It is a happy coincidence that I read this book Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett as I was also researching student agency. Emotions and agency are inextricably link through the cognitive processes, such that: “The three most important aspects of learning – attention, focus, and memory – are all controlled by our emotions, not…
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Chess is not an infinite game, nor is football. These have defined beginnings , ends and winners. In his latest book, Simon Sinek argues that many organizations, businesses, corporations and even politicians are playing ‘finite games’. They are concerned about the various finish lines, be they quarterly reports, the next mid-term, the bottom line, or…
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Do you want to be good at something? Do you want to excel or be the best? How might you do this? Start early, focus early, train early and get that head start, right? This book, by the same author of The Sports Gene, advocates that our natural inclination to applaud and seek ‘head starts’,…
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Everything is f*cked. Really? That’s some bold language to use to describe the world. Sure, you might even agree that this sentiment sums up the the current state of affairs. However, this isn’t a book about the current state of affairs, it’s a book about YOU. No, I’m not saying that you’re not “F*cked”. No,…
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Perhaps you’ve heard the story of Greg Wells, breaking his neck early in life and this awakening him to pursuing of human health by studying its fragility and potential. His work is prolific, important and accessible. His first book that I read is called “The Ripple Effect” and addresses how to make incremental change by…
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This past winter holiday, my family took the trip of a lifetime. We travelled to Quito, Ecuador and from there on to the Galapagos Islands of San Cristobal and Santa Cruz. This is a bucket-list excursion, and we jumped at the opportunity when the stars aligned to make this possible. What I didn’t expect was…
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The school where I work is an incredible place to be, especially this time of year. The capacity of giving and thoughtfulness know no bounds, as does their holiday spirit! Our sustainability initiatives are extending and being integrated into long-standing programming: something as simple as hot chocolate mornings requiring students to bring their own mugs,…
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Congratulations to “Growing Success”! It is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary next year, but how many will show up to the party? There will be COPs (Conversations, Observations and Products) and lots of Assessments (otherwise known as ‘Celebrations of Learning’) for, of, and as Learning. But we are going to KICA this party into the next…
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When Lisa Damour first took the stage at Branksome Hall during her only Canadian stop on her ‘Under Pressure’ book tour, she immediately made us all feel comfortable and welcome to ask questions about some of the most important issues that we as parents and educators face for our daughters and students. Let me begin…
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Increasing tuition, emerging data on demographics, and the surfacing of admissions scandals casts a long shadow of doubt over the ability of colleges and universities to prepare our students for the future. Couple this with the increasing speed of change in the exponential future, and we as high school educators must be attuned to this…
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