Look outside your window. Is it sunny? Raining? If it’s snowing, you can be certain Sam HusGee is out training for the dogsled competition out in Yukon, Canada. But this husky’s journey has been a difficult one. Never mind the weather, challenging training, and stiff competition—Sam can mush through all of that. The real issue
Read moreSing, Dance, Learn, and Grow: Educating Kids Through Music
We sing in the car. We sing in the shower. We sing our ABCs with our kids. Let’s face it: music is everywhere. And thank goodness it is! Where would we be without our concerts, our playlists, our late-night serenades? Kids are naturally inclined to wiggle, make silly sounds, and skip about when it should
Read moreFighting for Financial Literacy with the Three Little Piggy Banks
To quote American businessman and author Dave Ramsey, “You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” Many people live in poverty, not just in developing countries but in Canada and the U.S. as well—the problem is that we don’t talk about it and we don’t do much
Read moreHow to Write a Scary Story
My hot chocolate sits abandoned on my desk. My laptop warns me its battery is low. My head hangs defeated, staring at the blank screen. I need to write a scary story before class tomorrow, and I have no ideas! What would scare a bunch of 7th graders who walk around a dark forest for
Read moreLocal Control of Education in the North
I worked in Canada’s far North for six years in the 1980s, first as a teacher in a fly-in village in Cree territory, then as a teacher and curriculum developer in Algonquin territory in northern Quebec. During this time, the First Nations were slowly and surely taking back control of their education systems from the
Read moreLanguage Learning Tips for Older Kids
So, you’re learning a new language. You’re highly motivated at first but soon realize it isn’t as easy as you thought it would be. Slowly, you stop opening your language app, and the words you’ve learned in your target language begin to fade. Why does it have to be so difficult?! Good news: although learning
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