A black student's view on racism at York University

Well what a surprise, once again at York University (one of schools in Canadian University Guide 2008) some jackass wrote racist anti black slurs at the Black Student Office. Some people think Toronto Canada is a multicultural paradise and this is pure mythology. The pernicious racism against black people is in full force in the city of Toronto!

I don’t know if you already know this but I am an alumni at York University. I know York University and the politics of the administration. The concerns of black students are ignored by the people in charge of the university. The apathetic attitude of York University towards the concerns of black people is not surprising either.

Why did it take the president of York University Mamdouh Shoukri two days to respond? Would Shoukri wait two days to respond to the Jews? There should of been an immediate response by the president of York University. The delayed response is only an example of the friction between the racist York administration and black students. Shoukri’s delayed response is pathetic. If the racist incident was against the Jews at York University there would of been an immediate response. York University is Jew central so the concerns of the Jews are placed ahead of blacks and other minorities. The bias the York University administration (the same as in many other top Canada's universities and academic programs) has for the Jews is simply incredible. Yet there is also an invisible code that exists that York University that you cannot speak out about the administration’s blatant racist anti black prejudices. However, when racism takes place against black people the York University administration’s attitude is of silence, prejudice, and apathy. Everyone knows at York University there is a racial hierarchy and basically the Jews are on the top because the Jews run York University.

Many Canada's universities including York University has a history of racism against black people. The racist incident at the black student office is not a surprise and the slow response of the York University administration isn’t shocking either. It is just typical York University politics.

I graduated with a B.A. degree in June 2004. When I return to university to complete a second degree I know I am skipping York University. York University is anti black everyone knows this. I know York very well and one of the problems I have had with the York University administration is their racist biases attitudes against the concerns of black students. Why wasn’t there any security cameras that actually work by the black student office? York University cannot cry poverty York makes millions of dollars from tuition fees, from private investors, and from the government.

York University also has a history of violent sexual assault attacks against women. The York University security service is pathetic and just plain garbage. I cannot be more honest then that. How can the third largest university in Canada not have security cameras that actually work in specific areas around campus? Now the people that wrote the racist anti black remarks are just going to get away with it. The culprits will never be caught.

The racist anti black incident highlights a serious issue about the hypocrisy of the York University administration and it's university academic programs in relation to racism against black people. York University has a history of racism against blacks. In the year 1992 white security guards asked only black students for identification cards. There was a major uproar on the campus back then over sixteen years ago.

I have encountered racism at York University because I dared to challenge white supremacy. In December 2002 I wrote a groundbreaking explosive story “Whitewashed Black Studies” about employment discrimination at York University. My article was published in NOW Magazine. The article highlighted the fact in the year 2002 there were only 16 black professors out of 1248.Even though I informed my white history professor that my article was going to be published in NOW Magazine he attempted to sabotage and destroy me. Suddenly, my average in the history class dropped dramatically from a B average to a C average.

The attitude of the white male professor immediately changed and I knew that my article created a lot of controversy. I exposed York University for its racist hiring standards. I complained to the history department and passed the class. The history department found another professor to mark my assignments.

A few years ago when I was an undergraduate at York University I also encountered racism by a racist white female teaching assistant in another history class. I stood my ground and I complained and made my voice heard. There was no way I was going to make some racist bigots prevent me from graduating university. York University likes to pride itself as an anti racist university that is against racism. However, the lax and pathetic security system and services at York proves otherwise.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Harvard has the the most black students among Ivy league schools

Harvard University (a top universities in the United States, see also best Canadian university programs) in Cambridge, MA, now has the largest percentage of Black students among the eight Ivy League universities, according to a study by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Harvard has a student body that is 7.2 percent Black. Yale and Columbia follow Harvard each with a student body that is 6.9 percent Black.

Brown University, where 5.7 percent of the students are Black, ranks fourth.

Cornell University has the lowest percentage of Black students among the Ivy League schools. Only 4.2 percent of all Cornell students are Black.

According to the Journal's survey, Harvard also ranks first among the Ivy League schools in the percentage increase of Black students since 1980. The percentage of the total Black student body at Harvard rose from 5.2 percent in 1980 to 7.2 percent today.

Yale, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania also saw increases in the 1980 to 1996 period, the Journal reported.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Toronto school board considers separate school for black students

Creating an alternative school tailored to young black students in Toronto has ignited a passionate debate, pitting those who vehemently oppose segregating kids against others who say the current system is failing young black students and driving them into a life of crime.

The Toronto District School Board is exploring the idea of creating Ontario's first "African-centred alternative school," which would target students from kindergarten to Grade 8 and is holding community meetings to gauge reaction in the next few weeks. While many argue such a school would start the province on a dangerous and slippery slope, advocates say people have to realize the status quo isn't working.

"We're just spitting out more kids that are destined for failure," said Louis March of the African Canadian Heritage Association. "Fifty per cent of our kids are not getting through Grade 12 . . . These people don't have a fighting chance against anybody. (That's without any tutoring and special care, see Bay hill tutoring and SAT tutoring york region) The cards are stacked against them. Their way out is gangs, their way out is guns, their way out is drugs. With those choices, there is no turning back."Black-focused schools have been tried in Detroit and Philadelphia, with a similar concept enjoying some success in Canada's aboriginal community, and it's time Ontario gave it a shot, March said. "Let's get our heads out of the sand," he said. "Let's deal with the problem."

