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= = = = =Here's a video of my latest adventuremedia type="custom" key="23498606"= = = = = = = = = = = =Summer= Here's a video of my first adventure of the summer. This marks the first canoe trip that we have been away alone on in 17 years... I hope you enjoy it and are having adventures of your own. = =

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=Spring= Once again, the education system is out of step with the planet. At a time of new beginnings, rebirth and renewal we find ourselves tired, spent and winding down. This is our biggest challenge. Although it may seem that the important things are exams, reports and myriad other forms of paper work... we need to keep things in perspective. Yes, here we are in the most important job in the world and we get buried with stuff that is meant to keep us accountable for some of the least important things we do. Remember why we do this. Remember the kids. Like the ephemeral signs of spring, they pass through our lives so quickly and yet we try to make a substantial contribution to their lives. None of them will reflect fondly back on that well crafted report comment or the perfect level 4 they received on your exam when they find themselves in need of wisdom. They will look for other more lasting gifts. The gift of self assurance, serenity, courage, respect or so many other life changing principles will be what will serve them. You only have a couple months left. Be the bearer of these gifts in this time of change and uncertainty for your kids. Don't let the other things blind you to what your true purpose is. Keep your head above it all... pay attention... don't panic... finish strong.

Thank you to all of the amazing educators that came to my workshops this year. You taught me so much. I'm sorry I've been slow to keep this space updated. I am working to fix all of that now that my presenting part of the year is behind me. I truly hope to see you all again soon. It is with the thought of having you return that I will endeavour to add a bunch of new workshops next year to the ones you have already experienced. If you have any suggestions for topics feel free to drop me a line at dean.huyck@ontario.ca. Continue to do great things. = = =Winter= Here we are in the middle of a winter with a bit of an identity crisis. Some folks in the most typical winters have trouble with the season. I hope that you can manage any seasonal effects. Certainly there are biological cues that prompt us on various levels to become somewhat torpid. We are often quick to believe that after the holidays the rest of the school year will go quickly... there's exams, semester changes... then various breaks and suddenly it's spring. Don't go there. Don't be of the mind set that this season is something to just get through. You deal with people that need all of you. If you are wishing time away and playing mental games to make time move faster you are denying your existance. You are far too important in the scheme of things not to be seizing every moment. Decide to be the social director of this moment. Invite others to join you away from their view of wishing there time away. Remember this is the only currency you really have to spend. Share the wealth. Don't miss the magic that happened while you were wistfully dreaming of spring. Yes, find all the exciting and fulfilling possiblities that are in this moment and draw in the other dreamers to share them with you. Pay attention... the magic is there. =Autumn= Those of us on either side of the education game find ourselves gearing up for new challenges just as Mother Earth is reaching her crescendo and getting ready to cool down. Once again this summer I travelled to beautiful wild places moving using my own power and carrying just what I need to survive. I sat on a mountain side drinking tea without another soul for miles. The dogs and I moved through the woods not as conquerers but part of the fabric and subject to laws set down long, long ago. We will all face new situations that will challenge us in unexpected ways. During that cup of tea on the mountain it occurred to me that we often seek new and improved ways to cope with what we see as problems and stress. Certainly new ideas and knowledge are incredibly valuable. However there are certain wheels that don't need reinventing. We need to reflect on the nature of knowledge. Sometimes remembering what we have always known in our heart and forgetting what we never needed is the best course. Listening to our hearts is becoming a lost art and giving our heart the room to sing an inconvenience. I hope you can do whatever you need to rediscover your song so your year will give you all you need and, of course, allows you to do great things. = = = =

Greetings Fellow Travelers Welcome to Ed~U~K~Zen. Over the years I've had many requests for material, opinion, support, health and training issues or even hockey predictions. Those of you who have found your way here know that I'm a total pain in the butt to find or try and pin down. It's my hope that this little space will be a place I can post stuff that you people that work with kids may find useful. In addition, this will be a space for my students to access and post work. The pages contain various things I've written and hopefully the titles are self explanatory. I hope they are useful. If you want to make a request feel free to use the //discussion// tab for this page or if it pertains to some other page. I'm going to try really hard to post something very regularly right here. It may be a thought, observation or the beginnings of a rant I may expand on later. I'm hoping this will focus me just a bit and perhaps pass along something useful. Remember this is an interactive space so feel free to leave a note... the people who have talked me into this little exercise believe I will have more success than I've had with e-mail, planners, palm pilots, smoke signals or pigeons. We'll see.