leave ego at door..

I went to a Hippy school. (You can actually read about my times at Waldorf Here). I can't lie. The methodology of the Hippy is great. Most views I agree with. Some, I don't. I believe in peace and being good to the earth and soul and other humans and all that junk, but I'm also a fighter. Sometimes a .40 caliber makes more of an effect than a sit-in surrounded with flowers, pot smoke, and Dead tunes. Sometimes, the big yellow smiley faces just can't win the war. Yoga is the one place where I tend to go to retreat and get away from the craziness that has become modern society. Even though I don't go as much as I would like, my acupressure mat gives me the meditation and peace that I need. Still confused on how little needles can bring peace. Kind alike that whole gun point I made earlier, huh? The Leave Ego at Door sign that's posted on the front entrance of the local yoga hub is deeply meaningful and should be observed by more and not only by the like-minded individuals going inside.

Lesson of the day: Simple. Leave your ego somewhere else. And just be while you have your riffle in your back pocket. Just in case things get messy.

norway tragedy hits home..

I know people form Norway. I went to school with a couple of them. It's been years since I've seen them. I do remember them being cool people. Funny. Strange accents. Great eyes.

That's the only connection I have with Norway.

Knowing a couple Norwegians.


It's funny when tragedies go down in places you've never been, you tend to dig up these old memories to make the story more personal to you. So you can feel. So you can make some type of connect the dots between you and the headline.

Why?

I don't know.

I guess if we don't, we don't care and if we don't care we don't seem like good human beings. It's a busy world. Tons of news going on every minute. We trap ourselves in a place where we only listen to stuff that we feel is important to us. When the Big Story doesn't hit us like we think it should, we dig deeper. To find that connection. Then it hits. Then we feel. Then we mourn. Then we feel like everyone else.

The couple of guys I did know from Norway I met at school. They were exchange students. They would've been around the same ages as those kids at the boys camp in Oslo. When I first heard the news, I went to that personal place and immediately thought of the guys and if they were shot. I cringed. I felt. I know the boys over there are most likely nothing like my old schoolmates but again. That was the only way I was able to feel for the situation. And then I went deeper. Those kids were someone else's mate. Exchange student. Friend. Lunch partner. Facebook Friend.


Imagine.


Stupid, meaningless deaths caused by an anti-Islamic right winger. Your mate. My friend. His facebook pal's life ended short because someone who hated a religion decided to dress up as a cop and go on a hitting spree batting five-hundred.

As the days go on and the next breaking story comes up on the news ticker station, we will forget about our fallen Norwegian chaps. It's only natural. But before that happens, I'm going to make sure I reconnect with my pals from Norway and just tell them Hei and I've been thinking about them and hope they're doing well. A small message but I'm sure it will make them feel. Feel good.

camp kids

I was never a camp kid. I think it had to do with how over-protective my parents where of me. Or that I was never an outdoorsey guy, either.I'd rather stick close by quarters and camp out in the line of the MindBuster at Canada's Wonderland and fetch food at the Mall food court while hunting for new digs and teenage toys. I kinda envied my friend who went to camp. I would see them on the first day of school and they would share all these adventures they went on and describing their new pals who they made life long relations with during the three months of nature walks, campfires and marshmallows. I went on walks. We sat around the living room fire place and told stories. We burned some marshmallows.  But it wasn't the same.

The Toronto Waldorf School is still looking for camp kids. They're recruiting the little ones from ages 4 to 14, Depending on the age bracket, they will be entertained by educational outdoor experiences like visiting Camp Kettelby, and the Albion Hills Conversation area where they have bicycle trails and a huge lake to swim in. The younger ones can enjoy nature walks, imaginative play,songs and stories.  The camp runs from June 20th till August 19th weekly.

digging gardening

As I was getting my mind getting ready to jot something down on here, I was in the garden. Pulling out weeds, covering the holes with soil. Watering.

Gardening is my new hobby. Always found it interesting, It's only this year when I'm going to keep my resolution and get with the program. The first time I put in a good days worth of spending time with mother nature, was during the May long weekend when Mom asked me to help her out on the Friday afternoon. We ripped. Dug. Planted. It was nice. She thought I would be tired. Wasn't. Full of energy of trying something new. It must be something in the soil. Mother Nature giving us some of her power to help us continue making her look pretty. Giving her a hot new makeover in time for the summertime sun.

