Connecting Teachers Across Canada Staffroom Copy

Canadian Teacher
Fall 2008 MAGAZINE

Hannah Taylor — Helping the Homeless

Keeping Kids in the Know

Don’t Let Teaching Cripple You!
Teach Abroad

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www.CanadianTeacherMagazine.com
2 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 3
 Cana d i an T e a c h e r Magazine
what’s inside from the editor
4 From the Editor

5

reflections
September ~
focus on teachers
by Michael Ernest Sweet W hat did you do on your summer vacation? Does that question still get asked in
classrooms in September? I’m sure it was a topic of conversation in the staffroom
when you all got back together earlier this month. Here on the west coast of Canada,
summer holidays often involve the ocean—in our case it means getting out on our boat, kayaks
aboard, to visit favourite anchorages and explore new ones. It’s always a dilemma—do we go
6 Prime Minister’s Award Winner
north for adventure where it’s colder and often rainy but we’re more likely to see orcas and other
~ by Melanie Reiffenstein and Sharon Zheng marine wildlife, or do we stay in southern waters where the water is warm enough for swimming
features and we’re more likely to feel the warmth of the sun? This year we opted for the latter, taking
8 Hannah Taylor: Helping the Homeless ourselves down through the Gulf Islands and then up to the famed cruising destination of Desolation Sound. We had a
wonderful time—paddling, swimming, feasting on prawns, and just enjoying the view from our mobile, waterfront home-
~ by Bridget Fry
away-from-home. This kind of holiday time is refreshing and rejuvenating, and allows thoughts that have been simmering in
10 Bring Human Rights Close to Home
the subconscious to rise to the surface. I hope your summer vacation was as relaxing as ours, and that you have returned to
~ by Tom Morris school feeling energized and ready for this year’s challenges, with big plans for keeping things interesting for you and your
from the classroom students.
12 Keeping Kids in the Know ~ by Deborah Zanke To help you achieve that goal, this issue includes lots of information, through both advertisements and articles, about resources
to help you tap into materials that are relevant to students today. Canadian publishers are doing a fine job of supplying made in
15 Saving Lives with MADD Canada
Canada materials for our schools and there are many not-for-profit organizations in this country that have developed teaching
~ by Wanda Kristensen resources (often free for the asking!) that help to educate young people about such things as personal safety, global awareness and
16 Financial Literacy for Youth ~ by Ursula Menke preparation for adult life. We hope you find something in the following pages that you can use in the months ahead.
19 Book Reviews With the publication of this Fall 2008 issue, we are celebrating Canadian Teacher Magazine’s 4th birthday—the first issue
from the classroom was released in Fall 2004. We are delighted that the magazine has thrived and grown in the past five years, so much so that we are
expanding our publication schedule to four issues annually. You will now receive a copy in September, January, March and May each
24 Guided Reading: An Action Plan year. As always, we will send one copy at no charge to each school, but we invite personal or bulk subscriptions if this one free copy is
~ by Brenda Boreham not enough to find its way to all staff members (see subscription form below).
26 3Rs Crafts ~ by Larraine Roulston We also invite you to send us news about what is happening in your school, district or province. We are happy to print
submissions about interesting projects, outstanding achievements and upcoming events—teachers across Canada enjoy hearing
healthy living
about what their colleagues in other areas are up to. Tips for Teachers, Focus on Schools, Focus on Teachers, From the Classroom,
28 Don’t Let Teaching Cripple You! ~ by Matt Dean Reflections and In My Opinion are some of the categories for which we have received and passed on submissions from Canadian
environmental awareness teachers. Drop me a line at dmumford@CanadianTeacherMagazine if you have something to share.
I’m so glad you’re back, carrying on doing what you do best—nurturing our young people and helping them gain the skills and
30 Agrofuels ~ by Sarah Mohan attitudes that will help them make a positive contribution to Canadian society.
32 A World Without Oil ~ by Guy Dauncey Best wishes for a wonderful year!
after school
36 Huahine: An Island Lost in Time
~ by Alan Boreham
38 Teach Abroad ~ by Diane K. Jacoutot
Tips For Teachers
39 Retired Teacher Gets Lesson in Business
Send us a Tip for Teachers that you would like to share with your colleagues—something that saves time or works really well to
~ by Ruth Waltman
40 Prep Time… For Retirement
solve a common classroom problem. If we print your tip, you win a year’s subscription to Canadian Teacher Magazine!
~ by Enise Olding and Carol Baird-Krul Email to dmumford@CanadianTeacherMagazine.com with Tips for Teachers in the subject line.
42 news
(See page 25 for this issue’s tip.)
44 events

Canadian teacher magazine

Fall 2008 Issue, Volume 5, Number 1, Copyright 2008
HATE having to share? Can’t always find the staffroom copy?
Postal Agreement #40010049 • Postage paid Vancouver, BC
Then subscribe to receive your own copy…
Editor Diana Mumford
Publisher
Contributing Editor
Ron Mumford
Brenda Boreham
or multiple copies for your school!
Copy Editing Jenni Gehlbach
Advertising Carol Baird-Krul
Jean Wyenberg Individual Subscription: 1 year (4 issues) $16 (+ .80 GST)
Cover: Hannah Taylor, courtesy of the Lady Bug Foundation.
10 Copy School Subscription: 1 year (4 issues) $60 (+ $3.00 GST)
Writing not otherwise credited is by CTM staff.
The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the publishers. Mail form and cheque to: Pacific Edge Publishing, 1773 El Verano Drive, Gabriola, BC, Canada V0R 1X6
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4 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

 reflections
September
by Michael Ernest Sweet
S eptember is a predictable month, at least for me. This
September began like the last five. Someone asked,
“How old are you?” – 28. Someone else asked, “Are
you married?” – No. And then it happened all over again
in the next class. No, I am not a student, I’m a teacher. For
ten months some thirty adolescents and I call room 3222
home. There are no other adults, no colleagues. In this
sense, I work alone. Of the four walls, two are painted in
a dull green ready to receive my scrawl, “Mr. Sweet” in
chalk. Seven bold letters which remained more than a
week before being carefully wiped away making room for
Milton and the Mad Hatter. One of the other two walls is
windows—four windows, three with blinds and one, the
only one that opens, without. In the corner, a wooden desk
and chair—uninspiring and cold, its drawers lined with
yellow construction paper. On top, nothing but a couple
of pencils and an Oxford English Dictionary—tools of my
trade. Behind the desk, university degrees hang in the dim
glow of a table lamp brought from home to add warmth. In
the air, whiffs of freshly sharpened pencils and f loor wax.
Once again, I’m back in the classroom and it’s the first day
of school.
At 8:20 a bell rang, students came in and were amazed
that I allowed them to choose their own seats and that they
face each other. I try to imagine what I would want as a student
and work hard to provide it as a teacher. It’s difficult. There were
interruptions from the P.A. as the principal welcomed everyone
back, and as he did, I realized that I was indeed back, once
again. And, once again, I wondered if I was in the right place, if
I had chosen the right career. Once again, I went through my
“first day” of work and all the associated anxieties. I thought of
all those years of college and how my former classmates are
now in board rooms and BMWs, and about little things too,
like how they have phones and computers, ergonomic chairs
and business cards. I do not. I considered also how they have
one “first day” of work and then are freed from these anxious
deliberations. I am not. Each September I return to begin
anew—again.
After school I went to a staff meeting in the same room
where I had watched a little out-spoken man retire only two
months before. A room where he was granted but a few minutes,
while clutching a glass pen holder bearing his name in brass, to
sum up fifty years of changing lives. Fifty years! Remembering
how I had listened intermittently while trying to imagine myself
up there struggling to find words sufficient to end a career, I
asked myself, “Is this where I will retire? Is this the room where
I will begin and end the next thirty years of my life?”
At 2:45 I, once again, left the building for the first time this
school year and began my fifty minute commute home. First,
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008
I considered the day’s events and made judgments about the
success of my “first day.” Then, as I switched buses my thoughts
shifted back to that big question: Have I chosen the right career?
I watched people parking SUVs and imagined what that might
be like. I saw others dressed in suits and ties made especially for
them. Oh, what luxuries life could offer! Finally, as I passed the
tree-lined streets of multi-million dollar mansions I will never
have, I was reminded of the poem in my wallet. The one I always
carry. I remembered how that cocky teenage boy, our soccer
captain, flicked it onto my desk one spring day before bolting
for the door. How I nearly cried as I read it, silently, in front of
my next class. And, once again, I fought back tears as I unfolded
the little white paper in front of a dozen fellow commuters and
read amid the multilingual chatter of a Montreal bus:
…Thank you for being simply the best!
A passionate teacher, your devotion is rare.
You are the person I most admire,
the person I would most like to be.
You will be a part of all I do,
When I need strength,
I’ll look inside for you…
Finally, the bus stopped and I carefully folded the poem
into its original creases and placed it back in my wallet. Reaching
the steps of my building, I unlocked the door to my tiny studio
apartment in the heart of downtown. But before I went in, I
stopped to answer my question. I thought about my friends
and their cars, houses and tailor-made suits. I thought of law
firms and bank firms, of mahogany desks and glass elevators. I
considered the student loans sitting in the mailbox—seemingly
part of a teaching life. I thought of my grandmother too and the
hundreds of silent teary-eyed former students who lined the
street in front of the funeral home to wish her farewell. Then,
I felt a little tingle of energy, a slight shiver as I whispered to
myself, “I love September!”
Michael Sweet is entering his sixth year of teaching high school English in Montreal.
He is the founder of LearningforaCause.org and Poet Laureate for the Monarchist
Society of America. Michael has recently been appointed to a three year term with
the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. 
We welcome your reaction to the ideas presented in
Canadian Teacher Magazine and your thoughts about edu-
cation today. Share your thoughts with your colleagues
across Canada. Write to the editor:
dmumford@CanadianTeacherMagazine.com
5
 focus on teachers
Prime Minister’s Award Winner 
Shares Teaching Talents at Shad Valley Program
by Melanie Reiffenstein and Sharon Zheng
M any high school students consider June the best
and worst month of the year. On the one hand,
it’s warm and sunny and the long exhausting
school year is drawing to a close. On the other hand, it’s
warm and sunny and the long exhausting school year isn’t
ending quickly enough! By that time, university students
are out of class, and not only are students’ feet off the
academic gas pedal, they’re out of the car. There is one
condolence though—teachers have to stay in school even
longer. It’s no wonder students often assume that teachers,
too, cannot wait for their glorious two months off and away
from teaching. Of course, most students have never met
Ian Fogarty.
At Riverview High School, Ian Fogarty spends ten
months of the school year immersed in science, teaching grade
11 and 12 chemistry and physics. While science is a discipline
with curiosity and self-motivation at its core, it’s often difficult
to get students excited about raisin bun atom models or
solubility rules. Facing this challenge every day, Ian teaches the
fundamental basics of his subjects with the hope that he can
spark a passion for science in his students.
In 2006 while teaching at Riverview High, Ian’s
childhood high school in New Brunswick, he was offered
a position as a faculty member at a summer enrichment
program called Shad Valley. As a Shad Valley Teaching Fellow,
he was already encouraging students from his high school to
attend the program, and his enthusiasm for the program was
growing. “When I was first offered a place at Shad Valley, I knew
immediately that this was not going to be like a typical month
of school,” Ian recalls. “Shad Valley clicked with me: here was a
place where students were challenged and immersed in ideas
that most don’t encounter until their undergraduate studies. I
saw a program for high school students that prepared them for
real life.”
Ian happily accepted the spot at the Trent University Shad
Valley campus in Peterborough, Ontario. There, he helped run
the intense four-week science, technology and engineering
enrichment program that recruits 620 bright students nation-
wide every year. Ian found himself once again surrounded by
high school students for the entire month of July—not a typical
holiday, but he was eager to immerse himself in all things Shad.
6 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
“Shad Valley students are creative, passionate, and driven. Their
days are filled to capacity with challenging and creative projects
and the quality of work they produced truly surprised me. I have
taught under the notion that every student has tremendous
potential, and Shad proved to me that there is a place where this
potential can be reached and harnessed.”
Shad Valley Trent is one of twelve universities that hosts
the program every July. For the past 28 years, students from
across Canada and across the world have taken part in this
life-changing, mind expanding adventure. This past July, Ian
returned to Shad Valley again, but this time in his native New
Brunswick.
As a Program Co-Director at the University of New
Brunswick Shad Valley campus, Ian was able to draw on
his own experiences to build a challenging program. After
receiving both his Honours BSc and BEd from Mount Allison
University, he earned his MSc in Organometallic Chemistry
from New Mexico State University, where studies led him to
work for a research team at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility.
While he may be perceived as a chemistry-type Indiana
Jones, he has also been an influence on teachers. This year Ian
was honoured with one of the prestigious Prime Minister’s
Awards for Teaching Excellence. The award recognizes
teachers by promoting their innovative and successful teaching
practices. In addition, Ian has completed work in the field of
chemistry, and was awarded New Brunswick’s Innovation in
Education Award. He is also involved outside of the classroom
with the Outdoor Challenge Program, for students who are
eager to experience an adventure outdoors, including rock
climbing, kayaking and outdoor living. In addition, some of
his former students credit Ian’s encouragement towards their
academic pursuits in fields such as engineering and chemistry,
yet another testament towards his passion for teaching.
Ian’s teaching approach has always been to provide a
solid work ethic and to lead by example. “Success is directly
proportional to effort,” he has said. At Shad Valley, students
are given the chance to take on new challenges, to harness
their creative capacity, and to act on their talents to improve
innovation in Canada. It is for these, and many other reasons,
that Shad Valley has been such an important step in Ian’s
professional and personal career. Shad Valley President Barry
Bisson explains, “Ian is an extraordinary person with a talent for
teaching and inspiring youth. His award in excellence is well-
deserved and he has worked hard for his achievements.”
“I encourage students who want to learn and challenge
themselves to apply for Shad Valley. I also encourage teachers
to promote the program to their students—they could change
a young person’s future simply by bringing up Shad. Shad is an
excellent place for students to receive a competitive advantage,”
says Ian.
Indeed, many educational and career institutions consider
the Shad Valley program as an investment in a student’s future,
and recognize the program when considering applicants for
program admissions, scholarships and careers. Shad Valley
has over 10,000 alumni, including 18 Rhodes Scholars, several
Top 20 Under 20 and Top 40 Under 40 recipients, as well as
countless award winners in various career and education fields.
“Shad was very lucky to have Ian as a Program Co-Director
this year. He brings to Shad the expertise and drive that students
benefit from greatly,” says Bisson.
Ian intends to stay with the Shad Valley program for many
years to come. “There is no place I would rather be in July than
at Shad Valley,” he said. “I could be on a beach somewhere, but
this is much more fun.”
You can learn more by visiting the Shad Valley website, www.shad.ca or by
contacting info@shad.ca. 
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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 7