But the concept—a school with more black teachers, an exclusively black student body and a greater focus on black heritage—is eliciting strong reaction from many who call it a step in the wrong direction. "I don't think it's a good idea," Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday. "I'm not personally comfortable with that."

Although McGuinty said it's up to the school board to decide at the end of the day, he said students are better off in diverse classrooms, learning side-by-side. "I think our shared responsibility—particularly in this magnificent, diverse society that we enjoy—is to look for ways to bring people together," McGuinty said. "One of the most important ways that we can bring our kids together is through publicly funded education. My preference is that we continue to find ways to bring our kids together."

Others didn't mince words, calling the idea segregationist and dangerous. Toronto school trustee Josh Matlow said the board has seen the dropout rates and heard from black students who feel they are being let down or persecuted by the system. The board could easily offer alternative programs targeted at black students that focus more on their heritage, history and iconic figures as a way of educating and engaging all students, he said. But separating students isn't the answer, Matlow said.

"I think it's a very dangerous direction to go in if we start creating schools based on race," he said. "I don't think that any public building, especially schools, should be anything but welcoming to every single kid in our system."

Harold Brathwaite, former director of the Peel District School Board, said he went through the same debate in the 1980s and the idea was ultimately rejected because there is no evidence to suggest separate black-focused schools work. "My fear is that the best students and the best teachers are not going to apply to go there," said Brathwaite, who is black. "We don't want to ghettoize our students. Unless this is carefully handled, it won't work." While Brathwaite said many black students may struggle and drop out of school (including being tutored in Bay hill preschool learning center), there are "a lot of black students who are successful as well."

Toronto city councillor Michael Thompson said he struggled in school as a youngster but made it through with the help of his mother and teachers. It's clear the school system has to do more to engage young black students, Thompson said.

But setting up separate schools is sending the wrong message, he said. "We talk about this whole distaste that we have for discrimination and segregation and yet we say here is a time when segregation is perfect," Thompson said. "I just don't want to travel down that road."

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

The search for your university

Canadian University Guide 2008 organized by www.canadianuniversityguide.ca not only provides you with a complete list of the best Candian universities in Canada and Canadian University Rankings. It can also provide you an easy access to the websites of universities in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and PEI



Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Education for all levels

Bay Hill SAT SSAT preparation and after school tutoring, preschool day care services education centre at York Region, www.bayhilleducation.com. We also offer March Break programs, summer school and after school tutoring services. You can find our learning centre in locations Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Markham, Aurora, Unionville, York Regions.



Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

With No Frills or Tuition, a College Draws Notice

BEREA, Ky. — Berea College, founded 150 years ago to educate freed slaves and “poor white mountaineers,” accepts only applicants from low-income families, and it charges no tuition.

“You can literally come to Berea with nothing but what you can carry, and graduate debt free,” said Joseph P. Bagnoli Jr., the associate provost for enrollment management. “We call it the best education money can’t buy.”

Actually, what buys that education is Berea’s $1.1 billion endowment, which puts the college among the nation’s wealthiest. But unlike most well-endowed colleges, Berea has no football team, coed dorms, hot tubs or climbing walls. Instead, it has a no-frills budget, with food from the college farm, handmade furniture from the college crafts workshops, and 10-hour-a-week campus jobs for every student.

Berea’s approach provides an unusual perspective on the growing debate over whether the wealthiest universities are doing enough for the public good to warrant their tax exemption, or simply hoarding money to serve an elite few. As many best universities in Canada and the U.S. scramble to recruit more low-income students, Berea’s no-tuition model has attracted increasing attention.

“Asking whether that’s where our values lead us is a powerful way to consider what our values are,” said Anthony Marx, the president of Amherst College, who considered the possibility of using Amherst’s $1 million-per-student endowment to offer free tuition but concluded that it would make no sense, given Amherst’s more affluent student body and the fact that the college already subsidizes about half the cost of each student’s education.

“We’re not Berea, much as we respect them,” Mr. Marx said, adding there would be no social justification for giving free tuition to students from wealthy families.

Although this year’s market drop is taking its toll, the growth in university endowments in recent years has been spectacular. Harvard’s $35 billion endowment, Yale’s $23 billion, Stanford’s $17 billion and Princeton’s $16 billion put them among the world’s richest institutions.

Such endowments have helped make higher education one of the nation’s crown jewels. As Harvard’s president, Drew Gilpin Faust, said in her spring commencement speech this year, endowments at Harvard and other research universities help fuel scientific advances as government support is eroding, and help drive economic growth and expansion in a difficult economy.

Although most universities (so as the top universities in Canada) have only modest endowments, the wealth of the richest has made them increasingly vulnerable to criticism from parents upset about rising tuition costs, lawmakers pushing them to spend more of their money and policy experts arguing that they should be helping more needy students.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Post-Secondary Education in the East Coast

Nova Scotia has a long tradition of providing education of the highest calibre. In fact, Canada’s first English language university was founded here in 1789. Today, there are 11 degree-granting universities—the most per capita and the most best Canaidan university prgrams in the country. You will find them in picturesque towns and safe, livable cities.Whatever your area of interest, from arts, science and business to public relations, architecture and fine arts, you`ll find it here.
With almost half a century of experience, Newfoundland and Labrador`s College of the North Atlantic (CNA) has become quite adept at anticipating and meeting the needs of industry and delivers training that makes a substantial contribution to the development of the province`s workforce and economy. Addressing labour shortages and identifying and planning for future labour shortages in the province, and indeed the country, is at the core of CNA`s mandate.