My love for Her derives from my times at the Toronto Waldorf School. As I have wrote about it on here before, we spent a lot of time in the huge forest in the back and even in the ravine. Investigating. Educating. Adventuring. Learning about our land and eating what it served us. I wish I spent more time paying attention in Botany class. Maybe it would've given me the appreciation I have for it now, sooner.

I recently found out about Waldorf's gardening program. It fits in perfect with their holistic approach to education. The kids, as young as third grade, rip. Dig. Plant. Investigate. Educate themselves. Go on adventures. They even eat straight from the garden. They learn about how the food tastes and feels and looks different. How it looks and feels and tastes before it's sold in your local Super Store. They also look at the importance in composting and how to treat the earth with care and love.

When I first read about this, I wish they could have these lessons for adults. For grownups. Big people tend to forget how important this stuff really is.

How I wish I spent more time in the garden during my days of High School rather than walking the pave going to the donut store.

For more information on Waldorf's Gardening Program go Here.

world of yoga

Before Yoga became the big trend it has become to today, Waldorf was teaching it in schools. It was an alternative to high school kids who didn't want to do Drama or sport activities or Handworking. I had Yoga class twice a week for one semester for two years straight. I didn't really appreciate it as much as I should've as I used it usually as a way to skip class and grab a large coffee from the local donut hangout. However, I did get that connection when I did attend. I had a feeling that Yoga would become as big as it has today. It was just that cool and trendy to be huge in the suburbs. As someone who doesn't really do the gym thing I don't get my chance to go to Yoga classes. I walk everywhere. I think that's workout enough for me. However, I do respect the art form it embraces and the psychology behind it. This is why I was happy to accompany my Mom last weekend to check out the big Yoga Conference in Toronto at the Convention Center. The three day treat for all ages was a Mecca for local Yogagoers around the way and meditation gurus from the local land. It was a hippie fest. Dozens of booths hawking clothing, natural foods, mats, natural medications, and books were placed in a the large room on the second floor while in the center, hundreds of people lined up for a free Yoga class' led by some of Toronto's finest teachers.

The day went awesome as it opened up my mind to the current Yoga universe and how it can really help you. Mentally and physically. My Mother even got a free acupressure mat out of the deal, too which is cool as I tried it the following day and I fell asleep on it for almost an hour and waking up feeling refreshed inside and out.

I'm surprised Waldorf didn't have a booth there as it seemed somewhere the Waldorf name would've belonged. Even without them, it felt like I was in high school all over again and opening my spirit wanting to be educated about the unknown universe of Yoga and meditation. Now, at least, I'm more open to knowing more.

this old city

Here are a few shots I took today while at a Yoga seminar at the Convention Center. I was covering it for Our Kids.

our kids: local emcee makes reading cool

As a former hip-hop promoter in the Toronto area, I was able to make friends with a bunch of the unsigned hype in the city. Since I first met many of them over a decade ago, all of them have made moves in the city to evolve and progress their selected craft – be it DJing, Emceeing, Graffiti or Breakdancing. One of these esteemed homeboys is MC Abdominal, also known as Abs. Recently, Andy, another alias Abs goes by, was asked to make up a hip-hop version of the most classic pieces of literature. The first one he tackled was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The philosophy behind this movement is that it has been scientifically proven that music helps people remember more. Furthermore, they’re also doing this in hopes that if kids hear a hip-hop dude speaking about the book, they’ll want to pick it up and read it too.

The cover of a 1979 movie version of The Scarlet Letter, directed by Rick Hauser. So far so good. The crew has been picked up by American outfit SparkNotes to do a “whole slew of songs,” as Andy explains in a video made by TVO (TV Ontario). The site wants them to do fiction books aimed at high school students. This new concept should’ve been around since I was in school. I know, as a high school student and impressionable hip-hop mind, if my favorite rapper were to talk about some literature in his songs, I would have read more instead of tossing the books aside and sketching my next piece in my notepad. No matter what type of student you have at home, or what type of school they go to, this new endevour will help them. I know for me, coming from a Waldorf school that surrounded students in Shakespeare education, it would have been ideal. Moreover, maybe this will also show skeptical parents that hip-hop is more than what they hear on the radio, and they’ll give it a chance.

Here’s a short interview with Abdominal talking about The Scarlet Letter.

the green school: not a dream anymore

Stumbled upon a video on Ted with John Hardy talking about his dream school. The Green School. After some investigating, I realized that his dream was very similar to the Waldorf Schools. The philosophy, concept, the design. Even the wooden chairs and tables looked familiar. One thing. It isn't Hardy's dream anymore. It's his reality.