 features
H annah Taylor is a child whose dedication to
helping the homeless is increasingly creating
awareness for their plight and raising funds for
their needs around the world.
When Hannah was 5, she saw a man eating out of a garbage
can on a frozen winter day. Hannah was very sad, and for a long
time thought about that man and worried where he was and
what he would be eating. She talked about homelessness a lot.
“Why, why, why?” she asked. “If everyone shared what they had,
could that cure homelessness?”
By age 8, Hannah had founded The Ladybug Foundation
and become the innocent face of the homeless, seeing their
plight with the love and clarity of a child, speaking to politicians,
business leaders, students, the media and thousands of others
to raise awareness of their needs and funds to help feed and
shelter them.
Her message is rich with love, respect, and value for her
“lost and forgotten homeless”: “We all have sooo much—we just
need to share a little of what we have and care about each other
always!”
Her vision is pure and uncomplicated: “No one should
have to eat out of a garbage can. Everyone should have a home.”
Her course of action is clear: “We all need to work together
forever to help our homeless people.”
Now 12, Hannah has been recognized across Canada and
the United States for her remarkable efforts. She has begun to
take her message around the world, and expand her experience
as a human rights activist.
A Message from Hannah
Hi, it’s Hannah. My hope is that through makeChange: The
Ladybug Foundation Education Program, every child will have
the chances I have had. You see, I am just regular, but because I have
learned that when you see a problem you can learn about it, and then
with the help of others and if you work real hard, even if you are little
you can make change in our world for the better. And I want everyone
to know about that and to have the chance to make change.
From my heart to your hearts, and from your hearts to theirs,
Hugs and Ladybugs, Hannah.
The Ladybug Foundation Inc.
Founded by Hannah in 2004, The Ladybug Foundation
Inc. is a non-profit registered charitable foundation which
supports Hannah’s efforts to raise awareness and funds to
support charitable organizations that provide food, shelter
and other needs of the homeless and near homeless in Canada.
Funds raised by The Ladybug Foundation are used to support
projects in Canada that “touch a homeless person in the next
24 hours.”
8 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
Hannah taylor
Helping the Homeless
by Bridget Fry
The Ladybug Foundation Education Program Inc.
The Ladybug Foundation Education Program Inc., a
non-profit registered charitable organization, was founded by
Hannah in 2006 as a sister charity funded separately from The
Ladybug Foundation, specifically for the purpose of developing
and implementing makeChange: The Ladybug Foundation
Education Program
makeChange is a K-12 resource for teachers to use in
their classrooms to empower young people to get involved and
make change in their community, in their city, in their country
and in their world. The program is derived from the experience
and example of Hannah and The Ladybug Foundation Inc. It
brings to life Hannah’s simple and inspiring message of caring,
sharing and empowerment to students across Canada.
The program aligns with existing Canadian curricula and
includes user-friendly, progressively age-appropriate content,
lesson plans, suggestions, outcomes and actions, enhanced by
effective multimedia resources, teacher support and feedback.
It can be taught as a unit or as a topic unfolding across the
school year. The program includes tools for each year to lead
students and teachers to classroom, group or individual actions
to get involved and make change.
The program increases awareness, knowledge and
understanding of homelessness and related hunger and
poverty issues, encouraging responsibility for and leadership
towards community actions initiated by students to address
these difficult social challenges. It follows the “inquiry process”
leading to social action and teaches that students, even at
their young ages, can make a difference—and carry that
understanding into their adult lives.
The Program’s goals for students include:
• Developing self-esteem as a product of responsible, caring
behaviour;
• Respecting the rights and needs of others;
• Maximizing use of time and talents for benefit of others;
• Working cooperatively towards a social goal;
• Developing decision-making and problem-solving skills.
Program Values
The program’s outcomes are designed to dovetail with
the philosophy and principles of The Ladybug Foundation,
to enhance areas of the curriculum dealing with social
responsibility, citizenship, global interdependence and the
development of anti-bias outlook on life:
• Caring, Sharing, Giving;
• Respect, Tolerance, Empathy;
• Treating each other like family;
• Social Responsibility;
• Global Citizenship;
• Empowerment.
These values are building blocks to developing good
citizens and form the basis for the “Ladybug Understandings”
that are integrated into the program.
A Message from the Program’s Teacher
Development Team
Our purpose is to assist educators in exploring teaching and
learning that often reaches beyond the standard curricular goals,
touching the hearts, minds and lives of students in far-reaching ways.
Understanding that some goals cannot be fully measured during our
time as educators, it is the hope of The Ladybug Foundation that
through the work of this Program we will plant seeds of integrity,
respect, compassion, empathy and social responsibility, to be carried
by students into adulthood. We will work together as collaborators in
creation, knowing that people and society will reap a multiple return
on our investment from the future actions of our students.
The makeChange Program
makeChange replicates for the classroom the course of
Hannah’s experience in:
Seeing and Engaging (“Activating” – Hannah saw and was
captivated by a tattered man eating out of a garbage can on a cold
winter day, which made her worry and wonder about him.)
We want to have students “see” the problem, and become
concerned, curious and caring about it. For each grade, the program
begins with a different video vignette, which includes the music
video for the original song “Make Change,” and which introduces
a powerful age-appropriate homelessness/hunger /poverty poster
image to captivate and engage students. This takes the place
of “seeing the man eating out of the garbage can.” This image is
captured in a poster to be posted in the classroom for the duration
of the program, as a continual reminder to enhance the activating
process. “Seeing and engaging” is also supported by specific and
intentional activities written into the program and by additional
video content and (for appropriate grade levels) moving letters and
narratives telling true stories from the street.
Inquiring and Investigating (“Acquiring” – Hannah asked questions
about that man and homelessness for almost a year.)
 Having become “concerned, curious and caring” about homelessness
and hunger, we want to have students ask questions and learn
about it. Through specific activities and video content, the program
leads students to information about homelessness and hunger,
which may be new, may confirm prior knowledge or may help
to recognize misconceptions. The program is deliberately crafted
to dovetail its “acquiring” activities with existing Canadian social
studies, health, science, health or language arts curricular outcomes,
to enhance the curriculum without creating an “add-on.”

Empowerment (“Empower” – it was suggested to Hannah that

“sometimes when you do something about a problem, your heart
won’t feel so sad.”)
Having learned more about the needs of homeless and hungry
people, we want students to come to understand that by taking
action themselves or with others, each one of us can make a
difference in the lives of homeless and hungry people. To do this,
makeChange brings Hannah’s experience of empowerment and
“the power of one” to the classroom and includes activities at each
grade level that inspire students to become empowered—to get
involved to help the problem.

makeChange Moment (“Application” – Hannah came up with a

plan, met with her Grade 1 teacher and carried on to implement a
plan to help a homeless shelter—all of which ultimately led her to
found The Ladybug Foundation and take her message of love and
caring across Canada.)
Having become empowered to get involved to make a difference,
we want students individually, in groups, clubs or as a classroom
or school, to create and put into action a plan to help with needs
and conditions of the homeless and hungry. Included is the
lesson that their learning can go beyond the classroom, to touch
people in far-reaching ways, big or small, by bringing to bear the
students’ unique visions, talents, creativity and passions. To do this,
makeChange includes specific planning tools and offers menus
of action activities that help students respond on a personal level.
The program also includes “I Can makeChange,” a web-based
learning and planning program accessible from The Ladybug
Foundation Education Program website.
(www.ladybugeducation.ca)

The program includes additional elements of:

Reflection, where teachers and students are encouraged to reflect on

their learning, to make connections for future learning.
Having learned, become empowered and acted, we want students
to look back on their experience and make connections for future
learning and action. To do this, makeChange encourages
teachers and students to discuss and explore what they did, record
observations, recall events, celebrate successes, and recognize the
meaning and importance of what they have done for homeless and
hungry people in need of their help.

Assessment, to evaluate success in achieving outcomes.

makeChange provides teachers with the opportunity and
resources to assess student perceptions and understandings as
they relate to the issues of homelessness and poverty. This includes
“assessments for learning,” to help inform teacher instruction, and
“assessments of learning,” to evaluate students’ understanding of
the curriculum content.

The program will be available for purchase on a grade level basis online or by
contacting The Ladybug Foundation Education Program Inc. in October 2008.
For more information about The Ladybug Foundation (www.
ladybugfoundation.ca) and The Ladybug Foundation Education Program Inc.
(www.ladybugeducation.ca) please visit the websites. 

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 9

Bring human rights close to home
Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights leader, helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Copyright: UN Photo
Where after all do universal human rights begin? In small places close to home. So
close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world.
Eleanor Roosevelt
T his fall—the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR)—is the perfect opportunity to turn your classroom into one of those
“close to home” places referred to by Eleanor Roosevelt.
As the Universal Declaration anniversary date approaches on Human Rights Day, December
10, media coverage and UDHR special events will increase, making it easy to connect classroom
activities to human rights concerns in the wider world.
One particularly exciting UDHR anniversary project—called Small Places, after Roosevelt’s
statement—is being organized by the respected human rights organization Amnesty
International.
Imagine Small Places as a festival of many close to home school and community-based
arts activities—music, writing, theatre, visual arts, video and film, web arts, debates—aimed at
celebrating human rights successes and strengthening support for human rights across a new
generation.
Small Places runs from September to December 10th and is colourfully online at smallplaces.
ca. In particular, follow the link for Educators.
Make Human Rights Cool
Small Places is the perfect vehicle to engage youth in human rights awareness and action.
Its medium is a mélange of expressive projects and events that will bring alive a variety of
curriculum subjects. It connects youth across Canada and the world around an historic moment.
It enables participants to actively champion a specific individual or community at risk of harm.
And it focuses on critical values such as tolerance, diversity and responsibility.
Perhaps most important from a youth perspective, Small Places has a very big cool factor
because of the involvement of well-known Canadian and global musicians such as The Edge.
Get Creative for Human Rights: Imagine the Possibilities
• Writing and visual arts students participate in a short story or poetry writing or poster-
making project. Focus on a student-initiated subject or the UDHR Articles or a theme such as
“When I imagine a world that respects human rights, I see….” Present the results on Human
Rights Day, December 10th.
• ESL students champion a Small Places individual or community at risk, write letters to
governments in their own language, help classmates with translation, and send messages of
hope to the people they champion.
• Theatre students develop dramatic or reading scripts on the UDHR, one of the champion
cases, or a “close to home” human rights theme such as bullying or discrimination, then present
their work on Human Rights Day.
• Legal studies, World Issues and Civics students organize debates on topical human
rights concerns, such as child soldiers or holding Omar Khadr at Guantánamo.
10
Celebrate the
Universal Declaration of
Human Rights’ 60th
by Tom Morris
• Music and writing students study the rich history of human rights song-writing, then write
and present their own songs or verse in their class or possibly in school “coffee houses” or other
venues.
• Social Studies students take a deeper, more personalized look at a specific country through
the life of a Small Places champion case, such as women civil rights activists in Zimbabwe or an
imprisoned monk in Myanmar/Burma.
• The student social issues group you advise hosts a 60-minute (one-minute-a-UDHR
year) lunch-time music, improv or film fest.
Or turn your school into a Small Places happening: you and colleagues support a school-wide
mural project, presented around Human Rights Day and focused on what the UDHR means in
your school.
Easy to Participate, Helpful Resources
Participate in Small Places by registering your activity—at no cost—at smallplaces.ca.
Online registration means Amnesty International will publicize your activity and connect
your students to Small Places events across Canada and around the world.
Your students can also participate in cool music, arts and UDHR contests, as well as other
special online features. And you have access to direct Amnesty International email and phone
support for your project.
Download the Small Places activity “Planning Kit” for educators and youth with its step-
by-step project planning guide, activity ideas, publicity tips, how to involve local musicians, and
budget and task charts. Smallplaces.ca also includes downloadable backgrounders and petitions
on each of the featured individuals and communities at risk, plus other teaching aids.
Many resources are free and can be downloaded from smallplaces.ca or ordered from
materials@amnesty.ca. Have questions? Email smallplaces@amnesty.ca.
Amnesty’s Human Rights Day Write-a-thon
Hundreds of Canadian schools participate in Amnesty International’s annual global write-
a-thon on December 10th. Watch for the write-a-thon again this year—in fact it is the ultimate
Small Places activity!—and plan to combine human rights letter writing with the music, writing,
drama or visuals emerging from your Small Places project.
Sixty years ago the world’s governments promised human rights for all. Today that promise
is too often ignored, broken and undermined, and human rights defenders are attacked rather
than protected.
Mark this year by engaging your students in expressive, exciting, inspiring forms of human
rights awareness. Bring human rights close to home with Small Places.
Tom Morris is Amnesty International Canada’s Small Places coordinator. 
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 TO M O R ROW ’ S I N N OVAT I O N C O M E S F RO M
TO DAY ’ S YO U N G M I N D S

2008 National Finalists - Grade 7-9 Category

Toshiba was founded with a strong commitment to technological innovation,

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Through Toshiba's shared mission partnership with NSTA, the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards
make a vital contribution to the educational community. Since 1992, ExploraVision has inspired K-12 students
to combine their imaginations with the tools of science in exploring and envisioning a future technology.
How will your students open our eyes and minds? We look forward to finding out.
For details and how to enter, call 1-800-EXPLOR-9
or visit www.cateach.exploravision.org

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 www.toshiba.com 11


“Never talk to strangers.”
W
hen the issue of child sexual abuse first came
out of the shadows in the 70s and early 80s,
personal safety education focused on giving
children the message that strangers held the greatest
potential to do them harm. Evolving knowledge about the
dynamics of sexual abuse has significantly changed the
approach.
“Teaching kids about ‘stranger danger’ is long a thing of
the past because we know today that most children who are
victimized know the perpetrator,” states Noni Classen, Director
of Education for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Indeed, numbers collected by Statistics Canada in 2003,
indicate that of all reported child sexual assaults, 86% were
perpetrated by an individual known to the victim. Generally,
the younger the child, the less likely victimization by a stranger
will occur.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a charitable
non-profit, runs the national school-based safety program
Kids in the Know (KIK). It’s a curriculum-based approach
to teaching personal safety strategies to students from
kindergarten to high school. Each year’s module builds on the
ones in previous years and reflects the issues and risks present
for the developmental stage of the student.
The program originated in 2002 in Winnipeg, the
Centre’s headquarters, and is based on research carried out
by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children
in the United States. Although the program is school-based,
parents are encouraged to play a role as well, reinforcing lessons
through the use of online materials with their child.
Lessons must reflect complex dynamics of abuse
Aside from the outdated “stranger danger” message, other
aspects of personal safety education have changed as well.
Classen states that today’s approach includes addressing the
complex dynamics of victimization. That means recognizing
the victim’s feelings of guilt and shame as well as the
manipulative tactics that perpetrators use against them. These
tactics are often in play long before a physical act occurs. Further,
to be successful, explains Classen, lessons need to reflect the
context of the four environments that children are regularly
exposed to: home, school, community and the Internet.
Using multiple, tailor-made teaching tools such as role-
12
Keeping Kids in the Know
the evolution of personal safety education
by Deborah Zanke
playing, storybooks, comics, puppets and online activities, KIK
teaches students seven root safety strategies as they apply to the
four environments.
The strategies include concepts such as how to trust one’s
instincts and when to share information with parents and
caregivers. It also tackles concepts such as dignity and respect,
which relate to positive self-esteem—a protective factor against
abuse.
The program’s unique advantage is that it taps into current
trends and risks gathered from research by another Canadian
Centre for Child Protection program, Cybertip.ca. As Canada’s
national tipline for reporting online child sexual exploitation,
it employs sophisticated data gathering technology to track
victimization trends.
Classen contends that the Net has raised new safety
challenges, stating that most kids have completely integrated
technology into their lives but that caregivers and educators
have found themselves in a constant state of trying to catch up.
“The root strategies to personal safety are the same
regardless of environment but how we apply them to the Internet
is ever changing,” explains Classen. “KIK’s link to Cybertip.ca
is crucial because it means that we’re in a position to inform
educators and parents about trends in online victimization.
From what we’re seeing on the front lines, we can’t afford to be
playing catch-up.”
One-time blast of information not effective
The evolution of personal safety education has also seen a
rejection of the “one-time blast” of personal safety lessons that
educators relied on in the past.
According to Classen, “To truly integrate the information
into the students’ lives, research has shown that repetition of
developmentally targeted lessons is necessary. Education is
also more effective if it is positive and empowering rather than
using the fear-based tone of yesterday’s “don’t talk to strangers”
approach.
She adds that the lessons must also be specific and outline
various abuse scenarios. Students then need realistic strategies
to avoid risks or seek help if abuse has occurred.
KIK in action
Olga Wyshnowsky believes passionately that learning
personal safety strategies is a basic life skill and should be part
of regular school curriculum. She oversees personal safety
education for Winnipeg School Division, the first school
district in Canada to implement KIK.
“It’s a very positive, affirming approach of teaching personal
safety that students easily respond to,” states Wyshnowsky.
“Teachers also love it because its design and structure make it
very easy to implement in the classroom.”
That ease of implementation is the result of extensive
collaboration between the Canadian Centre for Child
Protection and Wyshnowsky. The Winnipeg School Division
was instrumental in the development of KIK, working alongside
Centre staff to ensure the program would be successful in a
school setting.
Kids in the Know is now fully integrated into all 77
schools in the Winnipeg School Division as part of the health
and physical education curriculum.
Joanne Rusen is the guidance counselor at one of
those schools. école Stanley Knowles School was the first to
implement KIK in 2004. Rusen believes the program has
made a real impact at her school where the students easily
recognize Baxter Bunny and Zoe & Molly Online, featured
characters in the program. She’s seen the effects in the real
world. Ironically, one example involved the rare incident of
strangers approaching a group of students.
“A few of our students were followed around the
neighbourhood by an unidentified van one day,” recalls Rusen,
“and they responded perfectly. They immediately went to a
place of safety and informed their parents. The parents then
contacted the authorities as well as the school. Everyone knew
what to do.”
Most significantly, it has given students the language and
confidence to disclose situations that concern them. States
Rusen, “It reduces the shame and guilt that often goes along
with the subject of abuse. It teaches children self-respect and
instills confidence in recognizing what feels right and what
doesn’t.”
Presently, school districts in five provinces have
incorporated Kids in the Know. The Canadian Centre for
Child Protection hopes to see KIK in every school across
Canada and is making efforts to promote the program nation-
wide. For more information and online resources visit
www.kidsintheknow.ca.
Deborah Zanke is a writer for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, the parent
organization of Kids in the Know. 
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 GO TO THE CiTY!

