Monthly Archives: September 2013

It Starts With Me

Each year the intermediate students of our school take part in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. We bike or walk down to Point Homes, a long, rocky beach in our area, and work together to pull garbage off the beach.

I shared this video with the class the day before our Cleanup.

We had a discussion about the impact Danielle and her family were having on the environment, one small action at a time. Rather than complaining about the condition of the beach, she did something about it. She even managed to change the rules: now smoking is not allowed on the community beach.

It continues with us. The Shoreline Cleanup is a group activity that takes place all over the country and it’s satisfying because it makes a difference. Our parent community is very supportive and many volunteer to join us.

We were fortunate it was a nice day, so the walk and ride were pleasant. There was a lot of garbage to deal with, but that’s why we did it as a team.

Walk Ride Fan out Big! small Recording Teams Finding low Finding high Foam Many hands The Pile. Back to school.

Huzzahnians, I was not with you when you did the Shoreline Cleanup this year. What was is like? Did you find anything unusual? What did you notice about the types of garbage that were turning up? How did it feel to do the cleanup?

And visitors, do you do something similar where you live? How are you making a difference in your community?

Thanks for your comments!

Be More Awesome.

I will confess, I have often felt the word “awesome” is over-used. I had an awesome weekend. My bike is awesome. It would be awesome if I could borrow your pencil. Are those things truly awesome? If we say they are when other words are more accurate, does the word awesome loose its meaning and power?

Then this summer I traveled to a beautiful part of our country called Haida Gwaii. While on our journey aboard the 52 ft sailboat Sölskin we kept a journal called Our Book of Awesome fashioned after Neil Pasricha’s  The Book of Awesome in which he zooms in on those specific gems in the day that he calls simple, universal little joys .

Each day at dinner we would talk and then write about the special moments in the day that stood out for us. One day I wrote that it was awesome that I didn’t get seasick; on another I marveled at the beauty of the bald eagle I saw. Capturing with my camera its translucent eyelid as it blinked was awesome indeed. Then there was that time I was able to stand on my tippy toes and reach the perfect huckleberry. Awesome.

And here we are, at the beginning of new school year. We’re about to embark on ten months of learning together. I think we should be on the lookout for awesome. I am convinced it’s everywhere if we just notice it.

Let’s pay attention to those simple, universal little joys–those awesome moments– every single day.

Kid President  gives us a pep talk in the video below, reminding us that we are  all teachers and students. In his silly way, he invites us to think about what we’re teaching the world– and to be more awesome, because “life is school and you gotta show up”.

What do you think of his message? What do you teach the world? What are you learning from the teachers in your life? And what awesomes have you noticed since school started? Please teach us!