When considering the various characteristics that comprise elements of an effective school, there are plenty of pieces within a school and school system to pull such inspiration from.

One could consider the administrative level of a school, faculty/staff (involvement, professionalism, relationships with students), assessment, student involvement, parents, community members, extra-curricular programming, the physical layout of a school, resources available, volunteers, finances, or location – the list goes on, depending on your perspective. Not one of these characteristics is any more or less important than the others; however many may vary in prevalence across the spectrum, depending on the school being considered. Read More....

As teachers, students and schools become so jam-packed with activities intended to produce socially contributing, life long learners that many aspects of the school experience become pushed aside.  Parents and school boards continually pressure teachers to give students knowledge and skills which will benefit them after primary school.  Obviously, this has good intentions behind it.

However, when so much focus is placed on the language arts, science and mathematics portions of the school day, other, seemingly unimportant subjects may be given less focus, or abandoned altogether.   A prime example of this is art education.  Art has become a small section of the school day, which is often provided to students only if they need to ‘busy’ themselves or as a reward for completing the more ‘beneficial’ subjects.  I believe that by undermining the importance of art in school, students and teachers alike are missing out on many opportunities for meaningful development.  In her article “Art Really Teaches”, Dr. Violet Robinson discusses how art can be helpful and effective in the areas of personal development, social development, physical development and language development.  I agree that art holds many opportunities to explore these areas with, and within our students.  Read More...

International student enrolment is on the rise at almost all Universities in North America.  Students are wanting to study in Canada and the US because their Universities are constantly ranking amongst the best Universities and Colleges in the world. Read More...

Sure, a teacher education program is "easy" once you're in, but not so much the case when it comes to the application process.