Posted by: eagertolearn | May 8, 2012

Instincts


Instincts:

Do you always trust yours? The truth is I struggle with making decisions always second guessing myself. This stems from the lack of self-confidence, although if you met me you couldn’t tell. I can get up infront of a crowd and give a speech, teach a grade 8 class and train co-workers. We are our own worst
enemy or harshest critic which is hard to overcome.

The irony is that you need to make mistakes to learn in order to do better the next time. I am very goodat preaching this to others but struggle with it myself. Here is another example of your past experiencesdo shape your future. You just need to be strong enough to forget about the past and start living in the
present and future.

 

Posted by: eagertolearn | April 29, 2012

Playing it safe or not?


Outside your comfort zone

Some will probably disagree with me here but I speak from experience. By constantly challenging my comfort zone I was able
to discover my weaknesses and strengths. Approximately 10 years ago I was asked to speak in front of my co-workers for a worthy cause,
and something inside of me agreed. I had never done anything like that before and when it came time to speak, my voice trembled and I was
all sweaty. Of course I survived the ordeal and have never looked back since.

5 years ago I joined a choir and sang in front of audiences, then 2 years ago joined Toastmasters. This organization teaches you
how to speak and evaluate yourself and others. I became the V.P. of Education the first year and President this year. Around the same time I
decided to volunteer to teach grade 8 students, twice a year, the importance of staying in school past High School.

10 Years ago was the first stepping stone of challenging the comfort zone, do I still get nervous you bet. But who knows what might come next.
I challenge everyone to try whatever is outside your zone. You’ll be amazed at what you discover about yourself and you just might like it!
Think of it as trying a new food, you won’t know if you like it until you try it.

Posted by: eagertolearn | April 26, 2012

Being embarrased in class


Being asked a question in class.

Some think it is unfair for a teacher to ask a student a question in front of the class.  It might be embarrassing if the student answers wrong.  Yes kids can be cruel, but we have to look at it from the teacher’s prospective.  How will she/he generate discussion without asking a question?  I recently volunteered and taught a grade 8 class and at one point no one would raise their hand when I asked a question.  ” I’m going to pick and choose who I ask if no one raises their hand” I told them.  This serves 2 purposes, the first to motivate them to speak up and secondly to see if they are understanding the lesson, or if further explanation is required.  A test is not always the solution because some are experts at them while myself at their age use to sweat and panic at the site of it being laid on my desk

In real life we don’t take tests, our bosses will ask us questions and if we don’t know the answer have to get back to them.  We have to stop protecting our children and challenge and make them think outside the box.  The future depends on it!

Posted by: eagertolearn | April 10, 2012

RIP – Jazz


Jazz

Over the past 2 months I have been sharing funny stories about our dog. Sadly it will be almost 1 year since we had to put her down. She was 13 and her back legs just gave out, the vet figured she had cancer.

My daughters have made presentations and have hinted many times that they would like to have another pet. The excuses that I have given them against another pet are:

  • Pet hair is found everywhere
  • Freedom to go out without worry
  • Starting all over with a pet is like starting a family at age 50
  • The real reason, is the emotional toll that it takes to put your pet (family member) down. The way Jazz looked at me with sad eyes and would nudge me every time I stopped petting her. She was a trooper until the very end.

    I know my daughters read this blog and hope they will understand my reasoning.

    Posted by: eagertolearn | March 29, 2012

    Autistic Kids in the US


    This is according to CNN News in the US.

    The estimated number of U.S. autistic kids has skyrocketed by 78% since 2000, according to a report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    One in 88 American kids has autism, according to the new figures. Among boys, it’s one in 54.

    Why? One expert says: “Better diagnosis, broader diagnosis, better awareness, and roughly 50% of ‘We don’t know.’”

    One advocate says: “we have an epidemic of autism in the United States.”

    Posted by: eagertolearn | March 28, 2012

    A long long long time ago


    Another lifetime

    I recently turned 50 years old. Now when I look back at grade and high they seem to be a very distant memory. Almost as if they happened in another lifetime. Remember our lives used to revolve around school and our friends and the biggest worry was who to ask out to the dance?

    Now life is so hectic it’s hard to slow down and appreciate the important things. We need to stop and enjoy the moment otherwise they will become another distant memory!

    Posted by: eagertolearn | March 19, 2012

    Brain Size at Birth


    According to a Podcast I listened to a few years back, your brain is roughly the size of your Pinky Fingernail at birth.

    I wonder if this is where the expression Pea-Brain originated from?

    Posted by: eagertolearn | March 5, 2012

    Warm Welcome Home


    Every time our family went out for the day or I came home from work, we were welcomed home by our dog Jazz. She would greet us with the remote for the TV or a stuffed animal that was lying on the couch.

    She would gently carry it and drop it in front of our feet.

    What a way to come home!

    Posted by: eagertolearn | February 23, 2012

    Jazz taught them to care


    One of the benefits of having a dog like Jazz was it taught my daughters to care for someone other than themselves.  One of my daughters since the age of 10, she is now 13, has been donating $5.00 each year of her own money to the local animal shelter.

    Whenever she sees commercials about animal cruelty it upsets her and she becomes very passionate about stopping it.  The other day she slipped on dog poop and wanted to call the city to make the owner take responsibility for cleaning it up!

    My wife and I can’t wait to see what happens when she gets older.  She is going to be a good, kind and caring citizen, both daughters will just differently.

     

     

    Posted by: eagertolearn | February 13, 2012

    No lesson just funny memories


    Continuing on with my dog Jazz, it’s not entirely true that dogs die from eating chocolate.  I think she was a stress eater just like  us humans, some of the items digested were:
    Crayons – nice florescent poop after!
    Packages of halls – she never had a sore throat!
    Food – if you left it on the counter or table in the kitchen it was hers.  You snooze you lose!
    Cinnamon buns – A couple of summers ago, my neighbor and I were talking outside the fence, leaving a package of 6 buns unattended, by the time my head turned towards the table ……..too late they were gone!
    Gum – If you left a piece of gum in the garbage, that was not tightly closed, she would eat it
    Chocolates – A few miscellaneous chocolate bars and a whole box of Ferraro Rocher!

    After eating all that she still lived to be 12 or 13 years old.

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