After selling his jewelry store in 2007, Hardy and his wife, Cynthia came up with the idea of The Green School in Bali. The idea behind the conceptualized school is that the kids would learn in an open-air surrounded by nature that they feed and tend to. The kids learn to build with bamboo while studying for the British school exams. The center of the school - called the Heart of School ranks up as Asia's largest bamboo building. Hardy is also a long time backer of the use of bamboo as an alternative to timber for building and reforestation.

Could this work in Canada? Waldorf did. I think this would too. In the video, Hardy remarked that his high school was built by the same people who made the jail and the insane asylum. With the same materials. If we had more schools like Waldorf's and The Green School, in North America where it's more visually accepting to the eye and also has more of a hands-on approach to its teaching patterns, maybe the Kids would be more welcome to education and wanting to be in school throughout the day.

I'm sure there's a study out there about kids and how they don't like going to school because it looks like a jail. Or insane asylum.

The big caption on the Green School's website states; "Empowering global citizens and green innovators who are inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world." Only an ideal to most, but it could be a reality to us. Let's make it happen.

To check out the video of Hardy speaking about his creation, Go Here.

For more on the Green School Go Here.

the big bully in the room

While sipping on my morning coffee the other day, blasting passed different TV shows and sport highlight reels, I came across this documentary on CNN about bullying. I watched it for a bit. During the commercial, I started my surfing again. A few channels down, I again came across a little thing about bullying.

“This bullying thing is a huge thing, right now”, I thought. “Maybe I should do a write-up on it”.

Two days later.

I started to gather my mental notes about what I will write about. Trying to dig up any memories about being bullied. It took me hours. Nothing. I realized that I was never bullied at school. Shocking to most as I stand at 5’3 and I’m currently at my heaviest I’ve ever been. 112 soaking wet. I knew it was because I was that dude who always friends with the popular people. The bullies, too. I was protected. Even in grade school. I had an army of 4 foot 6 security guards who would beat up anyone in grade 2 up who ever touched me. Razzed by friends? Yes. Picked up and swung around to express man-love? For sure. But it never crossed the line to being bullied.

My next step was to see if there was any bullies around me at school. If there were any hidden or public incidents. Couldn’t think of any. Never at Waldorf. I guess that whole Waldorf rumor of it being a day camp for hippies and gnomes rings true this time around. We had our yearly run-in and little mishaps but never an ongoing battle between the bigger and the smaller. No one leaving someone in a locker, or turning them upside down threatening to drop them 10 feet down on the cement. Nothing of the sort.

I guess this is why when I read and watch accounts of what kids do with each other, it seems like I’m watching a movie.

If you don’t see it, you can’t conceptualize it. It’s not happening. It’s only when it’s happening in your own backyard is when you can think of it as real.
To this day I think those little kids on the television starving are just actors. Little people playing parts pretending just so they can grab dough from the rick folk. Mean, I know. But again. Out of sight, out of mind.

This is where I believe that Waldorf kids are protected by an ideal world of ferries and dwarfs and woodworking. Well the one I went to at least.

This is when we have to come to realize that we do have kids who are bullied every day at school. That this problem leads into deep depression, drop-outs and homeschooling.( Not that I’m against homeschooling, but I think it effects the child’s social skills for later on in life that could create a bigger problem down the road.)

What’s my point?

We have to stop blinding ourselves about the problem thinking that if it’s not happening to us it’s not real. We have to start to take control and do something to help out and stop this epidemic.

You don’t want to be having your coffee one morning flipping through TV shows and sports highlight reels to stumble on a news report about your own child..

waldorf was superman

My latest article for Our Kids looks at the movie Waiting for Superman. Check it out Here.

the `m' word

My nephew recently moved closer to my mother and I. He moved from Oakville. With the move, the little guy also had to switch schools. He went from daycare to a Montessori school. Yeah. The “M” word. At least, it’s a swear word to any red-blooded true Waldorfian.

I know my sister and brother-in-law made the right decision for my nephew. Thinking of his needs before theirs. I know that. However, like a father told by his son not to go to any of his softball games anymore, I felt saddened. Lost by their choice. I looked forward to showing my nephew where my old locker was. Introducing him to my old teachers. (Yeah. Some of them are still there). Showing him the chair I sat in when I went to the library. I wanted to show-off my grad picture on the wall.

I guess he can always join in High School.

