dame degrassi - Market Zone Productions

Transcription

Counsellor
CANADIAN SCHOOL
Premiere Issue
DAME
DEGRASSI
TV series creator Linda Schuyler
hits home with teens and teachers
Linda Schuyler, la créatrice de la
série télévisée, mise justeauprès des
adolescents et des enseignants
VIRTUAL SCHOOLS
MAKE THE GRADE
GIRLS’ SCIENCE ALLIANCE
L’AUBERGE DU MONT
TEACHERS STAND UP
TO CYBERBULLIES
Canada’s National High School Counsellor Resource
CSC • Q0308
www.canadianschooolcounsellor.com
❱❱ Contents
Departments
This Issue
9
Across Canada
B.C. grants
post-secondary
1364 McPhillips Street
Suite 217
Winnipeg, MB, CA
R2X 2M4
Ph: 888.634.5556
Fax: 888.318.0005
email: production@marketzonepro.com
www.marketzonepro.com
Publisher: Trevor Shirtliff
Editor: Barbara Chabai
Art Direction & Design: Leigh McKenzie
Production Coordinator: Alan Harasymchuk
Circulation Manager: Michelle Cottyn
(Dycom Direct Mail)
Advertisng Sales: Trevor Shirtliff,
Kelora Hoeppner
Contributing Writers: Candice G. Ball
Barbara Chabai, Liz Katynski, Dan Kenning
French Translation: Daniel Embregts
(hezee.com)
Canadian School Counsellor
CSC-Q0308 • Fall 2008
Canadian School Counsellor is produced quarterly
as a source of information for Canadian High
School Guidance Counsellors. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without written
permission is prohibited. The opinions expressed
herein are not necessarily those of the publisher.
The publisher reserves the right to edit or omit
all materials submitted for publication including
advertisements and editorial content. Although
this magazine is thoroughly edited, the publisher is
not liable for any damages due to editing, changes,
cancellations errors or omissions. All corrections
should be directed to the publisher. All work
submitted for publication is assumed to be the
providers original work and the publisher accepts
no liability as a result of publishing such works.
Canadian School Counsellor is a nationally registered
trade mark pending name and unauthorised use of
it is prohibited.
Canadian School Counsellor Magazine is printed on
acid and elemental chlorine free Forestry Stewardship
Council certified paper, containing 50% recycled
content including 25% post consumer waste. Printed
by Harris Printing in Winnipeg, nationally recognized
for their chemical free plate processing and the gold
award winners for the “Best New Environmental
Process” at the 2006 Environmental Printing Awards.
We welcome your comments and story suggestions.
For editorial inquiries, additional copies or address
changes, please contact editorial@marketzonepro.
com or call 888.635.7776.
For advertising information call:
888.635.7776 or
email:tshirtliff@marketzonepro.com
Canadian Pubications Mail
Agreement #41622023
institutions
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High School Click >> 26
Making a Fresh Start
Dan Kenning >> Your students are looking for ways to leave
behind the low grades and improve their academic performance
this year. Here’s how to help them turn over a new (loose)leaf.
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S’exprimer en séjour
university status
15
Great Idea!
Olds High, Olds, AB
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Career
Opportunity
Liz Katynski >> Un programme qui offre des outils de
communication interpersonnelle.
Videogame
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46
Logon to Learn
Liz Katynski >> Virtual high schools offer an alternative
for students wanting the flexibility for earning credits online
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High School Click (english et en français (e +f))
Barbara Chabai >> The brainchild of former teacher Linda
Schuyler, the Degrassi franchise has helped open the door for
teens and teachers to talk frankly about life’s toughest topics
for over 20 years..
34
Under the Microscope:
Girls and Science
Candice G. Ball >> Despite some remaining barriers, young
women are being encouraged to follow their hearts into the
field of science, engineering and technology.
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Spotting Depression
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No More Sticks and Stones (e +f)
Dr. David Palframan >> An emotionally-troubled student
can benefit from your willingness to build a network of care
and support at school, home and beyond.
Barbara Chabai >> Teachers’ new policy takes a tough
stance against the cruelty of cyberbullying.
Developer
On The
Bookshelf
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Last Period
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❱❱ Publisher’s Message
Murphy’s Law No. 2: “Everything takes longer
than you think.”
La Loi de Murphy No 2 : « Tout est toujours
plus long que vous le pensez.
Twenty years ago in Winnipeg, I met a young entrepreneur
who was in the process of starting a new business. His idea was
to publish a resource book for seniors and he would generate
revenues by selling advertising to companies and organizations
interested in reaching that particular demographic. At the
time, it seemed like a good idea to me and as a result, I found
myself often thinking about the possibility of starting my own
publication. Little did I know how long it would take for me to
realize this ambition.
Over the years, I’ve heard no shortage of discouraging
words. “Publishing is a business where many are called by few
are chosen,” I was told. There is “too much competition in that
industry,” and “every possible niche market in the magazine
business has already been filled,” they said. I continued on in
spite of the negativity, never quitting on my dream. Twenty years
later, at age 50, I am writing the introductory column for my first
magazine. I would say that in my case, Murphy’s Law has applied.
I did get some good advice along the way too, one bit being:
“If you are not authentic, your readers will eventually figure that
out.” Another wise person told me, “If you want to introduce
any new product or service in today’s market, it had better be
well above average quality or else you are wasting your time and
money – because if it’s below grade, the product will fail.”
I have taken this advice to heart and we hope that you think
we have been able to attain this standard in the inaugural
issue of Canadian School Counsellor magazine. Our mission is
to produce the best publication of its type in the country and
with your valued feedback, I believe we can accomplish that
objective. Please feel free to contact me with your opinions as
we welcome your comments and ideas.
Creating a new magazine is a big undertaking. We have
strived to minimize mistakes, however, as Murphy’s Law No. 11
states: “It is impossible to make anything foolproof because
fools are so ingenious.”
Sincerely,
Trevor Shirtliff, Publisher
PH: 888.635.7776
E-mail: tshirtliff@marketzonepro.com
Il y a vingt ans à Winnipeg, j’ai rencontré un jeune
entrepreneur qui procédait au démarrage d’une nouvelle
entreprise. Son idée était de publier un livret de ressources
pour personnes âgées et de générer des revenus en vendant de
la publicité aux compagnies et organisations qui souhaitaient
atteindre cette tranche particulière de la population. À cette
époque cela me semblait être une bonne idée et je me mis à
penser souvent à la possibilité de lancer ma propre publication.
J’étais loin de me douter du temps que cela prendrait pour
réaliser cette ambition.
Au fil des ans, j’ai entendu mon lot de pensées
décourageantes. « L’édition est un métier où plusieurs sont
appelés, mais peu sont élus, » m’a-t-on dit. Il y a « trop de
compétition dans cette industrie » et « tous les créneaux
possibles de marché dans le monde des revues sont déjà
comblés », disait-on. J’ai persévéré malgré la négativité sans
jamais abandonner mon rêve. Vingt ans plus tard, à l’âge de 50
ans, j’écris la chronique d’introduction pour ma première revue.
Je dirais que dans mon cas, la Loi de Murphy s’est appliquée.
J’ai aussi reçu de bons conseils lors de ce parcours, entre
autres : « Si vous n’êtes pas authentique, vos lecteurs s’en
rendront compte éventuellement. » Un autre sage m’a dit, « Si
vous voulez introduire un nouveau produit ou service dans le
marché d’aujourd’hui, il ferait bien d’être supérieur à la qualité
moyenne sinon vous gaspillez votre temps et votre argent, car
s’il est d’un grade inférieur, le produit échouera. »
J’ai pris à cœur ce conseil et nous espérons que vous pensez
que nous avons été capables d’atteindre ce standard dans le
numéro inaugural de la revue Canadian School Counsellor. Notre
mission est de produire la meilleure publication de ce genre au
pays et avec vos réactions précieuses, je crois que nous pouvons
atteindre cet objectif. Soyez à l’aise de me communiquer vos
opinions puisque nous apprécions vos commentaires et vos idées.
La création d’une nouvelle revue est une entreprise d’envergure.
Nous nous sommes efforcés de réduire au minimum les erreurs,
cependant la Loi No 11 de Murphy dit : « Il est impossible de rendre
quoi que ce soit infaillible, car les idiots sont si ingénieux. »
Sincèrement,
Trevor Shirtliff, éditeur
TÉL. : 888.635.7776
Courriel : tshirtliff@marketzonepro.com
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❱❱ Across Canada
B.C Grants Post-Secondary
Institutions University Status
Several of British Columbia’s university colleges are not
only celebrating the return of students and faculty members
to campus this fall, but the beginning of their first semesters
as full-fledged universities.
In April, the provincial government announced that five
post-secondary institutions would be granted full university
status, including: University College of the Fraser Valley (now
University of the Fraser Valley), Kwantlen University College
(now Kwantlen University College), Malaspina University
College (now Vancouver Island University), Emily Carr Institute
of Art + Design (now Emily Carr University of Art + Design)
and Capilano College (now Capilano University).
The move stems from a major review of B.C.’s postsecondary educational system. The 2007 report, Campus
2020, recommended that the province’s university colleges be
renamed “regional universities” to better define their ability to
offer a wide range of certificate, diploma and degree programs
and to give British Columbians access to university degree
programs closer to home.
Several of the institutions had been hoping for the
designation, as the word “college” had been a stumbling block
for their degree programs to be fully recognized. As a result,
it has been difficult for some colleges to have their graduates’
degrees accepted by employers and by other Canadian postsecondary institutions.
Pending amendments to B.C.’s University Act, the new
universities are expected to maintain their non-degree
programs while continuing to reflect a unique regional focus.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University www.kwantlen.ca
(formerly Kwantlen University College)
of diversity and freedom of belief and expression and is
committed to providing a supportive and service learning
environment for all its students.
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
(formerly Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design)
Committed to serving the diverse needs of the South Fraser
region of British Columbia, Kwantlen Polytechnic University is
an institution that places the learning needs of its students first.
As one of Canada’s newest and most innovative
universities, Kwantlen specifically focuses on the integration
of theory, critical insight and practice with the purpose of
providing students with the skills and background necessary
to be engaged, aware and responsible citizens – and to pursue
fulfilling careers. As a polytechnic university, Kwantlen is
committed to teaching, research and innovation that focuses
on the human capacity to influence and improve our world.