The college`s quick response and relevance to industry both in its delivery of Best Canadian college programs, as well as customized training, is simply unsurpassed.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Post-Secondary Education in English and French

Acoording to the Canadian unviersity Guide 2008There are four French universities in Québec: Université Laval; Université de Montréal, which has two affiliated schools, namely the École Polytechnique de Montréal and École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Montréal (HEC-Montréal); Université de Sherbrooke; and Université du Québec, which has nine branches. There are also three English universities: McGill University (one of the Best Candian university in the nation); Concordia University; and Bishop's University. The Université du Québec and its nine branches reflect the economic profile of many regions in Québec. For example, students can study oceanography in Rimouski, or pulp and paper in Trois-Rivières.

As of September 2006, there were 263,898 students registered in the province's universities, with the majority from Québec (225,761). Students from other provinces and territories in Canada numbered 15,964, while international students totaled 22,173, representing some 190 countries. At the doctorate level, there were 12,430 students registered for doctoral studies, 66 per cent of which were from Québec; 15 per cent from other Canadian provinces and 19 per cent from abroad.

Québec's universities enjoy a great deal of autonomy. Each university is an independent legal entity and determines its rules and regulations, thus allowing for diversification within the post-secondary system.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Ontario's Colleges' Competitve Advantage - Variety

Ontario college campuses are conveniently located in cities and towns across the province, providing students with a wide selection of settings and programs. More than 600 Canada's best colleges are offered in health sciences, business, arts, skilled trades, technology, engineering and community services. Programs, which run from one to four years, lead to certificates, diplomas, graduate certificates, bachelor’s degrees or joint diploma-degrees. Colleges also provide the bulk of in-class apprenticeship training in Ontario.



Program costs are very competitive, averaging $1,900 per year in tuition for most certificate and diploma programs and about $4,200 for bachelor’s degrees or joint college-university programs. For assistance in financial planning for a year at college, it is suggested you visit ontariocolleges.ca and download the Ontario College Guide.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Get a Head Start with Bayhill Education

Bayhill Education is a Private Preschool for children aged 3 to 5 years during the day and a Learning Centre for after school tutoring for students of all ages.

Bayhill Education provides individualized programs to inspire your child to learn, challenge them or help them get ahead. Among these programs are specific courses such as our SSAT and SAT Preparation Courses as well as our writing and math courses for students in grades 4 through 8: Writing Wonders and Math Maniacs.

At Bayhill we focus on the individual learning needs of every child. We will establish a customized educational plan, provide you with regular progress reports and a positive and caring environment to enhance your child’s ability to learn.

Be prepared to see your child’s confidence and self-esteem increase!

Learning happens year round at Bayhill including the March Break and the Summer Holidays.

Bayhill’s commitment to your child’s education begins with a comprehensive diagnostic assessment followed by a full consultation. Made up of several internationally recognized tests, our assessment allows us to begin formulating a picture of the student’s strengths and weaknesses by measuring his or her academic achievement and basic school skills. This evaluation enables us to select a program for your child’s needs.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Bayhill Education Programs

Small Wonders
our Preschool consists of an exclusive half day program for children between the ages of 3 and 5.

Combined with daily lessons and activities based on the Ministry Expectations for students in Kindergarten, the goal is to create a play and learning environment that provides your child with the opportunities to develop early literacy, numeracy and school readiness skills.

Our teacher directed philosophy recognizes that early learning is critical to the development of children and helps in establishing a foundation for future learning and behaviour.


Homework Club
Bayhill’s Homework Club is an after school tutoring program offered to students in grades 1 to 8.

Skilled teachers work with your child twice a week (or more depending on his or her needs) in one hour blocks of time assisting with the understanding of concepts taught in school as well as test and exam preparation. Additional instruction is also provided based on the individual students needs.

Study skills are emphasized with the end goal of making your child an independent learner.


Academy Program
The Academy Program is an enrichment program designed for students in grades 1 to 8.

The mission of Academy is to broaden the scope of current public and private school education by providing your child with an academic experience beyond the classroom using Bayhill’s proprietary curriculum and other internationally recognized resources.

Students meet twice a week (or more) with Bayhill teachers in one-hour blocks of time. Academy seeks to promote student learning beyond the current educational grade standards.


Advanced Program
Our Advanced Program consists of a combination of homework assistance, test and exam preparation along with enrichment programming for students in grades 9 to 12. Secondary school students meet twice a week for one and a half hours with Bayhill teachers to review and aid with school work along with establishing a solid set of study skills.


Prep Programs
Bayhill offers two Preparatory Courses: SSAT Prep and SAT Prep.

Most private schools require that students write the SSAT, a standardized test that measures student's verbal, reading and math skills. Our SSAT preparatory course will prepare students by teaching specific test taking strategies, study skills as well as writing a 5 paragraph persuasive essay.

