open inquiry

Oak Bay High

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On Tuesday we had the opportunity to visit Oak Bay High. First of all, let me share my impression of the school, then, I will go through some of the knowledge that was shared with us by Trevor.

The School:

  1. It was big. As I approached the school, I had to ask a student which door to go into to find the office.
  2. It was new. The building itself looked new and modern.
  3. The layout was different than a “traditional school”. The school itself had a very open, modern vibe – with low lockers, and open concept layout, it gave the feel of a very versatile and adaptable space, that would facilitate learning well.

The Talk: 

Once we entered the school, Trevor led a fantastic discussion. He inspired us to consider bringing inquiry into our classrooms – both guided and free. For me, guided inquiry is overwhelming and scary, but the example of guided inquire he showed us makes sense. I think it would be fun to have a project where the teacher gave me the idea of what I have to explore, but allowed me to dive into it how I want.

He showed up many different resources, including a graphic he designed!

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I walked away from the discussion feeling like I, too, can bring inquiry into my class, no matter what subject I teach.

Whole 30 Coleslaw

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If you are anything like me, coleslaw is comfort food. Its a staple at family BBQs, often home-made by my ever-so-talented grandma. But it is far from guilt free – smothered in mayo, and oh, so high in calories.

I’ve developed a recipe for coleslaw using, fresh, natural ingredients.

The Dressing:

  • 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon of Pepper
  • 1/4 Teaspoon of Dill

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The ‘Slaw

  • 1/2 of a Cabbage
  • 1/2 Apple
  • 1/4 Red Onion
  • 1 Carrot
  1. I don’t have a food processor, so I chop the cabbage and onion, and grate the carrot and apple.
  2. Mix all together with dressing, and let stand for 30 minutes.
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nfd
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This is the easiest, and most delicious coleslaw! It’s light, fresh, and so tasty!

nfd

 

PSII

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Today, we visited the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry.

PSII

It was such a cool experience to not only hear first hand the process of opening a school, but to see an “ideal education model” in practice. Throughout the first few months of the PPD Program, and over arching theme has been that the system is broken, but we are slowly trying to fix it. It seems as though PSII is on the right track for what education SHOULD be, in a perfect world.

I had the opportunity to sit with a student as he walked me through his inquiry project. It was amazing to hear how many “subjects” he was covering by exploring something he truly WANTED to explore. BINGO. Relevant, interesting, engaging.

So, why aren’t we all doing this?

Because – it’s not so simple.

  1. To have an inquiry based school, the school needs to stay small. There is a maximum size cap in order to maintain the integrity of student driven learning.
  2. Students need to be intrinsically motivated. This model isn’t for everyone.
  3. It takes time to change the “system”

It was an honour to be welcomed into such an innovative learning environment. Although I may never open my own school, its possible to weave these practices into my own class.

The Whole 30

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Last year, I ended up on a journey that has changed who I am today. I was living in Brazil, and needed to find a community to help me adapt. I ended up joining CrossFit, and from there reshaped my life (and my body) into a healthier, happier life. Not only did I meet a new group of friends, I was surrounded by like-minded individuals, who focused on health.

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The more active I became, the more eating healthy made sense. 

Food is fuel, energy. Without real food, how can we expect our bodies to perform?

This thinking led me to try the Whole 30.

What is it?

  • 30 days to change how you think about food.
  • Eat only vegetable, meat, nuts, and fruit.
  • Eliminate processed food, sugar, grains, dairy, and alcohol.

After 30 days, something amazing happened. I didn’t WANT it. I had no cravings for these foods that were a staple before. It really is amazing how 30 days can change so much. Today, I don’t follow the Whole30 diet, it has some flaws.

The CONS:

  1. Eating out of your house (restaurant, friends, family, etc) is a huge inconvenience.
  2. The Whole30 has a 0 cheat policy – someones birthday? Start your 30 days over, or sacrifice the cake.
  3. Sticking to the diet requires a lot of prep time (no sandwiches! ah!)

Stay tuned for some awesome recipes that (almost) follow the Whole30.

Food: Nature’s Medicine

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My whole life, I have been surrounded by people who are constantly worried about what they eat, when they eat it, and how long they need to work out to justify what they ate. If there is one thing it taught me, it’s that obsessing over food isn’t healthy.

diet

As I’ve gained more experience with health and nutrition, I’ve realized that we don’t need to worry about food so much. Food is our best friend. It is social and comforting. I want to love food, not avoid it.

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My goal is to share my passion for food, and help to develop a healthy relationship with it.

I want to show people that having a healthy diet can be 100% enjoyable.