To the Humboldt Grads of 2015

Good afternoon parents, teachers, and most especially the HCI graduating class of 2015.

IT’S GRAD TIME!!

I come before you today humbled for the second straight year as the guest speaker at HCI grad. Last year there was a sing-a-long, a costume party and a lengthy speech on lessons on life. This year’s address to the grads is going to be different because this year class is most certainly different.

Today we will talk about two things:  my experience with these young men and women with me on the stage and then a discussion on The Game of Life.

First of all the graduates: My experience with this year’s class was one that I will never forget. We have a mutual kinship in that I am aware from conversations with them that I have made a difference in many of their academic lives. I would also go as far to say that this group of students changed my life as a parent, a teacher and as a person. Whether it was during Science Time, Ye ‘Ol History, or on the adventures of Math 9 almost every day was special for one reason or another.

Although many of the students may be unaware of this, when I started teaching you grade 9 Math I was only in my second year of teaching. I was, and still am in many ways, a spring chicken in the teaching profession just trying to survive. However, when I was teaching these students, I learned that the most important part of my job is to bolster the confidence of my students; But not to the point of false hopes or on the assumption everyone can be perfect every day. My focus as an educator since I taught this group for the first time became on translating to the students that everyone is capable of doing what I ask of them and making sure they know what they need to be able to do. “You can do it!” This was a very common phrase out of my mouth in the fall of 2011. This was not an easy transition and it was often met with tears and resistance from the students who really believed they COULDN’T MATH. But in the end (after a full year together) it started to hit home with everyone and I really started to notice a difference. This remarkable experience changed us all and bonded us in a way I have not experienced with any other group of students thus far in my career.

 

In the 2012-13 school year, our grads grade 10 year, I was most pleased that I had 4 sections of grade 10’s; 2 Science 10’s and 2 History 10’s. This further extended the bond I had with many of the students, some of whom I taught twice a day in Grade 10. Those who were not part of the math classes found themselves in a culture that was already set up and much learning and fun ensued.

At the end of that school year I made the decision to depart HCI and pursue an opportunity afforded to me at Bethlehem High School in Saskatoon. The thing I remember most about this transition was when the news leaked in the school. I recall Morgan Huls coming to my room early as usual for Science in Period 4 and saying “Mr. Toogood, I heard a horrible rumour.” In came the rest of the class and I spent a good portion of that hour trying to explain the decision as a family decision and while doing so hiding the tears by turning to the board often and pretending I was erasing the board that had nothing written on it. I did a bad job hiding the emotion of not having the opportunity to continue teaching these students in the coming years in Chemistry. Several of the students suffered the same fate and many of us had a good cry.

What I am trying to say is that I love these kids, these graduates, these now grown up young men and women. I couldn’t be happier to be back here with you today and as usual I am very proud of you.                                                                                                                                                             

Now to the sing-a-long!! No sorry we aren’t doing that again…

But seriously I have something important to talk to you about. The Game of Life. I mean it. Literally. The classic 1860 Milton Bradley game, The Game of Life. I am sure almost all of us have played at one point in our lives. The game is a remarkable analogy that I think lends well to a graduation address.

Ironically, this game starts ‘life’ with approximately this moment, graduation. The first choice you make in the game is to go to college or not. Not going to college has some perks, it doesn’t require taking out loans, and it sets you off on a career path much faster. When you first play the game you are very excited to start your career and get your first and second PAYDAYS while the suckers who chose college still haven’t picked a career. Then the frustration starts though. The people who did pick college, and are sitting on their $60,000 in debt, get a whole different set of careers to pick from; ALL OF THEM HIGHER PAYING!! Based on Canadian national averages this is actually a reasonable statistical claim. The game proceeds and there are some required stops as you go along the way including buy a house and get married. Now arguably in a modern game the buy a house stop sign should be much later in the game due to housing market inflation and the marriage stop sign should consider some redesigning as a stop and should really be more optional or be more a yield or a free left signal, but I will leave that to Milton Bradley to deal with.