THE CiTY WAS BUiLT WiTH YOU,

THE TEACHER, iN MiND.
THE CiTY is a free, ready-to-use teacher resource
to help young Canadians improve their knowledge
of today’s financial universe.

Key features include:

+ Lesson plans
+ Handouts for your class
+ Overheads
+ Worksheets
+ Real-life financial activities
+ On-line modules
+ Meets curricula in all provinces
and territories
+ Available in English and French

Free teacher training is available.

Visit THE CiTY at themoneybelt.gc.ca
For more information, please contact
thecity@fcac.gc.ca

+ A FiNANCiAL LiFE SKiLLS RESOURCE

© British Columbia Securities Commission 2004–2008

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 13
 ENTREZ DANS LA ZONE!

LA ZONE : CONÇUE POUR VOUS

LES ENSEiGNANTS.
LA ZONE est un outil convivial et gratuit conçu à l’intention des
enseignants afin d’aider les jeunes Canadiens à améliorer leurs
connaissances du monde financier moderne.

Principales caractéristiques :
+ Plans de cours
+ Documents à distribuer en classe
+ Transparents
+ Feuilles de travail
+ Activités financières calquées sur la réalité
+ Modules en ligne
+ Répond aux exigences pédagogiques de toutes
les provinces et tous les territoires
+ Offert en français et en anglais

Formation gratuite disponible pour les enseignants.

Visitez LA ZONE à laclikeconomik.gc.ca
Pour plus d’information, communiquez avec
lazone@acfc.gc.ca

+ UNE RESSOURCE ÉDUCATiVE

EN MATiÈRE FiNANCiÈRE

© British Columbia Securities Commission 2004–2008

14 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 Saving Lives
with MADD Canada
by Wanda Kristensen
F or as long as I live, I will never forget the worst day
of my life. That was the day that our 16-year-old
son Dave died as the result of an impaired driving
crash. He was a passenger in a car driven by a friend. Both
had been drinking and the driver lost control of the car,
crashing into a pole. Dave died of head injuries. The driver
was eventually convicted of impaired driving causing death.
Life as we knew it ended that day.
As an educator, you may have experienced similar losses
in your school community. You’ve likely witnessed the grief
and trauma and tried to give support as best you could. Maybe
you have had a personal loss or injury. Perhaps you were like me
and asked “why?” I’ve learned there are no definitive answers
to that question. We can’t change the past but we can make a
difference for future young people.
We know that impaired driving is 100% preventable but
we also know that road crashes are the number one cause of
teen death in Canada and 45% of teens killed on the road have
been drinking. With the current popularity of cannabis, studies
show that 20% of high school students drive after smoking
cannabis.
Like Dave, many teens underestimate the danger of
getting in a car with a driver who has been drinking. In fact,
31.9% of students surveyed by the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health reported being a passenger in a car driven by a
drunk driver.
We all play a role in educating young people about the
dangers of impaired driving. MADD Canada has produced
two multi-media presentations to help educate elementary and
secondary school students. Shown on three giant screens with
a great sound system, it is ideal for school assemblies.
Dead on Arrival for Grades 7 to 12 is a bold and intensely
emotional story of the lasting effects one wrong move can make.
Dead on Arrival explores characters whose lives are catapulted
into unforeseen dramatic situations in the aftermath of an
impaired driving crash. The story follows Alex and his teenage
friends drinking and smoking marijuana at home as they begin
their preparations for an end of the school year party. Tragically,
typical teenage party plans turn deadly for this group. On
the way to the party, and only blocks from home, Alex drives
through a red light, smashing into a street pole. The story flash-
forwards to the ER, where doctors’ attempts to save Alex are
futile and he is pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, the emergency medical personnel scramble to
save Alex’s girlfriend, Katie, a passenger in the car. She survives
but is seriously injured and gets the news that she will never walk
again. The imagery is real, disturbing and dramatically engaging
… tracheotomy tubes are prodded deep into throats, catheters
are spiked into Alex’s body while the doctors desperately try to
resuscitate him. A doctor comes out of surgery to notify Alex’s
parents that their son has died and we are witness to the pain
and agony that a parent feels when they lose a child. We then
move to the funeral arrangements and watch as Alex’s parents
and family choose a casket, and prepare to bury their son.
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008
Middle-School Fiction for Reluctant Readers
Now 30 Titles in the Series
New for Fall 2008
Throughout the events, an ominous voiceover narrates.
It is the disembodied voice of Alex’s spirit as he watches the
events unfold.
The tragedy echoes throughout the community, especially
in the classroom among the group’s peers. In the final scenes,
we move to the cemetery where earth is thrown onto Alex’s
casket as it is lowered into the grave.
Dead on Arrival ends with real life victim stories narrated by
Robb Nash, lead singer of Live on Arrival, and a victim tribute
with photos, names and dates of teen victims as the credits roll.
Alcohol consumption can begin at a very early age. Studies
show us that young people who drink alcohol before the age of
15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependency
than those who wait until 21. In 2003, the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health’s Ontario Student Drug Use Survey found
that the use of alcohol and cannabis starts as early as age 11.
MADD Canada’s elementary program is designed to
educate youth about the risk of harm associated with alcohol
and drug use and to help them form beliefs and opinions about
alcohol and drugs as well as impaired driving before they are
faced with peer pressure.
30% discount to schools and libraries!
MADD Scientist and the Quest for Power introduces the Bio-pirate
concepts that the Brain, the Heart and Guts are what give you Michele Martin Bossley
Power and if the students can find out how to get those things ---- . 
they will earn their Power Badges. As the MADD Scientist ---- .   .
explains, “It’s all there inside you, but you need to figure it In a Flash
out.” The game takes us into different 2D environments where Eric Walters
we meet a variety of people who impart knowledge through ---- . 
interview segments. ---- .   .
Students learn about refusal skills if faced with an unsafe Watch Me
ride, how to ride safely in a car or bus and how to protect Norah McClintock
themselves from an unsafe driver. They learn the importance ---- . 
of wearing a bike helmet, and the risks associated with brain ---- .   .
injuries. Skate Freak
A young boy shares his story about helping his 16-year-old Lesley Choyce
older brother to deceive their parents so his brother could have ---- . 
a house party where alcohol was being consumed. The evening ---- .   .
ended in tragedy and the younger brother talks about how he
Now available:
feels now about his role that evening. Could he have prevented Teachers’ Resource Guide
the tragedy if he had told his parents about the party? ---- .  
Role models Craig Keilburger, founder of Free the
Children, and Adam Van Koeverden, Olympic kayak champion,
Interest level ages 10 to 14
share their messages about making a difference and achieving
Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 4.5
your dreams.
Contemporary, compelling stories
Youth education is a critical part of MADD Canada’s
Best-selling, award-winning authors
strategy to preventing impaired driving. We understand that
Short, high-interest novels
the long-term solution to the problem of impaired driving is to
get our message out while youth are forming beliefs and patterns Visit www.orcabook.com for more
of behaviour. Your support of this program will encourage a
information on these titles and all of
life-long habit of responsible behaviour on and off our roads.
Together we will save lives! Orca’s other books for young people.
For more information, visit www.maddyouth.ca.
O B P
Wanda Kristensen is Director of Programs, MADD Canada.  .. www.orcabook.com
Canadian Teacher August 08.indd 1
15
7/31/2008 10:31:42 AM

I New Focus: Reaching Youth
t’s an age-old dilemma: how to convince strong-willed
teens that they must master an important subject, even
though it seems to lack relevance beyond the classroom.
You know the familiar protest: “When will I need this in the
real world?”
But of all the subjects in which educators struggle to spark
student interest, money management should require little
convincing. Today’s youth quickly develop a keen interest in
money—or at least ways to spend it. Youth conversations often
gravitate to the latest video game, cell phone or fashion item
they covet.
Despite this unquenchable thirst among teens to talk
money, basic financial lessons are often omitted from the
curriculum and young people are left to learn these essential
life skills the hard way—after they’ve racked up years of debt, or
fallen victim to financial fraud.
Canada’s Failing Grade in Money Skills
Statistics clearly indicate that many Canadians lack
financial literacy, that is, the ability to understand, analyze
and use information about financial decisions in day-to-day
life. For example, from an array of recent surveys, we know
that one-quarter of adult Canadians have no savings for the
future; more than a third of credit card users don’t know their
card’s annual interest rate; less than half realize that interest is
charged on cash advances; and 60 percent admit that they find
most financial information hard to understand. One of the
reasons: fewer than 2 in 10 persons recall having taken courses
in personal financial management in secondary school.
The dangers of this financial literacy vacuum are alarming.
With the financial services world growing more complex,
Canadians are at risk of making costly mistakes with serious
long-term consequences. While this is especially true for
low-income families, lack of money sense affects people at all
income levels.
16
financial literacy for youth
Moving Financial Life Skills from
the Mall to the Classroom
by Ursula Menke
Thankfully, things are changing. Since the federal
government founded the agency in 2001, the Financial
Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has pioneered some
clear and easy-to-use print and web tools to give consumers
objective, reliable information on financial issues such as bank
accounts, credit cards and investments. And recently, the
government of Canada mandated the FCAC to foster financial
literacy in youth. This means we can give all young Canadians
a foundation of basic financial knowledge that will point them
on the right path and help them avoid serious problems later.
That’s why we’re launching a comprehensive web-based
tool this fall to help youth acquire crucial financial know-how.
Named The City: A Financial Life Skills Resource, this unique
bilingual program was developed in partnership with the
British Columbia Securities Commission, and modeled on
their successful initiative currently used in BC high schools.
The City: Youth Explore a World of Money
and Temptation
After carefully listening to the feedback and priorities of
teachers across Canada, we’re really excited that The City will be
an invaluable and easy-to-use resource for educators who teach
grade 10 and above.
Why take your class to The City? Designed for either
in-class or self-guided online use, The City’s approach blends
fictional characters with real-life financial activities and
decisions, organized in hands-on, activity-based format. Eleven
modules introduce key financial topics, starting with the basic
lesson of distinguishing needs from wants. Along the way,
students learn from eight life-stage characters—a collection
of reality show style personalities who face various financial
circumstances.
And while The City promises to be a bustling, urban jungle
for youth, it offers a metropolis of benefits for time-pressed
teachers. Easy to grasp and deliver, the program can be adapted
to any classroom and includes downloadable lesson plans,
student handouts and on-line modules. It’s free of charge and
meets the learning outcomes related to financial literacy in
every province and territory.
FCAC is also offering optional teacher training
workshops, so that educators—some of whom may doubt their
own financial savvy—can become comfortable with The City’s
topics, or discover ways to incorporate the flexible modules into
their existing lesson plans.
Impressive Results Among Youth
Since The City was rolled out to more than 1,400 teachers
in all 60 British Columbia school districts, it has received rave
reviews and has won multiple awards.
The City can have both an instant and a lasting impact on
young minds, since becoming financially literate will deeply
affect their long-term financial health. Like learning the ABCs
or how to floss your teeth, this program teaches practical skills
they’ll use every day of their lives.
And if a world-weary teen still poses the challenge, “Why
do we need to learn this?” simply nod at the classroom panorama
of Nike sneakers, ipods and dog-eared fashion magazines. Even
skeptical youth will grudgingly admit that learning money
basics will get them closer to the “sky’s-the-limit” dreams they
hide under a cool, branded ball cap.
To find out more about The City, visit www.themoneybelt.
ca—FCAC’s financial education website for teachers and
youth.
Ursula Menke is a Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. 
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 Closely matched Colour test books
with provincial for Kindergarten
curricula to grade 12

Complimentary
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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 17

 MAPLE TREE PRESS Logo – Berkeley Bold font RED – 20C 100M 95Y 10k RED – PMS 193C

18 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

 book reviews See www.CanadianTeacherMagazine.com for more book reviews.

For Remembrance Day…

Desperate Glory: The Story of WW I The Kids Book of Canada at War

by John Wilson by Elizabeth MacLeod
Napoleon & Company, 2008 illustrated by John Mantha
ISBN 978-1-894917-42-1 Kids Can Press, 2007
$20.95, 96 pp, hardcover, b/w photos, index ISBN 978-1-55453-003-8
ages 11+ $19.95, 72 pp, colour illustrations and photos
www.napoleonandcompany.com timeline, index, ages 8 – 12
www.kidscanpress.com
As we prepare for Remembrance Day ceremonies in
November, it is important to stress the purpose of the To end war, we must understand and remember what
first Remembrance Day (originally called Armistice Day), has happened in the past—this book is designed to
which marked the one-year anniversary of the end of educate young people ages 8 to 12 about Canada’s
the First World War. In the silent moment that stopped involvement in wars throughout history. The author
activity all over the British Empire at 11 am, November writes objectively, stating the facts without editorial
11, 1919, people paused to remember the dead—the nine million casualties of the first war in comment, starting with battles among First Nations,
history that had involved people from all over the world. This day was not meant to celebrate and moving on to report on the arrival of Vikings
a glorious victory, but to mourn the tragic deaths of so many young men. Desperate Glory is and Europeans, and subsequent conflicts between
perhaps an unfortunate title for this book, which clearly shows just how unglorious the reality of First Nations and these newcomers. Fighting between the French and English as they each tried
World War I was for the young foot soldiers who suffered and died in trenches and battlefields in to establish supremacy in North America, and the war of 1812 are next, then internal rebellions
Europe from 1914 to 1918. This short history of the war explains the event in Sarajevo in June and wars fought on foreign soil. Changes in military technology are noted as they come into use
of 1914 that sparked the conflict, and how so many countries were eventually drawn into a war in each conflict. Finally, Canada’s role as a peacekeeping nation is discussed, and the question
that many had expected would be over by the end of the year. The author does an admirable job is asked: What’s ahead? Every page is liberally illustrated with colour illustrations and maps,
of simplifying and explaining a complex situation, making Desperate Glory a helpful resource archival black and white photos, contemporary colour photos and information sidebars. The Kids
for educating young people about this event that changed the world forever. Each page of text is Book of Canada at War is a useful resource for elementary schools that are planning activities
illustrated by black and white photos, and frequent sidebars provide additional information. Also for Remembrance Day or for units exploring war and peace.
included are a Timeline of World War I, and lists of print and web resources for learning more
about the war.

Great Peacemakers:
True Stories From Around the World
• More Titles Dealing with Wartime •
By Ken Beller and Heather Chase
LTS Press, 2008 A Kind of Courage
ISBN 978-0-9801382-0-7
by Colleen Heffernan
$21.95, 195 pp, hardcover, b/w photos, index, ages 12+
$14.00, Orca Book Publishers, 2005
www.GreatPeacemakers.com
ISBN 978-155143-358-5
Great Peacemakers is a collection of twenty short This young adult novel provides sensitive insight into the internal
essays telling the inspirational stories of peacemakers from motivation of a conscientious objector during Work War I, and the
around the world. The people profiled in this volume worked social consequences he must face as a result of his decision to not
in different disciplines and times in history (some are still go to war. It also depicts typical wartime life for Canadians at home
living and working), but all embraced a strong commitment as they wait for news of their loved ones from the front. Very well
to nonviolence, and dedicated their lives to bringing about written and highly recommended for junior and senior secondary
positive social change. The authors strove for balance in race, nationality, religion, gender, age students. (www.orcabook.com)
and level of fame as they chose their subjects from hundreds of deserving possibilities. Some
are well known and others less so. The profiles are grouped according to themes: Choosing
Nonviolence (Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Anderson Sá); The Old Brown Suitcase
Living Peace (Mother Teresa, Thich Nhat Hanh, Colman McCarthy, Oscar Arias); Honoring by Lillian Boraks-Nemetz
Diversity (Bruno Hussar, Desmond Tutu, Riane Eisler, The Dalai Lama); Valuing All Life $10.95, Ronsdale Press, 2008
(Henry Salt, Albert Schweitzer, Astrid Lindgren, Jane Goodall); and Caring for the Planet ISBN 978-155380-057-6
(Rachel Carson, David Suzuki, Nader Khalili, Wangari Maathai). Great Peacemakers is a valuable
classroom resource and could be read aloud by teachers to spark discussion and further research, First published in 1994, a new edition of the prize-winning The
or by students as part of units of study focusing on influential people, the environment, the Old Brown Suitcase was released by Ronsdale Press earlier this
peace movement or human rights. A bibliography for each chapter is included that will facilitate year. This “documentary fiction” telling the story of Slava, a young
further study of these inspiring individuals. Accompanying study guides including lesson plans, Holocaust survivor, is based on the wartime experiences of the author.
worksheets, answer keys, rubrics, etc. are available for free download at www.GreatPeacemakers. Chapters alternate between what happened in Poland from 1938
com. The book has received five awards, including the International Peace Writing Award, the to 1945 and in Canada from 1947 to 1949 after Slava’s family fled
Skipping Stones Honor Award, and three National Indie Excellence Awards in the US. Europe. Written for young adults (age 10+), it contains graphic and
disturbing detail about the hardships faced by Jews in Poland during
World War II, but ultimately hopes to help young readers understand
the plight of all refugees. (www.ronsdalepress.com)

