Kindergarten Structures and Organization in Ontario Public Schools

After working in the Ontario Education system for over thirty years, I am now a part time instructor for an international leadership course in Ontario, Canada.  I teach a principal course to visiting principals from overseas. Recently, I had the privilege of working with a group of visiting kindergarten principals from China and in addition to my lectures, I took them around to visit some schools in and around Toronto.

It was a great experience for these principals as their system in China was quite different from ours. In fact the Ontario education system is one of the best in the world as our students ranked quite high in their academic scores. I receive many questions from various educators inquiring how to help their teachers to prepare lessons for their students, especially in the elementary grades.

In many parts of the world, teachers are trained to teach a specific subject, i.e., the Math teachers would teach Math to  the students, English teacher teaches English,  while the music teacher would teach music and the Physical Education teacher would look after physical education etc.

In Canada, an elementary school teacher is considered a generalist who teaches everything to his/ her student. Each grade of students has a core teacher who is like the mother hen being responsible for the students' well being all the time academically, socially and physically.

For instance, a kindergarten teacher named Ms. A would have a class between 15-20 students and Ms A will be responsible for her students. She / he has to know all the time where her students are and what they are doing. She/ he is responsible for these students' academic progress as well as safety ( everyone in the school is responsible for student safety). But the classroom core teacher especially knows his/ her class of students really well and helps the students to develop as a whole person.  ( I strongly recommend this same approach as the classroom/ core teachers develop close relationships with the students in their classes and take responsibilities for the safety of the students.)

Teacher's Role -This teacher is also responsible for planning programs,  lessons, activities and delivering them effectively to the students on a daily basis. In Ontario, we have curriculum material for all the subjects we teach in our schools from K-12. Parents and educators and anyone who is interested can access these documents online from the government websites.

Teachers are expected to read and know the curriculum of the grades that they are teaching. These curriculum guidelines list the expectations of what the students should be able to do at the end of a specific grade level and are quite board  in nature. Therefore, according to the needs and background of the students, teachers are allowed a lot of freedom to develop their lesson plans and activities to meet the students' needs from these broad guideline.

Reporting to Parents - Teachers are expected to report to parents of the students' progress 2-3x a year and have regular communication with them when they have concerns about their students.

Textbooks - We generally do not have a set of  well defined textbooks from which teachers must use to teach the students particularly in the kindergarten grades.Teachers can either download learning activities from the internet, or they design them according to the topic which they are teaching or they can use some commercial activity books that are age, grade and content appropriate to their students.

Team Approach - If there is more than one teacher teaching the same grade, some team planning or team teaching may happen which involves the teachers to meet regularly to discuss their lesson plans.  To make learning interesting and fun for students, the team of teachers who teach the same grade of students would  collaborate and come up with a common theme for each month or each term and from there they plan the daily activities that would teach students the skills stated in the curriculum. I personally find this team approach much more effective for students.

R.T. Toronto
Jan. 2013

God's Plan - His Ways are higher than ours

October, 2012
A couple of weeks ago,  E., our son told us  that he had a phone interview, but since we had not heard from him after that, we just assumed that it did not go well. Therefore, we were surprised to get an email from him informing us that the phone interview went really well and that the company would be flying him out to California for a personal interview.We were happy for him; dreams of the California sun and trips to the sunshine state started clouding my head. We love to go where our sons would go. So far, Eric has been the only one studying and now working away from home.

 E. came home on the weekend after his whirlwind trip out west.  He was there for  that Californian job interview .  Since we were in Waterloo, we could not pick him up. Fortunately, he changed his travel plan. Instead of flying to Toronto on Friday, he rested in New York, then boarded the Grey Hound on Friday midnight and got here around 3pm, Sunday afternoon. We picked him up from the Elizabeth st. Starbuck.

Naturally, we were anxious to hear all about his job interview. E. thought that he did OK and that the interview was very intense. It lasted for four and a half hours with 5 different people firing questions at him and then going to different people including the CFO of the company for further interviews after the bombardment of questions from the company lawyers.

