Wednesday, August 26, 2009
98.3% - Hamilton's highest High School average
Wow! A 98.3% average in high school is great. Congratulations to Hamilton's Katrina Shepp, graduate of Delta Secondary. Aren't we lucky that she wants to be an Educational Assistant!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Getting the Bigger picture on Education Issues
People for Education has many interesting discussions about schools. Here's an example of one discussion thread.
http://schools-at-the-centre.ning.com/group/schoolscentre/forum/topic/show?id=2468495%3ATopic%3A5543http://schools-at-the-centre.ning.com/ is the public discussion board home page of People for Education.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Should kids ride on the road?
I was concerned when the presenters of our cycling safety session spoke about bicycles as vehicles, and that they should be ridden on the road, not on the sidewalk.This is an issue that I'm struggling with from a safety standpoint. Should kids on small (I mean those who have bike wheels of size 12", 16", or 20") be riding on the street, as they are advised by the police safety presenters?
The law says that a bicycle on two wheels is a vehicle, and belongs on the street, and is subject to the rules of the street. Sidewalks are for walkers, they told us.
Sidewalk bikes, they explained, have training wheels. But what about those "gray-areas" where a child is learning to ride a bike? There is a period of several months where they're not so stable, and their attention is totally on controlling the bike, and yet, they feel very confident in their new -found ability. They don't have the presence of mind to consider the rules of the road...
The place where we have to make a judgment call is in what is safest? I say keep them on the sidewalk, or on a nice, big driveway. Or at a big piece of pavement, like the schoolyard, or a park pathway. We shouldn't be turning them loose on the front street.
I don't know about you, but cars rip up and down my street, even though there is a stop sign at the end of each block!
I wish we all could live on a cul-de-sac...
Helmet Safety - It's all in the head
It really bothers me to see kids riding around without helmets. It's not just my neighbourhood, and it's not just my own kids who forget. We were recently at a provincial campground where tons of people bring bikes... same thing - kids and adults without helmets.
"The pavement or the hood of a car is just as hard whether you're at camp or in the city," I said to my kids, who are actually more likely to have a spill when they're at a new, unfamiliar place.
We had two excellent presentations at the school last spring about cycling safety, one by the Brain Injury medical group, and the other by the Police. If you ask my grade twos why they should wear a helmet, they will all answer, "To protect your brain."
Unfortunately, our brains too often talk us out of wearing one.
Parents, don't forget who is the adult, and who has the older/wiser brain.
There, I said it!
"The pavement or the hood of a car is just as hard whether you're at camp or in the city," I said to my kids, who are actually more likely to have a spill when they're at a new, unfamiliar place.
We had two excellent presentations at the school last spring about cycling safety, one by the Brain Injury medical group, and the other by the Police. If you ask my grade twos why they should wear a helmet, they will all answer, "To protect your brain."
Unfortunately, our brains too often talk us out of wearing one.
Parents, don't forget who is the adult, and who has the older/wiser brain.
There, I said it!
Edmonton cyclist run over
The swelling in his head has gone down and antibiotics are working to take care of a case of pneumonia, she said. "They said it might take hours or it might take days before he comes around," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. "I try to talk to him or hold him.
"There's not much you can do except send good vibes."
She declined to reveal her boyfriend's name and age, but said he is an IT specialist who was out for a bike ride when he was hit.
"It was just wrong place, wrong time," she said.
He was wearing a helmet, contrary to a previous report on edmontonjournal.com."He always wears a helmet when he goes out. He's so meticulous like that. So organized," his girlfriend said. The force of the crash split the helmet in two, police said.
The man was crossing 170th Street in the crosswalk at 95th Avenue when a vehicle allegedly ran a red light and collided with another car.
The force of the crash sent both cars into the bicyclist.
"There's not much you can do except send good vibes."
She declined to reveal her boyfriend's name and age, but said he is an IT specialist who was out for a bike ride when he was hit.
"It was just wrong place, wrong time," she said.
He was wearing a helmet, contrary to a previous report on edmontonjournal.com."He always wears a helmet when he goes out. He's so meticulous like that. So organized," his girlfriend said. The force of the crash split the helmet in two, police said.
The man was crossing 170th Street in the crosswalk at 95th Avenue when a vehicle allegedly ran a red light and collided with another car.
The force of the crash sent both cars into the bicyclist.
The Purpose of Room 9 Parents
Hi,
My name is Glen Brown. I teach grade one and two. Your children may be in my class, or I may have taught them in the past, or will teach them in the future. Perhaps I will talk to them sometime at school, or our paths will cross in public. I want to keep in touch through this public news board by posting information that is relevant to you and your kids. It's a place where I can report some of what is going on in my life as a teacher that is of common interest to all adults and caregivers. After all, we are in this together, aren't we?
Much of this will be news about what's going on in our classroom, in general terms. I hope that my news will give you ideas about what to talk to your child about when you ask "what did you do in school today?"
Some of the items are to do with safety, others relate to our community and our school. A few will relate to general topics of parenting and relationships.
It is all shared in good faith, hoping that you will consider what I post as food for thought, that is shared with the purpose of being a partner in your child's growth and learning.
Enjoy!
My name is Glen Brown. I teach grade one and two. Your children may be in my class, or I may have taught them in the past, or will teach them in the future. Perhaps I will talk to them sometime at school, or our paths will cross in public. I want to keep in touch through this public news board by posting information that is relevant to you and your kids. It's a place where I can report some of what is going on in my life as a teacher that is of common interest to all adults and caregivers. After all, we are in this together, aren't we?
Much of this will be news about what's going on in our classroom, in general terms. I hope that my news will give you ideas about what to talk to your child about when you ask "what did you do in school today?"
Some of the items are to do with safety, others relate to our community and our school. A few will relate to general topics of parenting and relationships.
It is all shared in good faith, hoping that you will consider what I post as food for thought, that is shared with the purpose of being a partner in your child's growth and learning.
Enjoy!
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