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 19

 book reviews See www.CanadianTeacherMagazine.com for more book reviews.
The Diary of Laura’s Twin
by Kathy Kacer
Second Story Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-897187-39-5
This novel about the horrors of the holocaust is for readers age 9 to
13. In The Diary of Laura’s Twin, twelve-year-old Laura is about
to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah—the coming of age ceremony for
Jewish girls. In preparation for this event, Laura’s rabbi asks her to
read the diary of a young girl named Sara who lived in the Jewish
ghetto in Warsaw during World War II. This “twinning” project,
which is in practice today, hopes to help young people keep alive the
memory of the children who never had the chance to celebrate their
adulthood. Laura is reluctant at first to take on another assignment
in her already hectic schedule, but soon she is drawn into Sara’s
story, and her growing understanding helps her take a stand against
wrong-doing in her own community. Author’s Notes provide factual
information. (www.secondstorypress.com)
Flight of the Tiger Moth
by Mary Woodbury
Coteau Books, 2007. ISBN 978-1-55050-364-7
This fictional story tells how seventeen-year-old Jack Waters who lives
in a small Canadian prairie town in 1943, comes to fly a plane and
save a life. Too young to be a pilot, he nevertheless learns how to fly
when Basil, who is a flying instructor at a nearby British air training
base, takes him into the air. The secret lessons and Jack’s courage are
tested when Basil is injured and his best hope for survival is for Jack
to fly his plane to the infirmary. (www.coteaubooks.com)
English Girl, German Boy:
World War II From Both Sides
by Tessa and Martin Borner
$16.95, self published, 2005. ISBN 0-9738926-0-9
A book of personal memoirs written by people who lived through
the war years on different sides of the conflict and eventually met
and married. Contains lots of personal history, but provides a first-
hand account of life during wartime in England and Germany. Most
suitable for interested teachers or senior students.
(www.mimosa.co.cr/newbook)
“Buyer Beware” is a critical lesson that all students must be taught sooner than later. OMVIC,
Day of the Flying Fox:
The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox
by Steve Pitt
$19.99, Dundurn Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-55002-808-9
The story of one of Canada’s Spitfire pilots and his wartime
experiences, focusing particularly on his attack on an automobile
carrying high-ranking Nazi Germans. Also includes additional
sidebar information about other notable pilots and the planes
they flew. Most suitable for teachers or senior students interested
in wartime history and how the allied air force contributed to the
defeat of the German regime. (www.dundurn.com)
Reviewed by Diana Mumford
Reviewers
Linda Lausic is a Canadian and World Studies teacher at Holy Cross Catholic Academy in
Vaughan, Ontario.
Diana Mumford worked as a teacher and teacher-librarian for twenty years before switching to
her present career as an editor.
Betty Schultze is a retired teacher, literacy consultant and workshop presenter, who is the
author of two books on strategies for beginning writers.
Interested in reviewing? Contact: dmumford@CanadianTeacherMagazine.com
20
• teaching resources •
Leap into Literacy
by Kathleen Gould Lundy
Pembroke Publishers, 2007
ISBN 978-1-55138-212-8
$24.95, 128 pp. adult
www.pembrokepublishers.com
On the back cover this book is described as
a “sensible book that offers constructive lessons and
practical suggestions for creating lively learning
possibilities.” But, it is so much more! A big challenge
for all literacy teachers is how to turn students on to the
power of language in reading and writing in an engaging
but also effective manner. The activities in this book will
do that, and as a teacher you’ll enjoy doing them as
much as the students. In the chapters on Make Words Sing, Mine for Meaning, Stage the Page,
and Immersed in Role, the author describes activities that have students read, move, chant, act,
talk, write and explore language and the meanings behind it. Lundy has carefully laid out a
plan to meet the teacher’s need to establish a safe, successful environment for the risk-taking
that is needed for students to explore language with creativity, freedom and joy. Students are
exposed to numerous opportunities to create new understandings about what they are reading
and writing as they engage in these well-thought out, carefully explained teaching/learning
activities. Numerous writing examples and relevant poetry, artifact suggestions, assessment
information, and blackline masters make this a resource that is complete and easy to use.
This book is for everyone, at all grade levels, as the activities can be adapted for younger
or older students. Since so many activities are relatively risk-free and many of the writing tasks
fairly short and lots of fun, it is an invaluable resource for teachers who work with students
who might be showing disinterest and discouragement around literacy activities. Highly
recommended.
Reviewed by Betty Schultze
KNOW YOUR RIDE
How to Protect Yourself
When Buying a Used Vehicle Privately
by The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, 2007
Free, Teacher’s Guide, 6 minute DVD and
classroom materials for Grade 10 Civics
www.omvic.on.ca
CAVEAT EMPTOR! While it seems a sad statement on today’s society, this Latin term for
The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, is only too familiar with this reality, and as such,
has responded by creating a comprehensive resource for Ontario Civics teachers. Know Your
Ride is OMVIC’s initiative to educate secondary school students about the dangers of buying
vehicles privately.
In November 2007, all Ontario high schools received a black plastic tool box containing
the Know Your Ride DVD for student viewing, lesson plans and wallet sized cards for students
with 5 “Remember Tips” before they buy. If you teach Civics and haven’t already used the
resources in this tool box, I highly recommend you do! The valuable lessons of Know Your
Ride can be shared with students in as few as one or two lessons. It teaches students the dangers
of dealing with “curbsiders” (shady individuals selling shady vehicles) when making a used
car purchase.
Know Your Ride provides numerous curriculum links as well as detailed instructions for
lessons to be used before, during, and after viewing the DVD complete with reproducible charts
and worksheets. I particularly appreciated that detailed instructions and all worksheets were
provided for an excellent modified jigsaw activity. Very little preparation is left for the teacher to
do. Overall, the lessons effectively tie in elements of Canadian law and functions of government,
which are fundamental components of the Canadian Civics course. I would also recommend
these lessons for the grade 11 Canadian Law courses offered in Ontario.
OMVIC’s ultimate goal is to educate the general public and starting with our students is
the key. Using this package, students will learn how to avoid buying a used vehicle that may be
stolen, damaged, rebuilt, odometer-tampered, or have a lien against it. Open the little black tool
box and help OMVIC put “curbsiders” out of business!
The resource is available online at no cost, to any teacher in Canada (www.omvic.on.ca,
416-226-4500, Toll Free 1-800-943-6002).
Reviewed by Linda Lausic
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 Looking fforor rrecentl
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Choose the best for your students! Our Choice lists the year’s best
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Keep up to date on the newest books. Read Canadian Children’s
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Invite authors and illustrators to your school during Canadian

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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 21

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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 23

 from the classroom
the planning department
Guided Reading: An Action Plan
by Brenda Boreham
C urrent research tells us that increasing the
amount of time spent on engaged reading at an
independent level of difficulty will result in a
student’s improved reading f luency, comprehension and
even attitude towards reading. Explicit teaching of reading
skills is another critical factor that contributes to the
student’s progress.
So, just how do you find the time in an already busy day to
ensure that your students are engaged in reading and receiving
instruction appropriate to their reading level? How do you keep
the reading groups small enough (six students at the most) to
maximize the benefits of the instruction? What is the rest of
the class doing while the teacher works with one small group?
These are some of the logistical questions that we struggled
with when we first set our goal to develop an action plan that
would meet the needs of all our learners.
A visit to our school by a team of three led by our District
Literacy Co-ordinator helped us on our way. All our staff
members were given release time to participate in, and observe
a teaching model that the team demonstrated with our grade
three classes for three weeks. In this brief period of time we
witnessed a dramatic increase in skill level for the students and
I became convinced of the value of the model.
A modification of this demonstration has now been in
place at our school for two years. Its success has motivated us to
continue and expand the program. While the participating staff
members continue to tweak and refine the process, we all agree
that working collaboratively is the key to making the project
work. The following is an outline of the project’s organization.
HOW IS THE PROJECT IMPLEMENTED?
September
• Determine the participating classes (in our first year we
worked with a 2/3 and a grade 3 class; in our second year we
worked with two grade 2 classes and two grade 3 classes).
• Determine and schedule the staff and provide orientation to
the project. Five staff members for one hour a day are required
to implement our program since we form student groups for
five reading levels. At our school, each class is allocated 1/2
hour of the aboriginal support aide’s time and 1/2 hour of
the learning assistance teacher’s time per day (Monday to
Thursday). By working two classes together, we had those
two staff members’ time available for a one-hour block, four
days a week. The two classroom teachers and a classroom
support worker assigned to one of the classes completed our
team of five.
• Develop the action plan.
• Determine where in the school the five groups will meet.
• Begin student assessment.
24
Brenda is the Literacy Resource Teacher at her
school. This .2 position allows her to plan fun
literacy events when she isn’t busy in her own
classroom.
October
•
•
•
Finish student assessment.
Determine student groupings.
Assemble materials and resources.
Monday
• 10:45 - All the students engage in a 1/2 hour mini-lesson
focused on a particular reading strategy led by one of the
teachers. Goal setting and highlighting of excellent work
• Begin instruction. from the week before also takes place at this time.
• 11:15 - The students move to their small group lessons.
October to the end of May
• Ongoing instruction. Tuesday through Thursday
• 10:45 - Students move directly to their assigned places for
• Ongoing reflection opportunities for staff and students.
small group sessions. Each group is identified by a colour,
• Ongoing assessment (Running Records as well as Nelson
and rotation schedules are posted to keep everyone on track.
Benchmarks) to determine progress and changes in the
• 10:45 - Session #1 (guided reading lesson or literacy centre)
groupings.
• 11:15 - Students move to next location.
• Ongoing student goal setting.
• 11:15 - Session #2 (guided reading lesson or literacy centre)
• 11:45 - Clean up routines
June - a designated student returns the student folders;
• Celebration of student success. - a designated student returns the tool boxes and other
supplies;
WHAT ASSESSMENT DO WE USE? - remaining students stack the chairs, etc.
• D.A.R.T. (District Assessment of Reading Team, used
throughout BC in Grade 3) HOW ARE THE MATERIALS ORGANIZED?
• Nelson’s Benchmarks (October, January and May) • Each literacy centre has a plastic tub containing sets of
• Running Records pencils, erasers, scissors, etc.
• Attitude Survey • Each group has a basket for storing their sets of levelled
books.
HOW ARE THE STUDENTS GROUPED? • The literacy centre materials are kept in lidded tubs. Each
activity has a folder with the activity directions printed on
• Student groupings are fluid and determined by ongoing
the outside. Any worksheets or papers related to the activity
assessment. are kept inside the folder.
• Ideally, groups consist of six students or less at these • There is a chart of the group rotation schedule posted at each
four levels: Early Emergent (Benchmarks Level 1-4), centre.
Upper Emergent (Benchmarks Level 5-8), Late Emergent • Each student has a folder that travels with him/her from
(Benchmarks Level 9-16), Early Fluent (Benchmarks Level session to session. The folders are collected at the end of the
17-20). session times and are stored in a central location.
Each of these four groups engages in a 1/2 hour Guided
Reading lesson with a teacher and a 1/2 hour Literacy The main challenge to an action plan like this one is the
Centre activity with a support worker each day. The groups availability of staffing which can change from year to year,
rotate among the staff members, so by Thursday, each group school to school and district to district. There are many, many
will have worked with each staff member twice. variations of this project operating in our district. Here are
• The fifth group: Fluent (Benchmarks Level 21-30). This larger some ideas that might prove workable for you:
group of students engages in a one-hour block of instruction • Consider using volunteers to supervise the literacy centres
with the Learning Assistance teacher. (retired teachers, student teachers, parents, administrators,
etc.)
WHAT ARE THE DAILY ROUTINES? • Consider forming a team of five staff members and work at
one grade level for six weeks. Move on to another grade level
The program is delivered after recess. This is what we do for six weeks, and so on.
each day:
In the next issue of Canadian Teacher Magazine I will
describe a few activities that work well as literacy centres. 
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 The Story of the Rabbit Dance
By Jeanne Pelletier

Tips For
Illustrated by J.D. Panas

Teachers
Li Nistwaar di la Daañs di Liyév
Translated by Rita Flamand

Enjoy the Gabriel Dumont

Institute‛s newest resources
with your students!
Contact us at the address below
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Clean Computers

I once watched a show on

germs that stated that computer
keyboards are dirtier than a toilet

bowl. Gross! Kids sneeze on
them, sometimes eat and drink
over them and use them when
their hands aren’t necessarily
clean.

Keep baby wipes around to  

clean keyboards and monitors
frequently. They are gentler and 
milder than Lysol wipes or other 
products so they won’t harm  
computer surfaces and they cut 
back on the germs.  

Anastasia Rioux  
Special Ed/Computers Specialist 
Sudbury, ON.    
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

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 25

 3Rs CRAFTS


by Larraine Roulston








•
•
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


C rafts in school are designed to develop fine motor
skills and at the same time, create a pleasing piece
of artwork. In fact, most primary teachers have a
shelf with empty egg cartons and paper toilet roll cylinders
ready for such a planned project. If you haven’t already done
place. The picture from the card that is now the top half of the box is
usually centred. The inside message may line up nicely too.

THICK CRAYONS
• 
so in the past, begin this year by going beyond the obvious Fill paper muffin cups with bits of crayons and put into a muffin tin.
• 
crafts, and ask everyone in the class to start collecting a Bake in oven on low heat until melted. The crayons now are thick,
 variety of clean, unwanted items for The 3Rs Craft Box. with swirls of colour, and will make an interesting multi-coloured
Suitable items to Recycle include: bread tabs, corks, effect when used. These recycled crayons are ideal for tiny fingers in
•  springs from pens, any part of packaging (even cut out kindergarten classes.
•  pictures or letters), binder coils, bits of ribbon/wool/string/
•  fabric, Styrofoam, onion bags, steel rings, broken elastic bands, SPENT LIGHT BULBS
•  hooks, snaps and bubble wrap. Encourage parents to become
 Cut strips of paper or tissue. With a thin paste of flour and water, cover
• involved with a written request for materials, and get children
the bulb for a papier-maché tree ornament. (Safety Note: because light
thinking about what they would like to make as they see the
bulbs are fragile, they may not be suitable for all children.)
collection accumulate. Once a sufficient amount of otherwise

useless, and most likely non-recyclable stuff has been gathered,

CORKS
• group similar objects together for students to view. At The 3Rs
•  Craft Box debut, announce that the next art class will begin by Design a classroom wreath or make a cork bulletin board by gluing
•  making a selection from these objects to create an original work corks together. You might want to put enough together to enable
•  of art. If a student is completely stumped, suggest a Junk Robot something to float.
•  or offer a piece of stiff paper to make a 3D picture.


 To be even more environmentally sound, mix a paste of OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THE 3RS CRAFT BOX
 flour and water. For group art, create a scene for display.
 This teaches the 2nd R, Reuse, by example and offers
the concept to be selective and Resourceful by using what Decorate boxes that hold items for the classroom.
you choose. The idea of making up their own designs will not Place random items inside a bag or wrap in a piece of newspaper
only stir your students’ imaginations but also give a sense of for each student. Announce that they have this art class to create
accomplishment on making something original and useful for something from what is in their bag. This provides an opportunity to
themselves. A child may want to weave a mat for a dollhouse or learn what can be put together just for fun. You can add a challenge
design a miniature object for a railroad set. The beauty of this that everything must be used or put a time limit on the activity. You
 
craft lies in its diversity. may wish to suggest that they can trade to encourage bartering skills.
 