The SAT Preparation Course offered at Bayhill is for students seeking to apply to universities or colleges in the United States. Our SAT course will prepare secondary school students by focusing on test taking strategies, study skills and essay writing.

Both the SSAT and SAT preparatory courses are based on a recognized program of study and are offered throughout the year for an established amount of instructional hours.

The objective is to prepare students by introducing them to the unique format of the test and teaching them specific test taking skills and strategies in order to achieve the best possible test scores. Valuable study skills are practiced and learned in these comprehensive courses.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

The Bayhill Experience

Bayhill Education delivers excellence in learning and teaching by creating an environment in which both staff and students can accomplish academic and personal success. This is achieved by:

- Focusing on the individual needs of each child,
- Establishing an educational plan of action based on the diagnostic testing,
- Providing a professional, caring, positive environment

One of our defining strengths is our unwavering commitment to providing the best possible learning experience for our students. This starts first with our curriculum and second with our staff. Bayhill programs are a combination of proprietary curriculum, written and developed by Bayhill Education Inc. and a collection of recognized international educational resources. Our teachers are a team of hard working, caring professionals committed to maintaining high standards and helping students achieve their goals.

Our students are at the core of all that we do. Bayhill provides more than an excellent educational experience – it provides an opportunity for personal, intellectual discovery and growth.

We invite you to discover the remarkable Bayhill experience!

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Earnings, education linked to evenings out: Statistics Canada

The more money you make and the more education you have, the more likely you are to go to movies, plays or concerts, says a Statistics Canada study released Thursday.

The report also suggests that the type of job a person has influences their choice to attend cultural events.

For instance, someone working in management, business, finance or administration was 8.8 per cent more likely to attend a theatrical performance than someone unemployed or in a job related to primary industry or manufacturing.

Those whose parents had advanced education, such as a university degree, were much more likely than those whose parents with lower education to attend most cultural activities. Mom's education had more of an impact than did dad's schooling, according to the report.

For those in a romantic relationship, their partner's education had an even greater effect than their mother's schooling on their likelihood of participating in cultural activities. But factor in a kid or two and the time they spent going out declined, the study found.

Statistics Canada researchers based their report on data from the 2005 General Social Survey which contains details on how nearly 10,000 Canadians aged 15 and over spend their time.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Bottle or tap? Income, education influence choices: StatsCan

Almost 30 per cent of households chose bottled water as their main drinking source in 2006, and factors such as education and income influenced whether Canadians turned to a bottle or tap to quench their thirst, according to a report from Statistics Canada.

The study, Against the flow: Which households drink bottled water? looked at the rate of bottled water consumption across the country. It took into account factors such as income, education, age and the type of dwelling where people lived.

The report says higher-income households and those with children were most likely to drink bottled water. About one-quarter of households with an income of $40,000 or less consumed bottled water, compared with one-third of households with an income of more than $91,000.

About one-quarter of apartment dwellers reported that they used bottled water.

Meanwhile, seniors were the most likely to turn on the tap for a drink, with just 17 per cent reporting they drank primarily bottled water in the home. Statistics Canada said the findings likely have an income-related connection, noting that half of all households composed of seniors had an income of $25,000 or less a year.

Education a factor
Households with at least one university graduate were also among those least likely to use bottled water.

Among households with an income over $91,000 and members whose education included a high school diploma or less, 44 per cent reported that they primarily drank bottled water. Within the same income group, 38 per cent of households with members who reported having "some post-secondary" education drank bottled water, compared with 29 per cent in households where at least one member had completed a university degree.

"Though there is often a link between households with high income and households with higher education, this does not extend to drinking bottled water in the home," the study's authors wrote. "The higher bottled water consumption among high-income households was driven by households where no one had completed a university degree."

The study noted that, "It is possible that university graduates are more aware of the environmental issues surrounding bottled water. They may also be more skeptical of the claims that bottled water is a healthier choice than tap water."

Critics of the industry say advertising by bottled water companies gives consumers the impression the product is safer and healthier than Canadian tap water, even though municipal water is more stringently tested. In Canada, local water supplies are inspected every day, whereas bottled-water plants are inspected at three-year intervals.

Plastic waste
Statistics Canada's report also noted that the amount of plastic waste generated by the consumption of bottled water has "raised concerns," since potable tap water is available in most Canadian communities.

According to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), a U.S. nonprofit organization that promotes policies and programs to increase the recycling of beverage containers, more than 80 per cent of plastic water bottles in the U.S. end up being incinerated or sent to landfills. No figures were available for Canada.

Between 2002 and 2007, world consumption of bottled water jumped by 7.6 per cent per year, from 130.95 billion litres to 188.8 billion litres, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation. The United States consumes the most bottled water on the planet (33.4 billion litres), while residents of the United Arab Emirates consume the most bottled water per capita (259.7 litres per person per year).

In the latest figures available for Canada, the Beverage Marketing Corporation says that In 2005, Canadians spent $652.7 million on bottled water. It adds that Canadians consumed a total of 1.9 billion litres of bottled water in 2005 — 60 litres per person — which represented a 20 per cent jump over 2004.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Private school fees 'rise by 43%

The cost of sending a child to private school in England has risen by 43% since 2003, according to a survey.

