Here are some terms that you need to be familiar with. Many you have heard of:
apostle - Jesus chose 12 men to go out and teach the gospel to the world.
Ascension - the rising of Jesus' body up to heaven after his time here on earth (celebrated 41 days after Easter). RESURRECTION - Rising of Jesus from the dead 3 days after his death.
baptism - Sacrament (action) of sprinkling water symbolizing washing away sins and entering the Church community.
confession - Sacrament (action) where a believer confesses their sins and is forgiven by God.
Crucifixion - Roman execution method of hanging (with rope and nails) a person to a large cross - Jesus was killed this way.
disciple - follow of Jesus during his ministry (it includes the 12 apostles)
Easter - the day that Jesus was resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven
gospel - "Good News", the teachings in the bible of the life of Jesus.
Eucharist (Communion) - Sacrament (action) of spiritual communion with God - often in the form of unleavened bread and wine.
Holy Spirit - one of the three persons in God, believed to bestow spiritual gifts upon people.
Judgement Day (Last Judgement) - Day of God's final final judgement at the end of the world - the faithful will go to heaven.
Messiah - The Saviour, the person sent from God to save all people - Christians believe this to be Jesus.
Original Sin - believe of our tendency to sin (Baptism will wash this away).
Purgatory - temporary stage in which souls of the dead are purified from sin.
Papal infallibility - The belief that the Pope (the head of the Catholic Church) cannot be wrong in matters of faith and morals in his role as head of the church.
BASIC BELIEFS
Creation - God created everything in the universe (no particular date, he just did it).
God - derived from Judaism, one god made up of three entities - the Father, The Son, Holy Spirit.
Salvation and Eternal Life - believers will be forgiven for their sins and will enter heaven for eternity.
Morality is derived from the 10 Commandments.
Gender Roles - men are priests (Catholicism), women are nuns. But in most Christian denominations ministers can be either gender.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
DAY 70 (Dec 15) Meaning in Your Life
Today was a very interesting day of discussing the fundamental needs that people have that are address, for some, through religion.
Deontology - comes from the Greek word, "Deon", which means duty. One of the ways that most of us are comfortable working within a worldview that has rules of things that are acceptable to do and things that are not acceptable to do. For example, we all agreed that stealing your classmate's pencil is not acceptable and therefore stealing anyone's pencil is not acceptable. We made a link here to other, more serious issues like, murder. It's not ok to kill others.
Next we asked where your ideas about it not being acceptable to steal or kill came from. For some of you it's just what you've been taught by parents, friends, society, school, etc. (i.e. it's the way you have been socialized), and for others such ethical / moral codes from from a religious source, e.g. the Bible. This is deontological in origin, but it's more than simple that - it's a duty-based outlook that comes from a spiritual or religious source. This we call, "Divine Command". In other words, the moral/ethical code has it's root in a god and holy texts.
I made this point with the class because during yesterday's introduction to Christianity there were many questions about how Christians can believe certain things and I did not want the focus to be on the minutiae of that religion, rather I wanted us to focus on the human needs that we all have and how Christianity (and any other religion) addresses those needs. The need we focused on today was the need to have rules to govern our lives and the need to live a meaningful life.
We listened to Bruce Cockburn's "Shipwrecked at the Stable Door" and examined the meaning of the lyrics to that song. There are many references to capitalist, materialistic society and there are biblical references too. We then began to work through Rick Warren's TED Talks lecture on bringing meaning to one's life, something that we'll continue tomorrow (with the few people who are here because of the Grade 11 field trip to the ROM on Friday).
Deontology - comes from the Greek word, "Deon", which means duty. One of the ways that most of us are comfortable working within a worldview that has rules of things that are acceptable to do and things that are not acceptable to do. For example, we all agreed that stealing your classmate's pencil is not acceptable and therefore stealing anyone's pencil is not acceptable. We made a link here to other, more serious issues like, murder. It's not ok to kill others.
Next we asked where your ideas about it not being acceptable to steal or kill came from. For some of you it's just what you've been taught by parents, friends, society, school, etc. (i.e. it's the way you have been socialized), and for others such ethical / moral codes from from a religious source, e.g. the Bible. This is deontological in origin, but it's more than simple that - it's a duty-based outlook that comes from a spiritual or religious source. This we call, "Divine Command". In other words, the moral/ethical code has it's root in a god and holy texts.
I made this point with the class because during yesterday's introduction to Christianity there were many questions about how Christians can believe certain things and I did not want the focus to be on the minutiae of that religion, rather I wanted us to focus on the human needs that we all have and how Christianity (and any other religion) addresses those needs. The need we focused on today was the need to have rules to govern our lives and the need to live a meaningful life.
We listened to Bruce Cockburn's "Shipwrecked at the Stable Door" and examined the meaning of the lyrics to that song. There are many references to capitalist, materialistic society and there are biblical references too. We then began to work through Rick Warren's TED Talks lecture on bringing meaning to one's life, something that we'll continue tomorrow (with the few people who are here because of the Grade 11 field trip to the ROM on Friday).
DAY 69 (Dec 14) Higgs Boson and Christianity
We started today having a look at this information on the potential discovery of the Higgs Boson - a particle that existed in abundance at the creation of the universe and, so the theory goes, the particle that gives mass to energy, in other words creating "something from nothing", a rather novel thing indeed! And an appropriate point to interject into conversations about our origins in a religious context. There were so many astounding and insightful comments from our class on this topic.
We had a brief introduction to Christianity today and some points to note include the origins of Christianity in Judaism, the birth of Jesus Christ in around 4-3 BCE and his subsequent crucifixion about 30 years later. We made strong parallels between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
We had a brief introduction to Christianity today and some points to note include the origins of Christianity in Judaism, the birth of Jesus Christ in around 4-3 BCE and his subsequent crucifixion about 30 years later. We made strong parallels between Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
DAY 65, 66, 67, 68 (Dec 8, 9, 12, 13) The Pianist Project Work Periods
You all worked diligently on this project in the Library - you all ask great questions and the thinking that you put into this type of work is amazing.View Blog
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
DAY 64 (Dec 7) Passover and The Pianist project
I neglected to include the link to yesterday's interesting idea regarding the Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D, so there it is. We had a discussion about it regarding whether seeing images from so far away can help us or hinder us in our own understanding and/or belief in a god. For some it might make it easier to see God as an even more powerful entity than before. And for others it might fuel the fires of rationality and make it more difficult to accept that there is a god of any sort considering how big this place we call the universe is. Great discussion, folks, have another lookie at that short video and by all means show your parents, maybe it will be the catalyst for a great conversation!