Kwantlen (derived from an aboriginal word meaning
“tireless runner”) is closely tied to the communities it serves
and is proud of its role as an important cultural, recreational
and educational resource. Kwantlen embraces principles
Established in 1925 and based in Vancouver, Emily Carr
University of Art + Design (ECUAD) is the only public post-
›
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❱❱ Across Canada
secondary institution in British Columbia solely dedicated
to the visual arts, media arts and design. With over
4,000 students enrolled, ECUAD offers Masters and
Bachelor degree programs and a rich variety of continuing
studies courses.
According to ECUAD, its new university status recognizes
the vital role that the institution plays in the creative economy
and the importance of universities offering post-secondary
education in the arts, media arts and design. The new status
should also increase ECUAD’s ability to recruit and retain
internationally-renowned educators, researchers, as well as
graduate and undergraduate students.
“We are extremely proud to see our innovative institution
become a university,” said President Ron Burnett. “This new
status means we can increase opportunities for students to
participate in professional degree programs leading to Bachelor
and Masters degrees in visual art, design and media studies.”
University of the Fraser Valley www.ucfv.ca
(formerly University College of the Fraser Valley)
The new University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) had been
working hard toward university status since becoming
a university college in 1991, so news that it received its
designation came as a delight to students, faculty, staff
and administration.
“This announcement is wonderful news for all of us who
live in the Fraser Valley,” said President Skip Bassford. “Our
new status will mean we can increase opportunities for our
students while continuing to offer all of our current programs,
including trades training.”
The new UFV will focus on the training needs of the
region and build on its provincial, national and international
reputation in its key areas of specialization and excellence,
which includes its School of Criminology and Criminal
Justice; Trades and Technology Centre – Advanced Vehicle
Technology Program; Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies;
and Aviation.
UFV has 14,049 students enrolled at its campuses in
Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Mission plus its regional centres in
Agassiz and Hope.
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Vancouver Island University www.viu.ca
(formerly Malaspina University-College)
The newly-named Vancouver Island University (VIU) is
located on the beautiful west coast of British Columbia.
“As the first-ever Vancouver Island university based outside
the greater Victoria region, Vancouver Island University will be a
critical educational, social and economic hub,” said B.C. Premier
Gordon Campbell.
The new VIU focuses on the training needs of the region and
beyond, and build on its provincial, national and international
reputation in the key areas of specialization and excellence,
including First Nations studies, Coastal Resource Management
and trades and applied technology.
Started as a community college in 1969, Malaspina was
designated a university college until receiving its university
designation in 2008. Today, VIU has campuses in Nanaimo,
Cowichan, Parksville-Qualicum and Powell River with an
enrolment of nearly 20,000 students, including over 1,100
international students. VIU offers a wide range of degree, diploma
and certificate programs, as well as a Master in Educational
Leadership and a Master of Business Administration.
Ontario Recognizes Algoma U’s
University Status
Outside of British Columbia, the Ontario provincial
government has granted Algoma University College of Sault
Ste. Marie university status, pending legislative confirmation.
Algoma University will provide liberal arts and sciences
undergraduate degrees in programs designed to help
graduates achieve success in their communities or move
on to graduate studies.
Since it was first established in 1964, Algoma University
College has been an affiliate campus of Laurentian University
of Sudbury, ON (the new legislation would grant the school
autonomy). Today, Algoma U offers undergraduate degrees
including BA and BSc degrees in Computer Science, Business
Administration, Fine Arts, Law & Justice, Community Economic
& Social Development and Biology, among others.
The newly-independent Algoma U will continue to support
growth of post-secondary opportunity in Sault Ste. Marie
by offering a wider array of degree programs, expanding
partnerships, increasing student recruitment and improving
teaching and research capacity.
Talkback: Across Canada is a roundup of education-related news
items from coast to coast. If you have news you think we should
know about, contact us at: editorial@marketzonepro.com.
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❱❱ Back to School Issue
Making a Fresh Start
Your students are looking for ways to leave behind the low grades and improve their
academic performance this year. Here’s how to help them turn over a new (loose) leaf.
by Dan Kenning
For adults, it’s often prompted by
Times Square, the Big Apple and the
pop of a champagne cork. For students,
the instigators may be first-day locker
assignments, new gym clothes and a wellused copy of Hamlet. Call it a resolution,
call it an intention — the common refrain
that, “This year will be different.”
This fall, you’ll no doubt encounter
students who want to make New (School)
Year’s resolutions, the goal being to make
strides in their academic performance.
It’s easy to relate — we’ve all made fresh
starts — but best intentions, like a gym
membership in March, often go by the
wayside. This is where good guidance
counsellors make all the difference in
helping students stay the course.
Dr. Lise Janelle, a professional life
coach who often helps teenagers with
goal-setting, believes that counsellors
who show students the benefits of staying
true to their goals will see the rewards.
“In working with teens, the key is to
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create value — to have them understand
what’s in it for them if they create these
goals. The other key is to make things fun.”
Janelle says it’s not uncommon for teens
to lose sight of what they’re doing, so it’s
important for counsellors to work with the
students to discuss their goals in depth.
“Show them both sides of the
situation,” Janelle advises, “the cons if
they don’t follow through and the benefits
they will reap if they succeed. Once you
start linking pleasure to doing this as
opposed to a ‘Why am I bothering to do
this?’ sentiment, you will be surprised at
the positive results.”
For example, if you have a student
whose goal is to graduate from Grade 11
but who is afraid s/he might not make
it, Janelle suggests holding a brainstorm
session. “What would be in it for them if
they managed to graduate? They would be
able to stay with their friends and not be
left behind; they would feel better about
themselves. If you can show them that by
working a bit harder they’ll be able to do
that, it will motivate.”
Help the student make a list of the
reasons they want to succeed. “Often
people do things for their parents, their
peers, but they don’t know why they’re
doing it themselves,” Janelle opines.
“It’s important to for them to understand
how the goals connect with their own
core values.”
“Chunking” with Daytimers
Of course, staying organized is more
than a mindset — there are tangible tools
counsellors can dispatch to students
with renewed desire to succeed. Time
organizers, be they paper or digital, are
crucial. Many schools distribute daily
planners to their students, and the trick is
to ensure they are used properly.
“A daytimer that allows students to see
at least a month at a time is best,” Janelle
suggests. “In that month, teens can put
in exams, music time, football practice,
so they don’t end up having to cram at
the end of a cycle. Show them it’s okay to
create a balance between work and play.
If it’s overwhelming, it will be difficult for
them to stay organized.”
“Goal-setting is a way
of focusing energy.
Counsellors who
can help teenagers
learn how to focus
their energy will help
them establish a
sense of worth.”
Help the student with “chunking”
– namely, identifying what they want to
accomplish and then breaking it down into
small chunks. For instance, if the student
has one month to read an eight-chapter
biology textbook to prepare for a test,
advise them to plot out their time wisely
– i.e., scheduling reading two chapters per
week over four weeks.
On nights when students are
homework-free, encourage the teen to
schedule time to review the day’s notes,
read a newspaper, or anything that will
reinforce the lessons of the day.
Measure Success with a
Thermometer
Janelle says that positive
reinforcement can also go a long way.
“In fundraising they always have a
thermometer that rises with each
donation. Make one for your students.
If they live up to 10 of the things they
were to do that week, they get raised
to another point on the thermometer.
It’s a good visual tracking of their
successes to the point.”
With just a few organizational tips to
students, counsellors can go a long way in
ensuring this year, and all those beyond,
will be different.
“Goal-setting is a way of focusing
energy,” Janelle says. “And teenagers
have a lot of energy. Guidance counsellors
who can help them learn at a young
age how to focus their energy will help
(teens) establish a sense of worth. They’ll
be able to take any project on, master
their energies, be more productive and
have a lot less stress. And it will definitely
show in their schoolwork.”
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❱❱ Great Idea!
School: Olds Junior Senior High School,
Olds, AB
Population: 650 students, Grades 7-12
Program: Connections, which celebrates
culture and diversity within the school and
around the world
These Olds High Students used their Spring Break to help build a school in Costa Rica
Hallway Harmony
Olds High’s Connections program
began five years ago as a way for
students to build positive, respectful
relationships with one another and with
their school community.
“If you’re feeling more connected
to your school, you’re more likely to
continue on with your education,” says
Principal Tom Christensen. “The other
theme that drove our Connections
project was trying to help our (more
privileged) students look outward, while
helping less advantaged students see the
opportunities out there.”
At first, the program was about making
connections between students, but it soon
snowballed to include the community at
large, says co-ordinator Bev Toews, an
educational assistant on staff.
“The first thing that happened was a
field trip to Red Deer College to attend
Diversity Day festivities, when someone
suggested we put on our own Diversity
Day. That really got things rolling, as it
went so well we really haven’t stopped
since,” Toews says. She explains that
Connections is not merely a club, but a
grassroots program now ingrained into
the Olds High culture and curriculum all
year round.
“This program reaches every part
of our school – academics, art, music,
computers, shop class – so not only
does it affect and interest a wide variety
of people, it also shows them that it’s
important to celebrate diversity and
care about each other in every area of
your life.”
In addition to commemorating
occasions like Diversity Day, World
Day for Peace and the International
Day for the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, Connections has paved
the way for the school to host guest
speakers such as journalist Dr. Gwynne
Dyer, a group of Mexican student
teachers and new immigrants who
have settled locally.
“We will invite people to speak about
their experiences and what brought
them to Canada – because we all have
stereotypes and preconceived notions
about why people come here,” says
Toews. “Interestingly, I often find that
it’s the students ‘on the fringe’ who are
asking the best questions respectful.
Connections has a way of reaching kids
who aren’t always engaged in school.”
Connections helps welcome over a
dozen exchange students to Olds High
every year. Each student is invited to
create a bulletin board display of photos,
bring in cultural foods and display the
flag of their home country. Toews says
this has created an excellent opportunity
for the rest of the student body to make
global connections.
“Initially, we thought our students
would learn a lot from being able to
interact with the exchange students,”
she says. “But it turned into a way to
help our exchange students feel welcome
and more part of our school.”
