The power of Education is in your hands

Nelson Mandela said:
 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world'.

We sometimes take for granted our freedoms with education here in Canada.Today, around the globe, an estimated 61 million primary-aged children are out of school, almost half of them in conflict-affected poor countries. Too often, even those students who do go to school finish without basic literacy and numeracy skills: it is estimated that 250 million children cannot read, write or count well. Many places in the world are focused on the promotion of child and youth rights because they are still fighting for their rights to support young people to claim their rights to education and sexual and reproductive health services. We need to support these places by raising awareness about their rights, and help them engage with important decision-makers so that their voices can be heard.
Education is the key to eliminating gender inequality, to reducing poverty, to creating a sustainable planet, to preventing needless deaths and illness, and to fostering peace. And in a knowledge economy, education is the new currency by which nations maintain economic competitiveness and global prosperity.Education is the foundation of peace and prosperity. I dream of a  better world with a global commitment to providing better education for women and youth and I urge all of us to reinvigorate our efforts to accelerate progress in improving access, quality and student achievement worldwide. Together we can achieve this.

Education is an investment, and one of the most critical investments we can make

Sex , Drugs and Rock and Roll

These were all a concern when my folks were kids. They are a concern now. And I would guess they will be a concern when my kids have kids and grand kids. I only use the word concern because what I am finding is these topics are still not talked about in an open and honest way in most houses. Plus it now is way to easy to find answers to any questions on the internet. Not always the right answers, but still answers. Our children have access to so many forms of porn and sexual activities via the internet than I would have imagined as a teen. They can watch a live gang bang or any  form of torture and end up thinking this is what sex is. And by the way , yes I am going to be blunt during this. There is a variety of research indicating that teens are becoming more depressed and suffering from anxiety  because of the shame and confusion they experience after viewing porn online.
 https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/porn-making-my-social-anxietyconfidencedepressionocd-worse

and the "Impact of internet pornography on adolescents"
https://www.yourbrainonporn.com/impact-internet-pornography-adolescents-review-research-2012-0
Porn is not how we should be educating our kids about sex. Take the time to do some research about how easy porn is to access and talk to your kids. This will not be easy . But we have to do this. OFTEN. And try to listen without judgement.

Where does the school fit into all this?  Human Sexuality Education
Schools are required to offer human sexuality education in Grade 4 to Grade 9. Parents have the right to exempt their child from this instruction. Schools will provide alternative learning experiences for those students who have been exempted from human sexuality instruction. The Alberta Education website has lots of information on programs of study for every grade. "My childs learning"
 http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/mychildslearning/index.html is easy to navigate and covers every grade and course. Our schools have a great partnership with Alberta Health Services in providing supports and resources for our teachers https://teachingsexualhealth.ca/ .

Drugs.
After months of planning and discussion, the Alberta Government has announced its framework for the legalisation of cannabis.The province will be following the guidelines set in place by the federal government. The legal age of consumption and purchase of cannabis will be 18-years-old. This aligns with the legal age for tobacco and alcohol. How will this impact our schools? The safety of our children must be the priority when discussing this issue. Our districts has policies around alcohol and drug use now. Our board has not had a formal stance but here are my initial thoughts. With the legal age of consumption being 18 I see no reason to change our current policy. Cannabis is a drug . But what we do have to work on are polices around the medical use of Cannabis. Students and staff take medication now during school hours. And some of these alter moods and behaviours as prescribed by their doctors. I would want further research and data to support a policy around Cannabis use as medication in our schools. While still having my focus of keeping our schools safe.
Our community has an Opiod epidemic. Fentanyl is as easy as ordering a book online: Sign up for an account, choose a method of payment, and receive the package in three to four business days. Fentanyl is an opioid, a class of painkillers that also includes oxycodone and morphine. Prescription-grade fentanyl is up to 100 times more toxic than morphine. A few hundred micrograms – the weight of a single grain of salt – are enough to trigger heroin-like bliss. But the line between euphoria and fatal overdose is frighteningly thin: An amount the size of two grains of salt can kill a healthy adult.The problem is compounded by the fact that the illicit drug is highly profitable for traffickers. We need to improve physician education and prescription monitoring and have more access to harm-reduction programs and sites. This has to be a total community effort.

Rock and Roll.
I wanted to leave this blog on a lighter note than the previous topic. I consider myself a Crocker. A term I heard awhile back that refers to a person loving both Country music and Rock and Roll.
Here are two of my favourite.
Waylon and Willie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlIEoKg8ZQg

For all the rock and Grohl fans..... The Foo !!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRqiFPpw2fY