Today Ashley and Dani did a fine presentation on Passover including a good historical perspective and a humorous but informative depiction of modern Passover celebrations. And their perogies (representing one or two of the traditional dishes served at Passover) were outstanding, thanks to Frau Schaus., and they served up two of the four wines usually served at Passover, in our case a couple of fine vintages of peach. We made the point after their presentation that much of Jewish religious celebration centres around recognizing the past history of suffering and persecution that Jews have endured over the millennia - something unique in Judaism when compared to most other religions. In fact it is sometimes the basis for modern thinking about Judaism because it still exists in modern times, for example the Holocaust.
This leads us to our next project which is called, The Pianist & Holocaust Survivors. We spent a bit of time in the Library and everyone found a suitable print resource as the basis for your research into the life of one survivor. We'll head back to the Library to get to work in earnest on this project, it shouldn't take more than two days to complete. We'll do our Hinduism / Buddhism test next week, but not on Wednesday!
Today Ashley and Dani did a fine presentation on Passover including a good historical perspective and a humorous but informative depiction of modern Passover celebrations. And their perogies (representing one or two of the traditional dishes served at Passover) were outstanding, thanks to Frau Schaus., and they served up two of the four wines usually served at Passover, in our case a couple of fine vintages of peach. We made the point after their presentation that much of Jewish religious celebration centres around recognizing the past history of suffering and persecution that Jews have endured over the millennia - something unique in Judaism when compared to most other religions. In fact it is sometimes the basis for modern thinking about Judaism because it still exists in modern times, for example the Holocaust.
This leads us to our next project which is called, The Pianist & Holocaust Survivors. We spent a bit of time in the Library and everyone found a suitable print resource as the basis for your research into the life of one survivor. We'll head back to the Library to get to work in earnest on this project, it shouldn't take more than two days to complete. We'll do our Hinduism / Buddhism test next week, but not on Wednesday!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
DAY 63 (Dec 6) The Pianist
After discussing some big questions in the universe we finished watching the film. Szpilman lives through his ordeal and continues his musical career - he died at age 88 in Warsaw in 2000. Some of his children now live in Canada.
Diaspora - a term with several meanings. Around 600 BC the Kingdom of Judea was destroyed along with the first temple. Thus the Jews were dispersed and had no real homeland. Jews were enslaved and after a long period of dispersal Jews began to settle in different areas. Again, around 2000 years ago they were dispersed again, and again they had no homeland.
Diaspora - modern - the term used for any Jews not living in Israel, post 1948. This means that Jews not living in Israel have accepted that there is a chosen land but for various reasons they choose not to live there.
Diaspora - a term with several meanings. Around 600 BC the Kingdom of Judea was destroyed along with the first temple. Thus the Jews were dispersed and had no real homeland. Jews were enslaved and after a long period of dispersal Jews began to settle in different areas. Again, around 2000 years ago they were dispersed again, and again they had no homeland.
Diaspora - modern - the term used for any Jews not living in Israel, post 1948. This means that Jews not living in Israel have accepted that there is a chosen land but for various reasons they choose not to live there.
DAY 62 (Dec 5) Food and Culture Day
As Food and Culture Day ran today in period 3 you all spent the class visiting with the groups and sampling their foods. It's amazing that we seem to be a homogeneous group in many ways but when we dig deeper it's plain to see that we are from a rainbow of backgrounds - it's wonderful ! !
Friday, December 2, 2011
DAY 61 (Dec 2) The Pianist
Today's viewing is fairly self-explanatory and further depicts "in"humanity, that is, humanity at it's worst. Many of you discussed wanting to do something about social injustice and today we saw the results of the uprising against the Nazi occupation of Warsaw - the ghetto was levelled and any resistors who were caught were quickly executed.
When Szpilman is finally confronted by an articulate and finely cultured German officer in the abandoned building in which Szpilman is hiding, the tone of the story changes dramatically (sorry for the pun). We know that the young officer is cultured as we hear his music coming from the main floor - Beethoven's Sonata opus 27 #2, 1st Movement (popularly known as the "Moonlight Sonata"). For the first time we see exactly what it is about a human being that could account for him (in this case Szpilman) being fully human and not sub-human as was decreed by the Nazis at that time . . . through the eyes of a Nazi. The officer asks Szpilman to play the piano and, despite years of not touching a keyboard, he sits at the piano and plays, quite beautifully I might add, Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (Op. 23, No. 1) - (in the actual event the real life Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor which is a much gentler tune, it's a nocturne, afterall, but it would have not been nearly as dramatic as the piece played in the film. Notably, Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor is the melancholy theme music throughout the music. This is seminal moment in the film as it depicts Szpilman as a human being, an entity worthy of protection, comfort and the rights of any other citizen. The German officer begins to question his own views and the actions of the Germans in the war.
A quick reminder, as discussed in class please convene in the Bearpit at the beginning of period 3 on Monday as you'll spend the period perusing the displays and sampling the foods of my grade 12 students in Food and Culture Day - my expectation, as discussed in class, is that you spend the entire period talking to the people at the displays.
When Szpilman is finally confronted by an articulate and finely cultured German officer in the abandoned building in which Szpilman is hiding, the tone of the story changes dramatically (sorry for the pun). We know that the young officer is cultured as we hear his music coming from the main floor - Beethoven's Sonata opus 27 #2, 1st Movement (popularly known as the "Moonlight Sonata"). For the first time we see exactly what it is about a human being that could account for him (in this case Szpilman) being fully human and not sub-human as was decreed by the Nazis at that time . . . through the eyes of a Nazi. The officer asks Szpilman to play the piano and, despite years of not touching a keyboard, he sits at the piano and plays, quite beautifully I might add, Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G Minor (Op. 23, No. 1) - (in the actual event the real life Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor which is a much gentler tune, it's a nocturne, afterall, but it would have not been nearly as dramatic as the piece played in the film. Notably, Nocturne No. 1 in C# Minor is the melancholy theme music throughout the music. This is seminal moment in the film as it depicts Szpilman as a human being, an entity worthy of protection, comfort and the rights of any other citizen. The German officer begins to question his own views and the actions of the Germans in the war.