The Connections program is also
trying to bettering the world outside the
walls of Olds High. This April, a group of
24 students traveled to Costa Rica to help
›
build a school.
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“I think the experience spurred them on into wanting to do
more,” says Christensen, whose daughter was one of the trip’s
participants. “In fact, two or three of our students are planning
to return in September.”
Through the success of the Connections program, Olds High
has become recognized as a National UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) School for its
efforts in creating a culture of peace and non-violence.
“We were given the opportunity to take part in a UNESCO
worldwide initiative called the Associated Schools Project
Network (ASPnet), an organization with the themes of cultural
education, human rights, global concerns, the role of the UN
and the environment. This is now our mandate,” says Toews.
“It has allowed our students to realize that we’re part of
something global and to know that it’s not just our school
carrying out these messages.”
The quality of Olds High’s leadership in the areas of social
diversity and sustainability has also been recognized at home.
After previously hosting Alberta’s provincial student leadership
conference, the school is excited about being “the first little
town” chosen to host the national conference in 2009.
Clockwise from top left:
Peace icon mural created by Olds High School students Tanner Wiberg,
Erin Johnson, Stacey Rosehill and Andraya Christensen
Students share their culinary talents with teachers visiting from Mexico
Rotary Club group study exchange participant addresses a class
Harvesting compost is part of being environmentally aware
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❱❱ Excellente idée
S’exprimer en séjour
Un programme qui offre des outils de communication interpersonnelle
par Liz Katynski
Jean-Pierre Deschênes
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Il y a un nouveau séjour qui mettra en
pratique la communication non-violente
(CNV) hors de la salle de classe- en plein
air dans le foret et les montagnes.
La Gestion de Conflits au Sein
du Groupe-Classe sera un séjour en
résidence à L’Auberge du Mont- une
corporation de L’École Secondaire MontSaint-Sacrement à Saint-Gabriel-deValcartier au nord de Québec.
« On attend une école de la région de
Québec qui va être intéressée, » dit JeanPierre Deschênes, responsable de séjours
éducatifs, Auberge du Mont.
Le premier séjour- l’expérience pilote,
aura lieu en automne 2009.
Ça sera le premier de son genre.
Au Québec, le programme «Vers le
Pacifique» vise réduire la violence dans
les écoles grâce aux sessions de la
résolution des conflits et la médiation
par les pairs. Le tout se déroule à l’école.
Aux États-Unis, le programme «Outward
Bound Wilderness» offre des cours variés
en plein air. Mais la «Gestion des Conflits
au Sein du Groupe-Classe» combinera les
deux concepts.
Ce programme abordera des thèmes
intégrateurs tels que la croissance
personnelle, la vie en groupe, la
communication et la résolution
de conflits via un processus de
communication consciente et non-
violente au sein de toute une classe.
La CNV de la tradition de Marshall
Rosenberg- l’auteur de «Les Mots sont
des fenêtres (ou des murs) Introduction
à la Communication Non-Violente»,
présente une méthode d’observer, se
sensibiliser à ses émotions, reconnaître
ses besoins humains, et de demander ce
qu’on veut sans regrets.
« C’est simple dans son concept,
mais le problème c’est qu’on ne l’a pas
appris. Plusieurs jeunes ont eu un modèle
à la maison qui impose d’une façon
autoritaire sans écoute, sans négociation.
Nous sommes tous à des stages
différents, » dit M. Deschênes.
Au courant des activités, la nature
des relations va ressortir. Deux élèves
en conflit, par exemple, ont une relation
non-harmonieuse. L’un peut être le
persécuteur de l’autre. C’est l’occasion
d’exprimer ce qu’ils ressentent, de
découvrir le message dans les paroles
des autres qui le bousculent. Avec
les outils de CNV, les élèves et leurs
enseignants peuvent mettre en pratique
une communication saine.
« On va aider les jeunes de
différencier leurs sentiments et leurs
besoins. Au niveau des sentiments, nous
sommes tous différents. Au niveau des
besoins humains, nous sommes tous
pareils. »
Le séjour aidera les jeunes ainsi que
les adultes qui les accompagneront.
«Les jeunes découvriront qu’ils sont les
acteurs de leurs propres vies. L’autre n’est
pas la cause de ce que je ressens. C’est
moi qui a le pouvoir, le contrôle sur ce que
je suis. Je peux me changer. »
Aujourd’hui, il ya a beaucoup de violence
sous toutes ses formes dans les classes et
dans les cours d’école. Ça reflète un besoin
social pour la gestion et l’expression des
émotions et des sentiments.
« Il y a un besoin. Un séjour comme
le nôtre a une grande pertinence. »
Le tout commencera par une demijournée jusqu’à une journée à l’école
environ trois semaines avant l’arrivée
à L’Auberge du Mont. A l’école, M.
Deschênes présentera quelques exercices
et objectifs et distribuera un livret
d’information.
Le séjour sera de trois jours et deux
nuits. Ça commencera avec un premier
atelier sur la CNV et continuera avec
d’autres activités comme les randonnées
pédestres de 4 à 5 heures de durée,
la survie en foret, de l’escalade sur les
rochers, et des feux de camp. Les élèves
auront à résoudre des problèmes et à
réaliser des tâches en groupe; à titre
d’exemple, exprimer un de ses rêves les
plus grands.
« C’est vivre et s’exprimer ensemble, »
dit M. Deschênes. « Chaque groupe sera
totalement différent. Le séjour c’est un
substrat pour aller plus profondément,
vivre et laisser vivre. En trois jours, on
apprend les outils, et après, c’est ce qu’on
fait avec ses outils. »
M. Deschênes a conçu le séjour et
l’a décrit sur le site web de L’Auberge
du Mont il y a deux ans. Un dépliant
informatif sera distribué aux commissions
scolaires et aux écoles de la région de
Québec au début de 2008.
Il s’agit d’un séjour en français pour
une classe d’élèves âgés de 11 à 15
ans. Pour commencer, les candidats
seront limités à ceux de la région de
Québec, mais c’est possible qu’un jour le
programme sera offert aux autres élèves
canadiens aussi.
Au Québec, ça sera aux parents de
défrayer les couts d’un tel programmed’environ $90 à $110 pour chaque élève.
Dans les autres provinces canadiennes,
c’est possible que les commissions
(divisions) scolaires défrayent les coûts,
dit M. Deschênes.
« C’est une bonne idée, mais les
gens n’ont pas encore entendu parler du
programme. J’espère que l’aspect financier
ne les découragent pas de le considérer. »
Les animateurs seront des jeunes
adultes de 22 à 30 ans, ayant complété
leurs études secondaires (la CGÉP) ou
des études universitaires en éducation
ou tourisme. Ils travailleront de près avec
M. Deschênes et une autre personneressource en communication consciente
et non-violente invitée pour une portion
›
du séjour.
suite à la page 48
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❱❱ Career Opportunity
Level-Headed Thinkers
If your students think they’ve got game – even just a Wii bit – help them determine
if a career as a videogame developer is right for them.
by Dan Kenning
VIDEOGAME DEVELOPER/
DESIGNERS — ARE THERE JOBS?
Does Master Chief repel hostile Covenant forces? Indeed!
Canada boasts a ton of major players in the videogame design
/ production industry across the country, including Digital
Extremes (London, ON), Ubisoft (Montreal, QC), Bioware
(Edmonton, AB) and EA Canada (Vancouver, BC). With the
global videogame market exploding at an approximate rate of
10 per cent every year, this is a sector where jobs are fruitful.
WHAT TEENS MAY THINK
MYTH: “Developers and programmers are slackers. I won’t
have to do any studying to get a job.”
FACT: The industry requires fast thinkers with developed
critical and problem solving skills and university computer
science degrees.
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MYTH: “Designing games is going to make me rich.”
FACT: While salaries in this field tend to be higher than other
computer-related fields, you can’t rest on your laurels.
MYTH: “I’m playing games all day. I can make my own hours.”
FACT: The average game takes about three years to design and
complete — that’s including tons of overtime and late nights
working. Prepare to be dedicated to your craft.
WE ASK AN INDUSTRY EXPERT
Meridith Braun, director of operations at Digital Extremes
(the masterminds of Unreal and Dark Sector).
Counsellor: What’s the job really like?
MB: The first thing I hear when someone finds out we make
video games for a living is, “Wow, it must be nice to get paid to
play games all day!” Wouldn’t that be amazing if that was really
true? While game development sounds like fun and games, in
fact it’s very little game playing amidst many hours of hard work.
The bigger, blockbuster-type games made today cost anywhere
“We tend to look for who have gone
above and beyond their school work
and show a real passion and work ethic
to be in this industry.”
from $10-50 million and are in production from two to three
years at a time with team sizes ranging from 50-200 people.
Game development has matured over the years to a very serious
business and requires a tremendous amount of dedication,
passion and skill.
Counsellor: What skills do you look for?
MB: When we’re recruiting new talent out of university, we tend
to look for people from the top of their class but also people who
have gone above and beyond their school work and show a real
passion and work ethic to be in this industry. When we interview
computer science students to be programmers on our team, not
only do we require they take a programming test but we also
request any additional work they’ve done outside of school. Many
students we have hired in the past have made some of their own
games already by the time they have graduated — it shows great
initiative and obvious interest in our industry.
The same would go for an artist or animator. Level and
game design are a little harder to determine because there
really isn’t a way to “teach” how to create “fun” in a game. (To
find) young talent in the level design area, we tend to scout the
top “mod” sites where people post their modified versions of
current games.
Counsellor: Where would you suggest teens get their education?
MB: For programming – university graduate or higher in
computer science, mathematics or engineering. For art /
animation – university graduate in fine arts or a specialized
college such as Ontario’s Sheridan College, which has a brilliant
program specifically for computer-based art and animation
plus expert knowledge of the 3-D software packages used
widely in our field such as Maya, 3ds Max, XSI, etc. For level or
game design, a university degree never hurts, however this area
requires a lot of self-teaching and a fundamental understanding
of some of the major game engines that currently exist.
[ED: Students might also consider researching the computer
digital art/animation programs available at some Canadian
vocational tech schools.]
Counsellor: The coolest part of the gig is...
MB: …seeing your game on store shelves after three years of
working on it and someone picking it up saying, “This looks like
a lot of fun to play – I’ll take it!”
