The Suburban Magazine- June 15, 2012

Who have you inspired recently?

Inspiration: to produce a feeling or thought to inspire confidence in others.

  

I once asked a very wise woman if she thought that I would be successful in the helping profession, even though I carried a lot of personal baggage.  It was something that I was always worried about: how my self-esteem issues would affect my ability to help others.  What this very wise woman told me was surprising: “Of course!  I don’t know anyone that enters the helping profession that has not overcome challenges.”  I consistently need this type of positive reinforcement and feedback to be assured that I am doing the right things and not sabotaging my own success.  And even when the feedback IS positive, I have a hard time believing that someone could have that type of encouraging response about me: have I really succeeded and have people really begun to regard me as valuable?  I consistently have difficulty believing what I am hearing and seeing.  That is why I became even more stunned when the very wise woman told me that she had read some of my blogs and that nobody would ever be able to tell that I carry this type of baggage with me.  And this got me thinking: Why do people do things?  What is their motivation?  What do they get out of it?  And what does it take to give?  

What’s interesting is that a lot of people who give do not even realize what they are doing.  At Inspirations Newspaper, for example, Mike Cohen, Wendy Singer and Yibing Shen may only be beginning to see how important and life changing their work is.  Inspirations Newspaper, sponsored by the English Montreal School Board, is distributed twice per year and provides readers with a snapshot of Montreal’s special needs community.  The newspaper’s name is fitting, as it itself details stories of inspiration, hope and success.  But the people who are responsible for sharing these incredible heart-warming stories are equally as special and inspirational.  

After including special needs angles in a travel column that he was writing for Exceptional Family, a magazine sponsored by the Miriam Home, Mike Cohen felt as though he was providing a specialized service to families.  It was this feeling that motivated him to approach the Director of Student Services at the English Montreal School Board, Lew Lewis, to propose the development of a publication addressing the local special needs community in Montreal.  Known as a go-getter who makes things happen, Cohen convinced the EMSB to sponsor and provide funding for the publication now known as Inspirations Newspaper.  Starting as a 12 page version with a few ads, it has filled a void in Montreal’s special needs community.  With the addition of Wendy Singer, Coordinator of Operations, and Yibing Shen, Layout and Design, along with various other contributors, the publication has grown rapidly and has received extremely positive feedback and praise.  

What makes Inspirations Newspaper truly unique is that the people who are responsible for the publication are inspirations themselves.  Since developing a relationship with Inspirations Newspaper over the past few months, I have gained a confidence that I never thought possible and reached new personal achievements that I never felt worthy of; I actually feel valuable.  And to think it all started with a short Facebook message from Wendy: “Hello Robin, Welcome to the Inspirations Facebook page! I remember reading your blog about The Big Blue Hug and thought it was wonderful.”  This produced a feeling and thought that inspired confidence in me, thus proving what the true definition of inspiration is really about.  

To find out more about Inspirations Newspaper and view their latest publication please visit: www.inspirationsnews.com or  www.facebook.com/inspirationsnews . 

Saving Education in Quebec

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!  Post secondary students in Quebec are on strike and are protesting against a 75 percent increase in tuition!  Stay tuned to find out what will happen next in this saga between the government and its student population— actually, you can now find out more from your choice of the following sources: city news, provincial news, national news and international news.  

That’s right folks: Quebec is making quite a name for itself internationally!  But isn’t it time that we begin making a positive name for ourselves around the world? Shouldn’t Quebec begin to act as a positive trendsetter in the realm of education instead of smearing its dirty political business all over international headlines?  Well here is my little secret: I have a plan that could save our education system and turn our province’s image around!   

Here is my proposal: 

If the government does not back down on raising tuition fees, university students should accept the increase of $325 per year over the next five years (totaling $1625), on the condition that the Quebec government agrees to increase its contribution to elementary and high school funding for each student by $325 per year for five years.  Then, after the five years, both the students and the government’s contributions will increase based on the cost of living.  I, for one, think that this plan is genius!  If the government will not let up, at least hold them responsible for their spending!  Not only would the government get its way, but it would also directly be responsible for improving the quality of education in Quebec.  Imagine a government whose legacy was an improved education system?  What a dream. 

Here is a Technicolor version of my dream: I envision a society where elementary and high schools have all of the resources that they need.  This includes textbooks in all official languages, adequate supplies and proper technology.  These schools would also have teachers that were dedicated and passionate about their jobs and who were being paid for their value and worth (since the cost of education in Quebec would now be almost at par with the rest of Canada, so would teacher salaries).  There would be small class sizes, where students would thrive in safe, positive environments; they would learn based on their learning styles and receive individualized attention.  Also, all students with special needs, learning disabilities and behavioral problems would have the necessary resources allotted to them, for as long as they would need.  Additionally, there would be a full-time guidance counselor, social worker and nurse at every school, as well as the implementation of effective social skills programming.  Children would learn the skills they need in order to achieve success, thus decreasing the incidences of bullying and violence.  These programs would also help increase the building of personal relationships, which would in turn increase levels of self-esteem and motivation.  The end result: happier, better educated high school graduates.  

I imagine a Quebec society where the school system is superior to the rest of the world.  This society would be a place where being ‘at par’ with everyone else would just not be good enough. So, who’s ready to make a deal?  I sure am.