Raise-a-Reader

Today is Raise-a-Reader day, the one day amid 365 when Canadian attention is focused on fund-raising to support literacy programs. As a teacher I know there are many children in our society that struggle with reading and comprehension issues, but I was dismayed to discover statistics that say 22% of adults in Canada have serious

Communication Challenges

Trying to describe what a story is about when the book is not your own can be risky.  I don’t mean reviewing a book, but actually trying to re-tell the basics of its story. I recently read the blog of someone who did this and I was disappointed at the disjointed account. It did not

Summer Contradictions

Summer is supposed to be a season of recovery for most of us — wonderful sun-drenched days of relaxed schedules when we recoup from our hectic workweek pace and the winter doldrums that accompany it. All winter long I plan for summertime. “In the summer I’ll have time to…” get my photo albums done, paint the living room (or watch