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Logon to Learn
Virtual high schools offer an alternative for students wanting the flexibility for
earning credits online.
by Liz Katynski
Virtual high school courses are a great
compliment to traditional courses offered
in what are now known as the “brick-andmortar” schools.
Online, students can retake a course
to improve their grade, take a course
not provided by their high school, earn
the credit(s) they need to graduate
and pursue learning at their own pace.
Students who might have missed
classroom time due to illness, disability,
sports or artistic performance, students
who learn quickly and easily, as well as
ones who require extra review time can all
benefit from these self-paced programs.
Ottawa Carlton E-School
Ottawa Carlton E-School offers a
variety of online courses to Canadian
and international residents. It’s an Ontariocertified private school with courses taught
by Ontario-certified teachers for high
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school credit. The fee is $399 per course.
Currently, they offer 48 courses,
with a staff of 12 teachers and seven
administrators and are also willing to
develop new courses at the request of
students and schools.
About 95 per cent of students here are
taking a course or more here to support
their regular studies at a local brick and
mortar school.
Virtual learning is self-directed so
students earning lower grades should
consider getting additional support
like tutoring, says President Annette
Levesque, one of two principals at
Ottawa Carlton E-School.
Virtual classes are offered in online
classrooms, but also supported with
supplementary sources like books and
CDs. A science experiment could be
completed by moving the cursor on the
screen to mix substances and observe
the results. There is no such thing as
being late with an assignment or to
class because students go through their
lessons at their own pace.
Students communicate with teachers
by posting to discussion boards, live
communication is via online tools like
Skype, and teachers respond to e-mail
and electronic voice mail. Students drop
in to the e-lounge to chat with their peers.
Good e-teachers are comfortable with
technology, organized and self-directed.
More seasoned teachers need to change
their ways to adapt to the school’s more
flexible system.
For more information:
www.ottawacarletone-school.ca
Virtual High School
(Ontario)
Virtual High School (Ontario) is an
Ontario-certified private school with
Ontario-certified teachers offering credit
“The virtual classroom
is a level playing field
where technology
transforms the
learning experience.”
courses to Ontario students.
Currently, Virtual High School
(Ontario) offers 48 courses and is
reviewing an additional six or seven
more. They have a staff of 45 and tuition
is $490 per course including textbooks.
About 80 per cent of students take
courses as a compliment to brick and
mortar school courses. The other 20
per cent are students with special
circumstances, including Ontario residents
living abroad, or students who were homeschooled at the elementary level.
Principal Deb Homuth is able to check
in and see where students have been
and when they have logged in, giving
her a first-hand account of how they are
learning as programs can be completed
out of sequence, at a student’s own pace
and with lesson revision as required.
“When you take away the time
constraints, the bright learners can fly.
Those who are too embarrassed to ask ›
…continued on page 48
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❱❱ Cover Story
The brainchild of former teacher Linda
Schuyler, the Degrassi franchise has
helped open the door for teens and
teachers to talk frankly about life’s
toughest topics for over 20 years.
Depuis plus de 20 ans, la franchise
Degrassi, la création de l’ex-enseignante
Linda Schuyler, a aidé à ouvrir la porte aux
discussions franches entre les adolescents
et les enseignants à propos des plus
difficiles sujets de la vie.
High School Click
by / par Barbara Chabai
For two generations of Canadian TV viewers, Degrassi High
is as dear to them as their own alma mater.
The deserved credit for that goes to Linda Schuyler, cocreator and executive producer of the groundbreaking series,
including The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High,
Degrassi High and Degrassi: The Next Generation.
A master storyteller, Schuyler uses a fictional high school
setting to explore the authentic wonders and worries of
adolescence while breaking down stereotypes and encouraging
intergenerational communication. With the various Degrassi
incarnations now seen weekly by 40 million fans worldwide,
Schuyler has obviously struck the right chord with young TV
viewers by creating relatable characters and putting them in
unflinchingly real storylines that reflect the drama of teen life.
Now entering its eighth television season, the multi-award
winning Degrassi: The Next Generation has dealt with such hotbutton topics as rape, eating disorders, abuse, homosexuality,
drugs and school shootings. And, according to Schuyler, there
are still many more stories left to tell.
Counsellor: People might be surprised to learn that before you
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Pour deux générations de téléspectateurs canadiens,
Degrassi High leur est aussi cher que leur propre alma mater.
Le mérite de cet honneur appartient à Linda Schuyler, cocréatrice
et productrice déléguée de la série révolutionnaire incluant The
Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High et
Degrassi : The Next Generation.
Diseuse d’histoires hors pair, Schuyler utilise le cadre d’une
école secondaire pour explorer les merveilles authentiques et
les soucis de l’adolescence tout en décomposant les stéréotypes
et en encourageant la communication inter générations. Avec
les différentes incarnations de Degrassi qui ont maintenant un
auditoire hebdomadaire de 40 millions de fans autour du monde,
Schuyler a visiblement fait vibrer la corde sensible de jeunes
téléspectateurs en créant des personnages auxquels ils peuvent
s’identifier et en les incorporant dans des histoires infailliblement
réelles qui décrivent le drame de la vie d’adolescent.
Au début de sa huitième saison télévisée, le gagnant de
plusieurs prix, Degrassi: The Next Generation, a touché aux
sujets chauds comme le viol, les troubles de l’alimentation, l’abus,
l’homosexualité, la drogue et les fusillades à l’école. De plus, selon
worked in television, you were once a teacher yourself.
Linda Schuyler: Yes, I was a junior high teacher for eight years.
Starting in 1969, I taught for four years in London, Ontario and
then four more years in Toronto.
Counsellor: How did your teaching experience lead you to creating
the Degrassi series?
LS: In the late 1970s, there was very little audio / visual material
available for teenagers, so I would try to get my hands on
whatever I could use in my classroom. This led to a very
interesting experience. One afternoon, I showed my class a
National Film Board short; a moving story about a girl dealing
with an alcoholic father. As we discussed it afterwards, one of
my students’ words began gradually changing from “that girl
in the movie” to making first-person comments. I realized, “oh
my gosh, I did not know I have a child of an alcoholic in my
classroom.” I delicately asked her to stay after class, when she
actually opened right up and I was able to get her in to see the
guidance counsellor. But I thought, “Holy smokes! How powerful
the media can be when it’s talking directly to young people.”
Counsellor: Obviously, it was a creative lightning bolt for you.
LS: I kept thinking – why can’t we get more shows like that?
More shows that will be discussion starters that let our young
people know that they’re not alone in a lot of these things that
are happening in their lives. It was frustrating. Then the penny
dropped and I thought, “Well, Linda – maybe this is what YOU
should be doing.” So, I left teaching. I knew that if I was going
to really do it, I just had to jump in and do it.
Counsellor: How do you manage to keep Degrassi so relevant
›
to teens?
Schuyler, il y a encore plusieurs histoires à raconter.
Counsellor : Les gens peuvent être surpris d’apprendre qu’avant de
travailler à la télévision, vous étiez vous-même professeur.
Linda Schuyler : Oui, j’ai été professeur à l’école secondaire de
premier cycle pendant huit années. J’ai commencé en 1969 et
j’ai enseigné pendant quatre années à London, Ontario puis
quatre autres années à Toronto.
Counsellor : Comment votre expérience d’enseignante vous
a-t-elle conduit à la création de la série Degrassi ?
LS : À la fin des années 1970, il y avait très peu de matériel
audiovisuel à la disposition des adolescents. J’essayais donc
de mettre la main sur tout ce que je pouvais utiliser dans mes
classes. Cela a conduit à une expérience très intéressante. Un
après-midi, j’ai montré à ma classe un court métrage de l’Office
National du Film, une histoire touchante à propos d’une fille aux
prises avec un père alcoolique. Comme nous en discutions après
la présentation, les mots d’une de mes étudiantes commencèrent
graduellement à changer de « cette fille dans le film » pour des
commentaires faits à la première personne. J’ai réalisé, « mon
dieu, je ne le savais pas, j’ai l’enfant d’un alcoolique dans ma
classe. » Je lui ai délicatement demandé de rester après la classe
et elle s’est vraiment confiée. J’ai pu la convaincre de consulter
le conseiller d’orientation. Mais j’ai pensé, Seigneur, les médias
peuvent être très puissants quand ils s’adressent directement
aux jeunes gens.
Counsellor : Manifestement ce fut un éclair de créativité
pour vous.
LS : Je me demandais – pourquoi ne pouvons-nous pas avoir plus
de programmes comme ça ? Plus de programmes qui seraient ›
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❱❱ Cover Story
LS: Certainly, I have to commend my team of young writers.
When we did the original Degrassi, I had just left teaching and
wasn’t all that far removed from my teen years myself. I’m well
past that now (laughs), but I make sure we hire young writers
who seem very much in touch with their own teenage years
as well as with the media and culture at large. We use various
consultants – doctors, psychologists and whatnot – as sort of
an ad hoc board. We also read the Internet voraciously and
workshop every script with our young performers. So, it’s a
combination of all those things.
Counsellor: How do the stories told on Degrassi: The Next
Generation (TNG) differ from those used in the original series?
LS: The stories we tell on TNG are similar to those in the original
series, but what’s really changed is how the story is told. For
example, rumours used to spread by notes in school or on the
telephone – now they go out over the Internet. Some themes
have changed but a lot of the basic themes have remained
the same. It’s how the story unfolds to keep it current that’s
different. That’s where I think my writing team has done a good
job in keeping it true to the young person’s experience.
“I thought, ‘Holy smokes! How powerful
des initiateurs de discussion pour faire savoir à nos jeunes gens
qu’ils ne sont pas seuls dans plusieurs de ces événements qui se
produisent dans leurs vies. C’était frustrant. Puis, l’ampoule s’est
allumée et je me suis dit : « Bien, Linda, peut-être que c’est ce que
TU devrais faire. » J’ai donc laissé l’enseignement. Je savais que si
j’allais réellement le faire, je devais m’y plonger et le faire.
Counsellor : Comment faites-vous pour maintenir Degrassi si
pertinent pour les adolescents ?
LS : Je dois certainement louer mon équipe de jeunes écrivains.