A quick reminder, as discussed in class please convene in the Bearpit at the beginning of period 3 on Monday as you'll spend the period perusing the displays and sampling the foods of my grade 12 students in Food and Culture Day - my expectation, as discussed in class, is that you spend the entire period talking to the people at the displays.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
DAY 60 (Dec 1) The Pianist
We continued watching the Pianist today. Some of the points we discussed include:
Judaism vs. Being Jewish - we made the point that generally religious affiliation is a choice, albeit a choice often made by parents for their children early in life based on family tradition or regional/cultural/social norms. In the case of the Holocaust, Jews were targeted by the Nazis not so much for a religious affiliation, although this was obviously part of the story, but for what the Nazi's called racial inclusion, that is, Jews were Jews by birth and nothing could change that. Therefore they were of an inferior race, according to Hitler, and thus should be eliminated because of the harm that the Nazis said Jews were responsible for in Germany and the rest of Europe. I pointed out the statistic that in 1939 Europe's population was approximately 0.5 percent "Jewish" - it does not stand to reason that such a small proportion of the population could be responsible for the harms for which they were accused by the Nazis.
Instilling Fear - one of the strategies used in any conflict is to instil fear into the local populations. In this case the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were witness to daily killings at the hands of the Nazis which frightened everyone and decreased their sense of control over their own lives.
What Can Be Done About Injustice? - we discussed the fact that under the Nazis it was extremely dangerous to resist or comment or mount any kind of resistance, therefore most of those witness to injustices were helpless to change the situation. Hopefully by witnesses some of these atrocities in a film like this you are more willing to stand up for injustices anywhere in the world - in Canada we have freedom of speech and association and it is, generally, very safe to stand up for what is right in a free country like ours.
Family - near the end of today's viewing we witnessed the death of Szpilman's family - he was rescued at the train transfer station while the rest of his family was sent on to Treblinka, an extermination camp in occupied Poland. Every Jew today has family that was killed during WWII. Yesterday I recounted a time when I met Spilman's daughter after she commented on a piano player's playing of a particular song that her father played often when she was a child, that is, Szpilman himself. He was this woman's father.
Judaism vs. Being Jewish - we made the point that generally religious affiliation is a choice, albeit a choice often made by parents for their children early in life based on family tradition or regional/cultural/social norms. In the case of the Holocaust, Jews were targeted by the Nazis not so much for a religious affiliation, although this was obviously part of the story, but for what the Nazi's called racial inclusion, that is, Jews were Jews by birth and nothing could change that. Therefore they were of an inferior race, according to Hitler, and thus should be eliminated because of the harm that the Nazis said Jews were responsible for in Germany and the rest of Europe. I pointed out the statistic that in 1939 Europe's population was approximately 0.5 percent "Jewish" - it does not stand to reason that such a small proportion of the population could be responsible for the harms for which they were accused by the Nazis.
Instilling Fear - one of the strategies used in any conflict is to instil fear into the local populations. In this case the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were witness to daily killings at the hands of the Nazis which frightened everyone and decreased their sense of control over their own lives.
What Can Be Done About Injustice? - we discussed the fact that under the Nazis it was extremely dangerous to resist or comment or mount any kind of resistance, therefore most of those witness to injustices were helpless to change the situation. Hopefully by witnesses some of these atrocities in a film like this you are more willing to stand up for injustices anywhere in the world - in Canada we have freedom of speech and association and it is, generally, very safe to stand up for what is right in a free country like ours.
Family - near the end of today's viewing we witnessed the death of Szpilman's family - he was rescued at the train transfer station while the rest of his family was sent on to Treblinka, an extermination camp in occupied Poland. Every Jew today has family that was killed during WWII. Yesterday I recounted a time when I met Spilman's daughter after she commented on a piano player's playing of a particular song that her father played often when she was a child, that is, Szpilman himself. He was this woman's father.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
DAY 59 (Nov 30) Presentations and The Pianist
We had a couple of great presentations today - Kristen and Megan did a nice job presenting Shavuot and they even brought in one of the main dishes for Shavuot, cheesecake!! Yay!
And then Caitlin and Rachel presented Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
After the presentations we pointed out some similarities between practices in Judaism and other religions. For example, the most important Christian religious observance is probably Easter, the day marking the Resurrection of Christ, thought by Christians to be the Saviour. Likewise, Yom Kippur is a day marking the importance of the relationship between Jews and God and how better to renew that relationship than by atoning for sins, against God and against other people. This is generally thought to be the most important religious observance of Jews as well.
We started to watch the film, The Pianist. This film won the Palme D'Or at Cannes and many other awards including an Oscar for Adrian Brody's acting, the youngest male Best Actor winner in history. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist survived the Warsaw Ghetto and this is his story. We cannot hope to study modern Judaism without discussion the Holocaust and its effect on Jews and Judaism and I think this is the best way to do it for this class.
And then Caitlin and Rachel presented Yom Kippur, the day of atonement.
After the presentations we pointed out some similarities between practices in Judaism and other religions. For example, the most important Christian religious observance is probably Easter, the day marking the Resurrection of Christ, thought by Christians to be the Saviour. Likewise, Yom Kippur is a day marking the importance of the relationship between Jews and God and how better to renew that relationship than by atoning for sins, against God and against other people. This is generally thought to be the most important religious observance of Jews as well.
We started to watch the film, The Pianist. This film won the Palme D'Or at Cannes and many other awards including an Oscar for Adrian Brody's acting, the youngest male Best Actor winner in history. Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist survived the Warsaw Ghetto and this is his story. We cannot hope to study modern Judaism without discussion the Holocaust and its effect on Jews and Judaism and I think this is the best way to do it for this class.
DAY 58 (Nov 29) Study Day in my Absence
I was away at First Aid Training all day so this was a study day for the upcoming test. You all have the study materials already.
Monday, November 28, 2011
DAY 57 (Nov 28) Judaism Presentations!