  As Christmas approaches, The 3Rs Craft Box can come
 Puppets






• plastic pizza top tables for about five minutes, stating, “I want to

• 
• 


• 













• 

• 


• 
• 
 The following will provide you with ideas if you have a
out to make tree ornaments or other seasonal decorations. In
Quarter holders from 35mm camera cylinders
one of my experiences as a parent volunteer operating an after-
Mosaic art from broken china
school Environmental Club, a girl fingered two little white
A pencil holder from a cracked cup
A plant holder from a broken tea pot or an old boot.
use these, but don’t know why.” Suddenly, her face lit up as she
put the legs together and exclaimed, “Why, it makes a perfect
little cage!” With that in mind, she set to work to add ribbon and
a cutout bird to make a delightful Christmas decoration. To By concentrating on scraps of junk, you will be amazed
practise public speaking, the children can describe their crafts. at what your students can fashion out of trash that otherwise
would be destined for landfill. As a bonus, you won’t have to
surplus of greeting cards, corks, stubby crayons or spent light spend your school budget on art supplies.
bulbs in your collection.
Food for thought: With rising oil prices, the awareness to
grow food locally, as well as the newly discovered plight of the
CHRISTMAS CARD BOXES bumble bee, this should be a good year to downplay the use of
food imported from afar such as macaroni, Cheerios and seeds
Children just love to make tiny boxes from old greeting cards. To make
for crafts.
a box, open card and cut it in half along the fold line. Mark an X, lightly
in pencil, from corner to corner on the inside of both pieces. Fold all four
Larraine Roulston writes children’s adventure books that combine composting facts
with literature. Visit www.castlecompost.com. 
edges to the middle of the X, one at a time. Open flat and cut along the
two fold lines at each end (4 cuts) to the other fold line. Create the box
by folding the tabs in first, then fold the end over and paste or tape in

26 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

 It’s DAREarts Children For Peace Time!
Join schools nationwide as your students ‘dare’
to create cards to help children in need worldwide.

DAREarts’ Centipede Children for Peace is an

international children’s peace movement,
‘Children with Love, Children for Peace’.
In co-operation with the NATO peace-keeping
forces, sales of the children’s cards have helped
to buy three ambulances for children in Kosovo
plus a ‘bigfoot’ landmine remover and rebuilt
schools from Africa to Afghanistan.

For more information

1-888-540-2787
www.darearts.com
DAREarts Foundation Inc. for Chldren
3042 Concession 3 Adjala, RR 1 Palgrave, ON L0N 1P0
Canadian Charitable No. 8891 7764 RR0002 Photo courtesy of DND

INC.

We are now accepting

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Visit our website for more
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www.reachforthetop.com

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008

h075_SchoolreachCTM-Ad_Aug08_02.indd 1 8/14/08 11:56:49 AM
27
 healthy living

Don’t Let Teaching Cripple You!

How To Avoid Back Pain In The Classroom

by Matt Dean

E ighty percent of us suffer from back pain at some point in our lives, but despite back
pain training programs, teaching remains a high risk occupation for musculoskeletal
injuries.
Why Teachers?
Three potential risky tasks in teaching are lifting books, chairs, tables, etc.; bending down to
talk to pupils; and sitting at a desk. These involve possible slouching, considerable flexion (bending
forward) and bad lifting techniques, all of which may lead to back complaints.
Other problems include the psychosocial risks. These are psychological responses to work
and workplace conditions. Adverse affects are caused by bad working relations, high workloads
and unrealistic deadlines. Musculoskeletal disorders can arise as a result of this stress because of
the tension held in the muscles, or behavioural changes like skipping breaks to meet deadlines.
Doctor of Chiropractors Timothy Jameson of the Bayshore Chiropractic Family Wellness
Center, California, says, “As well as the physical stresses, your spine responds to chemical and
emotional stress. Chemical stress involves what you eat. Put lousy foods in your body and you
have poor health. Your spine is directly related to health. Emotional health directly impacts the
way you hold your body. If you suffer from depression or poor self-esteem, you will carry your
body with a forward head posture and drooped shoulders. If you have severe emotional stress
in your past, it can be stored within the neuro-muscular network and create chronic spinal stress.”
Solutions
The good news is that most cases are not serious injuries and can be relieved or avoided
altogether by implementing some simple actions.
Lifting and handling requires a good solid base with comfy, gripping shoes on a clean, dry
floor using correct positioning. The spine and musculature is strongest under axial compression
(weight directly down the spine), through a line that passes down your ear, shoulder, hip, knee
and ankle.
Always lift from the legs using a straight back and hold the object close to your body. If you
lift an object at arm’s length, it feels approximately five times heavier than when it’s held close to
the body.
Dr. Tim Hutchful of The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) advises, “Many
musculoskeletal injuries are cumulative, a bit like bending a paper clip.....you can bend it 49 times
and nothing happens, but bend it that 50th time and it breaks! This is why getting into good
practices is so important. DO NOT wait for injuries to happen; avoid them building up.” It is
crucial to deal with injuries early before they become chronic. It is always easier to deal with a first
time injury than a recurring chronic one.
Clothing has a big impact on carrying out the job efficiently says Dr Hutchful, “Wearing
trousers rather than a skirt is also sensible for constant lifting and bending. Wearing trousers
enables you to position your legs better, helping to reduce strain on the back, neck and arms.”
A basic but often overlooked aspect is the need for good nutrition and hydration during a
long day. If you don’t put the correct fuel in your body, you will run out of steam. Injuries are more
common when you are tired and take longer to heal when your body is dehydrated or lacking
nutrients.
Fitness is another big issue. Even though teaching is a demanding job, it is not sufficient to
let the job be your only form of exercise. Carrying excess weight puts severe strain on the back, so
keeping fit outside work will give you more energy for the job and help avoid injury. Pilates is a
good start!
Younger teachers can learn from experienced staff as they may know easier ways to do a job.
Ask if they have any injuries. You will then know what to look out for and be more able to deal with
potential problems, or avoid them altogether rather than learning the hard way.
Stretch Yourself
Core stability and flexibility are key aspects in keeping a healthy back. Below are several
stretches, which, if performed daily, can help prevent back problems.
Back Extension
Lay on your tummy, curled over a Swiss ball and gently lift yourself up so your back is straight.
Be careful not to over-arch.
Core Muscle Tension
Sitting on a chair, focus on the core muscle group, which you tense when entering a cold sea.
This forms a corset of muscle around your tummy. Tense these muscles and hold for 10 seconds,
maintaining natural breathing throughout.

The Child Abuse Response Certificate Program

The Child Abuse Response Certificate Program is a 30-hour program consisting of five
core online modules, using such technologies as narrated Powerpoint presentations,
Certificates of participation are issued by
discussion forum postings, live participatory sessions, readings and video/audioclips. The Canadian Society for the Investigation
of Child Abuse.
Each module is $125.00. Please visit www.csicainfo.com for more information.

Five Core Modules You make the schedule

Responding to Child Abuse
Assessing Family Dynamics
Understanding False Allegations
The Psychopathology of the Abused Child
Testifying as a Witness in Court
This program is designed so you can work Register Today
at your own pace. Each module has two To register, please visit us online at
mandatory one-hour sessions. The entire
www.conexsys.ca/carcp08-09
program takes place from October 2008
until April 2009.

28 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

Flexion Stretch 1 Flexion Stretch 3
Lying on your back with your head on floor, pull one knee back to chest and hold for several Lie on back, knees bent up with head on a small pillow and arms out to the side in a crucifix
seconds. Repeat with other knee. position. Hold it for two minutes without allowing the lower back to arch.

Flexion Stretch 2 Back Stabilization

Starting on all fours, bring buttocks down to heels. Hold for several seconds and repeat. Starting on all fours, stretch out right arm and left leg simultaneously, keeping back and neck
straight. Hold for several seconds and repeat with opposite limbs.

For further information, check out the Straighten Up exercise routine, endorsed by the
World Health Organisation at www.straightenupuk.org .

Matt Dean,1st Class BA (Hons) is a journalist, musician and music teacher in the UK. 

Give the gift of Winter Fun and Active Living

students this year – and you could WIN!
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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 29

 environmental awareness

AGROFUELS
The Looming Threat to Food, Farmers and Human Rights
By Sarah Mohan

P eople who support biofuels are convinced they are the answer to saving our environment,
supporting farmers, boosting the economy and ending poverty. We’ve heard these kinds
of claims before. But development research suggests that these claims are unfounded.
Since their environmental benefit is questionable at best, and since they serve to benefit agrobusiness
more than farmers, biofuels are referred to as agrofuels by many concerned organizations, following
the lead of the global farmer movement, Via Campesina.

Potential Benefits of Agrofuels

The basic idea is that plants can be processed into fuels, reducing our reliance on petroleum-based
products. For example, corn can be transformed into ethanol, which can fuel cars. The proponents of
agrofuels point to the renewable nature of agrofuels, and argue that they generate lower greenhouse
gas emissions than petroleum products.
Moreover, the push for agrofuels helps push up crop prices, benefiting farmers. In developed
countries, agrofuels could reduce grain surpluses where subsidies have generated an unprecedented
quantity of agricultural output. And in less developed countries, increased demand for agrofuel crops
will increase prices, ensuring higher revenues for poorer farmers.

All that Glitters…

While at first glance, agrofuels might look promising, research is showing  the cons greatly
outweigh the pros.
Agrofuel production uses a great deal of energy—to plant, fertilize and harvest the field, and to
move and process the crops. In many cases, agrofuels use more energy than they create. It would be
more energy efficient to use the land to grow the food so many need to eliminate hunger.
Agrofuel production has caused large-scale deforestation, particularly in countries with
rainforests and abundant biodiversity. Cutting down trees releases huge amounts of carbon into the
atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. Moreover, the monocropping that then occurs on
the land causes soil degradation, causing soils to release more carbon into the atmosphere. There may
well be a negative net impact on the environment.
Agrofuel production can reduce the already scarce land available in developing countries for
local food consumption. In the global South, land is already being taken out of food production and
being put into growing agrofuels for export to developed countries. It’s bad enough that the global
North bears primary responsibility  for causing  climate change, but our  solution should not  take
food from those already in need.
Agrofuel production can reduce biodiversity by relying on the monocropping of specific plants
like sugar, corn and jatropha. Not only does monocropping reduce plant and wildlife biodiversity,
but the industrial agriculture approach relies on chemical inputs that can seep into the water tables,
causing health problems in local populations.
Increased global demand for agrofuels encourages farmers operating on fragile lands to plant
crops that are ill-suited to local resource availability. Agrofuel crops are very water-intensive, taking
water away from human consumption, sanitation or local vegetable production. The result is poor
nutrition, health and dehydration—preventing the achievement of several of the UN Millennium
Development Goals.
Agrofuel production is a threat to farmer food sovereignty and control over their land.
Farmers risk  losing control of their land as  multinational corporations  consolidate  control over
the agricultural system, displacing small farmers and concentrating control among a handful of firms.
This trend greatly compromises our ability to adapt to climate change.
Industry has predicted that, to keep pace with increasing demand for agrofuels,  20% of the
planet’s arable land will have to be dedicated to agrofuels. We are simply not prepared for this. Before
legislation is adopted requiring minimum agrofuel levels in gasoline, diesel and heating oil in Canada,
we need to understand where these fuels would come from and what the social and environmental
consequences would be.
The European Union, which had adopted ambitious agrofuel content requirements, has now
backtracked after realizing not only that  the fuels  are unavailable, but also that they  would have
major environmental and food security impacts.
To find out more about agrofuels and make up your own mind on the matter, please visit:
http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/policy-advocacy/resources/
To connect with organizations working on this issue, please visit:
http://usc-canada.org/what-you-can-do/policy-advocacy/organizations/
Contact info@usc-canada.org to find out more about agrofuels, our food supply, and the environment,
and how your class or club can get involved. 

30 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

 CanTeacherAdJuly22:Layout 1 7/22/08 8:44 PM Page 1

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Access exceptional, peer-reviewed and curriculum

matched classroom resources at www.r4r.ca

Green your classroom. Across Canada, Learning for a Sustainable Future’s

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Engage your students. education policy, helping teachers teach and
Meet the curriculum. bringing classrooms to the community.

For links to our latest projects visit www.lsf-lst.ca

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 31

A WORLD WITHOUT OIL
by Guy Dauncey
$ 1.48 a litre—$2.80 in Europe—$4 a gallon in the
US—and everyone has an opinion about it. Some
are philosophical, but many are angry, wanting to
blame someone. How can this be, they ask? Someone has
to be ripping us off.
For all our lives, we have lived with the easy availability of
oil, rarely pausing to think what it is. How can this clear liquid
cause metal weighing over 400 tons to fly? How can a single
litre enable a car to go 10 kilometres, or a Prius to go 17 km, a
Smart Car 20 km?
After a million years when our only heat came from
burning firewood, what magic has enabled this to happen to our
generation? For surely, as a result, we are the wealthiest, most
privileged, and laziest generation that has ever lived—thanks
to this strange liquid, and its sisters, gas and coal.
It is only because of this strange liquid, too, that fishermen
can strip so many fish from the oceans that they are being taken
over by jellyfish and slime. Only because of fossil fuels that we
can consume so much stuff.
Their presence is a one-time gift from the far distant past,
energy from the sun that was absorbed by ancient trees, ferns,
and animals and then crushed, heated and fossilized, waiting
for the time when humans would have enough know-how to
use it.
In as far as we depend on this ancient energy, we are
technologically immature. We are like a child who loves feeding
at its mama’s breasts, and does not want the trouble of feeding
itself. Our whining about the price of gas fits the metaphor
perfectly—“Don’t stop! It’s not fair! I want some more!”
The paradox of the sky-rocketing price of oil is that it is not
being caused by scarcity but by financial speculators who have
32
seized on the fear of scarcity as a sure fire way to make some
money. If it were not for the speculators, oil might still be $80 a
barrel, not $130.
Where does all the money go? A slice goes to the
speculators, 29-year-olds in shirt-sleeves who simply want to
make as much as they can. The rest goes to oil companies as
undiluted profit which their owners can use to buy luxury yachts
and golf-course condos, and possibly to hide in offshore bank
accounts. Yes, be angry—it seems like a justifiable response. If
only it were being collected as a carbon tax that could be used
to reduce other taxes and speed up the rate of weaning.
So let’s be rational for a moment. How much oil is left, and
how close are we to weaning ourselves off it?
We are about halfway through the world’s conventional
oil supply of around two trillion barrels. There are about a
thousand billion barrels left, which is a lot—except that we are
burning 32 billion barrels a year, which means, at this rate, it
will all be gone in 31 years. There’s a lot more non-conventional
oil, such as Alberta’s tar-sands, but they’re only producing 1
million of the 86 million barrels we burn each day, so while it
may make some people very rich, it’s too little to make a useful
difference.
The truth is that the speculators are doing us an enormous
favour: they are giving us an artificial advance warning of what’s
coming—which is that the warm, lazy days of feeding at Mama
Earth’s fossil-fuelled breasts are almost over. From here on out,
we have a very stark choice: either use our intelligence to design
a post-carbon world—and quickly—or keep on whining as
our civilization collapses around us, sans cars, sans trucks, sans
farms, sans everything. (Shakespeare, As You Don’t Like It,
2008).
OK—maybe Plan B is preferable. For transport, as well as
legs and bicycles, we can use electric buses, cars and high speed
trains powered by ocean, wind, solar and geothermal power.
For longer distances, until we develop rapid-recharge batteries,
we can use plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, using liquid fuel
from bio-wastes and hydrogen. For moving goods on land, we
can use electric trucks and railways. For shipping, we can use
solar, wind and wave powered vessels, which are on the drawing
board, but no further yet. For flying… well, forget flying.
The challenge is not the technology—we already know
how to do most of this. The challenge is the urgency—how
quickly can we do it?
The same urgency is being pressed on us by the ever more
worrying warnings about global warming: just do it, top climate
scientists like James Hansen are urging. Quickly.
There is no time for delay. We need to embrace the
adventure, and pour huge investments into cycling, transit,
electric railways and zero-carbon homes. We need to require
that all new vehicles are zero emissions by 2020. We need to
require that all farming become organic, also by 2020. We
need to do as Sweden is doing, and wean ourselves off our
dependence on oil by 2020. Even if only for purely financial
reasons, we must do it.
So put aside the whines and worries, and get behind what’s
really needed—which is a world without oil.
Guy Dauncey is a speaker, author and organizer who works to develop a positive
vision of a sustainable future, and to translate that vision into action. He is author of
the award-winning book Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change,
Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic, and 9 other titles. His home page
is www.earthfuture.com 
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 The Challenge is ON!
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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 33

 professional opportunities

Graduate Studies at Trinity Western University

Advance your career.