Quand nous avons fait le Degrassi original, je venais tout juste
de laisser l’enseignement et je n’étais pas encore bien loin de ma
propre adolescence. J’en suis plus loin maintenant (rires) mais je
m’assure que nous engagions de jeunes écrivains qui semblent
bien en contact avec leurs propres années d’adolescence ainsi
qu’avec le média et la culture dans son ensemble. Nous utilisons
divers consultants, médecins, psychologues et ainsi de suite
comme une sorte de comité spécial. Nous lisons également
voracement l’Internet et nous avons des ateliers pour chaque
texte avec nos jeunes interprètes. C’est donc la combinaison
de toutes ces choses.
« J’ai pensé, Seigneur, les médias
the media can be when it’s talking
peuvent être très puissants quand ils
directly to young people.’”
s’adressent directement aux jeunes »
Counsellor: Are today’s Degrassi fans any different from those
who watched 20 years ago?
LS: The biggest thing we need to address is simply what’s
happened to technology and the amount of information
available to teens. I just don’t know how they cope with the
bombardment of information, but they do. One of the things
we’re very careful of here, and I’m sure teachers are as well,
is that we mustn’t get fooled into thinking that just because
kids have the information that they have the judgment.
Today’s teens sound savvy because they can recite reams of
information and (it’s easy to think) – maybe these kids ARE
smarter. It’s not that they’re smarter than or not as smart as
they used to be, it’s just that they have so much access to
information. They still need help to sort it out and make
good choices.
Counsellor: Is this one of the reasons you remain an ardent
proponent for media literacy?
LS: Yes. I was one of the founding members of the Association
for Media Literacy. I actually wrote a media studies course for
the Grade 8 level and had an opportunity to teach it as a trial
which was fantastic. TV, the Internet – these things exist and
we can’t pretend that they don’t. So then let’s give our kids the
opportunity to develop maximum critical skills so that they
can be smart consumers and form their own judgments. That’s
how we can empower them not to be slaves of the media.
Counsellor: Degrassi has tackled some very sensitive issues,
stories that weren’t told before on TV. Of these, which do you feel
particularly proud of?
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Counsellor : Comment les histoires racontées dans Degrassi: The
Next Generation (TNG) diffèrent-elles de celles utilisées dans la
série originale ?
LS : Les histoires racontées dans TNG sont similaires à celles de
la série originale, ce qui a réellement changé c’est la façon de les
raconter. Comme exemple, les rumeurs se propageaient par des
notes à l’école ou par le téléphone, maintenant elles se propagent
par Internet. Certains thèmes ont changé, mais plusieurs des
thèmes de base sont demeurés les mêmes. C’est comment
l’histoire se déroule pour la garder actuelle qui est différent. C’est là
ou je crois que mon équipe a fait du bon travail pour qu’elle reflète
vraiment l’expérience des jeunes gens.
Counsellor : Les fans d’aujourd’hui de Degrassi sont-ils différents de
ceux qui regardaient l’émission il y a 20 ans ?
LS : Notre plus grand défi est simplement ce qui s’est produit
avec la technologie et la quantité d’information disponible aux
adolescents. Je ne sais pas comment ils font pour s’en sortir
avec le bombardement d’information, mais ils y arrivent. Une
des choses avec laquelle nous sommes très prudents, et je
suis certaine que les enseignants le sont également est qu’il ne
faut pas penser que parce que les enfants ont l’information ils
ont aussi le jugement. Les adolescents d’aujourd’hui semblent
futés parce qu’ils peuvent débiter des volumes d’information
et (il est facile de penser) que peut-être ces enfants SONT plus
intelligents. Ce n’est pas qu’ils soient plus intelligents ou aussi
intelligents qu’ils l’étaient, mais simplement qu’ils ont tant accès à
l’information. Ils ont toujours besoin d’aide pour y voir clair et faire
les bons choix.
LS: I’m very proud of how TNG has covered our gay storylines.
What we’ve been able to do, particularly with Marco, is show
him coming out over the course of four years. We really wanted
to show that coming out wasn’t just an epiphany moment; all of
a sudden you (announce you’re gay) and everything’s fine. It’s
a series of small steps that starts with telling your very close
friends and it’s sort of a ripple effect from there. Sometimes you
take steps backward too. But this is a story that we never could
have told the first time around because society was just not
ready for it.
Counsellor: What other types of issues have you been able to bring
to light in the new series that you couldn’t have touched
20 years ago?
LS: I’m really pleased that we tackled self-mutilation. We
have a character who cuts and that was not anything that was
discussed in the ‘80s. Interestingly enough, we spent a lot of
time in the original series talking about safe sex. But kids are
really smart and they find different ways to have what they
consider to be “safe” sex. We never would have tackled a b---job
episode in the original series, whereas today, kids are thinking if
they do b---jobs, that’s okay; that’s safe, right? So again, we are
dealing with the same basic issue – sexuality and what’s safe
from a health and an emotional perspective – but today we’re
talking about it in an entirely new way.
Counsellor: Which episodes have garnered the most feedback,
positive or negative?
LS: Probably both times we did abortion – on the original show as
well as on TNG. Both times, we used similar techniques to show
both sides of the issue. In the original show, we used identical
twins (Heather and Erica), and made sure that from out of their
mouths came all the pros and cons of abortion because we
weren’t trying to say this is the right choice for you, this is the
right choice for this character. On TNG, we used best friends,
Manny and Emma (whose mother was pregnant teen Spike on
the original series). Emma’s argument was, “if my mother had
had an abortion, I wouldn’t be around today.” But at the end of
the day, Manny still made the choice to have an abortion. Both
of those episodes caused some degree of controversy, although I
have to say, more so in the U.S. than in Canada.
Counsellor: Are there any topics left that you’d still like to tackle?
LS: It always seems there’s something else we can do. Two years
ago, I hadn’t even thought about doing a show about street
racing; then I drive to work and hear the horrible story about
those two kids racing on Mount Pleasant (in January 2006, a
Toronto man was killed when the cab he was driving was struck
by a car involved in street racing) – and I just knew we had to do
a show on that. Sometimes you’ve got things in your mind and
you think, “one day I’d like to tackle this,” and sometimes there
are things we want to tackle but it’s really tough – like suicide.
Counsellor: Why is suicide particularly difficult for you to cover on
TNG?
LS: Every year we talk about it, but we still haven’t been able to
crack that one in the right way. The problem is that it’s really got
to come from our characters. We don’t bring in outside characters
›
to play main storylines; our core characters are the ones that
Counsellor : Est-ce là une des raisons pour que vous demeuriez
une ardente partisane de la connaissance médiatique ?
LS : Oui. Je fus un des membres fondateurs de l’« Association
for Media Literacy ». J’ai en fait rédigé un cours sur l’étude des
médias pour la 8e et j’ai eu l’opportunité de l’enseigner à titre
d’essai ce qui fut fantastique. La télévision et l’Internet existent
et nous ne pouvons prétendre le contraire. Donnons donc à nos
enfants l’opportunité de développer le plus d’habiletés critiques
possible pour qu’ils soient des consommateurs intelligents et
qu’ils développent leur propre jugement. C’est de cette façon que
nous leur permettrons de s’assumer pour ne pas être des esclaves
des médias.
Counsellor : Degrassi a abordé des problèmes très délicats, des
histoires qui n’étaient pas racontées à la télévision auparavant. De
ces dernières, laquelle vous rend particulièrement fière?
LS : Je suis très fière de la façon dont TNG a couvert nos
scénarios à propos des gais. Ce que nous avons pu faire,
particulièrement avec Marco, est de montrer son évolution
pendant quatre années vers l’affirmation de son identité
sexuelle. Nous voulions réellement montrer que l’affirmation
de son identité sexuelle n’était pas simplement un moment de
révélation où tout à coup vous annoncez que vous êtes gai et tout
est bien. C’est plutôt une série de petites étapes qui débutent
par l’annonce à vos amis les plus intimes qui initie un effet
d’entrainement. Parfois vous faites aussi des pas vers l’arrière.
Mais c’est une histoire que nous n’aurions jamais pu raconter
la première fois, car la société n’était simplement pas prête à
l’entendre.
Counsellor : Quels autres problèmes avez-vous pu mettre en
lumière dans la nouvelle série que vous n’auriez pu aborder il
y a 20 ans ?
LS : Je suis vraiment contente que nous ayons abordé
l’automutilation. Nous avons un personnage qui coupe et cela
n’était pas discuté dans les années 80. Il est intéressant de
constater que nous avons consacré beaucoup de temps dans
la série originale à parler de rapports sexuels sans danger. Mais
les enfants sont vraiment intelligents et ils trouvent différents
moyens d’avoir ce qu’ils considèrent des rapports sexuels « sans
danger ». Nous n’aurions jamais abordé un épisode à propos de
la fellation dans la série originale alors qu’aujourd’hui, les enfants
croient que s’ils pratiquent la fellation c’est bien, c’est sécuritaire,
oui ? Donc, encore une fois, nous traitons les mêmes problèmes
de base, la sexualité et ce qui est sécuritaire du point de vue de la
santé et des émotions, mais aujourd’hui, nous en parlons d’une
façon totalement nouvelle.
Counsellor : Quels épisodes ont généré le plus de retour
d’information, positif ou négatif ?
LS : Probablement les deux fois où nous avons traité de
l’avortement, dans l’original aussi bien que dans TNG. Les deux
fois nous avons utilisé des techniques similaires pour montrer
les deux côtés du problème. Dans l’émission originale, nous
avons utilisé de vraies jumelles (Heather et Erica) et nous nous
sommes assurés qu’elles mentionneraient les pour et les contre
de l’avortement, car nous n’essayions pas de le présenter comme
le bon choix. Dans TNG, nous avons utilisé les meilleures amies, ›
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❱❱ Cover Story
deal with our big issues. So, when we’re
brainstorming we think, “do we have a
character that this would be believable for,
or do we need to develop a character for
this?” We just haven’t found an elegant
way to tell a responsible suicide story yet.
Counsellor: What can Degrassi fans expect
this coming season?
LS: This year, we’re doing something I’m
really pleased about – we’re introducing
a character with Asperger syndrome.