This made me wonder if I would take my child to Waldorf. The first thought would be an enthusiastic Yes!. Of course I would. I want them to get the same education I was lucky enough to get. However, I have to step back and let reality set in. Waldorf education isn’t for everyone.

That said, I would have to see what they were like. What they wanted to become. Where their strengths are. Their weakness’. Do they like the arts? Making stuff from wood? Music? Then obviously I would give Waldorf a try. However, if they’re totally opposite and using the different sides of the dome, maybe the public school system or another private school would be ideal for them.

I guess my first lesson in parenthood before even becoming a parent is to not be so obsessed with our own needs for the child but look to them and have them make up our minds. It’s their life and even though young, they will lead you in the right direction in what they want in life. You just have to trust them.

the days before summer at waldorf

From the first day of school it's the day that everyone looks forward to. Kids, Teachers alike. Maybe the parents, not so much, but I know the kids did for sure. They took everyday in. Appreciated it. Went through the yearly motions of the tests, field trips, sick days, snow days, late nights studying for this one day of the year.

The last day of the year. The beginning of summer vacation.

At Waldorf, we had a few things to look forward to before the big day of Freedom. The prom where the whole high school was invited to. The grade 12 play. The class trip. It brought the class together knowing that most of us would be going our separate ways for the next few months and maybe not returning for the following year. We were a close bunch. The last days meant a lot to us.

In Grade 12 however, the last days were even more special. As part of the Grade 12 curriculum, we had something called the Self Main Lesion. It was focused on the ideals, philosophies and concepts of our fierce leader, Rudolf Steiner. Two weeks learning about Steiner, the reasons why Waldorf Education works and of course, looking within to find some answers have have questioned over our high school career. The last week of the Main Lesson we do something called the Self Circle. It's when we reveal our thoughts and feelings about our classmates. This could be easy. Sometimes, it was. Sometimes it wasn't.

The first day my class went through the whole circle, our teacher supervising the whole experience put a couple of tissue boxes in the center of the circle. We never thought we would need them. Ha. We did. Two people in, the tears started to pour down. The simplicity of what could've been something so pleasant and heartwarming became something so hard and emotional. And it wasn't expected, at all. We heard the stories. How hard it was for others. But that was them. Their class. My class was tougher than that. Tighter than that. The Circle beat us, too.

After we got through the dreaded Circle., we had Grad and then the class trip. Every year around this time, I tend to think back to those days. Think that those were some of the best days of my life. That summer was a blast, too.

Congrats to the new graduates of the world. May you progress and move to the next level of your life with confidence and power, however, don't ever forget the people that helped you get you there...

In Memory of Aman Mohammadian

Here's my latest Our Kids blog. This week I reflect on my friendship with my dear pal, Aman who passed away last April.

At Waldorf, a class over 30 kids never happens. 26, 27 people tops. Out of those 27 students, a good share of them had been with you for the whole ride at the Toronto Waldorf School. All 12 years. In my day, all 13 years. We become a close knit bunch. A family. We learn together. We eat together. We travel together. We camp together. We ski together. We do a lot together during the school year. Sometimes, I thought we spend more time together as a class than a class in the public school system. I’m sure I’m right. Someday I’ll find out for sure. In the 6 years I attended Waldorf I made some wonderful friends. Some have come and gone. Some are still around. Some share a bond with me that’s tighter than ever.

Then there’s others. Enter Aman Mohammadian.

Aman came to us two weeks into our Grade 11 year. The day before he arrived, our adviser Leed Jackson warned us of this new person entering our close circle. He put up the name on the wall. We were starting to laugh as there were so many letters in his last name. Leed was showing aggravation that his hand was getting tired jotting down letters that would soon create the name of our new classmate. …A.D.I.A.N…Finally! Done.

“Aman Moham-mma-di- whatever. I’m sure he’ll be cool” I whispered to my friend sitting next to me.

The day came. I met Aman. Cool? Um. I guess. If you like guys who wear winter jackets in a hot fall morning that clashed with his ten year old shirt and even older looking pair of acid washed jeans.

I somehow was paired with Aman to show him the ropes. Teach him the Waldorf way. The more I spent with him, the more I got to get to know him and started to really like the guy. My friend Philip and I started to hangout with Aman over the following few months and we quickly started to even chill after school, too. We started to form our own little clique.

It was all coming together.