Anyway, to my point, I do have a point... How do you win at The Game of Life? Do you win by rolling big, racing through the game, collecting PAYDAY’s and being the first person to millionaire estates and retirement? Absolutely not! They key to winning at The Game of Life is collecting life tiles. Now for those of you who haven’t played the game life tiles are awarded when you land on spaces on the board that are related to community service, family activities, and good deeds. When you collect a life tile you have no idea of its dollar value until the end of the game. Community service, family activities, being a stay at home parent and helping others all have no market value in today’s society. BUT, when it comes to the end of your life and you reflect back on what you have done, if you have more real world life tiles, you will have more riches than you can imagine.

My advice to you about how to play life:

#1 Hope for small rolls not big rolls. Don’t race through life and be satisfied if you are busy. Smell the roses.  It may take you longer to complete the game but you will have more experiences and this will make you all the richer.

#2: Look closer at all the opportunities in The Game of Life that don’t say PAY DAY, it is really easy to focus and hope for just that. I can assure you there are much more rewarding things than PAYDAY.

#3: Collect life tiles. Find ways to be active in your community. Join local sports programs, coach kids, visit seniors, spend lots of time with your kids, go zip lining in Thailand, do charity work, climb Mount Kilimanjaro, ANYTHING. Experience life in all its forms.

And finally #4, I suggest that all of you continue your education in some way. University is a wonderful opportunity to expand your mind and grow as a human being. I truly believe each of you and society as a whole would benefit from you choosing to have this experience. Also, Trade School and Apprenticeships are opportunities to gain expertise in an area of interest. If you don’t pursue post-secondary education, read books, browse Wikipedia, play musical instruments, get certification in coaching, take language classes. Keep expanding your mind.

In closing I want to say: I got a life tile when I taught many of you math 9, I got a life tile the first time I said ‘ITS SCIENCE TIME”, I got a life tile when we shared ‘Ye Ol History’ and one day I will turn them all over and they will all say… PRICELESS.                            

                                   

Thank you and Congratulations!

The Nuclear Power Controversy in Saskatchewan

This evening I attended a public consultation on the topic of nuclear power development in Saskatchewan and I must say it was one of the more interesting experiences I’ve had in a while. With nearly 1000 citizens of Saskatoon and area packed into a small room, there was a strong energy of opposition against the idea of developing nuclear power in Saskatchewan. However, there was notable presence of the polar opposite as well. Both groups voiced their opinions in a strong and powerful fashion.

I have my own view on the situation and it is not one that was presented at this forum by any of the speakers. Perhaps I should have stood up and shared my opinion but I failed to seize the moment and came home and started to write in this blog.

I loved the educated, emotional, and physically engaging speech by Anne Coxworth (PhD in nuclear physics and environmental activist) at this forum. I whole heartedly provided her with a standing ovation and went out of my way to meet her afterwards. However, I failed to hear a solution that would appease the needs of the environment, the investors, the citizens of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Saskatchewan. She only spoke of creating a sustainable environment in generalities as a conclusion. Furthermore, as much as I agreed with the comments of Steve McClennan of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce about how Saskatchewan needs to start manufacturing our resources for the needs/benefit of its own people, I don’t think uranium is one of those resources. As was boldly stated at one point during the forum, I believe that Uranium belongs exactly where it is now...underground. Also, it was clearly stated that the Uranium Development Partnership has no interest in refining ‘yellow cake’ into the product needed as a power source for the proposed plant. So either way we aren’t making the dough here...just harvesting the wheat and then eating the bread.

So you might be wonder why I’m opposed to nuclear power? I’m a scientist, aren’t I? Isn’t this an opportunity for me? Well, that’s not how I see it....So here’s my beef with nuclear power. (I was quite pleased to see most of this within a pamphlet on my chair upon arrival...I was expecting to be convinced that nuclear power was the way to go, instead they reaffirmed my beliefs)

1) The big promotion of nuclear power is that it is ‘clean energy’ with very little carbon imprint. However, those in support of nuclear power fail to mention the carbon imprint elicited from constant uranium mining and milling. They also fail to mention the constant transport of ‘yellow cake’ to uranium refineries and then the subsequent transportation back to a nuclear power plant. They also fail to mention the carbon imprint left by the construction, maintenance/ refurbishing and also the inevitable destruction and decommission of a nuclear power plant in its short forty year lifetime.