We’ve done a lot of work with how your
body changes and differences in sexuality,
but we haven’t really done anything
with people who are different because
of the mechanics of the brain. We’ve
been meeting with the people from the
Aspergers Society and they are thrilled.
So, that’s one new storyline we’re taking
on that I’m really excited about.
Manny et Emma (dont la mère était
Spike, l’adolescente enceinte dans la série
originale). L’argument d’Emma était : «
si ma mère avait eu un avortement, je ne
serais pas là aujourd’hui. » Mais au bout
du compte, Manny a fait le choix d’avoir un
avortement. Ces deux épisodes ont suscité
une certaine controverse bien que je dois
dire, plus aux États-Unis qu’au Canada.
Counsellor : Reste t’il des sujets que vous
aimeriez toujours aborder ?
LS : Il semble toujours qu’il y a quelque
chose d’autre que nous puissions faire.
Il y a deux ans, je n’avais même pas
pensé faire une émission à propos de la
course automobile illégale, puis je vais
au travail et j’entends l’horrible histoire
de ces deux enfants qui coursaient sur
Mount Pleasant (en janvier 2006, un
homme fut tué à Toronto quand le taxi
qu’il conduisait fut frappé par une voiture
impliquée dans une course automobile
illégale) et j’ai su que nous devions faire
une émission à ce sujet. Des fois, vous
avez quelque chose en tête et vous
pensez, « un jour j’aimerais aborder cela »
et d’autres fois il y a des choses que nous
voulons aborder, mais c’est réellement
difficile, comme le suicide.
Counsellor : Pourquoi le suicide est-il
particulièrement difficile pour vous à
aborder dans TNG ?
LS : Chaque année nous en discutons,
mais nous n’avons toujours pas trouvé la
bonne façon pour ce sujet. Le problème
est que cela doit vraiment venir de nos
personnages. Nous n’amenons pas de
personnage de l’extérieur pour jouer les
scénarios principaux, nos personnages
centraux sont ceux qui traitent nos
problèmes importants. Ainsi, quand nous
faisons un remue-méninge, nous pensons
« avons-nous un personnage qui serait
crédible ou devons-nous développer un
personnage pour ce sujet ? » Nous n’avons
simplement pas encore trouvé une façon
›
élégante de raconter une histoire de
suite à la page 48
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Under the Microscope:
Girls and Science
Despite some remaining barriers, young women are being
encouraged to follow their hearts into the field of science,
engineering and technology.
by Candice G. Ball
Back in 1979, when Anne Condon was a computer science
student in Ireland, there were no preconceived notions about
women in the information and communications technology
(ICT) sector.
“The proportion of women was a lot higher then. It was
a level-playing field because nobody had any computing
experience,” says Condon, now Associate Dean at the
University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Science.
Today, those numbers appear to be sagging. A January
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2008 study put out by the Information and Communications
Technology Council, Outlook on Enrolments in Computer
Science in Canadian Universities, reported a substantial decline
in the number of male and female undergraduates enrolling in
computer science.
The report states, “The latest enrolment figures place
current registrations between 36 per cent and 64 per cent
of their peaks, differing by region and with the exception of
British Columbia.”
“When I was in first-year engineering, I was one of
the 10 per cent of women enrolled. I had expected
for things to have progressed a lot further by now.”
Lynn Dafoe
Some say the decline can be attributed to public
perceptions related to the dot-com bubble burst in the
late ‘90s, misconceptions about the “lack of” employment
prospects, and even a lack of understanding about the “field
of computer science as it as today.”
Condon suggests that one of the reasons UBC has swam
upstream with an increase in enrolments is because of its
programs combining computer science with other disciplines.
UBC offers a second degree program for people who have
completed their first degree in another field and want to
combine that discipline with computer science.
“There is a negative perception of computer science that
isn’t really consistent with reality but, unfortunately, deters
people from entering it in the first place and finding out how
much fun it really is,” notes Condon.
Strength in Mentorship and
Membership
Sarah Dobson-Wood had the opportunity to find out how
much fun computing is long before she ever encountered
“techie guys of the hardcore variety who act like they know
more than Bill Gates.”
As a kid, she loved playing video games and believed
programmers had the best job in the world. Upon turning 19
last winter, Dobson-Wood’s only career question was which
university to attend.
Spotting a woman behind the computer science booth
at an open house held at the University of Manitoba put her
instantly at ease. “It let me know there are actually women
in this field when I thought there were mostly men,” says
Dobson-Wood, who exchanged e-mail addresses with the
woman.
Although she ultimately chose to attend the University
›
of Waterloo, Dobson-Wood continues to chat online with
Gail Powley
Sarah Dobson-Wood
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the woman. “She opened my mind to the wide variety of job
opportunities in the field and introduced me to the possibilities
of co-op programs.”
Condon has worked on initiatives that target technologyminded young women like Dobson-Wood. As the National
Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
(NSERC) General Motors Chair for the B.C. and Yukon
region, Condon has developed an introductory computer
science course with an interdisciplinary focus, highlighting
computer applications in fields such as psychology, biology,
art and music.
“The latest enrolment figures place
current registrations between 36 per
cent and 64 per cent of their peaks.”
The NSERC project has built a network of people in
academic institutions who are actively engaged in change.
Because of this, Condon also works closely with groups such
as the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science,
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Trades & Technology (CCWESTT), a national organization
which promotes and celebrates the contributions of women
in science, engineering, trades and technology.
Another woman championing the cause is Gail Powley,
Vice-Chair of Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science
and Technology (WISEST). The organization’s mandate is
to strengthen science by increasing gender diversity and to
enhance choices in science, engineering, scholarship and
technology for women.
“When I was in first-year engineering in 1980, I was one of
the 10 per cent (of women enrolled). Now on a national scale
there are 16 per cent in first-year engineering and it peaked
in the year 2000-2001 at 20 per cent,” she explains. “I had
expected for things to have progressed a lot further by now.”
Powley, a chemical engineer with 25 years experience,
grew increasingly concerned about the decline in the number
of young Canadian women enrolling in engineering programs.
So when University of Alberta-based WISEST approached her
about taking on the role of Vice Chair, Powley gladly accepted
a leadership role.
WISEST’s programs are aimed at girls at particular stages in
their schooling, including Grade 6, junior high, high school and
university. “People have to make decisions – they need certain
courses to get into different programs at a university level,”
says Powley. “They need to have physics, otherwise that will
take them right out of the option of going on to engineering.”
The initiatives appear to be working. Attending a one-day
seminar put on by WISEST in Grade 10 changed Lynn Dafoe’s
life. “That really sold me on doing research,” says the now 27year-old. “That’s also when I decided I wanted to do a Ph.D.”
Today, Dafoe is in her fifth year as a Ph.D. candidate in
geology with a specialty in ichnology at University of Alberta’s
Department Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
Her main project focuses on the Viking Formation. The work
involves examining cores – cylinders of rock approximately
three inches in diameter which are extracted in the drilling of
oil and gas wells. “The distance between core samples may be
10 kilometres apart, so I have to interpret what the rock looked
like between the two cores,” she says.
Lately, however, Dafoe has found juggling her academic
and personal roles challenging. “My role as a mom and as a
wife takes away from the time I can put into writing papers,”
she says.
That’s where heeding the advice of experienced
mentors like Condon and Powley becomes invaluable to
young women, as they can relate well to the mandatory
multitasking most female professionals face. “There are
mountains and valleys. It can be challenging at times; then
it gets better,” Condon says.
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SPOTTING STUDENT DEPRESSION:
What You Can Do To Help
An emotionally-troubled student can benefit from your willingness to build
a network of care and support at school, home and beyond.
by Dr. David Palframan
“Without pleasure, all that is left in life is
the worrisome and sad bits. Think of the
tide going out: ripples of water recede,
leaving damp rocks, slime and junk.”
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“Recognizing a child’s depression at school can be the
first step in alerting parents and beginning treatment.”
Until recently, depression seemed to
be either a normal reaction to sad or
tragic personal misfortune or a state of
mind that made some people miserable
for no apparent reason. Were these
people weak-willed or deliberately
seeking attention?
The reputation of depression was
pretty bad and definitely associated
with guilt and loss. No one thought that
children could develop depression, except
as a reaction to bad news. The feelings
of children and teenagers appear to be
a clear reflection of their environments.
Child + ice-cream = grin. Fourteenyear-old + telephone + chatty friend =
popularity and happiness.
This view of children’s emotions
is wishful thinking. From fussy babies
to gloomy adolescents, it is clear that
individual variation in reaction to life’s
circumstances is extremely varied.
As with adults, some children worry
more, feel loss more keenly, and move
unthinkingly from anxiety to anger.
Our present knowledge of depression
has made it clear that the brain is
distinctly changed during depression. The
chemicals that speed the transmission of
impulses from one nerve cell to another
are not functioning properly. Various sorts
of “brainmapping” techniques reveal that
serotonin and noradrenaline, two of the
dozens of chemical neurotransmitters, or
messengers, are deficient in the brains
of depressed people. This evidence has
caused depression to be reclassified both
medically and in popular usage from
a weak and unhappy personality to a
disorder of the brain.
Is depression a disease, a disorder, or
a condition of normal life? It’s a matter of
how intense and prolonged the low mood
is. It also depends on whether the low
mood is accompanied by serious anxiety,
intense anger, sleeplessness or sleep that
leaves you still tired.
Think of depression as a condition into
which people slide, where self-confidence
is reduced and life seems much less
pleasurable. Without pleasure, all that
is left in life is the annoying worrisome
and sad bits. Think of the tide going out:
ripples of water recede, leaving damp
rocks, slime and junk.
Recognizing the signs
Teachers and counsellors are
concerned about their students’ mental
health issues because most of them are
also parents, and because they get to
know and care about their students over
the course of the school year. Recognizing
a child’s depression at school can be
the first step in alerting parents and
beginning treatment.
Symptoms in the classroom will vary,
depending on the age of the child and
his or her particular personality. Younger
children tend to be more emotionally
transparent. A child who weeps over
minor troubles, or whose face is twisted
in rage and frustration repeatedly, may
have an underlying problem with low
mood, irritability and poor frustration
tolerance. The special challenges of
school, with the relentless comparisons
children make amongst themselves, will
sometimes reveal emotional troubles that
remain controlled or hidden at home.