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34 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

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Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 35

 after school
Huahine
An Island Lost In Time
By Alan Boreham
I n her compendium, 1,000 Places To See Before You Die,
Patricia Schultz describes the island of Huahine this
way, “steeped in tradition and a standout for its varied
scenery, splendid beaches, proliferation of ceremonial
temples, picturesque main town, and tiny, charming
villages, Huahine is one of the few Polynesian islands
Captain James Cook might recognize if he were to return
today.” Having seen much of Polynesia in the early 1980s
myself, and having been disappointed by the changes to
many of the islands when I had returned fifteen or twenty
years later, I was beguiled with the idea of going to this part
of French Polynesia to relive those happy days of my youth
in the South Pacific. I was not disappointed.
Papeete Airport
The first suggestion of the transition from hectic North
American life to the serenity of the South Pacific was the Air
Tahiti Nui flight from Los Angeles to Papeete on the island
of Tahiti. The friendly cabin staff dressed in uniforms with
a colourful Polynesian motif and the Paul Gaugin images on
the menus were my re-introduction to the devotion of the
Polynesian people to their culture. After I had spent a couple of
hours in the swelter of the open-sided airport terminal waiting
for my connecting flight, watching crowds of villagers with
rolled up sleeping mats and boxes tied up with string—and
nary a wheeled black suitcase to be seen—I was already re-
36
Approaching Huahine
connecting with my past. This sense was reinforced during my
45 minute flight that passed over Tetiaroa, the idyllic group of
13 islands bought by the late actor Marlon Brando after filming
Mutiny on the Bounty and marrying his Polynesian leading
lady. By the time I arrived at the quaint little airport on Huahine
the transformation was complete.
Unspoiled Beaches
From my accommodation a fifteen minute walk along
the beach past neat cottage style houses set back among the
coconut palms led me to the main part of the town of Fare. It is
a simple little town with a dozen or so brightly painted one- and
two-story buildings lying along the side of the road opposite the
The Main Town of Fare harbour and a dock where an inter-island freighter docks once
a week. The houses lie back from the water and up the shallow
Huahine was settled by the Polynesians over a thousand slopes behind, as well as along the one main road that runs each
years ago, but not identified by Europeans until Captain Cook way out of town and rings the island. Men, women and children
arrived in the late 1800s. The South Pacific Handbook, my from these nearby homes walk or cycle in an unhurried way,
usual source for current information on the South Seas, notes stopping along the way to socialize.
that Huahine and the other five islands of the Leeward Island
group were British protectorates amid a region of French
influence until 1887 when Britain traded them to the French for
fishing rights off the coast of Newfoundland and other interests
in the South Pacific. The European influence can be found still
in the Super Fare Nui, the village general store, where products
like Arnott’s cabin biscuits and Cross & Blackwell’s marmalade
can be found among the freshly baked French baguettes and
local goods.
Since Cook’s time, the French administration has provided
a reasonable infrastructure without overwhelming the local
culture—a fairly new airport, good roads, clean drinking water,
reliable electricity, schools and the local gendarmerie. Other
than that, the people appear to live as they may have hundreds
of years ago. The Road Around the Island
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 Across from the shops, in the gap between the road and
the harbour, a row of banyan trees serves as an informal market
where local people sell fish, hanging them by string from the
gnarled trunks, as well as produce from their gardens, and
provides shelter for musicians and a shady place to park a
vehicle. Children play along the shore, diving from the dock
and splashing in the crystal clear water.
Fare Harbour
Most of the people I saw were Polynesian, but there were
also Europeans residents, mostly French, and a few Americans.
Some, like Joe, had come in their twenties for the famous
surfing and never left. Now married to a local woman and with
children in their teens, he continues to live an uncomplicated
life selling island handicrafts and renting bicycles, and still
manages to get out in the surf once in a while. A similar story
is told by the French/Polynesian couple that runs Guynette’s
Lodging and the busy little patio café that sits among the shops
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008
along the harbour. Like Fletcher Christian, these foreigners
couldn’t resist the lure of the South Pacific.
Huahine still holds that rapture for foreigners. The local
people are welcoming and the lifestyle is relaxed. A delightful
evening can be spent watching the sunset with the locals from
the waterfront café at the end of the beach near Joe’s shop
while the children play in the shadows of the banyan tree. The
impression one is left with is that community and quality of life
are valued over income.
Safari Tent
Probably due to the surfer and backpacker influence,
Huahine is not overwhelmed with exclusive hotels that charge
US$750 a night for accommodation and offer seclusion from
the world like they do on neighbouring Moorea or Bora Bora.
While it does have one up-scale hotel designed to complement
the local style, Huahine’s real draw is the variety of low-key
guest houses and “self-catering” units located along the plentiful,
unspoiled beaches or in small villages around the island where
visitors are made to feel at home. One unusual adventure offered
Rainclouds Overlooking Huahine-iti
by the host for my stay on Huahine is “camping” in African safari
tents mere steps from the water. These deluxe expedition tents
are permanently set up on wooden platforms and equipped with
beds, toilets, ceiling fans and lovely sun porches overlooking
the lagoon. Cooking is done in a communal Polynesian hut
furnished with a gas stove and electric refrigerator.
Scuba dive, surf, swim, explore, relax, or enjoy the authentic
art and culture of the island: those are the only stressful choices
you will have to make during your stay on Huahine. Maybe
Captain Cook discovered the island but it is the love and sense
of community of the local people that maintains it in the way he
found it all those years ago.
Alan Boreham is a seasoned sailor and world traveller. He has recently co-authored
two books - a series of South Pacific sailing memoirs entitled Beer In The Bilges and
a novel entitled Two If By Sea - both soon to be published.
Blog: alanboreham.wordpress.com
Website for the novel, Two If By Sea: 2ifbyseabook.com 
37

T he number of international schools has doubled
in the last 25 years and their popularity shows no
sign of declining. Intriguingly however, due to a
mismatch between the increased demand for teachers
and a dwindling supply, many schools are discovering that
recruiting good teachers is not as easy as in the past. This is
providing a real opportunity for North American teachers
to consider a role abroad. The chance to work almost
anywhere in the world, within an international school, is
the greatest it has ever been.
International schools now exist worldwide in many
different shapes, sizes and for many different purposes. Broadly
speaking, most international schools are founded to provide
children with an education system, language or curriculum
which is different than that offered by their home country.
The growth of international schools is showing varying
trends across the globe, with certain countries and regions
experiencing faster growth than others. In recent years, the
Far East, Europe and the Middle East have been growing
faster than other regions. This has been driven by high growth
in countries such as China, Germany and the United Arab
Emirates (UAE). China, for example, has seen a growth of 89%
since 1990 according to ISC Research. The UAE is another
international school hot spot following a growth of 75% over
the same time period.
So why are some regions experiencing much more
significant growth than others? Often the rise of international
schooling occurs where the state system is unsatisfactory or, in
the case of expatriates, inaccessible—leading parents to look
elsewhere. Globalisation has also played a part following an
increased desire for English language fluency, coupled with
the desire for a western education, increased local wealth
to purchase education, increased migration and a growing
appreciation for internationalism.
In countries where growth has been less than was
expected, such as Japan, which has seen less than 20% growth,
many cite the effect of economic crisis as a contributing factor.
In countries which have already seen a strong globalised state
sector, such as Switzerland, growth may have already occurred
and has levelled out.
Although the opportunities to teach abroad have
increased, it is important that prospective teachers research the
international schools in the country they are interested in. This
will prevent disappointment and provide clarity when applying
for positions.
38
Take It To The Next Level
Teach Abroad
by Diane K. Jacoutot
The following provides a useful guide into common
misconceptions of teaching abroad.
Misconception 1:
I will be teaching English as a foreign language.
Not necessarily. Although this is sometimes the case,
there are many schools known as international schools that use
various curricula such as the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and
International Baccalaureate and teach all subjects in English.
Misconception 2:
I can teach anywhere I want.
Many teachers think that because they are qualified to
teach at home, they can teach abroad and that is not necessarily
true. Teachers wishing to work overseas must follow two
paths—immigration and teacher certification. Each country
has its own rules on immigration as well as rules and
requirements for the required training and experience of its
international teachers. For example, teachers without a training
degree such as a Bachelors of Education, Masters of Education,
Higher Diploma in Education or Post Graduate Certificate in
Education, can usually only work in English Language (TEFL)
schools, not in international schools.
Misconception 3:
Independent schools are largely like state-funded
schools.
Most international schools are privately owned, and so
there are often competing forces within an international school
that don’t exist in state-funded schools at home. International
schools must strike a balance between spending money to
attract teachers and parents yet produce educational results to
justify the income the school generates in school fees.
Misconception 4:
I will save loads of money because the salary is tax free.
Salaries usually reflect the cost of living in which you work.
Tax-free salaries are only tax-free in the country in which you
earn the money. Depending on the tax rules of your country
of origin, you might still owe taxes on foreign earned income
back home. Furthermore, teachers cannot expect to make their
current pre-tax salary everywhere in the world.
Misconception 5:
I can always take them with me.
Living and working abroad means relocating those who
depend on you—your spouse, your dependents and your pets.
It is important to understand who/what you can and can’t take
with you, and make appropriate preparations accordingly.
Misconception 6:
If I am teaching in a Canadian school, all the children
will be Canadian.
The idea of international education appeals to many
parents, not just expatriates. In almost any international school,
there is a broad range of nationalities. Some schools serve a very
local population of parents who want their children to have an
education in English with an eye towards attending a western
university or working in a multinational corporation. Most
schools in fact, serve host nationals rather than expatriates.
Misconception 7:
I am ready for this!
Have you really thought it all out? Are you sure that you
are flexible and adaptable enough to be able to relocate your
life? Teaching abroad is not for everybody as it requires an
enormous amount of adaptability, acceptance, preparation,
optimism and most of all, resiliency.
Once you have researched and considered all the risks
and rewards, and have made the decision to teach abroad, it is a
good idea to speak to a recruitment specialist to find out more
about the reality of teaching abroad.
It’s crucial to look at both the benefits and the potential
pitfalls to teaching abroad, and to consider the unique points
particular to the country or region to which you would like
to relocate. Once you have chosen your desired region, it is
important to understand the application process; it may take
time to complete the interview process and you often interview
on the phone, which is strange for many teachers. The key thing
is to be open-minded and enthusiastic. After all, there is a whole
world out there for you to explore!
Diane K. Jacoutot is the general manager of teachanywhere.com. For more
information on teaching abroad, please call (toll free) 866-836-6566.

Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine

S ix years before I was scheduled to retire from my
teaching job of 32 years, a sense of panic started to
set in. Not the kind of panic you would associate with
someone who hadn’t financially planned for retirement—
although money is always a concern when one retires. It was
more the type of panic you feel when you’re going through
a transition and don’t have a real sense of what direction
you want to pursue. I had worked in Windsor, Ontario as
a high school English teacher and it wasn’t until closer to
my retirement that I started to think about what the future
would hold.
You see, I’ve never been the type of person to “do lunch”
on a regular basis. Heading into retirement I wanted a plan—
something that would give me a sense of self-worth. My late
father, who had passed away from cancer during my teaching
career, had been an admired businessman and I guess you
could say I inherited a bit of his entrepreneurial spirit. So one
day when I was flipping through the Windsor Star, our local
paper, I spotted an advertisement for part- and full-time sales
consultants for a cruise ship vacation sales company. I wasn’t
sure why it appealed to me exactly, but it did. I applied and
shortly after found myself heading to my first job interview in
29 years.
It was during that interview that the thought of having a
part-time job, entirely separate from the crowded classroom to
which I’d become accustomed, became appealing. In addition
to the change of pace, I also looked forward to becoming my
own boss, something I didn’t experience as a teacher.
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008
Retired Teacher Gets Lesson in Business
by Ruth Waltman
I remember wishing my father was still around to provide
me with some advice, but he wasn’t. After two months of careful
consideration and research, I decided to take the leap. On the
day of my 50th birthday, I signed on for the training. I spent
Monday afternoons in a nondescript office and did research at
home on the side, a different environment from the classroom.
Two months later, I had my first sale—a 16-night cruise through
the Panama Canal—to a woman I’d met in the beauty parlour.
I discovered I was a pretty good sales person and I
genuinely enjoyed my new role. My identity had been wrapped
up in marking exams and planning lessons for so long and now,
in my 50s, I was discovering strengths and abilities I didn’t know
I had. Plus, I was able to have more control over my financial
future and was benefiting from my new choice of income.
Then something unexpected happened. An opportunity
came up to retire early from my teaching job and I decided to
take it. On the last day of my teaching career, fate threw me yet
another curve ball. Three men owned the franchise for which
I was working at the time. Two were silent partners and the
other was my manager. I hadn’t finished cleaning out my school
desk when I received a call from head office informing me the
two silent owners were looking to get out of the business. They
wanted to know if I was interested in buying them out. All I
could think was: what would Dad say?
Looking back, I realize how naïve I was when I made the
decision. Sure I deliberated with my husband, but I had no idea
how much work running my own business would entail and
at the same time I couldn’t have imagined it bringing all the
rewards that it has. The first thing we did was move the office to
a better location. We encountered many challenges, but as soon
as I became my own boss, I’d wake up each morning excited to
go into work and if I wasn’t excited, I had the authority to take
the day off!
It’s been 12 years since I embarked upon my new lifestyle
choice and, although I’m working harder than you’re probably
supposed to in retirement, I love my job. I was attracted to
teaching because I wanted to help kids and make a difference
in their lives. Running a vacation business, I still get that same
sense of satisfaction when I help a couple or family book a
dream vacation. And, of course, there are other perks. Since I’ve
started in the industry, I’ve been on almost 40 cruises and my
husband and I don’t plan on slowing down our globetrotting
hobby anytime soon.
In the end, my decision to throw in my marking pen was
a good one for me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through this
whole experience, it’s that it’s never too late to create your own
lifestyle. If I’m able to run my own ship and still take time to
occasionally cruise on one, well, that’s success—at least in this
teacher’s books.
Ruth Waltman is a Franchise Partner of Expedia CruiseShipCenters, Windsor.
She can be reached at rwaltman@cruiseshipcenters.com 
39
Prep Time … For Retirement
Reflections on Retirement by Retired Educators
by Enise Olding and Carol Baird-Krul
G enerously giving of their time, eight former
educators agreed to answer our questionnaire
and share with you their retirement experiences
before they left their jobs and afterwards. Their answers
vary from the succinct to the detailed, but all come from
an individual perspective. They hail from different parts
of Canada and cover the gamut of experience within the
field of education: administrators and classroom teachers
of elementary, high school and university.
In this issue we’ll learn what they anticipated as they
approached retirement, and in the next issue what actually
happened, and in the following issue they’ll share their tips,
comments and wisdom about planning for retirement.
Margrid, Vicki, William, Lori, Caroline, Alan, Emma and
Terry retired from their primary careers in education between
2002 and 2007, so perhaps their words will resonate with you
as you contemplate your own retirement.
What made you decide to retire?
Having reached the age of 65, I wanted a change of scenery.
~ ~
Health issues led to a decision after 1.5 years off work not to
return to the realm I had worked in for about 25 years.
~ my son was going to university, and I thought I would continue
Burnout. Spouse was already retired.
~ mostly sharing my job. When I looked into my pension, I found
I decided to retire because I had been teaching for 30 years and
I had just turned 55 and was eligible to receive my pension. At
the time, the Board of Education had a clause in our contract
that entitled retirees to fully covered benefits for ten years if they
retired by June 30th, 2007. If they retired by June 30th, 2008,
retirees were entitled to only 50% covered benefits for ten years.
There was some incentive for retiring in 2007! Aside from that,
I was exhausted from teaching and I was beginning to lose my
enthusiasm and joy of teaching children. The system demands
were ever increasing and what used to be fun was now becoming
tedious and frustrating. The curriculum demands were
unrealistic and I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t possibly
teach all of the content in the time frame given and I therefore
felt like I wasn’t doing a good job. As a result, my satisfaction for
teaching decreased, while my frustration level increased. Due
to accountability issues, the paperwork tripled—teachers were
now expected to not only write report cards for 30 students,
but many of these students had a lengthy I.P.P. (individual
40
program plan) that had to be implemented and reported on
and then there was the growing ESL population that required
individual program plans and reports, as well. I just found that
the expectations were unrealistic and overwhelming. A teacher
just didn’t have time to address all of this, plan curriculum,
mark papers and teach during the day, and as a result the job
required many evenings and weekends of school related
work. As I watched the system expecting more and more from
teachers over the years I was becoming resentful. I was losing
my positive vibe… It was time to get out!
~ had done little or no preparation for retirement and was under
My husband had been retired for two years and was waiting
for me to retire to start our adventures. I required some time
off in May of 2003 to travel to Europe for my husband’s 50th
confirmation reunion. This request was not granted so I
retired.
~ filled.
I retired because at that time I was emotionally exhausted and
needed to try and put my life back into some sort of healthy
balance.
Two reasons. My husband retired from the fire department six
months earlier, and wanted me free to do things. At that time
to work to help with that. I had taught for a very long time, but
I would make $100 more a month, twelve months of the year.
~ ~
I decided to retire for several reasons:
• reached the full 35 year of pensionable service;
• work load was increasing – i.e. Math classes of 36;
classes with up to 7 special needs students plus EAs;
• felt a need for a change or rest;
• wanted to spend more time at home with my children
from my second marriage;
• no longer teaching music, which was my specialty;
• age: 62 ¾;
• wanted to start enjoying the benefits of collecting my
pension.
What concerns did you have about retiring?
Due to my young family, my concerns about retiring were
financial—the drop in income and loss of the bridge benefit
at 65. However, my concerns so far have been unfounded as I
Enise Olding Carol Baird-Krul
1-250-748-1139 1-250-247-0077
info@drassociates.ca
Carol and Enise are the creators of a series of pre-retirement and post-
retirement planning workshops: Transition to Retirement: The Uncharted
Course©, Recently Retired: Charting a New Course© and Ideas ... Enhanced
and Advanced©, and authors of Transition to Retirement: The Uncharted
Course. Previous articles on retirement may be viewed in back issues at www.
CanadianTeacherMagazine.com.
have not claimed and will not take the CPP until 65 and the
Teachers’ Pension has been more than adequate. Dental costs,
however, have been more than expected.
~
I really didn’t think too closely about it. I clearly remember the
September when I retired. My son moved to go to school in
Vancouver that Labour Day weekend, then I didn’t go to school
for the first time in my life, and then September 11 happened.
~
Initially, I had no concerns. At the time at which I retired I
the illusion that when I retired life would happily unfold as it
should.
~
The biggest concern was the reduction of income. The second
concern was whether the academic and social void would be
~
I had no concerns about retiring. In fact, I was excited! Finally
I would have time to do whatever I wanted and not punch
anyone else’s time clock. For about 23 years I had dreamed of
retirement. I was not financially able to be a stay at home Mom
for my son 23 years ago, but now I was finally able to take a rest
and take some time for me. I had long lists of things I wanted to
do and had never had the time to do before.
~
Only finances—would there be enough money?
Once I felt better and started to contemplate not returning to
the hectic life I led, my greatest concern was financial security
and independence. I had been the primary earner in my 30+
year marriage. Other concerns included where I would get
social contact and intellectual stimulation.
~
Getting bored and not having enough money to live on.
What were you hoping for, or expecting, during your
first year of retirement?
I was hoping to travel Europe, which I did and then returned
home. I assumed that having the opportunity to travel, rest and
reflect that the future would become clear to me. This did not
happen!
~
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
I was expecting to enjoy having more leisure time, but found
I had to be busier to be happy. I tried volunteering in the first
six months but found it wasn’t enough meaningful outside
contact for me.
~
There were big plans about all the hobbies, jobs around the
house and social contacts that would be started and completed.
Dreams of all that free time to finally do everything.
~
It seems to me the first couple of years of retirement mostly
felt like an extended vacation. My husband and I had
responsibilities with elderly parents, we sold our house and
renovated a new one so were quite busy.
~
This may sound strange, but I really wasn’t hoping for, or
expecting anything following retirement. I guess I really didn’t
give it all that much thought. I was so tired I just wanted to rest
and do nothing. People told me to do nothing for the first year
and just rest and let the future take its course. So, that’s what
I’ve done… nothing really. Oh, and by the way, that long list
of things I wanted to do and never had the time to do is still a
long list! I just never seem to get around to doing any of them.
I feel like I’m busy every day, but I’m not sure what I’m busy
doing! I’m taking a lot of “me” time, running errands, cleaning
house and reading. Aside from the fact that my husband and I
take more vacations throughout the year, things really haven’t
changed all that much during retirement. Now that it’s been a
year since I retired, I am starting to think about what I might
want to do. Sometimes I feel like I would like to go to college
and become a personal trainer for older people and I’d like
to combine that with becoming a nutritionist. Other times,
however, I just feel like doing nothing except reading and
traveling. I really don’t want to be locked into anything right
now. I guess I just need more time to think things through.
~
Relief from the stress. Chance to set my own timetable.
Chance to take care of me.
~ “
I was without hope and/or expectations for the first 6 months.
In retrospect, I was resting my mind and going through a “
withdrawal from a workaholic lifestyle. I suffered generalized
anxiety and guilt about having left my post abruptly, who
I think all of us
would do my job and the impact on staff, about my own as volunteers came in
financial and mental health, etc. acknowledging that, yes, we
~ may have skills, but we’re also
Time to travel, to spend more time on running and to be busy going to learn a lot.
doing other things. 
– Michele Hillier, Sri Lanka

