BREAKING: sucks to have stuff renamed by white people, doesn’t it?
Jason Himsl (he/him/his)
@jasonhimsl.bsky.social
Education Officer in Ontario’s Ministry of Education where I'm supporting ELL and Secondary English curriculum writing. Passionate advocate for kids and literacy. Any opinions expressed are solely my own.
On a 1987 episode of her variety show Dolly, Dolly Parton was joined by Kermit the Frog for a lovely rendition of Sly and the Family Stone's 1968 hit Everyday People. 💞 [kottke.org]
Dolly Parton and Kermit the Frog Sing Everyday People (1987)
On the fifth episode of her late 80s variety show Dolly, Dolly Parton was joined by Kermit the Frog for a lovely rendition of Sly and the Family Stone’s 1968 hit Everyday People. You can also watch the clip on I
kottke.org
Today I was proud to take part in a panel discussion sharing my story about being the parent of a trans child I love this poem by Jay Hulme. It is about grace & belonging It's about the possibility of being loved exactly as you are & accepting this truth. #poetry #poemoftheday #Pride #LoveIsLove
Annual reminder that ending the school year by asking students to create a project about what is meaningful to them and then share it with classmates is the absolute best way to end the school year. Once again, absolutely inspired walking out of the classroom today. So much hope.
Base-12 and base-60 systems the Babylonians inherited from Sumerians, and kindly wrote it down ~5000 years ago. If you bend one of your hands fingers (exclude the thumb)you have 3 points x 4=12. If you count this 12 as one set for each of the fingers in the other hand, 12 x5=60.
Can we have a moment of your time? ‘Minute’ comes from the Late Latin ‘minuta,’ referring to 1/60 of a unit, such as an hour. ‘Second’ comes from the Medieval Latin ‘secunda,’ short for ‘secunda minuta,’ literally “second minute” (1/60 of a minute).
The 'kin' of ‘napkin’ means "little." ‘Nap’ comes from ‘nape,' which means “tablecloth.” So a napkin is a little tablecloth. 10/10, no notes.
Wake up, kids We got the dreamers disease. ‘Radical’ comes from a Latin word meaning "root." Because roots are the deepest part of a plant, ‘radical’ came to describe things understood as fundamental or essential. ‘Radical change’ was a change at the root of a system.
When FYW students told me it took them 3-5 hours to write a draft of a 750 word piece, I had them track interruptions from their phones and some said they had more than 60 notifications per hour. I let them draw their own conclusions on what to do after these observations. Only some chose silencing.
Tressie McMillan Cottom@tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 8mo agoI haven’t had notifications on my phone in a decade. A list of exactly five people can break through my DND if they call twice. This freaks 1) millennials 2) Gen Z 3) students out to no end. I don’t know how we ever thought this was okay but then again I’m old.
The Shape of Paris, a balletic short film of skateboarder Andy Anderson zooming, grinding, spinning, and floating around Paris in the summertime. "This is the cleanest footage I've ever seen. The cinematography and color grading is insane." [kottke.org]
The Shape of Paris
The Shape of Paris is a balletic short film of skateboarder Andy Anderson zooming, grinding, spinning, and floating around Paris in the summertime. It is also beautifully shot by Brett Novak; Paris has never looked bette
kottke.org
Sneak preview of the paperback version of More Than Words, including some updated chapters and additional discussion material. Coming October.
That's a wrap on #FTRW26! Thank you to all the partners - Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Urban Libraries Council, and the Book and Periodical Council - who came together to celebrate our #FreedomToRead.
Just finished the consistently excellent #BecauseInternet. While I don't have access to a lamb, I'll name the first lingcod I encounter after @gretchenmcculloch.com to celebrate a book I enjoyed and learned a lot from. I really loved her view of the internet and its power to democratize language.
Gretchen McCulloch@gretchenmcculloch.com · 8mo agoYou know, I always hoped that one day I'd be considered outstanding in my field ......I just didn't necessarily expect it to be quite this literally ask.metafilter.com/389037/Name-...
This Painting is a Mirror Christi Belcourt ~ Métis 2012
I'm most of the way through @gretchenmcculloch.com's #BecauseInternet and am *thoroughly* enjoying it. I keep coming back to her intro, though, and would love for the English teachers out there to spend some time sitting with the ideas here.
The world feels quite precarious right now—and sometimes we forget what it feels like to pursue happiness. @alv9n.com digs into a study that asked more than 10,000 people to share their joy. From personal growth to friends and family, here’s our happiness mapped. pudding.cool/2026/02/happ...
📢 #FTRW26 has officially begun! This week, we're sharing events and activities across Canada to celebrate the #FreedomToRead. Follow the hashtag or visit freedomtoread.ca to find events near you.
I'm happy to share that I'll once again be slipping into the role of student in my old stomping grounds. I'm looking forward to all of the new learning that will come my way.
When high school English teacher @thevogelman.bsky.social made space for open dialogue about AI, students responded with curiosity, candor, and insights that helped to shape the classroom culture. 💬 #EduSky
AI Transparency Surveys: A Tool for Navigating Student Choices Together
A high school English teacher wondered: What happens when students can openly discuss AI boundaries, then reflect on their own use through a simple survey?
edutopia.org
Where Is A.I. Taking Us? Eight Leading Thinkers Share Their Visions. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
In English, adjectives seem to follow a specific order: opinion - size - age - shape - color - origin - material - purpose - noun We’re steeped in the pattern from birth, and apply it effortlessly.
Ok, which one sounds better? A) It’s an old little amazing house. B) It’s an amazing little old house. B, right? Which of these? 1) She was wearing a huge green raincoat. 2) She was wearing a green huge raincoat. You chose 1, didn't you? WHY??
I am honoured to announce I’ve been appointed as a member to the Order of Canada. Thank you to everyone for the support! I dedicate this to my late Mom who taught me so much about history, local independent media & research. I know that she would be, like me, screaming with joy! #orderofcanada
The 'kin' of ‘napkin’ means "little." ‘Nap’ comes from ‘nape,' which means “tablecloth.” So a napkin is a little tablecloth. 10/10, no notes.
Reflecting on the incredible work of the #TDSB Middle Years Digital Storytelling initiative with Apple. From drawing and video creation to interactive digital storytelling, teachers are discovering powerful ways to help students communicate their ideas with authenticity, creativity, and confidence.
And I'll add that one of the reasons why students may not value the experience of writing is because much of the writing they're asked to do in school does not require thinking. In fact, they're given lots of methods (templates, et al) that actively discourage thinking.
