The weather

I was born and raised in Winnipeg the home of the snow drift, the home of the stuck car, the home of winter. I hate being cold!!!

But then again I hate being hot too.

In fact I dislike being outside.

This is coming from someone that grew up in Winnipeg, lives in Regina and just bought a place in Belize.

I hate sun, sand and water too!!!!!

Some of my clearest memories of Winnipeg have to do with the moonscape of windswept streets after dark.

I took piano lessons and had to take two buses to Mr. Melnyk's house on St. Cross Street. I remember my Dad dropping me off on Sundays but I also remember going during the week by bus. On those trips I was chaperoned by my sister who I know was not interested in hanging out with her 7 or 8 year old brother.

To say the least we didn't socialize much on those trips.

But the lasting impression I have is how cold and uncomfortable I was - and I am sure she was too.

On the way home it was always dark and there was always a wind. It was cold and desolate and dark and dreary.

By the time we got on the first bus we were chilled to the bone.

By the time we got off the first bus to wait for the McGregor bus the snow on our clothes had melted and we were wet.

Which within minutes froze again making us colder and more uncomfortable.

Winnipeg is something like a film noir in my memory.

But then I moved to Regina and if I thought Winnipeg was cold I was about to learn a lesson in extremes.

Regina is bone-chilling - it is beyond cold - the damn wind never stops and if I never hear the words wind chill it will be too soon.

There isn't as much snow here (and so its a dry cold) but the bald prairie is no place for someone that doesn't like to be cold.

For the past week or so it has been arctic here - ridiculous wind chills and horrendous temperatures.

Until today.

Perhaps today is like the pleasant sensation that you feel when a headache goes from excruciating to just plain painful.

The temperature came up to just under freezing, the wind became a breeze and actually felt pleasant.

The sun shone from a clear, brilliant, blue sky.

You can have Florida or California - on a day like today Western Canada is paradise

Business, this blasted cold and other stuff

It has been 2 weeks since I have posted anything here. The subject line says it all. I am now on the downside (I hope) of the sixth cold I have suffered through since September! There was a 4 or 5 day period where anything but sitting still was out of the question. Being in bed wasn't an option because of the coughing, the incessant coughing

The Regina Business Education Association meeting that I talked about in the prior post was a great success. There were 35 or so business educators from all types of schools and institutions. We had a good business meeting where we discussed the role and purpose of the organization and came up with an idea for providing resources to our members. Then the pre-interns made a presentation describing the Personal Financial Management course they are developing.

The professional development idea was to have business educators share innovative lesson plans. I sent out an email soliciting these lesson plans and lesson plan ideas and offered to edit and format them and then to produce a cd with all of the submissions. I also suggested that we have a section of the cd that would list websites that have business education lesson plans. I have had a great response - many people have sent in ideas, lesson plans and interesting websites.

If you are reading this and have lesson plans and/or ideas for lesson plans and/or lesson plan websites please let me know.

The other stuff has to do with the Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education. I am on a committee that is dealing with interdisciplinary teaching and learning in Business and Economic Education. If you are involved in or know of these kinds of initiatives or if you just have thoughts about interdisciplinarity in Business Education please let me know

Groups, Professionalism and Pictures

I've written on this topic before but I am urged to do it again so here goes.

On Wednesday of this week the Regina Business Educators' Association (RBEA) has its winter meeting. When I first arrived in Regina this association met very often and was the prime source for professional development and interaction for business educators in Regina. Over the years that primacy has faded to the point where we have only met three times a year for the last few years - once in the fall for coffee, once in the winter to have my pre-interns make a presentation and once in the spring for a 'windup' dinner. For the last few years the attendance at the winter meeting has been my students, me and just a few - fewer than 5 - teachers.

This year is different - so far 26 business educators have indicated they will attend - many of them teachers. What is interesting is that many of the teachers that have signed up, although they were either majors or minors in Business Education at University, aren't teaching in Business Education primarily.

So what's happening to make this change? Perhaps they see this as an opportunity to maintain ties with Business Education. Perhaps they want to return to teaching Business Education. Perhaps they see it as a networking opportunity. Perhaps the topic "A Course in Personal Financial Management" is attracting them. Perhaps they see it as a way to support prospective business education teachers. Or maybe they have just heard about the delicious hamball that will be served.

Regardless of the reason I am excited and really looking forward to seeing all of these people at the meeting on Wednesday afternoon. It will be 90 minutes of each of us demonstrating our professionalism through our professional organization. It will be fun.

On a totally different note - I like to play the game of creating stories around pictures - one day, who knows, I may actually write these stories down.

A fellow blogger, a friend, a terrific artist brought the following to my attention. What stories can you create?

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/meeting_of_turret_stairs.htm