater from the depths and use it to warm up the bathroom prior to showering.
Furthermore, as temperatures descended to 15°C/60°F this morning, I eyed the furnace thermostat with lust in my heart. I did resist as the mercury began to climb to a balmy 16°C/61°F (please note the palindromishness of those numbers) and hopefully higher, but I will probably cave in any day now and flip the heating switch to the on position.. What can I say? I'm soft.
Meanwhile, I find comfort in wearing my hoodie in the house. We baldies lose the heat and feel the cold on our uppermost extremity, and I can't afford any more brain freeze than is normal to my sluggish thought processes.
That's all I've got today, which I don't think is all that bad considering that it's not yet ten o'clock and that I've already been up for seven hours. I did have two hours of sleep, however. I am forced to take what I can get ... and down the Tylenol like it's the most delicious candy known to humankind. Fortunately, I had a good book to keep me company through the bleak hours. It helps — quite a lot actually.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
On Sleep and Medics
Well, here goes nothing ...
It's well past midnight, but my sleep has taken a bad turn lately. Sometimes it does that — goes from not being good to being distinctly bad. Tonight, for example, I stumbled wearily to bed at ten o'clock. I almost went to sleep; in fact, I drifted off for a few minutes. I know it was only that long because I had some music playing, and I missed one short tune. After lying there for an hour and a half, however, I gave it up for a lost cause. I think what happens is that I drift and rest just enough to feel sufficiently refreshed to get up and do something or other for awhile before I try again.
It's most frustrating let me tell you. In my life, I have tended to be a guy who requires perhaps a little more sleep than average. Now, I get too much less than average. It's getting on my nerves.
So here I sit with a headache after completing a crossword puzzle and munching on a bowl of cornflakes. When the pills begin to take effect, I'll try again. Maybe I'll try the couch; sometimes I settle there. I have no idea why as generally I feel the need to sprawl, and one cannot exactly sprawl on a couch.
Well anyway, let me tell you about the highlight of my week, which once I tell it, you will rather pity me for having such an uneventful life.
You see, on Monday morning, I had an appointment at the Eye Institute near downtown Ottawa. Thinking I was clever, I decided to take the backroads in and avoid rush hour congestion on the expressway. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice it was anything but, for once we neared the city, the congestion on the backroads was worse than it ever would have been on the expressway — much worse. Sigh.
I had set aside more than an hour and a half for the trip which should normally have taken less than an hour. And I was actually a few minutes late. Not that hospitals tend to run on standard time, but still it rather unnerved me.
But here's the highlight. The doctor. Once he got around to seeing me, he introduced himself and shook my hand. Can you believe a doctor shaking your hand: treating you with respect and consideration? When we parted, he offered his hand once again. Wow! I mean WOW!
Between handshakes, he didn't rush me and patiently clarified a point that had confused me a little.
After such positive treatment, I came out of there feeling good about the world.
I have since mused that the time difference between a doctor rushing you and not rushing you is probably less than a minute.
This guy should be training young medical students in client management.
That's my highlight.
It's been a dull week.
It's well past midnight, but my sleep has taken a bad turn lately. Sometimes it does that — goes from not being good to being distinctly bad. Tonight, for example, I stumbled wearily to bed at ten o'clock. I almost went to sleep; in fact, I drifted off for a few minutes. I know it was only that long because I had some music playing, and I missed one short tune. After lying there for an hour and a half, however, I gave it up for a lost cause. I think what happens is that I drift and rest just enough to feel sufficiently refreshed to get up and do something or other for awhile before I try again.
It's most frustrating let me tell you. In my life, I have tended to be a guy who requires perhaps a little more sleep than average. Now, I get too much less than average. It's getting on my nerves.
So here I sit with a headache after completing a crossword puzzle and munching on a bowl of cornflakes. When the pills begin to take effect, I'll try again. Maybe I'll try the couch; sometimes I settle there. I have no idea why as generally I feel the need to sprawl, and one cannot exactly sprawl on a couch.
Well anyway, let me tell you about the highlight of my week, which once I tell it, you will rather pity me for having such an uneventful life.
You see, on Monday morning, I had an appointment at the Eye Institute near downtown Ottawa. Thinking I was clever, I decided to take the backroads in and avoid rush hour congestion on the expressway. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice it was anything but, for once we neared the city, the congestion on the backroads was worse than it ever would have been on the expressway — much worse. Sigh.
I had set aside more than an hour and a half for the trip which should normally have taken less than an hour. And I was actually a few minutes late. Not that hospitals tend to run on standard time, but still it rather unnerved me.
But here's the highlight. The doctor. Once he got around to seeing me, he introduced himself and shook my hand. Can you believe a doctor shaking your hand: treating you with respect and consideration? When we parted, he offered his hand once again. Wow! I mean WOW!
Between handshakes, he didn't rush me and patiently clarified a point that had confused me a little.
After such positive treatment, I came out of there feeling good about the world.
I have since mused that the time difference between a doctor rushing you and not rushing you is probably less than a minute.
This guy should be training young medical students in client management.
That's my highlight.
It's been a dull week.
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