Aman was the first person in our crew to get a drivers license - This is when the trouble began. After school the crew would get into his brand new Pathfinder and cruise to the mall, the donut shop, the park. Wherever. Anywhere to show off our freedom and that we were getting older. In the first two years with Aman in his new we bonded.

After a while, everyone knew that the front seat was mine. Anyone who would call for Shotgun would get looked at. However, sometimes, I didn’t want to be in that front seat. As a new driver, we got in a couple of crashes during his first few years on the road. I was there for all of them.

The first one happened while a bunch of us were going to grab some early dinner during our last all-night dress rehearsal of our Grade 12 play, JB. We all got in to go the nearby mall ten minutes away. Girls in the back. Aman and I in the front. I had just gotten a haircut the previous day and my girlfriends were playing with my fresh new hairdo. The car was getting loud. Aman was getting upset. Finally, he yelled `Everyone shut up’. As he did that he forgot that there was a red light in front and forgot to hit the brakes. He hit an old Dodge.

Everyone stopped. We all got out knowing what this might mean.

Aman got out of the car to give the driver we hit our info. Ended up being a nice young lady. Aman pleaded with her not to do anything as his mom would find out. He pleaded to her knowing that she must’ve been in this same situation not long ago. She looked at her car. Noticed that there wasn’t too much damage and agreed. To this day, I don’t think Aman’s mom or brother knew about that accident in May of ‘96.

I received a note from an old teacher of mine from High School shortly after Aman’s death last April. He noted that he heard a song that he thought that Aman sang at our little school get togethers and our monthly open-mic series called The Wooden Ship. I heard many other memories people have of Aman over the past year. I’m just happy that I wasn’t the only one Aman left a lifelong imprint on.

In Waldorf, your classmates become your family. Some, you never talk to but only every 5 years or so when you bump into each other. Others, you talk every few months over a beer or coffee. Then there were people like Aman. Someone who you will never forget – as much as you want to forget his plaid winter jacket and acid washed jeans.

Your family misses you, Aman.

It’s kinda hard with you not around
Know you in heaven smilin’ down
Watching us while we pray for you
Everyday we pray for you
Till the day we meet again
In my heart is where I keep you friend
Memories give me the strength I need to proceed
Strength I need to believe

exclusive: catching up with jesse cook

As part of my gig with Our Kids Magazine, I was lucky enough to interview local artist, Jesse Cook who went to Waldorf years ago. The following is what came about.

Waldorf education has housed many future well known artists. Many celebrities take their children to the school.

Quick fact: Friends star, Jennifer Aniston started her grade school education at the Steiner school in New York before she went off to the “Fame” high school for the performing arts.

At the Toronto Waldorf School, one of its most well known children is guitarist extraordinaire, Jesse Cook. Known for his fast fingers and unique style of rumba flamenco, Cook attended the school in Thornhill, Ontario from grade 4 to grade 10. ” We were the fourth Waldorf class in Canada, the guinea pigs”. Recalled Cook. “I arrived shortly after they had moved into their own building. Construction was far from completed, Every time it rained we put out buckets to catch the dripping water. Parents where volunteering on the weekends to help finish the school. It was a very communal atmosphere.”


“Today, Highway 7 and Bathurst”, where the school has been located since it opened in 1968, “is surrounded by suburbs, but back then the school was hidden deep in the woods in the middle of nowhere.” Jesse remembered. “ I traveled 2 hours each way on a myriad of streetcars, subways and buses to get there. My family lived in The Beach in the east end of the city. Today it seems crazy to me to have traveled so far to go to a school when there were two schools within a half a block of my house. But when I was nine the Waldorf School was my salvation.”


Salvation? Two school around the corner? Why Waldorf though? “I never seemed to fit in at regular schools. If I wasn’t bored, I was failing, or both. Waldorf had me hooked from the second I walked in. It was ceaselessly stimulating. We were forever drawing, singing, building, listening to stories, learning, dancing and playing. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned that those stories were The Iliad, Beowolf, the biography of Leonardo da Vinci, and other subjects I would study again later in university.”

Waldorf always seems to know how to hook the young eager mind into learning what they thought they never wanted to learn.

We all know how Waldorf sparks the creative side of the individual, but how about the other parts of life? “When I was young,” Cook revealed. “Waldorf’s emphasis on keeping children young, surrounding them with sounds, scents and recognizing the importance of play, stood at high contrast to what was going in my local public school. There, we were told to sit still in our seats, read our textbooks and do our homework. Waldorf fostered within me a love and fascination of the world around me, it’s history and physiology that stays with me to this day.