2) The storage and disposal of nuclear waste is a continued debate because scientists haven’t come up with a logical solution to the problem. We destructively bury/hide our garbage in landfills without considering the environmental impact. We flush/hide our feces into the sewers without concern. Yet no logical solution can be made for how to flush/bury/hide nuclear waste. It’s a continued debate without a solution...perhaps we should stop producing nuclear waste...

3) Production of effluents, solid matter, and particulate emissions from the nuclear fuel cycle. These include volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, and radioactive materials (especially within uranium tailings). We set limits on what is ‘permissible exposure’ and what is ‘potentially harmful’ to humans. Simple solution, stop the nuclear fuel cycle and stop all exposure.

4) I will not argue that nuclear power has lower carbon emissions than coal power, that just simple fact. However, the development of nuclear energy WILL NOT replace coal power in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has for my entire lifetime relied on coal as the power base load. The insertion of nuclear power within our infrastructure will not change this because nuclear power is not reliable as a base load generator because nuclear reactors are often out of commission and require refurbishing.

5) Everyone leans towards job creation as a HUGE positive. I again can’t argue that the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant would create jobs. However, it is a boom and bust model of job creation. More job creation from the construction than from the operation...leaving 4000 employees (most of which will be under-qualified to work in what they built) out of work. Also, in 40 years the plant will most likely be required to close.

6) The cost of energy produced (per kWh) from nuclear power has not declined since 1980. In that I mean the industry is not becoming more efficient. There are limits to nuclear fission.

7) The global production of energy from nuclear power has increased since 1980 but only with a small linear increase. There is no revolution for nuclear power.

8) Saskatchewan’s energy needs are not expanding quick enough to require the increase of 1000+MW into our grid. That’s enough to power the homes of the current population...but as stated can’t be used as our baseline grid. An expansion of this magnitude just doesn’t make sense.

OK so on to my point...

It is unbelievable what is occurring in countries like Germany with the development of what we call ‘renewable energy’ (I put that in quotes and want to make it clear I don’t mean sustainable). With the implementation of the ‘Law for the Priority of Renewable Energy’ Germany is approaching 25% power generation from wind, solar, geothermics, and biomass. This number is growing EXPONENTIALLY and is expected to approach 100% by 2035. Even more interestingly, a portion of this power is provided by citizens who have taken the initiative to power their own homes and INPUT their excess energy into the grid. Based on the aforementioned law these people who would otherwise be consumers are receiving market value for their energy. HOW IS THIS HAPPENING???!?!? Well Germany has directed funds toward the development of their renewable energy industry. There are several successful wind turbine and photovoltaic cell manufacturers that are producing the products needed to make this conversion directly within the country.

Some stats...

1) The cost of wind and photovoltaic energy / kWh has decreased logarithmically since 1980.

2) The production of energy from wind power and photovoltaic cells has increased exponentially since 1980.

The development of renewable energy has the potential to be comparable to Moore’s law and the development of computer technology. With a bit of simple economic theory application I’ve come up with the following model.

1) technology improves

2) technology increases in demand and distribution

3) corporate interest in the technology increases

4) supply increase

5) cost of technology decreases

6) consumer demands new / more efficient / more powerful technology

7) research boom to create paradigm shift in technology

8) repeat

Any way you cut it, nuclear power isn’t going to enjoy such a series of paradigm shifts. I believe that photovoltaic cells and wind power can and will undergo such a progression. As you are reading this, scientists are working on the next generation of photovoltaic cells that utilize UV and IR (useful at night even)...the beginning of a new paradigm. The flaw that the items developed will not need replaced like computer processor will be alleviated by the undeniable increase in power consumption globally.

Although it is seemingly not agreed upon (most likely for fiscal reasons) it is possible to use hydro as the base line power source in this province. With the expansion of solar and wind power, and the development of an energy storage infrastructure, hydro plants could be maintained as the base line source. The coal plants of Saskatchewan could be closed and our carbon impact would decrease more than 50%. Perhaps this is possible at present date with 12 fold expansion of the wind power infrastructure in Saskatchewan and the utilization of hydro as baseline. Do the math if you want to...I did J.