We had three awesome presentations today. First was Paige and an intriguing presentation on Sukkot and Simchat Torah. She did a great explaining the connection between how people today recognize the tribulations experienced by Jews in the distant past and how important it is to still recognize it through the use of symbols and celebrations. Here's a picture of the "wine" (sparkling Grenadine water) that Paige shared with us:
And then Savannah and Dave told us all about Rosh Hashanah, a traditional time of New Beginnings and High Holy Days symbolized, quite appropriately, by sweets such as honey and apples - see what they provided to help us celebrate (below:
And then we enjoyed the Hamentashen that Michaela and Meghen D. brought in (below), both the strawberry and apricot filled ones! We learned that Purim is a time of celebration and it is meant to be joyous and fun for everyone, especially children, to celebrate a time, again in the distant past, that Jews in Persia were saved from certain death by Haman . . . until King Artaxerxes intervened because he loved his wife, Esther, a Jew, and would not see any harm come to her.
It is important to note the strong connection between long ago persecutions of Jews through history and current celebrations of redemption from those persecutions in the celebrations of modern times.
And then Savannah and Dave told us all about Rosh Hashanah, a traditional time of New Beginnings and High Holy Days symbolized, quite appropriately, by sweets such as honey and apples - see what they provided to help us celebrate (below:
And then we enjoyed the Hamentashen that Michaela and Meghen D. brought in (below), both the strawberry and apricot filled ones! We learned that Purim is a time of celebration and it is meant to be joyous and fun for everyone, especially children, to celebrate a time, again in the distant past, that Jews in Persia were saved from certain death by Haman . . . until King Artaxerxes intervened because he loved his wife, Esther, a Jew, and would not see any harm come to her.
Friday, November 25, 2011
DAY 56 (Nov 25) Celebrations Work Period
You all worked splendidly on your Celebrations presentations for Monday - well done. We spent the period in the CAD lab and I've never seen you all work so well the entire time, I'm very proud of this class!!
Presentations on Monday! Yay!
Presentations on Monday! Yay!
DAY 55 (Nov 24) Judaism's Terms and Celebrations
Today's class began with the Pathways presentation in the caf., then we returned to the Library to complete the telephone game and continue working on your Presentations of Jewish Celebrations. Below are all of the terms and the definitions that you found in the Telephone Game.
Anti-Semitism: hostility and prejudice toward Jews
Ark of the Covenant: the wooden chest that held the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The temple in Jerusalem became the home of the Ark
bar/bat mitzvah: the religious initiation ceremony of a Jewish boy who has reached the age of thirteen/Jewish girl who has reached the age of twelve or thirteen
chosen people: the idea that God chose the Jewish people to be the keepers of his covenant. The concept of “chosen” is reciprocal, with God choosing humanity and humanity choosing God.
Diaspora: word used when referring to the Jewish population living outside of Israel
Exodus: the significance event in which Moses lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land
Gerut: the process of conversion to Judaism
Ghetto: the area of a city in which Jews were required to live. The first was in Venice in 1516.
Holy Ark: a cabinet-like structure in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls
Kiddush: a blessing recited when drinking wine that has been specially sanctified for the Sabbath or a holy day
Kippah: a small circular cap worn by Jewish men, also known as a yarmulke
Kosher: fulfilling the requirements of the Jewish dietary laws
Menorah: a candelabrum with seven branches, used at home and in the synagogue on the Sabbath and holidays
Messiah: means “anointed one”. Jews believe that a great king will come to lead them
Rabbi: a Jewish scholar or teacher, especially of Jewish law; a person appointed as a Jewish religious leader
Shiva: a period of seven-day mourning for the dead beginning immediately after the funeral
Star of David: a figure consisting of two interlaced equilateral triangles. It is used as a Jewish and Israeli symbol
Synagogue: central places of Jewish worship today
Torah: the Laws of Moses, as well as the rest of the Hebrew scriptures
DAY 54 (Nov 23) Judaism's Most Beloved Celebrations
Today we introduced the topic of celebration in our study of Judaism. Here's a handout for the assignment, Judaism's Celebrations. All cultures and religions celebrate rites of passage (Bar/Bat Mitzvah), historic events (Passover) and other important aspects of what makes the culture or religion special, so everyone will "teach" the class about a special event on the Jewish "calendar".
We also played the telephone game where, in teams, you texted questions to team members and they texted back the answers after finding the answers online - I've never heard our group so quiet and attentive to getting it all done, it was great! We didn't quite finish today, so tomorrow will be the finish and I'll post all of the Q & A on tomorrow's blog entry.
We also played the telephone game where, in teams, you texted questions to team members and they texted back the answers after finding the answers online - I've never heard our group so quiet and attentive to getting it all done, it was great! We didn't quite finish today, so tomorrow will be the finish and I'll post all of the Q & A on tomorrow's blog entry.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
DAY 53 (Nov 22) Judaism Intro Cont'd
Our Minute of the Day was about the continued news about world reactions to what many in the world believe to be Iran's ambitions to make nuclear weapons. Today's news story, as reported on Al Jazeera, showed Hilary Clinton, the American Secretary of State, making the announcement that new economic sanctions against Iran are the next step in putting pressure on the Iranian government to fully comply with the UN's oversight of Iran's nuclear program. This is relevant to our introduction to Israel for several reasons as follows:
Israel feels under threat from Iran as Iran's leader has stated in the past that he would like to change the look of the Middle East by "wiping Israel from the map", a Threat and promise of his potential course of action against Israel. Today's reports about new sanctions are, perhaps, the next step in the "west's" lead up to what might be future military action against Iran's nuclear program. We spent a good deal of time on this and then tied it to the teachings of Judaism, notably the promised land, a future of peace and prosperity for Israelis and the will of Jews to do the will of God (live up to the Covenant). It's always very interesting to hear all of your perspectives on the religious teachings that we study and their connections to world events and culture!
Please see yesterday's post for the Intro to Judaism slide show, well, here it is again.
We ended the class today with what I like to call "The Telephone Game." There are enough cell phones and computers in the class that we made teams of 3 or 4 - each team was split and one part of the team was given a list of terms to look up and define but they had to text those terms to the other half of their team for them to look up. This second part of the team then had to text back the answers . . . . we'll begin the class tomorrow by finishing this task! It was a hoot and everyone seemed to enjoy it!
Tomorrow I'll post the list of terms and answers to them.