Transition to Retirement
The Uncharted Course
One day you are at work, the next
day you are retired.

VSO IS RECRUITING!
What can you expect to
experience—joy, relief, freedom,
boredom, loss of identity, a lack of
structure?
Would you make We may have a life-changing opportunity for you in your field.
This book will help you recognize
the markers on your life’s chart and THE JOURNEY? EXPERIENCED TEACHERS
With partners in Africa, Asia Tara Vanderwel develops training materials and holds regional teacher
plot a course for smooth sailing into
and the South Pacific, VSO workshops in Mozambique.
Carol Baird-Krul retirement.
Enise Olding places skilled volunteers ESL TEACHERS
$12.95 Pacific Edge Publishing Ltd. overseas in more than 60 Alana O’Donnell teaches English to rural students in Cameroon.
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Annemiek Miller works with teachers and parents to help rebuild Rwanda’s
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www.vsocan.org 1.888.876.2911
© 2008 NAS
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 (Media: delete copyright notice)
41
Canadian Teacher
6.25” x 6”
 news
National Bullying Awareness Week
This year, to celebrate the upcoming sixth annual National
Bullying Awareness Week (November 16 – 22), its founder,
Canadian classroom teacher Bill Belsey and Bullying.org
Canada President, is offering free Professional Development to
one school from each province and territory across Canada
in the form of free tuition for the “E101  -An Introduction to
Bullying for Educators” online course from www.bullyingcourse.
com. To be eligible, a school principal or other member of the
school admin team should write a one-page proposal (500
words max.) to explain why they would like their staff to have
this free Professional Development opportunity. Submissions
can be emailed to   info@bullyingawarenessweek.org. The
deadline for submissions is November 1, 2008. The winning
schools will be announced on the www.bullyingawarenessweek.
org website on Monday, November 17, 2008.
Family Literacy Day
Family Literacy Day® (FLD) is a national awareness
initiative created by ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation and
Honda Canada in 1999, and held each year on January 27. This
special day promotes the importance of reading and engaging
in other literacy-related activities as a family.
Last year more than 275,000 Canadians attended more
than 1300 events across the country at schools, libraries or
literacy organizations. Schools and teachers can get involved in
FLD by planning your own creative, fun and educational event
to help students get excited about reading and writing both
at school and at home. Visit www.abc-canada.org/fld to find
more information and tips on Family Literacy Day activities
and to list your event.
New Brunswick Commits to Quality Daily Physical
Education
The New Brunswick Minister of Education announced
in May 2008 that physical education within Anglophone
elementary schools will be taught by physical education
specialists, and weekly time allocation for physical education
will increase to 120 minutes per week starting in September
2008 and eventually increase to 150 minutes per week within
three years. These program enhancements bring physical
education delivery within Anglophone New Brunswick schools
to the national standards for Quality Daily Physical Education
(QDPE) as set by Physical and Health Education Canada
(formerly, the Canadian Association for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance). To date, no other province
in Canada has committed to this level of QDPE delivery.
www.phecanada.ca
Resources for Rethinking
One year ago, thirty teachers came together with Learning
for a Sustainable Future to launch “Resources for Rethinking,”
an online database of teacher-reviewed, curriculum-matched
classroom resources that promotes the development of an
environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable
society. “Resources for Rethinking” can now connect teachers
at no charge to more than 500 quality resources, each one
having met rigorous evaluation criteria and offering excellence
in both sustainability education and pedagogical principles.
“Resources for Rethinking” allows users to search its inventory
by sustainability issue, subject, grade or Province/territory, in
both English and French. Not only does the database address
a range of topics relevant to sustainable development, but each
resource has also been reviewed by an experienced classroom
teacher. Visit www.resources4rethinking.ca and discover tools
for active, relevant, and interdisciplinary teaching and learning.
Get involved in the project by sending in your favourite
resources for The Resources for Rethinking team to review.
42
New Initiative for Trent University Students
This September, Trent University in Peterborough,
Ontario launched a new initiative for new Trent students which
aimed to alleviate students’ anxiety as they entered their first
year of university study.
When first-year students arrived at Trent this summer
to take part in New Student Orientation, they received
information about their upcoming university experience. They
also received their first Trent assignment—read the award-
winning novel Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden and come
prepared to discuss it in seminars offered during Introductory
Seminar Week (ISW) in September.
This new initiative, called Trent Reads, is designed to bring
the Trent community together by creating a common ground
for discussion and to give new students an academic experience
that they can all be a part of before they actually begin classes.
The seminars with small groups of 20 or fewer students, are led
by Trent faculty in a variety of departments and programs.
“I think this is a really interesting way to get students
involved and excited about school and to get an understanding
of what’s to be expected from them once they begin their
classes,” says Allie Kosela, co-chair of ISW for Champlain
College. “I also think it’s refreshing for students to see a science
professor talking about material that you would often only see
in a class like English Literature or Cultural Studies. It’s also
a good opportunity for faculty from the arts to get a science
student’s perspective on literature. This program is the epitome
of what a liberal arts and science education at Trent is all about.”
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, the selection for 2008,
was chosen for its relevance to people in all areas of study as
it spans many perspectives. Three Day Road has won much
acclaim as the winner of the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize,
the CBA Libris Fiction Book of the Year, and the Amazon.
ca/books in Canada First Novel Award. It was also selected
for the Today Show book club and CBC Canada Reads. The
lesson for students in Trent Reads 2008 is that no matter what
your discipline might be (or the discipline of a faculty member
leading a discussion) everyone can appreciate good literature
and critically evaluate what they read.
As a follow-up to Trent Reads, Mr. Boyden will visit Trent
to read from his latest novel. Mr. Boyden’s visit will be a great
opportunity for students to check out more material from an
author they’ve already discussed in an academic setting. It
will also allow the rest of the institution to become part of an
experience the University has just introduced
For more information about Trent Reads and ISW, visit
www.trentu.ca/isw.
Preventing the September Asthma Peak
The Asthma Society of Canada (ASC) has embarked on
an awareness campaign, “Preventing the September Asthma
Peak,” to educate children, their caregivers and teachers about
the significant spike in the number of children requiring
hospital treatment as a result of asthma attacks during the
month of September.
With the start of the new school year, kids are back indoors,
in close contact with each other and germs, including those that
cause the common cold, are easily spread. Studies have shown
that colds are the most frequent asthma triggers in young
children, causing the “September Peak” in hospital admissions
for children with asthma—nearly double that of June and July
combined.
The ASC worked in conjunction with an educational
consultant to create classroom material for grades four to six,
which dovetail with the Ontario curriculum. The classroom
material offers teachers “Preventing the September Asthma
Peak” information and lesson plans to help educate students on
this epidemic.
The lesson plans range from math and language arts, to
science and technology, allowing students to develop a basic
understanding of asthma and the September Asthma Peak.
More importantly, students can learn what they can do to
reduce cold transmissions and stay healthy all year long.
Tip sheets were also developed for children and parents
to increase their awareness of the phenomenon and on the on-
going management of asthma.
“Experts tell us that one of the most important tips for
all parents of children with asthma is to control asthma with
appropriate medications before school starts by seeing their
doctor and adhering to their medication,” says Christine
Hampson, President and CEO, Asthma Society of Canada.
“Education is the key to preventing the September Asthma Peak
and ensuring that our children are happy and healthy at the
beginning of and throughout the school year.”
Beginning September 2, 2008 teachers can download the
“Preventing the September Asthma Peak” classroom material
and learn more about the September Asthma Peak, by visiting
the Asthma Society of Canada’s web site at www.asthma.ca.
Made possible through the contribution of a research-based pharmaceutical
company, member of Rx&D. Endorsed by The Asthma Society of Canada.
Canadian Museum of Nature’s Online Natural
History Notebooks
Natural History Notebooks, a highly used section of the
Canadian Museum of Nature’s nature.ca website, now boasts
colour photos and new information to make exploration of 250
animal species found around the world even more fascinating.
“More than 1,500 photos were added and the information
was updated, according to recent scientific information,” says
Greg Smith, Director of the Museum’s Information and
Technology Services division. “We’ve also greatly improved
the navigation, and replaced some of the scientifically outdated
illustrations.”
Originally launched online in 1997, the Notebooks is
the most popular feature of nature.ca. Written for a general
audience, each brief species description is accompanied by an
illustration and, now, photos. The combination of the new and
original illustrations with the photographs offers users a wide
and handy selection of Notebooks visuals.
Mammals make up the greatest number of animals
featured on the site, which also covers reptiles, prehistoric
creatures (including ice-age mammals), fish, invertebrates,
amphibians and birds. New illustrations of Canada’s provincial
and territorial birds can now be found in the Notebooks. The
site is fully bilingual.
To check out the online Natural History Notebooks, visit
nature.ca/notebooks.
2008 Canada Day Poster Challenge Winner
Rémi Petitpas, age 13, from Ecole Pere-Edgar-T.-LeBlanc
in Grand-Barachois, New Brunswick, is the national winner of
the 2008 Canada Day Poster Challenge. This year’s theme was
“My Canada Today!” Out of nearly 13,000 entries, the poster by
Remi Petitpas was chosen to be the official poster for Canada
Day 2008.
Elizabeth Yeoh, age 9, from Ecole Forest Trail Public
School in Oakville, Ontario, placed second. Third place went
to Christy Groves, age 16, from Mountain Field Academy in
Forteau, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 The posters by Remi Petitpas and the 12 other provincial
and territorial finalists will be on display at the Canadian
Children’s Museum until October 2008, located in the
Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. They
will also be posted online at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/
affiche-poster.
To obtain a copy of the Canada Day poster, with a
magnificent calendar on the reverse side, contact your regional
office of Canadian Heritage. Contact information can be found
on the above Poster Challenge website. WORLD’S LARGEST Collection of Often-Used, Interactive & Printable Classroom Forms

World Vision Gift Catalogue Teacher Resource

Looking for a creative way to get your students involved
in global issues for the holiday season? The World Vision Gift
Catalogue Teacher Resource contains six lesson plans for grades
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2 – 8, featuring themes such as human rights, community
development and education and global inequality. The free
guide also offers ideas for making a difference as a class, as www.TimesaversForTeachers.com

students learn how items such as goats, clean drinking water and
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school supplies can benefit children, families and communities
in developing countries.
Using the resource, Grade 5 teacher Kasia Pfefferle from
Rycroft Elementary School in Rycroft, Alberta, helped her social
studies class see how simple measures can promote global
change. Last year, her class raised money to purchase a stable
full of livestock from the World Vision Gift Catalogue. Besides

© Daniel J. Catt
teaching them about global issues, Pfefferle says the campaign
has helped instill citizenship skills in her students and made the
cause of ending poverty much more personal for them. “Most With 20 years experience and world-class
importantly,” she adds, “they’ve felt empowered by the fact that resource staff, we bring you to our favourite
their actions truly can make a difference.” places, introduce you to old friends, and
To download the Gift Catalogue Teacher Resource, visit combine a sense of humour with
our spirit of adventure. 2
WorldVision.ca/resources. To learn more about the World 20
YEARS
Vision Gift Catalogue, visit WorldVision.ca. XXX"EWFOUVSF$BOBEBDPN

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Canadian School Calendar
The Canadian Education Association prepares a school Cdn Teacher Mag 1/6.indd 1 12/12/07 2:07:42 PM
calendar each year, which is free online at <www.cea-ace.ca/
pub.cfm?subsection=sch>. The School Calendar provides all
opening and closing dates for primary and secondary schools in For Grades 6, 7 & 8
The Ultimate 3-DAY
every Canadian province and territory.