So as some of you may know, I am fairly opposed to market capitalism and even more so to fiscal conservatism. With that being said, I am going to put that aside and try to solve a problem not by looking at the problem but attempting to create a solution. One that appeases the government by increasing Saskatchewan’s GDP, creates sustainable jobs in the foreseeable future, provides entrepreneurial opportunities for investors, research opportunities for scientists, and is the best net environmental option for Saskatchewan and the entire planet.

Proposition Dan

Provide the world’s top corporations within the photovoltaic and wind turbine manufacturing industry the opportunity to see what Saskatchewan has to offer. A location with sustained wind speeds above the threshold of wind power generators and on average over 2000 hours of clear sky sunlight annually across the southern half of the province.

The Saskatchewan government or other investors should invite companies like Vestas (wind turbine manufacturer from Denmark) and provide the opportunity to expand manufacturing operations to Canada. This companies expansion into the USA has already began with plants in Colorado and Oregon. Give Saskatchewan the opportunity to lead the way for Canada. The wind turbines we purchase for our wind power stations are from Vestas, why not make them here? Last time I checked we already have a steel mill...one that would surely welcome an expansion of business. Saskatchewan could serve as the distribution core for all of Canada and extend beyond our borders, leaving a net global impact. The product developed would have minimal shipment for placement within Saskatchewan and would also allow the utilization of 3.0MW turbines (roughly enough to power Melville)...far beyond the potential of the 90KW towers seen across Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.

A similar scenario could be extended to the development of solar power manufacturing. Offer opportunities to companies like LDK Solar / Q-Cells AG (German solar cell companies) the opportunity to expand internationally within Saskatchewan. If it better suits investors, invite a Canadian company like Day4 Energy. The utilization of solar power is so minute in Saskatchewan and it isn’t something I thoroughly understand. Yes, I realize snow can covers photovoltaic cells. But if you can train someone to run a nuclear reactor safely, you can probably train someone from Saskatchewan to safely remove snow.

The demand for these products is growing exponentially and the technology continues to develop. Offer sustainable employment opportunities to the people of Saskatchewan and our economy will thrive in the long run. Offer investors the opportunity to ‘cash-in’ on a thriving global industry. Offer Saskatchewan the opportunity to pioneer the age of renewable energy for Canada and North America. Offer the future generations clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and a land base that is as good or better than what we have before us today. In 500 years no one is going to care how much money I made in 2011. They will care if I as a tax payer making an extra dollar today means at some point in the future the people of Saskatchewan can’t drink the water and breathe the air. (semi-quote of Derrick Jensen)

It’s time we start thinking globally and start acting locally....you can start right at your home. Canadian Tire is a supplier of simple wind turbines that can be used at your own home and there are MANY suppliers of simple photovoltaic cells. We have the technology to turn biomass into thermal energy on the farms spread across our province. Saskatchewan has HUGE geothermal potential. Will the government give us the opportunity to put the energy the citizens produce into the Saskatchewan grid? In other words, can the people of Saskatchewan be producers of energy within their own home, rather than consumers?

What will you choose? What will you do to ensure that the government will choose the right path? When will you decide what you want for the future of our province and its people?

The sooner the better...

Hope

Some of the people who read my blog will already have heard me talk about this. Some may not know me well enough to tell what the hell I'm talking about. None the less...there is a powerful message in here I think. I often find translation of my own thought in the words of others. People often say I have no creativity...that everything out of my mouth is a quote. In some ways that's fair but in others it’s only because when I actually hear what I'm thinking from someone else it becomes much more real. Recently I've found my own words in writing with other peoples quotes (I call it my MSc thesis :P), so let’s keep it going...without actually citing my sources of course

So a little background here of where this is coming from....an introduction if you will...

There were great turn-a-rounds that happened in my life in 2008 and a majority of them occurred because of my ability to let go of hope. This may sound counter intuitive at first but just bear with me here. I gained the ability to say to myself at some point along the way...there is no glorious tomorrow in this world I'm living. 