Israel feels under threat from Iran as Iran's leader has stated in the past that he would like to change the look of the Middle East by "wiping Israel from the map", a Threat and promise of his potential course of action against Israel. Today's reports about new sanctions are, perhaps, the next step in the "west's" lead up to what might be future military action against Iran's nuclear program. We spent a good deal of time on this and then tied it to the teachings of Judaism, notably the promised land, a future of peace and prosperity for Israelis and the will of Jews to do the will of God (live up to the Covenant). It's always very interesting to hear all of your perspectives on the religious teachings that we study and their connections to world events and culture!
Please see yesterday's post for the Intro to Judaism slide show, well, here it is again.
We ended the class today with what I like to call "The Telephone Game." There are enough cell phones and computers in the class that we made teams of 3 or 4 - each team was split and one part of the team was given a list of terms to look up and define but they had to text those terms to the other half of their team for them to look up. This second part of the team then had to text back the answers . . . . we'll begin the class tomorrow by finishing this task! It was a hoot and everyone seemed to enjoy it!
Tomorrow I'll post the list of terms and answers to them.
Monday, November 21, 2011
DAY 52 (Nov 21) Intro to Judaism
Our Minute of the Day was a brief discussion about some of the geopolitical background of modern-day Israel. A good insight on this topic can be gained through CBC's In-Depth feature on "The Middle East."
We introduced our next topic, Judaism with the discussion above and then we started our Introduction to Judaism Presentation to get a sense of some of the basic teachings and beliefs of Judaism.
We introduced our next topic, Judaism with the discussion above and then we started our Introduction to Judaism Presentation to get a sense of some of the basic teachings and beliefs of Judaism.
DAY 25-51 Buddhism Presentation
I didn't post anything here for Buddhism. However here's the Introductory Presentation for Buddhism - it's lacking most of the images as the original file was too large to post here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
DAY 24 (Oct 11) Aboriginal Spirituality
Student teacher Mr. Marc has done today's lesson on Aboriginal Spirituality in preparation for tomorrow's trip to Crawford Lake.
Here's the Crawford Lake Permission Form for tomorrow's trip.
Some information:
- Bus departs at around 9:00 am
- We arrive at Rattlesnake Point around 9:35 am and meet and greet and experience opening words of thanks to Mother Earth by elder, Mr. Doug Doolittle.
- 10km hike from Rattlesnake Pt. to Crawford Lake, fully guided and interpreted by Crawford Lake guides. We'll stop halfway for lunch, so bring a good lunch and bring proper footwear for a long, wet hike.
- At Crawford Lake we'll enjoy some craft-making, medicine pouches I believe.
- We'll have a great dinner of traditional First Nations food.
- Story-telling in the Longhouse around an open fire - Aaron is a professional story-teller and he is very entertaining!
- We should be back at Acton HS by around 7:30 pm.
Here's the Crawford Lake Permission Form for tomorrow's trip.
Some information:
- Bus departs at around 9:00 am
- We arrive at Rattlesnake Point around 9:35 am and meet and greet and experience opening words of thanks to Mother Earth by elder, Mr. Doug Doolittle.
- 10km hike from Rattlesnake Pt. to Crawford Lake, fully guided and interpreted by Crawford Lake guides. We'll stop halfway for lunch, so bring a good lunch and bring proper footwear for a long, wet hike.
- At Crawford Lake we'll enjoy some craft-making, medicine pouches I believe.
- We'll have a great dinner of traditional First Nations food.
- Story-telling in the Longhouse around an open fire - Aaron is a professional story-teller and he is very entertaining!
- We should be back at Acton HS by around 7:30 pm.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
DAY 23 (Oct 6) First Journal Entry and Some Cool Hindu Ideas
You have 15 minutes to do a written meditation in your Gray Religious Minutes folder. The idea to discuss is this: Explain three reasons that people turn to religion and explain how at least one of them pertains to your own life.
While writing today Mr. Marc played the Tibetan Singing Bowl to help concentrate our minds. Everyone here will play it during meditation starting next Thursday.
We then spent time watching and listening to and discussing these short clips on various aspects of Hinduism:
Varanasi
Ascetics
Aum
Swastika in Hinduism
Swastika in Hinduism 2
While writing today Mr. Marc played the Tibetan Singing Bowl to help concentrate our minds. Everyone here will play it during meditation starting next Thursday.
We then spent time watching and listening to and discussing these short clips on various aspects of Hinduism:
Varanasi
Ascetics
Aum
Swastika in Hinduism
Swastika in Hinduism 2
DAY 22 (Oct 5) Finish Yesterday's Stuff
We finished the last four points (see yesterday's post) but we spent most of the time discussing the idea of Artha and it's application to your lives and the society in which we live.
The big question that arises is, "How can we operate a materialistic society based on economic growth without harming other people and other living organisms such as the world in which we live?
Great discussion overall.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
DAY 21 (Oct 4) Hindu Beliefs and Practices
Today you will be responsible for everyone's learning (under my guidance).
I will assign each of you a different part of Hinduism and you'll have 5 minutes to prepare a quick note for the class - as you present I'll take notes to post on the blog here.
Atman - the human soul, inseparable from the universe, in fact part of the universe. Christians, Jews and Muslims believe that the soul will enter Heaven (or Hell) after death, while Hindus believe that the soul will live on as part of creation.
Reincarnation - Hindus believe that the soul does not cease to exist after death. Rather it lives on in another life form after death.
Samsara - Hindu belief that reincarnation happens over and over again - this endless cycle is called Samsara
Maya - the temporary and imperfect nature of the physical world. Because matter in the universe is constantly recycling through different forms, all life is caught in this endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth . . .
Moksha - liberation from the endless cycle of birth, death, rebirth (Samsara) and to reunite Atman with Brahman. This is the ultimate goal of Hindus.
Karma - balance between good and evil in one's life. A person's actions on earth will affect the reincarnation of a person - a person who lives a good life (on balance) will be reincarnated in a "higher" life form, and vise versa.
Paths to Salvation - the way to "salvation" - how one attains Moksha - is to follow at least one of these paths. These ways of life all contain good deeds, meditation, understanding holy scriptures, etc.
These are the FOUR paths to Salvation
Bhakti Yoga - path of DEVOTION. A simpler path, it involves showing love towards personal deities, providing a lifetime of opportunity to worship Bramah in a concrete way. This is not an abstract way of life lived in one's mind, but a way of life involving regular worship of deities as a way towards Brahman.