Research by Halifax Financial Services suggests that average annual fees now stand at £10,239 - up 6% on £9,627 a year ago.

The average in south-east England is 27% higher than in the North.

But the Independent Schools Council said private education was good value for money and many schools were much cheaper than the £10,239 average.

The number of pupils attending private school in England rose by 5.6% between 2001 and 2007. In the same period, the state sector saw a 3.4% drop in student numbers.

Architects and pharmacists
The survey claims that private education is now affordable for parents in just 18 professions, compared with 30 occupations in 2003.

Halifax classed as unaffordable fees which amounted to more than a quarter of the average gross earnings for a given job.

On that basis, it said, teachers, architects, police officers and pharmacists were now among those unable to afford private schooling for their children.

Halifax said the biggest increase in school fees was in the south-west of England where they have risen on average by 48%, from £7,188 in 2003 to £10,671 in 2008.

Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax Financial Services, said fees had risen by significantly more than inflation.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) criticised the survey's assumptions. It said, for example, that while trainee architects might not be able to afford private schooling, it was untrue to say that no-one in the profession could.

And it said the findings did not take into account the fact that many day and prep schools were much cheaper than Halifax's average.

That figure, the ISC said, was skewed by a small number of boarding schools and top-end public schools which charge very large sums.

Pru Jones, from the ISC, told the BBC that private education was still good value for money.

"What has to be remembered is you have put [fees] in the context of the cost pressures that schools are facing, and you have to put them in the context of the rises in other costs of education as well," she said.

These costs include an increase in staff wages and pension contributions, as well as higher utility bills and insurance costs, the ISC said.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Education vs. Schooling

The completion of school is not the completion of an education, it is simply a point of departure. If you take a literature class–or major in literature–and suppose that you now know what literature is, there is little that can save you. But if you see what you have learned about literature, and the books that you’ve read, as the topmost part of a mountain that sticks out of the ocean, with millions of works that you will never know no matter how long you continue reading after college under the surface, you’ve come a step closer to understanding what literature is. The same thing goes for all the subjects you can be taught–they can never be fully learned.

The danger comes when someone completes their schooling and makes the mistake of thinking they’re finished. Far from it. A degree comes with it a grave responsibility–to continue a quest for an education for the rest of your life. And this is a grave indeed, since the very awareness of this reality comes with the knowledge that your quest will be a futile one. Your quest is destined to fail, and as you learn more, you should only learn that there is so much more that you haven’t learned.

For you to earn your degree, you needn’t learn much. Even to get a doctorate, you don’t have to learn anything original. Instead what you really learn in college–or any other level of schooling–is how to navigate the system. Though you may be exposed to wonderful ideas, works, theories, and discoveries, these are simply side-effects of your primary mission in school: to conform. You will have proven to your educators that you can do everything exactly how they want you to. And that way, you have learned to think like they do. Without the gift of original thought, and armed with the notion that you are now an educated person, you cease to be a force of change and movement in the intellectual universe. In short, you’re not a threat to the status quo, but another cog in the mechanism that will keep the machine running. You will get a fine job, a fine credit card, and work your life to promote the thoughts, ideas, and passions of other people.

This starts in childhood. We are told what things are, and therefore what they are not. We are shown a world of black and white–of binary. But the expanses of our reality and of who you can be and what you can accomplish are not so clear-cut. As parents, we should encourage our children to question the reality we illuminate for them. We need to keep in mind that everything we think we know is hearsay, after all. Interpretations should be welcome and encouraged. As teachers, we should recognize that many of our most gifted students won’t do well in our classes. The general route of shaming them and giving them lower grades to denote their deficiency is a tool of conformity and little else. And as people who wish to be educated, we should realize that we know nothing without experiencing it ourselves. This experience, we should be striving to broaden, with enthusiasm every day. And with this in mind, we can hope that our children will do the same.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Aging Brain Can Learn New Tricks

Baby boomers, take comfort: A new study among older would-be jugglers suggests the aging mind doesn't lose the ability to learn new skills.
The finding is based on an analysis of brain scans taken while people aged 50 and up learned the art of juggling. Although they typically picked up the skill less readily than young people did, older folks who did succeed as jugglers displayed brain changes similar to those seen in much younger brains.

"This study demonstrates that we're not just completely shriveling up as we age," noted Paul Sanberg, a professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. "Old brains can continue to be plastic and make changes. And clearly, the learning of new tasks clearly is not exclusively in the realm of young people."

To gauge the ease with which the aging brain can learn new tricks, a team led by Janina Boyke, from the department of systems neuroscience at the University of Hamburg, attempted to teach 69 healthy German men and women between the ages of 50 and 67 to juggle. In this case, juggling involved keeping three balls in motion for a minimum of 60 seconds.

At the same time, the team used MRI to scan for regional brain activity and size, both before instruction began, as well as at the height of the participants' juggling ability -- typically about three months after juggling practice was initiated. None of the volunteers were able to juggle prior to the study.

After the three-month teaching period was completed, all juggling ceased. The researchers then waited an additional three months before conducting a third MRI scan, at which point the participants had lost the skill and were no longer considered to be proficient jugglers.