In Derrick Jensen’s book Endgame, I found the answer to how I felt about some of my old realities...I felt despair, but "despair is an appropriate response to a desperate situation. [It is important to realize that] sorrow is just sorrow and pain is just pain and it’s not even so much the pain or sorrow that hurts but it is my resistance to it.” That is to say, if you can stop resisting despair you can stop hurting yourself. It’s OK to be lonely, it is OK to be afraid, and it is OK to be angry. If a person knows this then they can face personal despair and perhaps even overcome it.

I asked a friend of mine (Dave Ihme) to tell me what he thought of me at a time when I resisted sorrow and pain. And he said, "you just seemed disinterested in anything." Truth is, I refused to give up on my ‘dream life’ and chased the hope of something greater than I already had. However, I had become overcome with hope as it is defined in the dictionary as a noun: “A feeling of desire for something, usually with confidence in the possibility of its fulfilment."

That’s all fine and dandy and all but desire and confidence are nothing without action. Interestingly, I found dramatic divergence in the definition of hope within Derrick Jensen’s book where he defines hope as “a longing for a future condition over which you have no agency” or control over.  I personally have recently defined hope in my own words as pessimistic inaction.

We can all hope that we will find our soul mates / life partners,

We can all hope that the people of the world act together to prevent racism/global warming, etc.,

We can all hope for a better life for the next generation of children,

We can all hope that there is a greater power (a God).

Every time we hope for these things, are we being pessimistic rather than being confident? Are we self defeating and giving up desire to act or search for the answers? What if every second we spend hoping for a reality to come true, we waste a second where we didn’t act to make it come true?  What if you could look at your own life and say, I’ve given up on hope, and I’ve turned to faith and personal action? 

The result might look more like this....

I’m going to do whatever it takes to find my soul mate/life-partner and I have faith I will.

I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure those around me act together to prevent racism/global warming etc

I’m going to do whatever it takes to provide a better future for the next generation and I have faith that I can.

I’m going to do whatever it takes to support my faith in God

Feel free to insert whatever it is you desire or hope for...ESPECIALLY if you are confident it’s going to happen.

Challenge your own words when you hear yourself use the word hope...because when you say the word hope you are passing power away from yourself to ‘some other power’ that you have no control over.

With that being said, I’m not a cynic, hope does have a place in the world; prayer does have a place in the world. But too often we leave things to chance and for others to control. We give this standpoint of inactive pessimism much too often...and the result is personal stalemate.  

Have faith in yourself; take the time to act for yourself, to achieve with your own control the things you want.

Stop Hoping! You’ll find new passion in doing whatever it takes!

I wish you all the best in 2009,

Dan

All I ever really needed to learn I learned in grad school

ALL I EVER REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT MYSELF I LEARNED IN GRAD SCHOOL
I need to keep it simple
I know how to live off the bare essentials of survival
I need to care about what I am doing, because whatever it is, it’s worth finishing
I have the right to free speech and the right to be heard
I don’t need someone to tell me what to do; I have the ability to make my own decisions
I don’t need to be evaluated or told what I’m worth, I already know
I need to be accountable for myself
I need time for myself, to pursue my interests
I need to play an active role in my community
I deserve to be and can be trusted
I know there isn’t always someone watching me,
I have nothing to hide
I don’t have a set place in society; who I am and what I do could change tomorrow if I want it to
I’m just one person in the world, but I know that what I am doing can make a difference
I know what I believe in and I’m passionate about it
I know that if I don’t do it myself, no one else is going to do it for me
I am in control of my future

Everything you need to know to be a self sustained adult is in there

Think of what a better world it would it would be if we kept life simple, were accountable for our own actions, and didn’t always look over our shoulder to see if anyone was watching. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world make sure you are an active part of your community and know that you can make a difference.