Public schools seem to be changing. Today, my son is in a public school and much of what he is learning more closely resembles curriculum at the Waldorf School than what they were teaching at my local public school in the 1970s.”


With eight albums deep including his latest, Rumba Foundation, I had to ask Cook about his inspirations and what got him to write. Had Waldorf been part of that creative play he would share with millions years later? “We had a wonderful music teacher at the school, but my serious music studies always came from outside the school.” He divulged. “ The Waldorf School’s benefit to my career was by providing me with a well-rounded view of all the arts. Once you specialize, it is easy to become completely absorbed by music and lose perspective on what you are doing and how it fits into our world.” How about his creative journey on how he makes a track? ”An important part of the creative process is leaving time to experiment and play.” Cook continues, ”With the structure of modern recording being what it is today, it is easy to find yourself under the pressure of the clock. The recording studio is an expensive place and you are billed by the hour. Then there is the pressure from your record label to produce a new CD every eighteen months. It is hard to be inspired, vulnerable and emotionally honest when you are under that kind of stress.” He then shared, “Early on in my life, I built a recording studio in my coach house so that I could mitigate that pressure and be creative whenever I pleased. A workplace, like a school, is an important environment and can help or hinder your growth, even as a big person.”

And as a big person now, looking back at the days at Waldorf, what were the positives and negatives of Waldorf? ”Knowing how to dip your own beeswax candles and crotchet your own recorder case, very useful skills in the 21st Century.” Jesse joked about the positive aspects of the learning experience. ”I have met many ex-Waldorfians over the years and one of the common traits seems to be a confidence and comfort with having an outsider’s perspective. That might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me, living in a world of 6 billion people, surrounded by ever-growing urban sprawl, big-box stores and multinational corporations, I value people who can make up their own minds about things, regardless of whether they are part of general consensus or the latest trend.”

Very true.

How about the negatives? “I can’t speak to today’s Waldorf schools. But in my day, the emphasis was definitely on the arts. In my case it was great, coming from a family of artists heading in that direction too. But for other kids in my year who wanted to go into more academic fields, the school was not providing them with enough of a well-rounded education. Several friends who went on to become doctors and veterinarians, realized what their education was lacking and left the school after grade 10 so they could attend schools with stronger science programs.”

Today what would you say to parents who want to send their kids to a Rudolf Steiner based education? “I think it really depends on the kid on the school and on whom they get as their Homeroom teacher.” Cook advices. “I have friends whose kids have gone to Waldorf schools with varying results. As you might expect, some were unhappy and decided to pull their kids out after a period, while others were (and are) ecstatic with the results and recommend the school to everyone they meet. If someone is seriously considering the school, they should see it for themselves, perhaps even try their child in the school for a few days to see if it is a good fit before they commit.”

Jesse Cook is currently on a Canadian wide tour hitting such cites as Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, and Vancouver from now till the end of next month. For all Cook news and the full concert schedule you can check out his website here.

giving back

My latest Our Kids Aritcle

TV. Radio. The Internet. Chatting with friends. This week it was everywhere. The news. The disaster. The terrible tragedy that happened in Haiti. Every story makes you sadder. Every tear makes you want to do more. Help. Donate. Try to give back. I put out a challenge to my Facebook and Twitter pals to match my $10 donation at Plan Canada (click the link to make a donation yourself). I feel like that’s all I can do. I feel like that’s all I want to do and am able to do more. Because I live in Canada. Because I’ve been lucky. I’ve been brought up with a good groundwork around me. Amazing parents. Two wonderful sisters. An awesome family. I’ve been able able to acquire some of the best friends in the world. I always have dough. I have a roof over my head every night. I got shoes, shirts, hats, new music, a computer. I’m well off. This is the exact reason why I feel like I know I can do more. However, using the mediums I do have access to, I’m doing what I can under the current circumstances I’m in.


Have I always been like this?


I started to listen more to the news after my Grade 11 Social Studies class. That year, that class inspired me. It wasn’t always the chats we had. Or the things we learned about. But it was what we did. We took action. We went to a local Native reserve and learned about the troubles they were having at the time with the Canadian Government. We went to Homeless Shelters and talked to the people there. We toured Toronto and made a point to notice things we usually won’t see. The poverty. The street kids. It opened my eyes. I started to read the newspaper. Dug deep into the stories I found intriguing.