I am writing this as a testimony later on to E. He did not think he did really well or aced the interview. But I strongly believe that when God is on your side, it;s up to Him, not on what we have done to achieve what we have in life. I dare not pray to God  that He would give our son specifically the job in California because I have faith that God will give us and in this case, E., the best. I just pray that E. will experience the grace and love God has for him in his job search experience. God, may your mercy and grace cover E. and that I humbly ask our sons will personally experience Your blessing and guiding hand in their work. In Christ name, Amen.

R.T. Toronto
 p.s.
E. did not get the job in California, but we have faith in God. As I am reading about King David wanting to build a temple for God but He said no to his godly desire, God blessed David and had better plans for him and his descendants. I truly believe that God will prepare and has better plans for Eric.

p.p.s.
We talked to E. via Skye last Tuesday, he told us that he would have two in person interviews in June. One in Toronto, and another one in San Francisco, the one he really wanted with a game company. God is great! Since he did not hear back from the S.F. job which he was interviewed for in March, 2013, we all thought that he did not get the job. We were wrong!!! I kept praying and crying out to God, God hears and answers prayers! Hallelujah!!!!  We pray and know that God will give us the best. He will give our sons, the best!!! June 1, 2013

PSW - Bringing Happiness and Companionship to Seniors

Dorothy enjoys our visits at her nursing home

With the advance of medical technology, seniors are living longer in North American.

However, for circumstances beyond their control,  many Canadian seniors are living alone without children or relatives around to visit them regularly.

Dorothy's face lights up when she has visitors

For those seniors who can afford to stay in nursing homes, they may have hospital staff around them and their physical needs are met, but they still need people to visit them and stimulate them intellectually.

Our friend Dorothy is one such senior living in a nursing home with few people visiting her.

Whenever Dorothy sees visitors coming, her face lights up and she beams. I am surprised that a simple visit can bring a senior so much happiness and joy!

A PSW's visit can certainly brighten up Dorothy's day

Thanks to the services of PSW  (Personal Support Worker who are specifically trained
to look after and interact with house bound patients ) , those seniors without family members or relatives close by to visit them regularly can hire private PSW's to go to their residence or nursing homes to visit them on a weekly basis.

The PSW doing finger exercises with Dorothy

Recently, I assisted Dorothy's family to hire a PSW for her.

After some search and screening, I  finally found an excellent PSW who will visit Dorothy twice a week and to interact her socially.

Engaging Dorothy in simple activities

Dorothy was very happy and responsive to the PSW whi is a trained professional and knows how to engage seniors in various activities at their own residences.

Providing companionship to the senior

Ashley, a experienced, kind and compassionate PSW loves her work and enjoys working with the seniors.

With no family around and few relatives coming to visit, tt makes a huge difference when a senior can have someone like Ashley to come to see him/her and interact socially.

Visiting the Aquarium on the ground floor

My husband and I visit Dorothy regularly but cannot do it two times a week. Therefore we are absolutely delighted that Dorothy now has the PSW visiting her twice a week.

It makes us happy when we see Dorothy's smiles and that she is happy. Dorothy looked after her husband and has been kind to other people all her life. She deserves to have someone looking after her and be happy in her old age.

We are glad that Ashley, the PSW will be there to visit, listen, talk to Dorothy and play games and do simple exercises with her!

R.T. Toronto
Jan. 6, 2013

Exercises to Reduce Pain Around the Hamstrings

Building Lower body strength for Boomers

One of the main reasons I have been going to exercise weekly with a personal trainer is to reduce the chronic pains I have in my lower body. I find that doing the right kind of exercises regularly has reduced the pain. However, my hamstrings were hurting during the Christmas holidays as I took a couple of weeks off from going to the gym and working out with my personal trainer.

Last Friday was the first day I went back to my exercise program with Joyce.  I told her about the pain I was experiencing in my hamstrings. She sprang into action and came up with exercises right there for me at the gym trying to reduce my pains.

Warm up with Lunges

Her exercises helped a lot! I felt really good after that one hour of exercises she designed for me. I wanted to write them down so that next time when my hamstrings hurt, I could do them on my own at home or at the gym.