Karma Yoga - path of ACTION.lifestyle of good deeds and good thoughts should lead to good Karma.
Jnana Yoga - path of WISDOM. This is a challenging path requiring a guru to guide. The nature of Braham and the nature of the Universe are what followers will gain. This understanding should lead to the insight needed to achieve salvation.
Raja Yoga - path of MEDITATION. Hindus can achieve salvation by thinking deeply about Brahman, particularly if you are able to reach a trance-like state - it requires years of training and discipline to achieve.
Dharma - code of moral duty. The idea of living a "good life" towards other people, in two ways:
Two types - Sanatana Dharma - eternal religion, applies to all people on earth regardless of group that they may be a part of.
Varnashrana Dharma - applies to people specific to their status in society or specific to the group to which they belong.
Caste System - how Indian society has organized itself into several classes (castes). Once born into a caste one cannot move up or down to a higher or lower caste.
Brahmin - the highest class containing priests, religious elders, teachers of rituals and spirituality. Goals are knowledge and education. Elites in society are often Brahmin.
Kshatriya - Warrior and Ruling class. Often run society, maintaining and leading society. Known as physically courageous and showing traits of leadership.
Vaishya - Merchant class, including farmers, focussing on wealth creation and business. Often thought of as entrepreneurs.
Sudra - lowest class, servants class, farm workers, basic tradespeople, working class.
Untouchables - outlawed in modern society so there is no longer an "untouchable" caste, they were considered the lowest of the low classes doing jobs of butchery, cleaning, jobs that no-one else would consider. Because they were committed to a lifetime of poverty it was considered too unfair to keep untouchables in that caste so it was outlawed.
Caste System Today - there are legal bans on discrimination based on caste, class, religion, gender, etc. in the modern India of today, so the Caste system has fallen out of practice and favour.
Four Stages of Life - represents the social aspect of Karma, in a general sense. These cover actions and responsibilities of living a good life.
Stages are:
Student - learn discipline and knowledge and respect
Householder - to marry and have a family and to provide for them
Forest Dweller - give up duties to the rest of the family and participate in religious pilgrimages
Ascetic - to give up worldly, material life and to live a life of meditation consuming only a bare minimum
Four Aims or Goals of Life - as way of life, Hindus follow a personal value system to meet their spiritual and material needs.
Dharma - conducting one's life with the absence of greed, compassion towards all living things. People are supposed to act with humility in all of their actions.
Artha - earning money honestly to provide for one's family. To acquire wealth and power is fine but it must be done honestly and without harming others.
Kama - pursuing love and physical pleasure, meeting basic human needs.
Moksha - leading a life towards salvation through honesty and morality.
I will assign each of you a different part of Hinduism and you'll have 5 minutes to prepare a quick note for the class - as you present I'll take notes to post on the blog here.
Atman - the human soul, inseparable from the universe, in fact part of the universe. Christians, Jews and Muslims believe that the soul will enter Heaven (or Hell) after death, while Hindus believe that the soul will live on as part of creation.
Reincarnation - Hindus believe that the soul does not cease to exist after death. Rather it lives on in another life form after death.
Samsara - Hindu belief that reincarnation happens over and over again - this endless cycle is called Samsara
Maya - the temporary and imperfect nature of the physical world. Because matter in the universe is constantly recycling through different forms, all life is caught in this endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth . . .
Moksha - liberation from the endless cycle of birth, death, rebirth (Samsara) and to reunite Atman with Brahman. This is the ultimate goal of Hindus.
Karma - balance between good and evil in one's life. A person's actions on earth will affect the reincarnation of a person - a person who lives a good life (on balance) will be reincarnated in a "higher" life form, and vise versa.
Paths to Salvation - the way to "salvation" - how one attains Moksha - is to follow at least one of these paths. These ways of life all contain good deeds, meditation, understanding holy scriptures, etc.
These are the FOUR paths to Salvation
Bhakti Yoga - path of DEVOTION. A simpler path, it involves showing love towards personal deities, providing a lifetime of opportunity to worship Bramah in a concrete way. This is not an abstract way of life lived in one's mind, but a way of life involving regular worship of deities as a way towards Brahman.
Karma Yoga - path of ACTION.lifestyle of good deeds and good thoughts should lead to good Karma.
Jnana Yoga - path of WISDOM. This is a challenging path requiring a guru to guide. The nature of Braham and the nature of the Universe are what followers will gain. This understanding should lead to the insight needed to achieve salvation.
Raja Yoga - path of MEDITATION. Hindus can achieve salvation by thinking deeply about Brahman, particularly if you are able to reach a trance-like state - it requires years of training and discipline to achieve.
Dharma - code of moral duty. The idea of living a "good life" towards other people, in two ways:
Two types - Sanatana Dharma - eternal religion, applies to all people on earth regardless of group that they may be a part of.
Varnashrana Dharma - applies to people specific to their status in society or specific to the group to which they belong.
Caste System - how Indian society has organized itself into several classes (castes). Once born into a caste one cannot move up or down to a higher or lower caste.
Brahmin - the highest class containing priests, religious elders, teachers of rituals and spirituality. Goals are knowledge and education. Elites in society are often Brahmin.
Kshatriya - Warrior and Ruling class. Often run society, maintaining and leading society. Known as physically courageous and showing traits of leadership.
Vaishya - Merchant class, including farmers, focussing on wealth creation and business. Often thought of as entrepreneurs.
Sudra - lowest class, servants class, farm workers, basic tradespeople, working class.
Untouchables - outlawed in modern society so there is no longer an "untouchable" caste, they were considered the lowest of the low classes doing jobs of butchery, cleaning, jobs that no-one else would consider. Because they were committed to a lifetime of poverty it was considered too unfair to keep untouchables in that caste so it was outlawed.
Caste System Today - there are legal bans on discrimination based on caste, class, religion, gender, etc. in the modern India of today, so the Caste system has fallen out of practice and favour.
Four Stages of Life - represents the social aspect of Karma, in a general sense. These cover actions and responsibilities of living a good life.
Stages are:
Student - learn discipline and knowledge and respect
Householder - to marry and have a family and to provide for them
Forest Dweller - give up duties to the rest of the family and participate in religious pilgrimages
Ascetic - to give up worldly, material life and to live a life of meditation consuming only a bare minimum
Four Aims or Goals of Life - as way of life, Hindus follow a personal value system to meet their spiritual and material needs.
