My March column, Do Smartphones Have a Place in Schools? generated a diverse range of opinions, notably from parents concerned that their child’s excessive smartphone usage is significantly reducing their one-on-one social interactions at a time in their life when they should be developing social skills that’ll play an essential determining factor in their child’s future success. Based on my… Read More »
Many job seekers spend their time and energy focusing on job searching factors beyond their control, namely how an employer designed their hiring process. Regular readers of this column know I stress the truism that employers own their hiring process, not the job seeker. Hence, rather than criticizing an employer’s hiring process, job seekers should work with it.… Read More »
“Zen” is derived from the word “Chan,” which comes from the Sanskrit term “dhayana,” meaning “meditation.” In Zen practice, zazen or meditation plays a central role that allows a practitioner to experience the so called “ultimate reality or the absolute.” It is a practice that encourages deep meditation and understanding of reality beyond conceptual thinking. Zen had a… Read More »
Whoah! There is such a thing as conscience after all. Or is there? The website of the United Nations, under the U.N. event “International Day of Conscience April 5” contains these timely thought-provoking words… “The task of the United Nations to save future generations from the scourge of war requires transformation towards a culture of peace, which consists… Read More »
American professor, author, and podcast host Brené Brown once said, “Empathy fuels connection.” Empathizing with someone, especially with their concerns, is how you build strong relationships. Interacting empathically with employers is a competitive advantage since few job seekers do so. All hiring managers have concerns. The times you weren’t hired were likely because of a concern(s) your interviewer… Read More »
Physical goods or services are commodities. All commodities exist to solve a problem. For example, apples—a raw agricultural commodity—are a solution to solving your hunger. As a job seeker, you’re offering employers a commodity, your labour power, in exchange for a wage. In other words, at the risk of offending sensibilities, you’re seeking to serve as a commodity to… Read More »
I cannot but think of the gloriously outspoken and eminently articulate Clare Daly on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) last March 8. (It is actually not just a day but a worldwide movement highlighted with events and activities during the month of March.). In the United Nation’s website, it says — “Officially recognized by the United… Read More »
Schools aren’t the safe haven we’d like them to be. Students have access to many unhealthy options within its walls, such as junk food and drugs. The Toronto District School Board’s latest attempt at limiting students’ ability to cause self-harm is the creation of a new policy that would restrict students’ use of smartphones while in class, undoing… Read More »
Education is a path to opportunity. It develops human talents and interests, as well as being a vehicle for equity and greater social inclusion. Access to quality education is not a privilege, but a human right. However, not everyone has this right, especially among the many people and children living around the dumps of Payatas and Smokey Mountain… Read More »
It may still be cold but spring is just around the corner. This year, 2024, spring will officially start on March 19. I always thought it was always the 21st of March. Apparently, it shifts or is movable. Not a moment too soon, I say. Although, we have had a relatively mild (but erratic) winter, having more of… Read More »