The obsolete grading system

How many highly intelligent and creative people fail to complete a formal education because of the tedium? How many students ‘slide through’ the system without having an understanding of the material or developing critical thinking skills?
the problem......tedious lectures, tedious assignments and without question, the grading system. The grading system in high schools doesn't work because the amount of actual learning/development and preparation for adult life is not something that can be evaluated with a number...

best example I can give is looking at the grades on assignments during a unit that progressively builds on concepts

student a)......35%, 58%, 79%, 97%----grade = 67%

student b) same unit 88%, 89%, 93%, 87% -----grade = 89%

who's performance warrants a better grade? Did student B actually learn ANYTHING?

The undefined problem is 'the untold story'. In the end both student A and B had nearly the same understanding of the material when the unit ended....their experiences were different but the goal was accomplished in either case...most likely the student who failed off the start will have learned more about 'learning', problem solving, and would as such be MORE adjusted in a university and work setting then someone who simply drags there ass through the motions and gets it all off the start....

curriculum's are set up such that each course has 'specific tasks' for the teacher to deliver. I certainly have had several experiences as a student where all of these 'specific tasks' need only be understood well enough to achieve a cumulative passing grade on average with all the content....one could get 100 in one section and 1% in another and sufficiently pass the course if only 2 tasks are outlined.....but that means they only understand 1/2 of the course content.......is that sufficient.....because according to the grade system......IT IS!!! This is how I passed Math 111 at the UofR. It always bothered me, and I always wanted to do that class over again, I guess now I know why.

My ideal situation would be one in which the student must prove in any way possible that they can individually perform EACH task as the term progresses....this need not require a grade or an examination......but via student and teacher interaction or some form of independent assignment that was performed by the student to do so....

Core curriculum is shrinking in size as much of the material becomes outdated and other aspects are deemed trivial in nature.....delivery of this curriculum is often done by rote with tedious lecturing.....this is OK for building the framework to a certain extent....but the process of learning is via EXPERIENCE....it then becomes my job to FACILITATE and INSPIRE those EXPERIENCES for the student.....not simply provide assignments and ensure they do their assigned work.....this process cannot be evaluated via grade distribution for performance on regurgitation of material on examinations

If for advanced students the curriculum is met in a shorter period of time then the course entails, then you guide them in applied assignments that meet their specific personal interests and to areas that may aid them in future material (university/workforce) and helps them continue to grow and develop as functional LEARNING and ADAPTIVE members of society......for the not so accomplished student should it be the teachers responsibility to ‘push through’ the student into the next level is the required tasks were not completed in the allotted time…. I would hope not, but it becomes our job to facilitate that this be achieved.

Number grades are removed and it becomes what is called......a learning assessment....is that harder then marking a multiple choice test.....you are DAMN RIGHT it is!! Is EVALUATION AVOIDED.....absolutely not.....it is just evaluated without a number value.....education become goal oriented...a quest of knowledge, not a quest for a number.

does that not sound better on a universal scale then simply listening to a lecture, being assigned something that you may or may not understand, getting a grade, and then moving on whether you understand or not? All in the hope that you reach the end of the year with an average understanding of the topics that equals 50%...
There are other alternatives to removing ‘grades’ of course. There has been substantial evidence that the pass/fail system works very well and also something called criterion referenced assessment (which is a lot like what I’m talking about here but still with a number assigned). There is also, negotiated marks, where the student and the teacher actually discuss what mark they receive at the end of the term.

Either way, the grade system is obsolete. It may not seem so because many are successful because of it, but those that are, are minorities…

A New Thing For Me

So I'm not making this blog to update anyone on my life or to provide my day to day thoughts. This blog will be intended to discuss the deep dark dirty stuff that apparently is not acceptable at 'the dinner table.'

I will attempt to provide a blog entry about once a week on my thoughts in regards to politics, religion, financial / economic concerns, first nations issues, science and scientific discoveries, experiences with health care and issues in regards to health care...and undeniably issues with the education system. Just for the hell of it I might throw something in about sports, travel and photography if it I am so inclined on that day and have nothing else to talk about.

I hope not that people only read my posts but respond to them in a critical manner so that people can talk about the issues. If we talk about them maybe we can all learn something...the best thing about a blog is that you can say whatever you want...I won't judge you on your view...even if I express that I thoroughly disagree with you. :)