Boyke and her colleagues then compared the three scan sets to those they had taken of a group of 20-year-olds who had also been taught to juggle in a prior study.

According to the researchers, 100 percent of the younger group learned to juggle for 60 seconds, but less than a quarter of the older group were able to master the task.

However, older men and women who did successfully acquire juggling skills showed the same brain changes that had been observed among the younger group, the researchers report.

Specifically, the scans revealed comparable gray matter growth among both young and old jugglers in an area of the brain called MT/V5, which is tied to vision and motion.

The older adult group also achieved increased gray matter growth in two other brain regions, known as the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens. Such growth had not been apparent among the younger jugglers, the team said.

But without continued practice, these brain changes faded. In fact, in both young and older study subjects, the neurological changes disappeared by the three-month mark after juggling was halted.

Based on these findings, the authors believe that older brains can, theoretically at least, retain that youthful ability to learn new skills. However, they caution that age-linked limitations such as poorer hand-eye coordination and neural function could impede the process as people age.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Make cyberbullying illegal, teachers

MONCTON, N.B.–Delegates representing 220,000 teachers across the country have unanimously voted in favour of pushing to make cyberbullying a criminal offence.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation is calling on the federal government to take a tougher stand on cyberbullying, and 100 delegates endorsed the move at the group's annual general meeting in Moncton, N.B., yesterday.

Noble said the current legislation doesn't go far enough to address harassment and bullying that's carried out electronically via email, instant messaging and posts on blogs and social networking sites.

The federation says it's a growing problem that affects both students and teachers, and Noble said her group decided to take action after an increasing number of parents and teachers raised the issue.

"Teachers were finding that students would be writing things about them, threats to their physical well-being," Noble said. The harassment makes it harder for teachers to do their job and for students to learn, Noble said, and should be viewed as a serious occupational health and safety issue.

A cyberbullying expert says that's consistent with other major studies, which have found that one-third of children and teens between 10 and 18 have been affected by cyberbullying.

He said social networking sites need to uphold policies which guide what content is allowed on their websites, adding that whether providers enforce those policies is "very hit or miss."

Belsey also said parents need to pay more attention to what their children are doing online and youth need to understand the consequences of their actions on the Web.

Part of the policy also calls for school boards from coast to coast to update their harassment policies to include online behaviour.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

George Brown's new campus adds waterfront zest

George Brown College is getting $61.5 million from the province to build a new health sciences campus on Toronto's waterfront.

What it will give in return is something both the city and province desperately need: vibrant activity on the waterfront and 4,000 more educational spaces for future nurses and other skilled practitioners.

"It's going to be terrific," said Mayor David Miller. "It's going to make waterfront revitalization happen right here, on this little piece of city-owned land."

Right now, it's an empty lot with construction hoarding blocking views of the lake, but in 2011 it will be home to George Brown's two-building Centre for Health Sciences, a 500-student residence and recreation complex.

McGuinty announced yesterday the province would fund $61.5 million of the centre's estimated $90 million cost. The college is paying $15 million and plans to fundraise at least another $13.5 million.

(The $100 million required for the residence and recreation site will be raised from other public and private sources, college officials said.)

"George Brown College will bring the rejuvenated waterfront alive with a showpiece of post-secondary excellence and student energy," college president Anne Sado said. "This will help stimulate the lakefront and bring significant social and economic impact on this area."

"You bring the energy of youth, you bring education, you bring thought, you bring investment," Miller said. "I envy the young students and all of the people who are going to live and work on our magnificent waterfront ..."

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Four Oakville schools to close, one to open

It had all the emotional edge of an election campaign. Lawn signs. Rallies. Petitions. Letter-writing blitz. Newspaper ads – and claims of dirty tricks.
But this was no battle for political power; it was a fight for school survival.

In an unanimous vote before a standing-room crowd of about 100 parents, the Halton District School Board's 11 trustees voted last night to close four elementary schools with declining enrolment, but open a new school in the Clearview neighbourhood of east Oakville, ending a process that has pitted neighbourhoods against each other for nearly two decades.

"I'm in tears, I'm so happy – my toddler will be part of the first junior kindergarten class in the new Clearview school," said Denise O'Connell, whose Grade 1 daughter is now bused to Maple Grove Public School.

Facing a 200-child drop in enrolment in this corner of Oakville over the next seven years, the board voted to close Brantwood, Linbrook, Chisholm and New Central School by September 2010 and open an English-language school from junior kindergarten to Grade 8 in Clearview, on a plot of land that has been set aside for a new school since the development opened nearly 20 years ago.

As well, the board voted to keep open E.J. James School for English-language students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8, and have Maple Grove School become French immersion from grades 1 to 8.

Other parents were like Lesley Hillis, whose daughter attends Chisholm, who said she was "disappointed and confused about how the board can justify spending money to open a new school when enrolment is declining."

Fuelled both by declining enrolment and parental passion, the debate about which schools to close in Oakville became so charged the director of education chastised parents for "misguided lobbying."

Parent Robert Kulik agreed with that description.
"When parents stuck signs on school property saying, `Say no to big-box schools!' and `This school slated to close!' where kids could see them and get worried, the whole thing went too far," said Kulik, one of the hundreds who supported the new Clearview school.