Dharma - conducting one's life with the absence of greed, compassion towards all living things. People are supposed to act with humility in all of their actions.
Artha - earning money honestly to provide for one's family. To acquire wealth and power is fine but it must be done honestly and without harming others.
Kama - pursuing love and physical pleasure, meeting basic human needs.
Moksha - leading a life towards salvation through honesty and morality.
DAY 20 (Oct 3) Gandhi on Google
Final lab day for this project (see yesterday's blog for a link to it).
When it's done please make sure the Share setting is set to Anyone with the link can view.
And then please send the link to me via email to marktkovich@gmail.com
When it's done please make sure the Share setting is set to Anyone with the link can view.
And then please send the link to me via email to marktkovich@gmail.com
DAY 19 (Sept 30) Google Presents Gandhi
Today was an in-lab day for you to get started on the Google Presentation on Gandhi. Full Period, most of your worked very well and got a good start on this. Back in a lab on Monday.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
DAY 18 (Sept 29) Google Presentation on Gandhi
After finishing the film, Gandhi, you are going to do a small project on his life, legacy and his ability to have lived a life that reflects all of the best that Hinduism has to offer.
The handout for the project, Gandhi: His Life and Work in Pictures, indicates that as a class we will create the marking rubric for it. It will be based on the descriptions for the categories as interpreted by the Halton District School Board and is based on the Learning Categories of the Ontario Ministry of Education. This is written into all of your course outlines as follows:
As a group we came up with the following breakdown for each category:
The handout for the project, Gandhi: His Life and Work in Pictures, indicates that as a class we will create the marking rubric for it. It will be based on the descriptions for the categories as interpreted by the Halton District School Board and is based on the Learning Categories of the Ontario Ministry of Education. This is written into all of your course outlines as follows:
Knowledge & Understanding: Emphasizes the ability to recall factual information, recognize fundamental concepts and the foundational skills of the subject/discipline.
Application: Emphasizes the application and integration of knowledge, skills, processes and techniques to produce evidence of the student’s understanding.
Thinking: Emphasizes the thinking skills used in thinking processes to demonstrate the student’s understanding of information they have processed.
Communication: Emphasizes the clear, precise and effective use of oral, written and visual language to communicate the student’s understanding of information and ideas.As a group we came up with the following breakdown for each category:
Friday, September 16, 2011
DAY 9 (Sept 16) The Final World on Truth - Hinduism Introduction
Today you began to work in your Religious Bytes Folders. These gray folders will be the place in which you answer personal reflection questions and we'll use them most days.
We ended our discussion on the Evolution vs. Evolution article by you going through the answers that I've included at the bottom of the article and by answering some of those questions in your Religious Bytes folders.
We then started an Introduction to Hinduism discussion and presentation.
We ended our discussion on the Evolution vs. Evolution article by you going through the answers that I've included at the bottom of the article and by answering some of those questions in your Religious Bytes folders.
We then started an Introduction to Hinduism discussion and presentation.
DAY 8 (Sept 15) Cultural Connections to "the Truth"
We had a read of a New York Times article about the debate in some educational circles about whether to include Creationism and/or The Theory of Evolution in school curricula.
Here's the article: It's a Fact: Faith and Theory Collide Over Evolution.
Much more discussion throughout the class on evidence, types of evidence, Scientific Methods, etc.
Here's the article: It's a Fact: Faith and Theory Collide Over Evolution.
Much more discussion throughout the class on evidence, types of evidence, Scientific Methods, etc.
DAY 7 (Sept 14) The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But . . .
When thinking about the perspectives of people around the globe we have already touched on reasons WHY people practice a religion, not a particular religion, but a religion. Today we started the discussion about individual and group perspectives on matters of FACT and TRUTH.
An example of a perception on reality that people held for what was probably all of human history until about 500 years ago was that the Earth was the center of the universe. The main reason people probably thought that is that we have physical evidence of the Sun revolving around the Earth each and every day (not to mention other celestial objects like the Moon!). People thought that it was a known fact that everything revolved around us. It took some clever Mathematical thinking by Copernicus and then the use of some new technology, the telescope, by Galileo to prove the prior notion to be incorrect. With new evidence the world realized that the Earth actually revolves around the sun (Galileo showed that Jupiter had moons that revolved around it).
Today I asked you all to consider other perspectives on the Truth of things. I think we all concluded, through our excellent discussion, that there are many types of "Truths" or "Facts" out there. Examples include:
If two (or more) people agree on a point of fact then for them it is indeed a fact, or the truth.
True Knowledge - irrefutable evidence such as 2 + 2 = 4.
Revealed Truth from sacred scriptures potentially given to people to write down by a god or from a messenger of a god.
An example of a perception on reality that people held for what was probably all of human history until about 500 years ago was that the Earth was the center of the universe. The main reason people probably thought that is that we have physical evidence of the Sun revolving around the Earth each and every day (not to mention other celestial objects like the Moon!). People thought that it was a known fact that everything revolved around us. It took some clever Mathematical thinking by Copernicus and then the use of some new technology, the telescope, by Galileo to prove the prior notion to be incorrect. With new evidence the world realized that the Earth actually revolves around the sun (Galileo showed that Jupiter had moons that revolved around it).
Today I asked you all to consider other perspectives on the Truth of things. I think we all concluded, through our excellent discussion, that there are many types of "Truths" or "Facts" out there. Examples include:
If two (or more) people agree on a point of fact then for them it is indeed a fact, or the truth.
True Knowledge - irrefutable evidence such as 2 + 2 = 4.
Revealed Truth from sacred scriptures potentially given to people to write down by a god or from a messenger of a god.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
DAY 6 (Sept 13) Why is Religion Practiced?
Why do People Practice?
Most people feel that there is a realm beyond their own physical reality. Something beyond our five senses. Because we can't verify what that other reality is we have a need to "verify" that other reality through faith.
FEAR - some are concerned that after they die they might end up somewhere not so nice, so through their belief they believe they'll end up in heaven. Look up "Pascal's Wager."
One of our natural human tendencies (part of our Human Nature) is to maintain deep seated fears that our ancestors held. We have insecurities about being alone, death, doing the wrong thing, sickness, disease, sadness and hopelessness. We fear the power of nature and our small position in it.