In the middle years, Grades 3 to
7, teachers are reliable in reporting
sudden drops in academic performance.
Sometimes these periods are explained
by self-limited family problems such as
heart attacks or parental separation. A
formerly cheerful child who becomes
sullen, uncooperative, and sad-faced
may not be a troublemaker, but may slide
Excerpted from Young Misery: A child
and family psychiatrist discusses child and
youth depression—how to identify it, and
how to cope (Creative Bound International,
2007) by David Palframan, M.D., F.R.C.P. A
child and family psychiatrist for more than 30
years, Dr. Palframan is extensively involved
in community psychiatry for the Children’s
Hospital of Eastern Ontario. He continues to
collaborate widely with school boards, parent
groups and child welfare organizations. For
more information, please contact Creative
Bound International: 1-800-287-8610 or
resources@creativebound.com.
quietly into misery, avoiding attention,
and feeling that no one notices or cares.
At its worst, severe anxiety can produce
school avoidance with multiple health
anxieties and frequent absenteeism.
Teachers learn to be tactful and
supportive in bringing such observations
to the attention of parents. The
›
observations are not presented as
39
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criticisms – “Did you not realize that your
son is failing math?” – but as a shared
concern – “I can’t quite figure out why
he’s sliding, but it has me worried. Do
you have any ideas?” Most teachers
know how protective parents are of their
children, so an alliance with parents is
greatly preferred over a confrontation.
When parents seem blind to the concerns
expressed by a teacher, the matter may
need to be discussed with colleagues who
could put the child in touch with other
professional services available in the
educational system. Guidance teachers,
psychologists, and social workers may
be available to help alert parents to their
child’s problems.
Setting a new perspective
Added to the burden of being
depressed is the sense that schoolwork
is sliding towards failure. Depression
makes it difficult to concentrate and
the condition reduces any sense of
achievement associated with a good
effort at school.
Parents can often help their child
with these worries by setting a new
perspective. Regaining health comes
first, and then it will be time to focus
on school. Parents can approach the
school, having discussed the options
with their child, and set up a reduced
timetable. Doing some schoolwork at
home might be a good way to monitor
mood. Even doing a little bit means that
the depression isn’t winning. Schools
don’t need to know all the details of the
child’s problem but a clear letter from a
doctor stating that the illness prevents
full attendance but allows for some work
to proceed can both protect the child’s
confidentiality and keep the door open for
academic recovery.
Parents need to be cautious about how
much detail they provide and about how
many school people they trust with the
information. They need to emphasize that
this is a private medical history and is not
to be entered on any permanent scholastic
record any more than would be a skiing
accident. Homework, that is, schoolwork
made available at home, should be offered
as an option. It is a delight to someone
recovering from depression to realize that
they can concentrate enough to read and
do mathematics. The goal is not to race
and catch up, but to test how well the
brain is doing.
During and after puberty,
management of emotional disorders
requires an additional appreciation for
the growing independence of a young
student. At 18, a suicidal student has
considerable autonomy and can manage
personal decisions about getting help.
In between, tact and compromise help ›
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No More Sticks and Stones
Plus de Bâtons ni de Pierres
Teachers’ new policy takes a tough stance against the cruelty of cyberbullying.
La nouvelle politique des enseignants prend une position rigide contre la cruauté
de la cyberintimidation.
by / par Barbara Chabai
With one in three Canadians aware of students who had
been the victim of online threats or harassment, the Canadian
Teachers’ Federation (CTF) says it is time to make cyberbullying
a crime.
At its annual general meeting in Moncton, NB this
summer, CTF unanimously ratified a new policy outlining the
responsibilities of students, schools and school boards in
fighting the growing trend of electronic bullying via e-mail,
instant messaging, blogs and social networking sites.
The CTF, which speaks for 220,000 teachers in Canada
as their national voice on education and related social
issues, defines cyberbullying as the use of information and
communication technologies to bully, embarrass, threaten,
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Avec un Canadien sur trois conscient d’étudiants qui ont été
victimes de menaces ou de harcèlement en ligne, la Fédération
canadienne des enseignantes et des enseignants (FCE) dit qu’il
est temps de faire de la cyberintimidation un crime.
À son assemblée générale annuelle à Moncton, NB cet été,
la FCE a unanimement ratifié une nouvelle politique exposant
les grandes lignes des responsabilités des étudiants, des écoles
et des comités d’école pour combattre la tendance croissante
de l’intimidation par courriel, messagerie instantanée, blogues
et sites de réseautage personnel.
La FCE, qui est la voix nationale de 220 000 éducateurs
au Canada pour ce qui concerne l’éducation et les problèmes
sociaux qui y sont associés, définit la cyberintimidation
“When it comes to instilling proper
cyberconduct and preventing cyberbullying
in schools, we all have a role to play.”
« Quand le temps vient d’inculquer une
cyberconduite adéquate et de prévenir la
cyberintimidation dans les écoles, nous
avons tous un rôle à jouer. »
harass or engage in any conduct that is abusive, derogatory,
defamatory, degrading or illegal.
The federation says that such bullying, also affecting
teachers who have been targeted by disparaging comments
online, makes it harder for educators to work and for students to
learn in the classroom. In some cases, the damaging behaviour
has resulted in victims’ depression, eating disorders or tragically,
even suicide to escape their tormentors.
“The guiding principles of our national policy are based on
the premise that safe and caring schools that promote healthy
workplaces for teachers and healthy learning environments
for children and youth should be a national priority,” says CTF
President Emily Noble.
“Our policy speaks strongly to the need for education as a
key element in addressing, preventing and protecting students
and teachers from cyber-related harm. It also speaks to the
roles and responsibilities of parents and guardians, schools,
school boards and school districts, teachers, students, teacher
organizations, ministries of education and government.”
Among the key findings in a poll commissioned by CTF
earlier this year, 9 in 10 Canadians believe that an effective
measure to prevent cyberbullying is for parents to become more
knowledgeable and more responsible for monitoring their child’s
online activities.
At the same time, 96 per cent of respondents say school
boards should develop and enforce policies that hold students
accountable when they are identified as cyberbullies. About ›
comme l’utilisation des technologies de l’information et
des communications pour intimider, embarrasser, harceler
ou adopter une conduite qui est abusive, désobligeante,
diffamatoire, dégradante ou illégale.
La fédération affirme qu’une telle intimidation, qui affecte
également les enseignants qui ont été la cible de commentaires
désobligeants en ligne, rend plus difficiles le travail des
éducateurs et l’apprentissage des étudiants dans la classe.
Dans certains cas, ce comportement dévastateur a poussé
les victimes à la dépression, aux troubles d’alimentation
ou, tragiquement, même au suicide pour échapper à leurs
persécuteurs.
« Les principes guidant notre politique nationale sont basés
sur la prémisse que des écoles sécuritaires et soucieuses qui
font la promotion de lieux de travail sains pour les enseignants
et d’environnements d’apprentissage sains pour les enfants et
la jeunesse devraient être une priorité nationale », affirme Emily
Noble, présidente de la FCE.
« Notre politique soutient fortement le besoin de l’éducation
comme élément important pour aborder, prévenir et protéger les
étudiants et les enseignants contre le mal relié à la cybernétique.
Elle soutient également les rôles et responsabilités des parents
et gardiens, des écoles, comités d’école et secteurs scolaires,
des éducateurs, étudiants, des organisations d’enseignant, des
ministères de l’éducation et des gouvernements. »
Parmi les résultats les plus importants d’un sondage
commandé par la FCE plus tôt cette année, 9 Canadiens
›
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70 per cent think school boards should still hold students
accountable even when incidents occur outside of school.
“When it comes to instilling proper cyberconduct and preventing
cyberbullying in schools, we all have a role to play,” says Noble.
Now that the federation has adopted this leading-edge
national policy, Noble says the next step is to work with
members and member organizations to carry out its message.
“Ninety per cent of the policy talks about the need for
teachers to educate students about proper cyberconduct, so
that is something we need to get out there,” she says, adding
that, “we taught kids to read and write, and now the new
reading and writing is in cyberspace.”
CTF will be working closely with its member organizations
in every province and territory to conduct workshops as well as
to offer brochures and materials such as cybertips for teachers,
students and parents. Federation members will lobby for
changes to occupational health and safety legislation to ensure
sur 10 croient qu’une mesure efficace pour prévenir la
cyberintimidation est que les parents doivent devenir plus
connaissants et plus responsables pour contrôler les activités
en ligne de leurs enfants.
Par la même occasion, 96 pour cent des répondants disent
que les comités d’école devraient appliquer des politiques qui
tiennent les étudiants responsables quand ils sont identifiés
comme cyberbrutes. Environ 70 pour cent pensent que les
comités d’école devraient tenir les étudiants responsables même
quand les incidents surviennent hors de l’école.
« Quand le temps vient d’inculquer une cyberconduite
adéquate et de prévenir la cyberintimidation dans les écoles,
nous avons tous un rôle à jouer. » affirme Noble.
Maintenant que la fédération a adopté cette politique
nationale de pointe, Noble dit que l’étape suivante est de
travailler avec les membres et les organisations membres
pour appliquer ce message.
1/4 page vertical
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teachers’ healthy work environments include protection from
cyberbullying. Members will also encourage their local schools
and school boards to enforce policies which specifically refer to
cybermisconduct.
Noble applauds the recent move of the Ontario government,
which passed legislation under its Education Act that said,
for the first time, that cybermisconduct is now grounds for
suspension or expulsion from school.
›
« Quatre-vingts pour cent de la politique parlent du besoin
d’éducation des étudiants par les enseignants à propos d’une
cyberconduite adéquate, c’est donc quelque chose que nous
devons promulguer », ajoutant que « nous avons appris à nos
enfants à lire et écrire, maintenant, la nouvelle écriture et la
nouvelle lecture sont dans le cyberespace. »
La FCE travaillera en étroite collaboration avec ses
organisations membres dans chacune des provinces et
›
suite à la page 49
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❱❱ On the Bookshelf
YOUR DEFIANT TEEN:
10 Steps to Resolve
Conflict and Rebuild Your
Relationship
By Russell A. Barkley, Arthur L. Robin
Guilford Press
To a certain degree, all teens rebel as they dip their toes in to
test the pool of independence; but others are downright defiant
to the point of disrupting or endangering their lives. Researchers
Barkley and Robin, with a combined 60 years of experience
studying defiant and compliant behaviour in adolescence, have
divided this useful book into two sections. The first section
helps to define and assess the problem, explaining possible
contributing factors such as personal characteristics, stress
and parenting style. The second half offers important tips for
reversing, if not preventing, defiant behaviour while upholding
the values of love and respect.