Sharing the Flame RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION CAMP

The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) is seeking May & June 2009
nominations for its second annual recognition program, Sharing
the Flame: Recognizing Excellence in Learning.
Sharing the Flame highlights some of Canada’s most Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
promising practices in learning, giving these initiatives the is pleased to present CAMP CHOICE, a 3-day Residential
visibility they deserve, and helping others to learn from their Education Camp developed to introduce students to new
success. CCL will recognize initiatives in the following learning
levels of academic learning in mathematics, health
themes: Aboriginal Learning; Adult Learning; Early Childhood
studies, science, technology, and the dramatic arts. As
Learning; Health-related Learning; Work and Learning.
Selected programs will be recognized on the CCL website well, it provides an opportunity to experience life on a
From
college campus. Our professionally crafted workshops are
and have their projects featured in an electronic “ideas book,”
to be distributed to stakeholders and interested parties across conducted in state-of-the-art facilities, making learning $217
per student
Canada in late 2008. CCL welcomes entries from individuals exciting and fun.
and organizations with active projects related to any of the five
learning themes.
Deadline: October 15, 2008. For more information, please
contact sharingtheflame@ccl-cca.ca. www.ccl-cca.ca
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
Survey on Inclusive Education ɽ 2 Nights Accommodation
The Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), ɽ All Meals—2 Hot Breakfasts, 2 Lunches,
2 Dinners & 2 Snacks
in anticipation of the release of its second National Report Card
ɽ 7 Hours of Workshops
on Inclusion in November 2008, is conducting a pair of online
ɽ Energetic Camp Staff
surveys—one on access to inclusive education, and one on
ɽ Evening Entertainment
access to family supports—directed towards families who have
ɽ CAMP CHOICE T-shirt
a family member with an intellectual disability. The surveys are
intended to help raise the profile of these issues and provide
Tel: 416-675-6622 ext. 77304 Toll Free: 1-888-548-6327
information on progress that is being made. To complete the
survey, go to www.cacl.ca. www.campchoice.ca

Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 43


New Bullying Prevention Software
Quest for the Golden Rule is bullying-prevention
software—a classroom video game that simulates experiences
where students, grades 2 to 5, practise and rehearse prosocial
skills by intervening in bullying situations. The system was
designed with teacher input in Ontario, piloted first in Ontario
and empirically validated at York University. The software aims
to prevent behavioural problems and is built to be hassle-free
with ready-to-go lesson plans. It provides automated reporting
so teachers can follow up with at-risk children. For more
information, visit www.practiquest.com/CTM. If you decide
to order, say you saw it in Canadian Teacher Magazine and take
15% off your order!
Freerice Web Phenomenon Launches New Games
The FreeRice web vocabulary phenomenon that has
captured the imagination of millions of people around the
world has now turned its attention to a range of new games
encompassing art, math, language and chemistry.  Since its
launch in October 2007, FreeRice has attracted thousands of
users to its ingenious vocabulary game that generates a donation
of rice to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
for every correct answer submitted. Visitors to FreeRice (www.
freerice.com) peaked last year at around 500,000 a day and the
site is still regularly used by around 40,000 people daily.  Over
the ten months since its launch, it has generated more than 40
billion grains of rice in donations to WFP—enough to feed
more than 2 million people for a day. So far, donations generated
by the FreeRice site have been sent to feed hungry people
in Bangladesh, Uganda, Nepal and most recently Myanmar,
where hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless
when Cyclone Nargis struck in May this year.
With the launch of new games on the site, players will now
be able to test their knowledge of multiplication, world capital
cities, chemical symbols, foreign languages and the styles of
famous painters. Every correct answer generates a donation of
20 grains of rice to WFP. 
<didig^X`dgigZVi[dgjc^XZ[#XVidaZVgcbdgZVcYh^\cjeidYVn
Unicef-space ad-D5.indd 1
44
events
October 16 – 18, Learning Democracy by Doing:
Alternative Practices in Citizenship Learning and
Participatory Democracy. Toronto, ON. This conference,
which celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Transformative
Learning Centre at OISE/UT, will provide a space for mutual
learning and critical reflection about innovative and inspiring
international initiatives.
http://tlc.oise.utoronto.ca/wordpress/conferences/october2008
October 23 – 24, The Engaged Learner. Manitoba
Association for School Superintendents Fall Conference.
Winnipeg, MB. www.theengagedlearner.ca
October 23 – 25, Relentless Hope: Education for a
Better World. BC Teachers for Peace and Global Education
Conference. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Michael Byers. Hope, BC.
www.pagebc.ca/Events/conference.html
October 24 – 26, National Conference on the Teaching
of Canadian History. Association for Canadian Studies.
Quebec City, QC. www.acs-aec.ca
November 2 – 7, Teachers Institute on Canadian
Parliamentary Democracy. Ottawa, ON. Get an
insider’s view of Canada’s parliamentary system. Meet
parliamentarians, and political, procedural and pedagogical
experts. Explore key issues in parliamentary democracy.
Develop and gather resources for teaching about parliament,
governance, democracy and citizenship. Application deadline
for this year’s institute was April 30, 2008. Applications for the
2009 Institute will be available in January 2009.
info@parl.gc.ca
November 3 – 4, Powering Research and Innovation.
Toronto, ON. ORION and CANARIE – Ontario’s
advanced research, education, and innovation networks. Join
distinguished Canadian and global leaders and innovators in
science, research, education and information technology to
The orange box is gone, but the giving lives on!
Canadian children are still UNICEF volunteers by collecting donations and
becoming informed global citizens with our fun activities.
Choose a goal!
* helps equip a class with pencils.
&% helps buy a soccer ball for a
student to play with at school.
'* helps buy a desk for a student.
'*% helps areas affected by natural
disaster with a full kit of school
resources – a School-in-a-Box.
&*%%
helps build a latrine for a
school without washrooms.
*%%% helps provide a clean water
source for a community school.
discuss and showcase new and innovative technologies that
are transforming the way we conduct research, collaborate,
teach and learn. www.orion.on.ca/2008summit
November 8, Making Connections. People for Education
Annual Conference. Toronto, ON.
www.peopleforeducation.com/getinvolved/annualconference
December 7 – 11, World Indigenous Peoples’
Conference on Education 2008. Melbourne, Australia.
The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. The
conference provides a forum for Indigenous people around
the world to come together not only to share and learn from
their experiences and promote best practice in Indigenous
education policies, programs and practice but also to honour
and celebrate their cultures and traditions.
www.wipce2008.com
April 30 – May 2, Getting it Right for Adolescent
Learners: What is Teaching? Canadian Education
Association Spring Symposium. Edmonton, AB.
www.cea-ace.ca
May 10 – 14, 5th World Environmental Education
Congress. Montréal, QC. This Congress is for all educators:
professors, researchers, teachers, university students,
community leaders, civil servants, museum and park
interpreters, consultants, journalists, artists, and all other
actors in environmental education. Together, we seek to
strengthen education in our neighbourhoods, villages, cities,
and regions—to better inhabit Earth, our common home.
www.5weec.uqam.ca 
For inclusion in the next issue of Canadian Teacher
Magazine send event information to:
dmumford@CanadianTeacherMagazine.com
Kids can be empowered
to help their global peers with
UNICEF’s curriculum-linked global
education programme.
Education can become a reality
for children in Malawi and Rwanda
when you support the Trick-or-Treat
for UNICEF campaign.
Register your school
today and receive yo
ur
FREE educational
campaign materials.
7/31/08 3:53:09 PM
Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
 ClassRoom Resources pacific edge publishing

Order online and save 10% Download Selected Resources and save 50%
canadian primary atlas and mapskills workbook set science/social studies

Junior Atlas of Canada and the World NEW 2008 edition

British Columbia
This best selling atlas, especially created for younger students, is now updated for Its Land, Mineral and Water Resources
2008 and available in a slightly smaller format in your choice of either perfect (glued)
or coil binding. The Junior Atlas of Canada and the World is colourful, clear and easy $18.95
to use, providing children with simplified political and physical maps of the world, gr 5–8, b/w, 108 pp, softcover
the continents, Canada and the provinces. Unlike most school atlases, the clutter
has been kept to a minimum—only the most basic of facts and visual information is This recommended, BC
given so as not to distract young eyes and minds. published resource was
developed specifically for the
The Junior Atlas of Canada and the World is helpful for teaching younger students basic BC Science and Social Studies
map skills and for discovering interesting facts about the world and Canada. The curricula. A comprehensive
colourful and clearly designed maps, fact pages and a simple index of the continents, resource which provides all
oceans and countries make discovering our world and country easy for primary the content necessary to learn
students. about BC’s living and non-living
resources.
$19.95 “This is a colourful, attractive and basic atlas especially suited to primary students. Students Students will learn:
Class Set (25) $445.00 are introduced to basic map depictions of the world, the continents and especially Canada—
Junior Atlas of Canada and the World • about land, mineral and water resources; the ways we use the resources
60 pp, 8.5”x11” provinces and territories. The maps depict both political
“an uncluttered, divisions
large format, easyand physical
to read aspects of the
presentation”
and the effects of using them.
continents and Canada. There is a good index and two pages of basic facts on Canada and • how we use the land for growing crops, for raising animals and hunting
Perfect or Coil Bound the world.”
Canada—provinces and territories

wildlife and for forestry, tourism and recreation.

full colour, grades 2–4
Symbols

“. . . attractive and basic atlas depicting political and physical diversity of Canada and the
Flag

• that BC’s mountains are full of minerals and how this abundance of
To Order Call world. Easy to read and colourful.” Yukon Plant
Maple
minerals makes mining BC’s third most important industry.
1-800-668-8806 • why water is an important resource in BC for drinking, hydroelectric
Territory
Whitehorse Northwest
Territories Nunavut
Iqaluit

“Especially notable is the simple, uncluttered easy to read presentation.”

Yellowknife

Animal
power, recreation, industry and as a food source.
Recommended BC, MB, SK
Beaver

• the uses, benefits and economic impact of BC’s resources—from

British

BC Ministry of Education
Columbia Alberta
Newfoundland
and
Edmonton Manitoba O Canada!
Labrador

traditional First Nations’ to present day.

Saskatchewan O Canada!
Victoria St. John’s Our home and native land!
Ontario Québec True patriot love in all thy sons
Fast Facts Prince Edward
Regina command.

• the evolution of the technology used in resource development and use,

Area: 9 976 140 sq km
Island
Winnipeg Charlottetown With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
Population: 30 750 100 Nova
Québec The True North strong and free!

Junior Atlas of Canada and the World

Fredericton
Scotia
Regions: 10 provinces, 3 territories
New Halifax
From far and wide,
Largest Region: Nunavut Brunswick

environmental issues, sustainability and careers.

Ottawa O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
Most Populated Region: Ontario

“an uncluttered, large format, easy to read presentation”

Toronto
Origin of the Name God keep our land glorious and free!
Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
word “Kanata,” meaning “village.”

22 23

Canada—provinces and territories

Symbols
British Columbia
Flag
Symbols
Special Features
• Before You Read—encourages students to access their knowledge of
Flag

Fort Nelson •
Yukon Plant
Territory Maple Stikine

the subject before reading for information.

River
Whitehorse Northwest
Territories Nunavut
Iqaluit
Yellowknife Nass
River Three mountain ranges (Coast Mountains, Columbia Flower
Williston
•

• Looking Ahead—provides an overview of the chapter.

Fort St. John Mountains and Rocky Mountains) cover much of Pacific Dogwood
Lake
Animal Peace British Columbia.
River
Beaver Skeena Dawson •
River Creek
British Queen Charlotte
Islands Prince •

• Story Profiles—present information in an alternate format that students

Columbia Alberta
Newfoundland Rupert Nechako River Fast Facts
Kitimat • Prince • Bird
and Area: 944 735 sq km
Edmonton Manitoba O Canada! George
Steller’s Jay
Labrador
Saskatchewan O Canada! Industries Population: 4 063 800
Quesnel •

will find interesting and entertaining.

Victoria St. John’s Our home and native land!
Ontario Québec True patriot love in all thy sons oil and gas
Fast Facts Capital City: Victoria
Regina Prince Edward command.
Area: 9 976 140 sq km
Island livestock
Winnipeg Charlottetown With glowing hearts we see thee rise, Columbia Largest City: Vancouver
Population: 30 750 100 Nova River

• What Do You Think?—challenges students to think and debate.

Québec Fredericton
Scotia The True North strong and free! fishing Fraser Kootenay
Regions: 10 provinces, 3 territories River River Industries: forestry, fishing
New Halifax • Kamloops
From far and wide, forestry mining, agriculture
Largest Region: Nunavut Brunswick Vancouver Campbell •
Ottawa O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. Island River eco-tourism, film and
Most Populated Region: Ontario • Kelowna
Toronto orchards Vancouver high tech
Origin of the Name God keep our land glorious and free! • •

• Charts and Graphs—statistical information in a graphic format.

Nanaimo
Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. •
industry Cranbrook Origin of the Provincial Name
word “Kanata,” meaning “village.”
★ Victoria
British Columbia was named by
mining
Queen Victoria of the
22 23 Of all Canada’s provinces, only Ontario and Quebec

• Clipboards—highlight interesting information.

farming have more people than British Columbia. Over 2
million people live in the city of Vancouver.

26 27

British Columbia
Download a free sampler online at: www.pacificedgepublishing.com • Looking Back—summarizes the content of the chapter.
Symbols

Flag
• After You Read—suggests activities that review or extend the content
of the chapter.
Fort Nelson •

Stikine
River

Nass
River
Williston
Lake
Fort St. John •
Peace
Junior Atlas of Canada and the World map skills workbook
Three mountain ranges (Coast Mountains, Columbia
Mountains and Rocky Mountains) cover much of
British Columbia.
Flower
Pacific Dogwood
• Key Words are highlighted the first time they appear in the text. These
words are defined in the glossary.
River
Skeena Dawson •
River Creek
Queen Charlotte
Islands Prince •
Rupert Nechako River Fast Facts
Kitimat • Prince • Bird

The Map Skills Workbook helps your students learn basic map skills using Junior
George Area: 944 735 sq km
Steller’s Jay
Industries Population: 4 063 800
Quesnel •
oil and gas

Teacher’s Guide
Capital City: Victoria
livestock

fishing Fraser
River
Columbia
River
Kootenay
River
Largest City: Vancouver

Industries:
Atlas of Canada and the World for reference. The reproducible pages in the workbook
forestry, fishing
• Kamloops

focus on key concepts and are designed for young students as they grow in their
forestry Vancouver Campbell • mining, agriculture
Island River eco-tourism, film and
• Kelowna
orchards Vancouver high tech
Nanaimo • •

$49.95,(Download for $24.95)

industry •
Cranbrook Origin of the Provincial Name

awareness of the larger world.

★ Victoria
British Columbia was named by
mining
Queen Victoria of the
Of all Canada’s provinces, only Ontario and Quebec
farming have more people than British Columbia. Over 2
million people live in the city of Vancouver.
TEACHER’S GUIDE
26 27
gr 5-8, b/w, 150 pp, coil
Key Concepts: British Columbia

• globes and maps as representations of the world Its Land,

The comprehensive teacher’s guide
• features of maps: titles, labels, legends Mineral, provides support materials necessary
to meet the prescribed learning
• directions: north, south, east, west and Water Resources
outcomes for both the development
• hemispheres PACIFIC EDGE PUBLISHING
of skills and the acquisition of
$24.95 knowledge. Hands-on activities,
(Download for $12.95) • continents and oceans
blackline masters and teaching
120 pp, softcover • Canadian provinces and territories strategies are included.
blackline masters • countries of North America
Recommended Grade 5
grades 2–4 • Canadian symbols (e.g., national and provincial flags, national anthem, provincial birds and flowers) Social Studies/Science Resource
• land form and political maps

Canadian
For more Teacher magazine Fall 2008
resources or to save 10% by ordering online, visit: www.pacificedgepublishing.com 45
45
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EDUCATORS & MUMS WANTED

Part-time business opportunity. Become a TinyHandsTalk
Educational Consultant and teach baby sign language. Some
experience with ASL is needed. Workshops also available for
schools. For more information please visit:
www.tinyhandstalk.com
Stargazer’s Guided Reading Kit K-3, 130 printable child-sized
booklets, lesson plans, levelled www.stargazerpress.com French too!
Stargazer’s Kindergarten Primer, 30 printable child-sized booklets,
lesson plans, 60 high frequency word worksheets, levelled
www.stargazerpress.com French too!
Stargazer’s Reading Games, 60 printable game boards that guide
child with consonant blends, vowels, and phonemic awareness

TEACHERS www.stargazerpress.com
Bitter Tastes by V.B. Rosendahl, juvenile mystery, character with visible • travel •

WANTED
disability. Great read. www.stargazerpress.com NOVELS.

TEACHERS’
TUTORING SERVICE
Teacher Timesavers
100s of Teaching Units, Lesson Plans, Novel Studies,
Games, etc. Created by Canadian classroom teachers. K-12
curriculum related. Download as eBooks or print versions.
$VCB
5PVST
203-1929 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Z3 All subjects. 4UVEFOUT
Tel: 604-730-3410 Fax: 604-730-3416 www.teachertimesavers.com
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CLICK AND SAVE UFBDIFST
Canadian Resources for Canadian Classrooms

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Social Studies FEVDBUPST
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Linda Willis and Carol Baird-Krul, retired teachers who
sACTIVITYSHEETSˆFREE have worked in China, will be leading a fully escorted,
exclusive fourteen-day tour to the Middle Kingdom in
April 2009. Cost: approximately $3000 inclusive.
Expressions of interest:
hellochinaniehao@shaw.ca
travel@aroundtheworldtravel.ca
www.pacificedgepublishing.com

Place an ad in The Marketplace for as little as $30.

Call 1-800-668-8806.
46 Fall 2008 Canadian Teacher magazine
Canadian Teacher magazine Fall 2008 47