The battle isn't unique to Oakville. With 63,000 fewer students across most of Ontario than five years ago – and 72,000 more expected to vanish from the rolls by 2013 – such neighbourhood dramas loom in almost every school board.

In Clearview, parents wanted a 500-student school built next to a large park, soccer fields and baseball diamond.

But to open it meant closing four others, where parents also launched email and phone campaigns on trustees and politicians, and bought an ad in the Oakville Beaver newspaper, decrying a possible "mass public school closure" in favour of "big box" schools.

Parents on both sides were surprised trustees rejected the recommendation of a 41-member community group that had consulted on the issue for 10 months. But board chair Gillian Tuck Kutarna said trustees were not bound by those recommendations. The decision was made in part because schools of 500 are said to be an ideal size for providing a full range of programs.

The new plan is expected to yield a surplus of $1.9 million and generate three schools of about 500 students each. They will each qualify for a principal, vice-principal and special education teachers.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Reserve desperate for new school

OTTAWA–Yvonne DePeel says every available space in the Morley Community School for native students west of Calgary is being used for classrooms – even the closets – raising the real possibility the school will have to hold classes outdoors in September.

"We will have to because I have six classrooms and I have no space. We are holding classes in boot rooms and on the stage in the gym," the school superintendent told the Toronto Star.

"The only space I have not converted into a classroom is the library. I have tried to keep that library because we have a strong focus on literacy in our school."

The elementary school on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation is desperate for a new building as the population on the reserve continues to boom, but DePeel says all they get is silence from Ottawa.

DePeel said the federal government's recent apology for residential school abuses is meaningless if the students today on Canada's native reserves can't get a decent education.

"Not only do we have a history of total abuse through the residential school setting, we now are being abused systemically again," he said.

"The key to the future of the First Nations is education ... and when I look around and see that our children are valued less ... it's obvious that (apology) meant nothing."

MP Charlie Angus, the NDP's native affairs critics, said there are at least 80 native communities across the country in a similar situation, including Attawapiskat in his northern Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay.

The 5,000 member Stoney Nakoda community has been waiting for a new elementary school for years.

"Twenty years ago there was already an overcrowding issue," DePeel said, adding there is an immediate need for six portables until a new school can be built.

The school was built to hold 450 students, but when classes resume in September, 790-plus students are expected to arrive. Another 300 go off reserve to nearby provincial schools.

DePeel was incensed when she recently read a Star story saying that in less than a decade, the Indian Affairs department diverted more than $500 million earmarked for native schools and other projects and spent the money on other things.

DePeel said in the past seven years 691 children have been born on the Stoney Nakoda reserve and even though she has presented those statistics to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, nothing happens.

"I need portable classrooms immediately ... I need them by the 25th of August," she said.

"We are seriously looking at holding classes outside because there is no place left."

Clifford Poucette, chief of the Wesley First Nation, part of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, said Ottawa continues to break promises in its dealings with Indians.

"We met with (Indian Affairs) Minister Chuck Strahl back in January and he said his priorities were education and economic development, so we thought that by lobbying with him that our school would have been built either next fall or next spring, but unfortunately it is not happening. We heard later there is no new money for schools."

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

The Canadian College Guide 2008

The Canadian University Guide 2008 Edition features:

- Profiles on many of Canadas top Universities
- Advice from the experts
- Common University application process mistakes
- Student finalcial help
- Scholarship and bursary research information


Over 60 pages of diverse college profiles to help you find the education that is right for you!

To order your own copy of the Canadian College Guide 2008 edition, you can buy a copy from our secure online PayPal checkout by clicking either button below, or you can call us toll free at 1-866-779-7712 to purchase directly and inquire about large quantity orders. Please click on the button which matches your shipping address location.



Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

A Little About New Brunswick and Manitoba Universities

Universities in New Brunswick provide a diversified lifestyle that welcomes students from all over Canada and beyond. The province is easily accessible from major cities such as Toronto, Halifax, Montréal and Boston, and is a world leader in the field of information technology, and exudes a strong feeling of community.

Manitoba`s community college and university college system provides training for more than 13,000 credit students and more than 27,000 continuing education students for a total of more than 40,000 students studying at the degree, advanced diploma, diploma and certificate level in various programs. Manitoba`s community colleges and university college provide higher education, Canadian Career Training, and high technology specialists in fields such as manufacturing, health, information technology, agriculture and communication.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Universities in British Columbia

In British Columbia, Universities BC are developing the leaders of tomorrow, creating a highly skilled and forward-thinking workforce that can compete in the global economy. With eight universities to choose from, students have more opportunities than ever before.

When students look for post secondary education, they are really looking for the best path to a fulfilling life—and there are lots of important decisions to make. University or college? Arts, sciences, business— or trades? Certificate, diploma or degree? Big or small? Close to home or far away? The answers, of course are different for every student—but many of the factors students consider are the same.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

High School Graduate Pursuing Post Secondary Education?

