Today, I want to highlight just one of our inspirational past award recipients and how she has embodied compassion and kindness in her community. Miranda, age 8, inspires the staff and students at Rainbow Lake School on a daily basis.

“Do we seek a change that will last or should we embrace lasting change?” Rather than seeking change that “lasts”, if sustainable improvements are our desired outcome then we should create environments that continually change and adapt (lasting change).

A couple of years ago I attended a High School Completion Symposium where the keynote speaker was Farley Flex, judge on Canadian Idol and National Ambassador for UNICEF. His message was simple. When we fail to nourish our young people with “good things,” there are those waiting in the shadows to fill them with “the wrong things.”

This past year, I had the opportunity to serve on the Minister’s Student Advisory Council, a group of 24 students from across Alberta who represent all the students in our K-12 education system. One of the highlights was hosting the 2nd annual Speak Out Conference. Over 200 enthusiastic students and 100 teachers arrived on May 14, ready to SPEAK OUT!

While she contemplates what she needs to do to afford the material lifestyle she wants, I cannot help but wonder what I can do to set my daughter on the path towards a healthy, fulfilling, well balanced lifestyle. One thing on my mind in particular is the role of a university degree in the 21st century.

Great Kids might not always make the headlines. But the truth is, there are thousands of young people in Alberta who are leaders in their communities, role models on the playground and positive examples of courage, generosity and kindness.

It is almost a cliché by now, but the fact remains that never before in human history has so much information been so accessible to so many people. What this means for students is that alongside learning “what” the information is, they will need to understand how to sort through and vet what is out there.

Why does inclusive education matter? Check out this Friday link for a fantastic perspective on the topic!

Today, with the overwhelming bombardment of propaganda, marketing, entertainment and news messages, it can be challenging to decide “what” to pay attention to. What is useful and important and what is useless or downright harmful?

Sitting in a room filled with hundreds of people participating in the Inspiring Education dialogue, I was asked, “When do we learn to learn?” I thought about this statement and answered, “Never!”