Since that year, I always made a point to help out. Be it with a charity, a local organization. Every year I looked around and chose the place I felt needed my help the most. I don’t always talk about these things, because I believe that charity is for the self and not to be broadcasted, but other times, it needs to be talked about because its learning about what you do inspires others. Just like I was in that spring of 1995.

waldorf didn't kill my creativity

Here's my latest Our Kids article. The video I'm talking about is the same vid I posted yesterday.

"Imagination is more important than knowl“edge.”

I’m going to be honest. I didn’t really know what I was going to write this week. I surfed around the net looking for different types of inspirations thinking of what would I pen about this week. I thought of everything. I even thought of doing a little article about graduation. Too early. I thought about doing one about skipping class’. Nah. My ex- teachers read this stuff on Facebook. Detentions? I wasn’t awake for them. Don’t remember. The big blue bus? Nope. I’m saving that for the spring. Good memories, though. I then decided to zoom by this site that always seems to show me the flashbulb of ideas. TED. If you don’t know, TED – Ideas worth Spreading is a non profit academic organization owned by The Sapling Foundation whose main goal is to spread great ideas. Yeah. That’s it. The site has cool creative inspiring videos that I watch once in a while.

I came across this one video. It was by Ken Robinson and the lecture was about how school kills creativity. Wow. What a bold statement. I would agree, though. Actually I do agree – if you’re talking about the everyday public school in the suburbs. However, creativity was alive at Waldrof. I’ve mentioned this many times before on the blog. I found my creativity thanks to Waldorf. It helped me feed it. Nurture it and encouraged me to use it for my life’s work. Which I have. I’m grateful to Waldorf for it. I sometimes feel privileged to know that I was able to go to such a creative based school like TWS where they fueled my imagination through dance, art, singing, painting and even woodworking and knitting. I feel bad for the public school system who haven’t yet realized the value and confidence it gives an individual in the long run with some type of arts in their repertoire. The arts build character – especially at such a young and innocent age where the soul is ready to take in new information and ready to learn about themselves and how these little ideas they have in their head will turn out if they actually try them out in real life. Waldorf fed me the information. I came up with the ideas. And then, they came alive. By the time I left Waldorf, my creativity was a white horse galloping around the open field looking for the next race. The next stack of hay. Waiting to get fed more and more.

Robinson talks about how they start you off by educating from the waist up and then they start to only concentrate on the head. And at most times, only one side of it. He also mentions that he believes that “We are educating people out of their creativity,” It’s an interesting lecture that’s both intelligently spoken while being pretty funny.

If you have a chance, take some time to check it out. The video is around 20 minutes long. Here’s the link.

That takes care of this week’s article. What’s up for next week? Shoot me some ideas. I would love to find out what you guys would want me to write about.

schools kill creativity

I found the following for my next article for Our Kids. I thought it was pretty interesting and hope you do, too. To find more inspiring videos check out the website called TED.

our kids: christmas time at waldorf

The holiday season is always the best time of year at Waldorf. We had the Christmas Fair, plays by the lower school, food, and even a visit from the big jolly guy from the North came to pay the High School students a visit. Secret Santa ran for the last few weeks before Christmas vacation.

Days leading up to the holidays were busy and stressful. Running around from class to class worrying about Main Lesson tests and projects due, you tend to get this reassurance that everything will pay off as you smell the candle wax in the air as the lower school was in the gym area standing in line dipping gently into this huge pot making their own candle which they will later decorate.

The best was when you had a really stressful day and you would return to your locker and see a gift for you hidden away. It was from your Secret Santa. It always made my day. It might have been a little gift certificate to the coffee shop down the street, or a gnome doll or even maybe a CD of your favorite artist at the time. It all made it worthwhile. The stress, the tests, the homework. The cold days walking up the huge hill. It made your headache go away and remember that the holidays are just a few short weeks away.

It was reinsurance.




The Christmas Fair. A weekend event usually held on the last weekend in November where Waldorf turns into a huge three floor Holiday playgrond full of gifts, food, music, and arts and crafts for the kids. The students and staff played hosts as thousands would enter the doors to spend the day walking around the round school buying, eating and celebrating.

Every Monday in the month of December the whole school would gather in the forum to light a candle. It was our Advent ceremony. One representative from each class would have a candle in hand and walk to the front of the forum to light it. They would return to their class and remain standing until all the classes did the deed. It was a beautiful weekly gathering that started off your week with a peacfull feeling.

