A sparkplug space

A place to share ideas, frustrations, laughter, and lots of other good things

[nobleknits2]

Saying Goodbye

My father in law Ken, and me. My father-in-law, Ken Noble, died on Sunday, July 18, after a long fight with an undiagnosed respiratory illness. We were lucky enough to have him spend his last days in hospice care here in Peterborough. With all of Ken’s children living here in town, it meant that people were able to have quiet visiting time with him before he died. My dad died 17 years ago, and…

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Measuring or mattering?

A few weeks ago, I treated my husband to an evening of restorative yoga and Thai yoga massage. As we relaxed through two hours of hot stone therapy, deep massage and gentle yoga poses, one of the facilitators offered some possibilities to focus our thinking. One of them in particular has been rattling around in my brain since then. The question was “are you measuring or are you mattering?” This…

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Giving it up (for a while)

Giving it up (for a while)

It’s Mardi Gras as I write this.  Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday.  It’s the day on which, historically, you wanted to use up the things in your pantry and larder that you were not going to be able to eat during the 40 days of Lent, which, historically, most people observed. According  to Wikipedia, this idea of fasting for 40 days got its start around 331 CE. The idea, originally,…

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Why not go? (and some ways to get there)

I love conferences. How do we encouraged more people to try that experience?

If you were paying attention to my social media postings over the past week, you know that I was at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference (#OLASC) from Tuesday night until Friday. This is a huge conference, with around 5000 participants coming from all over the country, and from every sort of library (medical, public, school, archives) you might be able to think of. It includes a trade…

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Is this enough?

Staff well-being is so important.

Monday morning, as I checked my e-mail, I found a message from my director of education. She talked about our board’s focus on student well-being over the past few years, and introduced a new initiative, specifically targeting staff wellness. I admit, I got a little choked up reading that. I have been that annoying person, every time we have professional development on student mental health, who…

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Leaving Kansas...

Thoughts on the experiences that connect us.

    In December, an exhibit opened at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, focused on the work on designer Christian Dior, and particularly his role in resurrecting couture fashion after the Second World War. I’m not a huge follower of fashion, as anyone who knows me would assert, but I am fascinated by the links between popular culture and history, and this fits perfectly in there. My family is…

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It's "check-in" time

Checking in can make a big difference, for all of us.

  This weekend’s bitter cold where I live had me thinking about the importance of check-ins. Everywhere I looked, there were reminders to check in: check in with your vulnerable family members and neighbours; make sure there isn’t a pipe break  threatening your business (Bluestreak records flooded); don’t leave your pets outside too long. 

https://twitter.com/PtboPolice/status/949257557125742593

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My #5BestEd decisions

First blog post in ages. Part of the goal this year - writing more regularly!

  This post is Inspired by the many educators who accepted Jonathan So’s (@mrsoclassroom) invitation to share the 5 defining moments in their teaching lives. Jonathan has collated them here, and they’re very much worth the read. If you wanted to see a differentiated approach to a task, look no further!

Influencers: I’m going to break the rules right off the bat, and say that my first defining…

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Which of these systems is not like the other, Part 1

Which of these systems is not like the other, Part 1

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about systemic change lately. While it may seem counter-intuitive, a few experiences I’ve had recently have started me thinking that the church in which I advocate for change is changing faster than the education system in which I do the same. This will probably be the first post of a few, as I work through what I’m learning and feeling.

We call our worship…

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Les nouvelles - 20-22 juin

Les nouvelles – 20-22 juin

hoping for at least one like this at camp. photo credit: flickr user andrew z via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog, you’ll find…

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Les nouvelles - 6-10 juin

Les nouvelles – 6-10 juin

lots of help with answer number 1. Chex hockey card via wikimedia commons. I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog, you’ll find what we’re…

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Les nouvelles - 30 mai - 2 juin

Les nouvelles – 30 mai – 2 juin

There will never be another one like him. photo credit: flickr user joshi bhavya via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog, you’ll…

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Les nouvelles - 30 mai - 2 juin

Les nouvelles – 30 mai – 2 juin

a clue to question 1. photo credit: flickr user Karoly Lorently via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog, you’ll find what we’re…

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Les nouvelles - 24-27 mai

Les nouvelles – 24-27 mai

full did anyone catch the moon on Saturday night? photo credit: flickr user william thomas via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog,…

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Les nouvelles - 16-20 mai

Les nouvelles – 16-20 mai

it`s that time again. Area track and field is Wednesday, May 18. photo credit: flickr user Gus Estrella via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes. …

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Les nouvelles -9-15 mai

Les nouvelles -9-15 mai

to get you thinking about question 1. photo credit: flickr user Jason Woodhead via cc I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and instrumental) to those classes.  On this blog, you’ll find…

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Les nouvelles - 2-6 mai

Les nouvelles – 2-6 mai

The intermediate band from Queen Mary Public School performs for students during a Music Monday event on May 4.Lance Anderson/This Week I can always be reached at [email protected]. I’m @nobleknits2 on Twitter, and our class hashtag is #laclasseaqm. We post what we’re learning on Edsby. I’m Madame Noble, and I teach Core French to students in Grade 5/6-8. I also teach music (vocal and…

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