Warm up exercises

Lunging - a. 1 gym length, touch wall and run back to the other end of the gym, 30 seconds rest
              b. 1 gym length, touch wall and run back to the other end of the gym, 30 seconds rest
              c.  lunging with wt overhead to one end of wall, run back

After warm up:

Ab Thruster - lay on back with a mat placed on the ground
                 - put feet up on 3-4 riser steps with heels on the top riser step
                 -a.  thrust hips as high as possible from the ground - 12x, rest for 30 seconds
                  b.  place a weight disk on abdomin, hold weight disk in place with both hands, thrust hips high    away from ground - 12 x
                  c. Repeat as in b, 12x. Rest for 30 seconds between each set of exercise.

Back squat with weight on shoulder  - 30 lbs
Put barbell on back of shoulder, squat down, with backside touching step riser, get up. Repeat 10x

Jumps  - ( really good for activating all the small muscles on the thighs where the hamstrings are)

Riser Steps

a. Riser Jumps - 6 step height
                   -  jump up and land on top riser step distributing body weight evenly, repeat 10x

b. Consecutive Riser Jump - set up two sets of riser steps with different height, one set at 4 steps, the second set with  6 riser step height.  Separate the two sets of steps with some distance in between.
 Jump the two sets of riser steps consecutively, 10x

High Knees

High knees - running on the spot with knees raise up as high as possible, non stop for 1  minute.
                 - rest 30 seconds in between, repeat 3 times, each time for 1 minute



R.T. Toronto
January, 2012

A Lively Boomers' Concert

Mom Getting a Visit from Santa

Everyone gets old eventually and as the people around me are getting older, I become increasing involved in looking after or visiting elderly relatives and friends.

My mother is 86 and she is fortunate that she has four of her seven children living within the city and we each visit her on different days of the week so that she would have company.

The Ringers Performing at the St. Paul's Seniors' Concert

My mother is at St. Paul L'Amoreaux Senior apartment where seniors who are reasonably healthy and are  independent can either rent or buy an unit and be on their own. Mom was reluctant about moving out of her own house but we felt that it was too lonely for her to live by herself and that St. Paul's was a much better option for her.

It took us a lot of convincing for Mom to move to St Paul's and now after a year, she is starting to enjoy what a well run senior place has to offer.

The All Male Choir Dressed to Entertained the Crowd

St. Paul's is an affordable place for seniors as it is heavily subsidized and residents pay their monthly rent according to a percentage of their income only.

For a studio unit well equipped with a private kitchen and bathroom for a single senior, the rent can range from $250.00 to $ 800.00, utilities included.

What makes Mom really happy is her participation in the variety of weekly programs and the special events offered by the centre.

Loved all the Oldies Performed by the Band

During the Christmas holiday, there were a number of dinners and celebrations at St Paul's. I bought the tickets for the turkey dinner and accompanied mom to the concert afterwards at the recreation room.

The concert was a blast!

Mom had a lot of fun watching the performances by the ringers from the local Alliance Church followed by a lively singing performance by an all senior male choir.

The Singers seemed to have a lot of fun performing

Many of the choir members were seniors but they were energetic, enthusiastic and all sang with gusto. They looked like they were having a lot of fun performing.

We loved the oldies they performed, and we often listened along with tapping our feet and clapping. It was a lively performance indeed!

Looking at these group of senior singers, I could not help but admire their zest and energy for living, their determination of going out meeting people and having a good time in their golden years.

I truly believe that what you put in is what you will get out of life.






The singers prove that. They are living an active life, visiting and performing at various senior homes in the city and are having a lot of fun doing it!

 I was very inspired by this group of fun loving senior choir. In another 15- 20 years, I will be like their age. I hope I will be just as energetic, healthy and outgoing as they, so that I would be able to take part in activities and go out to all the seniors' home to entertain others!





R.T. Toronto
Dec. 2012

A Great Workout for Boomers!

I am not an athletic person and I don’t enjoy doing exercises.  But as a retired boomer, I need to exercise regularly as I have found that some of the pains I  experienced recently was caused by my inactivity.

I have been going to a gym every week if possible working with a personal trainer. I don’t really enjoy the experience but I have no choice if I want to control the pains on my body.

Today, I had a great workout session and I truly enjoy the exercises that my personal trainer designed  for me. I did the following exercises in my hour long workout this afternoon:

1.       Warm up with circling my arms – 2 minutes

Eccentric Pull Up

       1. Eccentric movement on the pull up bar

First with underhand grip –  2 sets  of 10

Followed by overhand  grip – two sets of 10

I loved this exercise as I could feel that my grip strength improved after only two sessions  with Joyce.