From the Christmas fair to the Secret Santa’s, it was all a wonderful time of year at the Waldorf School, but above everything, it’s the smell of candle wax that I miss the most.

our kids: what would steiner do?

A body, in effect, is only part and parcel of another body, but the self, the ‘I’ of man exists in and by itself alone — “I am I.”

I was out for beer the other week with an old high school friend. While on the patio to grab some fresh air, my friend asked me a question.



Do I think I’m a Waldorfian? Post Waldorf.

I asked him what he meant.

He asked if I ever thought that I fit the stereotypical Waldorf format of what a Waldorfian kid should be.

I wondered for a bit.

I had to say Yes. I think I am. No. Wait. I know I am.

I felt like a music artist who had to admit to himself he makes pop music. It was hard to conceive. But it’s true.

We weren’t talking about how we fit in the physical Waldorf get-up, but how we are spiritually. Does our spiritual beliefs system go along with the ones that Waldorf taught us years ago?


As a kid, you refuse to be or sound or think like your parents. It makes you feel old. It makes you realize that you are becoming something you never thought you would. Just like That Pop Star. However, you have that moment, when you realize that you just said something that your mom told you years ago. Or that you just made a track that you know 11-year-olds will love and you’ll start having day autograph sessions at huge malls.

This is kinda the same thing. It’s not that the values that were instilled into you were bad or wrong, it’s just that it’s a sign that you’re growing up and maturing and realizing it’s time to be wise, and, well, grown up.

When I left Waldorf, I did take some words of wisdom from the round school and never thought I’d look back. But when confronted with the worst situations, or trying to figure something out, I found the answer. Later I would realize that it’s something that Steiner would do, too.

WWSD for short.

So what am I talking about in regards to what exactly Waldorf instilled into me at such an innocent age? It taught me that the soul and self is the greatest gift you’ll ever receive – and to cherish it. They taught me that individualism is gold. I learned about love and appreciation for nature. Waldorf guided me to always think for myself and question what others bring onto you. The round school also showed me that mass media is not always to be trusted and there’s other ways to have fun rather than using electronic sticks and surfing the interweb. But it was the philosophies that surround these belief pools that help guide me everyday.

Do I wonder What Would Steiner Do? Yes. I do. And now I’m old enough to be proud of it.

school trips to elora gorge

The first few weeks of school was always exciting at Waldorf. Actually, it was always exciting at Waldorf. Especially when you got to the High School. Something is always happening. Being it a class play, camping, dances, fairs, or just special days we were always looking forward to something. The first thing the High Schoolers looked forward to in the school year was the initiation trip. This was a trip to welcome the grade nine’s to upper school life. Since the High School was pretty small, the students ended up hanging out with everyone. Well. At least when I was there. We had pals in every class practically. Therefore, a trip where all the High School students go on was a lot of fun. The initiation trip was a three day event. The first day we caught a play during the Stratford Festival. Some type of Shakespearean tale in which most of us either slept through or never payed attention to.
I think the teachers did the same, but they didn’t make too obvious.
Then the fun started. We got back on the bus and headed north to Elora Gorge where we spent the remainder of the days camping. The trip for the grade 10s and 11s were basically dull. Nothing really to do except to hike and maybe head to the city for a quick bite of some non-camping grub. This trip was really for the grade 12 class as they set up some kind of hair brain scheme to evoke fear into the young grade nine tots. This was fun to see. I wasn’t there for my grade nine initiation. Which I wish I went on. However, I was there for when I initiated a good friend of mine. We scared the bejesus out of them. The day started off with the class teaming up with their grade nine buddy and leading them to this dark part of the Gorge all the while holding this huge stick that was on fire. We got to a small part of the lake and formed a circle. We started to hum. It seemed like a huge cult’ish ceremony for warlocks or gnomes. It was creepy. The plan worked.
We then headed over to the lake where we had set up a little obstacle course for them. In the water. By the end of the day, they were still in awe of the cultish ceremony and were very wet.
All in the name of Waldorf High School love.
The three day excursion pretty much set the course for the year. It brought people together and friendships were made stronger. It gave a chance to bring the high school closer together. It was also a great way to show your teachers your real self. You as a person. Outside of the classroom atmosphere. This unique getaway is one of the uniqueness’ that Waldorf Education brings to the table that is so appreciated that isn’t offered by the public school system. It’s a small thing, but it’s a nice thing.
Memories for those three days in the bushes stay with all of us years after graduation. And because of it, makes us appreciate the education and our High School years that much more