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UNIVERSITY MATTERS
By Sharron McIntyre, Michael McIntyre
Creative Bound Inc.
Every spring, over 100,000 Canadian
students are accepted to university – and
this book is for them. In an easy-to-read
format, University Matters sets out
everything these “First Years” need to do and need to know to
make the best choices during this critical, but often confusing
period. This comprehensive, easy-to-reference guide takes
students’ emotional and physical well-being into account,
with a broad range of individuals – professors, physicians and
graduates – offering real-life advice, coping strategies, time
management tips and practical insight that every First Year can
use in preparing to make a successful transition from high school
to university.
BODY DRAMA: Real Girls,
Real Bodies, Real Issues,
Real Answers
By Nancy Amanda Redd
Gotham Books
Author Nancy Redd teams up
with a leading physician specializing in
adolescent health to write “the book I wish I’d had as a teen and
in college – an honest, funny, practical, medically accurate,
totally reassuring guide to how women’s bodies actually look,
smell, feel , behave and change.” In Body Drama, Redd welcomes
readers into a bff-like discussion about issues that many young
women are too embarrassed to ask about. The photos in this
visual guide are not retouched and the frank information it
contains is not glossed over either, allowing girls to discover an
appreciation for their own body wonderland.
DR. KARYN’S GUIDE TO
THE TEEN YEARS
By Karyn Gordon
Harper Collins
Canadian youth expert Karyn Gordon
is in the enviable position of being a coach
teens like and trust, and a consultant that
parents respect and relate to. In Guide to the Teen Years, she
makes the most of her experience with both audiences to help
moms and dads better understand the mysterious, moody and
marvelous person living under their roof. Gordon manages to
cover a lot valuable ground for both parents and educators,
including avoiding conflict and resolving arguments, teaching
responsibility, building healthy self-esteem as well as specific
advice on issues such as substance abuse, sexuality, peer
pressure, bullying and step-parenting.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH
UNIVERSITY (And How
to Make it Work For You
Anyway)
By Jeff Rybak
ECW Press
In this uncommon university survival
guide, Toronto author Rybak does not tell students to eat
healthy, how to do laundry or the pitfalls of partying on a school
night. Instead, he offers an in-depth analysis of the policies,
practices and conflicts of the modern Canadian university – for
a student audience. From the viewpoint of this savvy student
advisor, anyone who is going to invest tens and thousands of
dollars and years of time in post-secondary education needs
and deserves to be aware of how the system works. This book
advises undergraduates on ways to get what they want most
from their university experience.
47
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❱❱ Continued From
S’exprimer en séjour (19)
M. Deschênes détient une maîtrise en
éducation et a organisé des séjours dans
le foret et les montagnes à L’Auberge du
Mont depuis les dernières 18 années.
« La nature est un terrain fertile pour
aider les jeunes à s’exprimer, » dit M.
Deschênes. « Le contexte plein air est
stimulant. »
www.aubergedumont.qc.ca
Logon to Learn (25)
in class can review,” says Homuth.
Students are required to contribute to
course discussions on specific topics and
respond to the ideas of their fellow course
mates. They ask each other questions and
practice problems together, learning from
each other.
Class sizes are not limited. If a section
fills up, a new section is opened. Teachers
are compensated for the numbers of
students they deal with; some teach
regular courses and online ones too. Most
work part-time and do not have to live in
the province.
For more information:
www.virtualhighschool.com
Abbotsford Virtual School
Abbotsford Virtual School is one of
52 district education programs offered
through the Ministry of Education. They
offer 47 online high school credit courses
to British Columbia students.
“The virtual classroom is a level
playing field where technology transforms
the learning experience,” says Principal
Brad Hutchinson.
Courses offer complete online delivery
with Illuminate meeting software for
meetings at specific times. A Spanish
course includes videos and audio clips.
In math courses, a webcam follows a
pencil and paper on PDF – so the student
is able to watch the instructor deliver
the lesson. Science courses may include
some videos and simulations, but still
require face-to-face labs in the brick-andmortar school classroom.
Among the course options are video
games design courses that teach how to
create a 3-D object, animate, storyboard
and game design, English as a second
language, computer courses, Punjabi, and
Physical Education – with lessons and an
activity log.
At Abbotsford Virtual School,
distance education students in virtual
classes are never really that far away
from their teachers.
“Teachers continue to be the
strongest link between the student and
the content,” says Hutchinson. He adds
that teachers here tend to be more
experienced educators who realize that
their students require individualized
attention, meaning that a virtual teaching
job can be more demanding than one in
the traditional education system.
For more information: www.avs34.com
High School Click (32)
suicide responsable.
Counsellor : À quoi peuvent s’attendre les
fans de Degrassi pour la saison qui vient ?
LS : Cette année, nous faisons quelque
chose qui me plait beaucoup, nous
introduisons un personnage affligé
du syndrome d’Asperger. Nous avons
beaucoup travaillé avec comment le
corps change et les différences en
sexualité, mais nous n’avons pas
réellement traité des gens qui sont
différents à cause des mécanismes du
cerveau. Nous avons eu des rencontres
avec les gens de l’« Aspergers Society
» et ils sont emballés. C’est donc un
nouveau scénario que nous abordons
pour lequel je suis vraiment emballée.
Spotting Depression (40)
bridge the gap between “Don’t you dare
tell my parents!” and “Thank you so much
for telling us.” Remember that autonomy
and confidentiality must not stand in
the way of identifying a problem and
its possible solutions, especially if the
person’s judgment is reduced by both
immaturity and a psychiatric problem.
With patience, most students can
be convinced of the benefit of involving
parents and doctors. Students can
sometimes be reassured that parents
won’t be told just yet, providing the
student accepts some counselling. Once
matters are moving ahead, it is easier for
a student to save face with parents by
saying that they have acted responsibly
by seeking help and they are now in need
of including their parents for practical
reasons such as paying for a prescription.
Seeking outside assistance
When an adolescent continually
shares painful information with a trusted
teacher about suicidal feelings, addiction
or any situation that is dangerous,
there often arises a particularly intense
48
CSC•Q0308
dependency on the teacher.
Rather than feeling trusted and
privileged and important, the teacher
might well identify such a situation
as cause for alarm. At this point, the
situation will need to be shared with a
health care professional. The student
is in clear need of treatment. Nothing
can be more painful to a teacher than
a suicidal student who has extracted
a promise that their secret be kept.
Teachers are usually helpful and
compassionate, but all of us know the
feeling of being out of our depth. Any
use of emotional blackmail—“If you tell
anyone, it will be a betrayal and I might
do something awful”—should confirm
that a painful combination of depression,
anger, and dependency now qualifies
appliquent des politiques qui s’adressent
spécifiquement à la cyberintimidation.
Noble applaudit la récente action du
gouvernement de l’Ontario qui a passé
une législation sous sa Loi sur l’éducation
qui dit, pour la première foi, que la
cyberintimidation est maintenant un motif
pour la suspension ou l’expulsion de l’école.
« Ce n’était pas couvert auparavant,
c’est donc ce que nous devons voir
de plus en plus », dit-elle. « Nous
n’essayons pas d’être punitifs, nous
tentons d’être proactifs. C’est le fil
conducteur derrière l’éducation de tous
ceux qui sont impliqués — être proactif.
Et c’est vraiment ici que les conseillers
d’orientation sont si utiles en étant
capables de communiquer avec les
enfants et les parents. »
Noble mentionne que la FCE espère
aussi influer sur le changement au niveau
du gouvernement. La fédération conseille
vivement au ministère de la Justice et
au procureur général de modifier le
langage utilisé dans le Code criminel
du Canada pour clairement faire de la
cyberintimidation une offense criminelle.
La politique de la FCE sur la cyberconduite
et la cyberintimidation peut être téléchargée
à partir de son site à l’adresse www.ctf-fce.ca.
Sticks and Stones (45)
“It was not covered before, so that’s
what we need to see more of,” she says.
“We’re not trying to be punitive; we’re
trying to be proactive. That’s the key
behind educating everyone involved
– to be proactive. And it’s really where
guidance counsellors are so valuable in
being able to communicate with both kids
and parents.”
Noble says CTF is also hoping
to affect change at the government
level. The federation is urging the
Department of Justice and the Attorney
General to amend the language used in
Canada’s Criminal Code to clearly make
cyberbullying a criminal offense.
CTF’s Cyberconduct and Cyberbullying
Policy can be downloaded from their website
at www.ctf-fce.ca.
Bâtons ni de Pierres (45)
chacun des territoires pour diffuser des
ateliers ainsi qu’offrir des brochures et
du matériel comme des cyberconseils
pour les éducateurs, les étudiants et les
parents. Les membres de la fédération
feront du lobbying pour obtenir des
changements à la législation sur
l’hygiène et la sécurité au travail afin
que les environnements de travail des
enseignants incluent une protection
conte la cyberintimidation. Les membres
encourageront aussi leurs écoles et
comités d’école locaux pour qu’ils
49
CSC•Q0308
❱❱ Last Period
“Whatever job you do, I believe you should really
follow your passion.
High school graduation is when students sit down
and talk with their guidance counsellors and say,
‘I don’t know what I want to do because I like a lot
of different things…’
I think I would be a great guidance counsellor,
because, let’s say a student comes to me and says,
‘I want to be a doctor… but I also like wrestling.’
I would say, ‘Then you will be a chiropractor. Next!’
Another student might say, ‘Well, I’m good at numbers…
but I also like to work with the elderly.’
I’d say, ‘Then you will be a bingo caller. Next!’”
—Ellen DeGeneres
Talkback: Do you have a funny anecdote, light story, poem or inspirational thought to share with fellow guidance counsellors?
Send it us at: editorial@marketzonepro.com.
50
CSC•Q0308

dame degrassi - Market Zone Productions

Transcription

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