As cliché as may sound, this really is a new chapter in your life. Just imagine, you are entering what would typically be your third and final level of schooling of your life! With all the importance tied to higher education, choosing the right post-secondary institution can be very stressful and confusing. Wherever you are in Canada, you are open to attend any school across the country. With the overwhelming number of options out there, it may be hard to keep track of all your choices. Narrowing down your choices by geography is usually the first step to making that big decision. There are a number of universities and colleges available in every province. The next step may be to compare academic programs at each school to see what interests you and suits you best. It can be very frustrating locating information about all the different schools. This is where a university guide or a college guide would come in handy. At www.canadianuniversityguide.ca and www.canadiancollegeguide.ca, you can find a list of all the institutions available in each province as well as the website link to each one so you can further research into each school. You can find out more about where your school stands in rankings for academic programs, financial aid, and get help with applications. Choosing your university or college is an important decision, and these two resources can serve as an extremely helpful tool.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

10 Steps to Becoming Fluent in a New Language

1. Immerse yourself
It’s almost impossible to learn a new language, or at least to learn it rapidly, unless you begin thinking in that language. Ingratiate yourself with the community and you’re halfway there! The answer is to simply immerse yourself in it. Traveling in a foreign country allows you to continuously hear the sounds, rhythms, and inflections of a new language–spoken on the streets, in buses, on television, etc. Your brain will already start to process and interpret a new language. Even better than simply traveling is being forced to “operate” in a new language by participating in a volunteer program, or working abroad. Best of all is being completely immersed with locals (such as living with a host family) and completely isolated from other native speakers of your language. Immerse yourself with the locals, their music, culture, media, politics, sports, family, etc.

2. Forget translating: think like a baby!
How do babies learn language? Through imitation, repetition of sounds, and above all, by not being shy or self-conscious. Resisting the urge to translate everything into your native language can be the single fastest shortcut to fluency. Rather than walking up to the restaurant or giving your host family a pre-memorized phrase for what you’re going to order, simply listen to how the locals order their food, and then imitate them as best you can. The same goes for greetings, small talk, etc. Watch their facial expressions as they say the words; study how they move their mouths. Copy these expressions and sounds just like a baby would. Whether you understand what they mean exactly or not, eventually you will begin simply calling upon these sounds / phrases / words in appropriate situations.

3. How do you say?
Besides common greetings, the one phrase you should memorize and always have at the ready is the phrase is “How do you say that / what is that called?” By being an inquisitive traveler, one who is always asking questions, you befriend the local people. You’ll find that over time they’ll open up to you, making it easier to initiate conversations. These daily interactions with the locals are your best teachers: set a daily goal for yourself of having X number of conversations each day–asking people about things you’re interested in, but don’t know the words for.

4. Write it
After having conversations, jot down the things you remembered hearing but didn’t quite understand. Then go back and use your dictionary. Look up the words, piece the conversation back together in your mind.

5. Use cognates and draw links
Ever noticed how some words appear exactly the same across various languages? These are called “cognates.” Unlocking the usage of cognates instantly gives you several hundred more words to your vocabulary. Similarly, words across different languages often share the same root word, so drawing on what you already know will make it easier. Studies have also shown that when you have mastered a second language, your brain becomes becomes better wired to learn subsequent new languages.

6. Local TV, movies, music
Watch movies, listen to music, sing songs, and browse newspapers and magazines. It’s fun and helps improve your pronunciation and comprehension.

7. Non-verbal cues
Beyond words, observe locals when they talk. Combining body language with a new tongue helps you communicate better. This is especially important in cultures where language is closely linked to gestures. For instance, appropriate bowing and greeting in Japanese are inseparable, as with the hand gestures and intonation in Thailand.

8. Get emotional!
Emotive experiences often etch impressions onto our memory. Make full use of embarrassing / funny / angry experiences by linking them to the new language. Negotiating with shady cab drivers or nasty vendors also helps you learn numbers rather quickly so you don’t get ripped off.

9. A world of friends / then going solo.
While individual classes can be highly beneficial for unsurpassed attention, group classes with friends can greatly aid learning. Having a friend to practice with helps you get better, and you can also learn from the different mistakes different people make. On the other hand, venturing out solo in a foreign country forces you to speak with local people–say the person riding next to you on the bus, or standing in line at the market. It also prevents you relying on a friend with stronger language skills to do the talking for you in key exchanges such as asking for directions or buying food.

10. Practice at every opportunity before and after you travel.
Ever felt really “rusty” and lacking confidence in a language despite having taken classes or used it (or even mastered it) at some other time in your life? Languages are alive and require exercise. Find avenues to practice wherever and whenever you can.

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future

Helping Children Excel in School

Bayhill Education identifies the unique learning needs of each child, inspiring them to want to learn and enhancing their academic experience out of the classroom with SAT and SSAT preparation. Bayhill works to prepare each child for the next stage in his or her life. The Bayhill method begins with an individualized programming. Dedicated instructors work with each child to discover what is preventing them from excelling in school. They help your child by building on reading, writing and math skills, increasing the child’s self-confidence and motivation to succeed. The result is improved grades and test scores as well as the establishment of a strong foundation of study skills that will benefit the child for the rest of his life. Bayhill Education promises to make a difference in each child’s learning. The extra step is taken to work with both the family and the child's classroom teacher to help improve their grades and performance. Term Progress Reports are a standard with registration in any one of Bayhill’s After School Programs. A Progress Report will be sent out each term detailing the child's progress!

Education and Learning, for a Bright Future