News
Universal Children’s Day
"Children's rights are not special rights, but rather the fundamental rights inherent to the human dignity of all people." — UNICEF Universal Children’s Day, also known as World Children’s Day, takes place on November 20th. This was the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. On the same day in 1989, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the most universally accepted human rights treaty in history. It is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. The CRC helped change the way children are viewed and treated. Children are no longer viewed as the property of their parents. They are…
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A Curious Mind
How educators and parents can encourage and guide children's natural curiosity — in the classroom and at home. According to cognitive scientist and researcher Elizabeth Bonawitz, curiosity is innate in all humans — a sensation much like hunger or thirst. “Curiosity acts as a kind of filter you put over the world to help the mind decide what information to attend to,” she says. “It’s a physiological response that helps drive action and decision-making to support learning.” To help educators and parents better understand how to motivate that innate curiosity in children, Bonawitz offers three insights from emerging research that might shift the existing paradigm. There’s no scientific evidence that you can “foster” curiosity as a trait — but you can create situations that prompt and guide a child’s curiosity. “I want to revise the thinking that someone can be a ‘more…
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14 June is World Blood Donor Day
‘’Donate blood and be a hero of someone’s life’’ Every year countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). The event serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood. A blood service that gives patients access to safe blood and blood products in sufficient quantity is a key component of an effective health system. The global theme of World Blood Donor Day changes each year in recognition of the selfless individuals who donate their blood for people unknown to them. Transfusion of blood and blood products helps save millions of lives every year. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with higher quality of life and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has…
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International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
‘’Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation’’ Nelson Mandela Stop attacks on children! It is a…
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World Book and Copyright Day
23 April is a symbolic date for world literature according to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. World Book and Copyright Day was established in 1995 by UNESCO to encourage everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. With this in mind, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day. World Book and Copyright Day seeks to raise awareness about the benefits of reading books. This day…
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World Autism Awareness Day
"People with autism may not be able to speak or respond to their name, but they can still hear your words and feel your kindness." They need to be accepted, understood and needed because autism is not a disability, it is another skill. -Stuart Duncan World Autism Awareness Day is from the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, more so if an attempt to establish a fund of discrimination against people with autism. This day is marked on April 2 and aims to undertake the enterprise by regulating the autism spectrum and the use of their autistic life. It is estimated that 1% of the global population is autistic. Many parents and teachers have questions about autism and education. Creating an environment that is conducive for learning should be approached on an individual basis but many standard instruction techniques…
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International Holocaust Remembrance Day – “We Remember”
"We remember together with the nation of Israel!" On January 27, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2005 commemorates Holocaust’s victims. This date marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945. The word 'holocaust ' comes from the Ancient Greek language and it means sacrifice. Before World War II, the term used to describe the death of a large group of people. Since 1945 it has become synonymous with the systematic persecution of European Jews and the murder of 6 million of them during World War II, by the Nazis and their allies, from 1933 to 1945. The Jews refer to this unprecedented event with the word ‘Shoah’ which means catastrophe. Albanians’ role against Jews’ persecution during World War II…
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What the Pandemic Means for Summer Learning-And How Policymakers Can Help
This is a challenging and uncertain time for everyone. Schools are beginning to adapt to the realities of the current crisis brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic, but what about summer learning programs? Summer programs have always played an important role in supporting students who fall behind academically, but with so many young people across the country losing vital learning time, they may be important than ever. Yet organizers of summer programs face a host of unknowns, including whether they will be able to serve students at all in the coming months and, if so, how. Catherine-Augustine.jpgOne thing that doesn’t have to be an unknown is the way government policies—federal, state, city and school district—both help and limit summer learning efforts. Getting Support for Summer Learning, a new report from the RAND Corporation, offers information and advice to aid…
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50 years Earth Day
April 22, World Earth Day is here again, to remind us that we have responsibilities that go beyond our home. It is a special day to express our gratitude to Planet Earth and support all forms of life. The very first event for Earth Day, which was held on April 22 1970, in America five decades ago following a devastating oil spill, is credited as the beginning of the modern environmental movement. It was founded by former US senator Gaylord Nelson after he saw the enormous 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. To mark the landmark occasion, a staggering 20 million people took part in rallies across the US. In 1990, the event went global, with 200 million people in 141 countries celebrating it, according to the Earth Day Network. More than two decades on, at least 192 countries…
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1st April – “Reading is Funny” Day
"There are two reasons to read a book: one, enjoy reading and the other, you can brag about it." Bertrand Russell If you have ever tried and failed at getting your child to put down the video games and pick up a book, this might be the day for you! Reading is Funny Day aims to show children that reading can be just as fun as more modern entertainment, whether it be with jokes, riddles or funny stories. Take the opportunity on this day to show your children how fun reading can be. Download riddles from the internet to get your children engaged, go to the local library to check out a few funny books or even spend the day making up funny stories of your own! Setting this day aside to concentrate on having fun reading can be…
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International Day of Happiness – March 20
"It's not what you have, who you are, where you are, or what you do that makes you happy or not. It's what you think." Dale Carnegie International Happiness Day is celebrated around the world every year on March 20. It was originally founded in 2006 by Jayme Illien, CEO of the United Nations project, an organization that has hailed happiness as a fundamental goal to be pursued by all people. Being happy requires the fulfillment of many aspects of daily life. One of these is education. A child or pedagogical staff spends about 7 hours a day in school. So we can say that the impact is relatively high. When some of us think back to our school days, a smile immediately spreads across our face as we remember friendships, funny teachers and fun lessons. For others, the memory…
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Ego Is the Enemy of Good Leadership
by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter, Harvard Business Review On his first day as CEO of the Carlsberg Group, a global brewery and beverage company, Cees ‘t Hart was given a key card by his assistant. The card locked out all the other floors for the elevator so that he could go directly to his corner office on the 20th floor. And with its picture windows, his office offered a stunning view of Copenhagen. These were the perks of his new position, ones that spoke to his power and importance within the company. Cees spent the next two months acclimating to his new responsibilities. But during those two months, he noticed that he saw very few people throughout the day. Since the elevator didn’t stop at other floors and only a select group of executives worked on the 20th…