WONDER - nature remains quite mysterious for most people. Many things in nature that are not explainable through our current understanding are called "miracles." This is used as evidence of the "super" natural. Is it all random or is it carefully designed by a higher being? For some people what remains poorly explained by science is explained through spirituality.
QUESTIONING - many people will not accept that their existence is limited to their time on earth. Few of us want to go through life alone and we certainly do not want to face death alone. Most of us do not accept that chance rules out lives - rather we want to control our destiny through free will and perhaps with the intervention of a God or higher power.
IDENTIFY - is it enough to be identified with a label that's relevant only here on earth? Labels like,
student
sibling
friend
athlete
worker
rocker
skater
jock
etc.
For most people something more long-lasting and meaningful is necessary and they find that in spirituality.
INTUITION - many of us feel unfulfilled by our material wealth. Even though we have dominated the earth we still do not feel fulfilled (U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for example). Many religions were founded by inspired leaders who had ideas about a different and improved reality.
BIG QUESTIONS - most people are curious about big questions in life, many of which we have already referred to . . .
Who am I?
What is right and wrong?
Why are we here?
Where did all this come from?
Why is there suffering? etc.
These Are MY Big Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Most people feel that there is a realm beyond their own physical reality. Something beyond our five senses. Because we can't verify what that other reality is we have a need to "verify" that other reality through faith.
FEAR - some are concerned that after they die they might end up somewhere not so nice, so through their belief they believe they'll end up in heaven. Look up "Pascal's Wager."
One of our natural human tendencies (part of our Human Nature) is to maintain deep seated fears that our ancestors held. We have insecurities about being alone, death, doing the wrong thing, sickness, disease, sadness and hopelessness. We fear the power of nature and our small position in it.
WONDER - nature remains quite mysterious for most people. Many things in nature that are not explainable through our current understanding are called "miracles." This is used as evidence of the "super" natural. Is it all random or is it carefully designed by a higher being? For some people what remains poorly explained by science is explained through spirituality.
QUESTIONING - many people will not accept that their existence is limited to their time on earth. Few of us want to go through life alone and we certainly do not want to face death alone. Most of us do not accept that chance rules out lives - rather we want to control our destiny through free will and perhaps with the intervention of a God or higher power.
IDENTIFY - is it enough to be identified with a label that's relevant only here on earth? Labels like,
student
sibling
friend
athlete
worker
rocker
skater
jock
etc.
For most people something more long-lasting and meaningful is necessary and they find that in spirituality.
INTUITION - many of us feel unfulfilled by our material wealth. Even though we have dominated the earth we still do not feel fulfilled (U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for example). Many religions were founded by inspired leaders who had ideas about a different and improved reality.
BIG QUESTIONS - most people are curious about big questions in life, many of which we have already referred to . . .
Who am I?
What is right and wrong?
Why are we here?
Where did all this come from?
Why is there suffering? etc.
These Are MY Big Questions:
What should I do?
What kind of life should I lead?
What kind of person should I strive to be?
How can I tell right from wrong?
What obligations do I have to other people?
When am I justified in criticizing others?
When are others justified in criticizing me?
Your job is to write (in your own notes) what five of YOUR big questions are.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
DAY 5 (Sept 12) The Religious Impulse
The Religious Impulse
Throughout human history there has been an impulse, very widespread, to worship something.
Features (what does the impulse look like):
- · Belief in the supernatural (“beyond natural”) and spiritual world beyond the material world.
- · Belief in the existence of a soul.
- · Collection of sacred writings (“scriptures”).
- · Strong sense of family and community based on rituals and festivals that celebrate shared beliefs and practices.
- · Set of answers to the most pressing human questions (e.g. meaning of life, meaning of suffering, what happens after you die, etc.)
- · Rules of Conduct – designed to help followers lead honourable lives and to provide purpose to individual and community life.
- · System of ethics guiding morals.
- · Significant founders or inspired leaders who introduced or spurred the development of the faith (usually).
- · Search for salvation, even perfection.
- · A lifestyle of faith and worship.
- · Techniques for focusing one’s awareness.
- · An enriching impact on the lives of adherents.
DAY 4 (Sept 9) More of What Dreams May Come
We finished the film today and had a brief discussion about many parts of it. During the viewing of the film we stopped it many times to discuss aspects of it, in particular the film-maker's take on some of the Big Questions.
DAY 3 (Sept 8) What Dreams May Come
In order to get everyone's head really into the course we began watching What Dreams May Come today. It's a great film that deals with many issues in an enjoyable way.
Some of the issues include:
Some of the issues include:
- The meaning of one's life.
- What happens after you die?
- Is this world full of fate or do we have free will?
- What do you do in troubled times?
DAY 2 (Sept 7) Believers, Non-Believers and Questioners
We separated ourselves into three floor groups: Believers, Non-Believers and Questioners. The class was more or less equally split. The discussion that followed was very enjoyable - everyone had the opportunity to ask and answer questions about their own belief systems and many people offered their personal opinions about why they have (or don't have) whatever belief system they have.
We raised, for the first time, some of the "big questions" that most World Religion grapple with, including:
"What happens after you die?"
"Where and how did all this start?"
"What meaning is there to my life?"
"Where do I turn in times of difficulty?"
Marvelous discussion by everyone, well done!
We raised, for the first time, some of the "big questions" that most World Religion grapple with, including:
"What happens after you die?"
"Where and how did all this start?"
"What meaning is there to my life?"
"Where do I turn in times of difficulty?"
Marvelous discussion by everyone, well done!
DAY 1 (Sept 6) Stephanie's Ponytail
Welcome to World Religions class! I love teaching this course for many reasons - primarily you are at an age where you are ready to discuss belief systems, where you probably have a well-established set of beliefs yourself and where you are open to thinking about the way you think about things.
Today we read Stephanie's Ponytail, a children's story by Robert Munsch. Stephanie's new hairstyles were being copied by her classmates and she didn't like this - in the end she got the last laugh. This is a story about beliefs, opinions and the right of everyone to have their own.
Today we read Stephanie's Ponytail, a children's story by Robert Munsch. Stephanie's new hairstyles were being copied by her classmates and she didn't like this - in the end she got the last laugh. This is a story about beliefs, opinions and the right of everyone to have their own.
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