Clean Weight Exercise While Stepping up on the Risers

      

2   2.   Step up with 6 risers – a set of 10

Step up with weight ,  a 15 lb dumbbell on each hand-  a set of 10

Clean the weight.; step up with weight on shoulder – 2 sets of 10

I was running out of breath by the end of each set of exercise. My coach told me  a short rest of 1 ½ minutes was important and needed to regain my strength.

   

  3    Renegade Row 

   

      First with  a 12 lb dumbbell . alternating hands, a set of 10

Followed by  15lb, alternating hands, a set of 10

Followed by 20 lb, one hand at a time, a set of 10

There was a 30 seconds rest after each set.

      4/   3 sets of Burpee – Each set was 1 minute and I was asked to do this exercise without stopping within the duration. It was not easy. I was a little dizzy after each set and needed more than the 30 seconds of rest allowed.

     5.   Body Weight Squats

     

       A set of 10 squats, as fast as I could do it.

    3 sets of 10 squats, a 30 seconds rest after each set.

 

Instead of feeling exhausted and defeated after some workout sessions, I felt energized and accomplished this time.  I did something that I never thought I could do before. I never thought I could ever pull my own body upward on a pull up bar. But I did! ( With Joyce’s spotting me.)

I really enjoyed my workout session today!!! I never thought I would ever say that. I now look forward to the next workout session with Joyce, my personal trainer.

R.T., Toronto

Dec. 2012

Strength Building Exercises

I have been away for a month from my workout routine and now I am back with Joyce, my personal trainer.
She measured me again today and I was happy to learn that since I started my training program with her a few months ago, I have seen great improvement in my physical strength, a loss of five pound and more than four inches on my waist. The loss of body weight and inches might not be significant, but I have been able to keep them off.

This morning Joyce introduced to some strength building exercises that I really liked So I would like to share them with those who are interested in building strength and muscles. Here they are:


1. Ab thruster - 3 sets of 12

I had my feet placed on the surface of 3 riser height. I started with just thrusting my ab as high as I could for about 1-2 seconds, 12 times.
During the second and third set, Joyce added weight for me. With  a weight disc placed on my abdomin, I did the ab thrust 2 sets, each set 12 times.

Step Up with Riser Steps

2a. Riser Step Up

I first started with the Riser Step without weight, but with increased risers after each set of 12 exercise.

Step Up with Weight

2b. Riser Steps with Weight 

 After a warm up on the riser steps, I started stepping up with weight, first with a 15 lb dumbbell on each hand then increased to 20 lbs.  I started stepping up with 6 then increased to 8 riser height. Great exercise for hamstrings if your hamstrings happen to be hurting. Mine were hurting pretty badly, but since I started exercising, the pain has disappeared but it returns when I am not exercising! So I have to keep up the program.

An Eccentric Movement

3. Eccentric Movement on the Pull Up Bar

Since I did not have a lot of strength with my hands and had difficulty pulling myself up to the bar, Joyce tied an eccentric movement band  on the bar to assist me to complete this exercise.

With my two hands on the pull up bar and my right foot on the band, I had to jump as high as  I could and control the descend down to the surface. I have often seen young people especially men doing this exercise but never attempted it on my own. I attempted it today. Though I could not raise myself too high but it was a good start.

This exercise will definitely help me build my upper body strength which mature adults need in order to perform the daily chores and be independent in their daily activities. My goal is to be able to live an independent and productive life without becoming a burden to anyone in my retirement life.

The Burpee - An Effective Cardio Exercise

4. Burpee

This exercise look seasy but it is not.

A cardio exercise - Joyce timed me with her stop watch and I had to perform as many burpees as possible within a 1 minute timing.

 After each minute, I was given a 30 seconds rest. It was a strenuous exercise.  By the time I did the three sets, I was sweating. A very effective exercise indeed!

I paid dearly for each session of exercise with my personal trainer. I hope that by writing down these exercises in my blog, I will be able to remember these exercises and share them with others.

Happy exercising! Hope these exercises will help to ease the pain in your hamstrings like they did for me!

R.T.  Goodlife Gym, Toronto
Dec. 2012