City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

This was a quick read I found at the library as I was checking in books. At first I thought it was a YA novel, but I discovered shortly after that is was actually a middle school novel. I never would have guessed, because it was well written, had great pacing, and well developed characters. I can't wait to read the next in the Cassidy Blake series!

Cassidy is pretty young; I think she's about 12 in this novel. She has a gift: she can see the dead. Not only that, but she can cross over into the "Veil" and see all of the restless spirits, and how they are each in their own little time bubble, trapped between life and death. Her sidekick, Jacob, is a young boy who saved her from drowning--and yes, he's a ghost. After her accident, she's got this crazy gift. And to add to the story, her parents are famous authors of ghostly tales. She doesn't dare tell her parents what she's capable of now, a year after her near fatal accident. 

Expecting to go on the family's usual summer beach vacation, she's disappointed to find out her parents have agreed to film their own tv program on ghostly haunts around the world. No beach vacation this year. First stop: Edinburgh, Scotland--reported to be one of the most haunted places around. She's reluctant to go, but doesn't really have a choice. 

Once in Edinburgh, Cassidy feels the tug of the Veil and the tap tap tapping of spirits everywhere she goes. A visit to Greyfriars cemetery exposes Cassidy and Jacob to an evil spirit that will stop at nothing to cross the Veil...

I throughly enjoyed this book--it's absolutely something I would have gobbled up as a kid. It's the kind of book I always wanted to write. I've visited Edinburgh, and I can say it has a very special feel to it. I've gone underground, visited Edinburgh Castle, and yes, if you stand still and be quiet, you can feel the vibrations of the past. I hope to go back someday. 

I'd recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good ghost read. It doesn't matter that this is a middle school novel. It never felt like one, and the story moved along well. Plenty of room for more adventures for Cassidy and Jacob. If you have any young kids in your life who love to read paranormal novels, this would make a great Christmas gift! I'm going to look at Victoria Schwab's other novels. If you're interested, check out her Goodreads page: Victoria Schwab.  

Rating:  4/6 for an unexpectedly good ghosty read. First in a series. Suitable for young readers and everyone who likes paranormal reads. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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PMP:130 Five Lessons in Resilience – Reflections from Unbroken

Several years ago, Oklahoma received one of the worst blizzards I had ever seen in a state that sometimes has no snow fall during winter. As our community was plunged into a blanket of white with drifts of 3-4 feet deep, roads were impassable, and schools were closed. With days of wintery weather, I finally […]

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Admiral in Strathcona

The Admiral in Strathcona by CH (East Georgia) Limited Partnership is a new four-storey, mixed used development located in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kiwassa East. Designed with families in mind, this project includes 30 strata townhomes, 7 social housing units, 16,145 SQFT of commercial space and over 6,000 SQFT of amenity space. The Admiral aims to address Vancouver need for housing diversity, while being retaining industrial space for local employment opportunities. This project offers stellar location, located at Glen Drive and East Georgia street, just steps away from schools, parks, restaurants, and East Van craft breweries.

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Cambridge Estates Fort St. John

Cambridge Estates by Western Canadian Properties Group is a brand new subdivision offering 95 townhouses and 7 coach homes in Fort St. John’s premier neighbourhood of Garrison Landing. These homes include contemporary living spaces and fenced yards with complete turn-key rental management options. This project offers easy access to downtown with less than a five minute drive to entertainment, shopping, schools, and hospitals. Experience contemporary living while being steps away from the great outdoors.

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Stepping Forward and Stepping Back

In the book, “A New Culture of Learning,” by Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown (highly recommend this book), they state the following:

For most of the twentieth century our educational system has been built on the assumption that teaching is necessary for learning to occur. Accordingly, education has been seen as a process of transferring information from a higher authority (the teacher) down to the student. This model, however, just can’t keep up with the rapid rate of change in the twenty-first century. It’s time to shift our thinking from the old model of teaching to a new model of learning.

In my workshops, I do everything I can to tailor the content to the questions of the participants, not the aspirations of myself.  This creates an environment that can be unpredictable for me but hopefully, leads to deeper learning for the participants. I jokingly say that “if this is boring it is your fault because it is based on what you want to know.”  The learner drives the learning.

There are times I show some use of technology.  I was once guilty of going at a snail’s pace to do my best to people understood the step-by-step directions of any given software or website.  The problem with that approach is for the majority of participants, I am going too slow, while a large portion of the group it seems to be too fast, while some don’t care.  It would also have people check out mentally from the session because no matter what technology I would show, many would think “Why?” which is a legitimate question. Tapping into my inner Simon Sinek, if people don’t understand “why” the “how” and “what” doesn’t matter.

Now, I zip through things for a few reasons:

1. To show how quickly things can be done.
2. To show “value” to participants.
3. To put participants in a situation where they know they will have to figure things out on their own.

The first two often make sense to people but many struggle with the third.

If I go through every step, people learn dependency.  But what happens when the “teacher” is gone? People that are determined will find a way so if you can show value in both the process and product of learning.

All of this doesn’t mean a teacher shouldn’t focus on delivering content or walking through a process with their students.  It is more about finding those times where we free our students to figure things out on their own.  A challenge of teaching in our world today is knowing when NOT to help understanding that this will lead to something much more powerful in the future.

From “The Innovator’s Mindset“:

As educators, we sometimes need to deliver content and transfer skills, but other times, we need to inspire our students to figure out their own way.  Sometimes we step forward, and sometimes we step back, but both steps are part of the artistry of a great teacher.

• October 18, 2012 Let’s Figure This Out
• July 17, 2018 3 Thoughts on Innovation in Education Heading into the New School Year
• April 18, 2018 Wonder, Explore, Lead
• May 10, 2018 Don’t add. Make better.
• August 2, 2018 The Most Important Element to Innovation in Education

Source: George Couros

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Orono Place in Langford

Orono Place by Western Canadian Properties Group is a new condo development located in BC’s fastest-growing municipality, Langford. Western Canadian Properties Group IX Limited Partnership is proud to offer investors an opportunity to invest in a cash-flowing property in one of Canada’s hottest real estate markets. The Partnership will acquire and own Orono I, a 45-unit apartment building located in Langford, British Columbia, which is 14 km west of Victoria, British Columbia.

Learn more about Orono Place and Langford.

 

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Stepping Forward and Stepping Back

In the book, “A New Culture of Learning,” by Doug Thomas and John Seely Brown (highly recommend this book), they state the following:

For most of the twentieth century our educational system has been built on the assumption that teaching is necessary for learning to occur. Accordingly, education has been seen as a process of transferring information from a higher authority (the teacher) down to the student. This model, however, just can’t keep up with the rapid rate of change in the twenty-first century. It’s time to shift our thinking from the old model of teaching to a new model of learning.

In my workshops, I do everything I can to tailor the content to the questions of the participants, not the aspirations of myself.  This creates an environment that can be unpredictable for me but hopefully, leads to deeper learning for the participants. I jokingly say that “if this is boring it is your fault because it is based on what you want to know.”  The learner drives the learning.

There are times I show some use of technology.  I was once guilty of going at a snail’s pace to do my best to people understood the step-by-step directions of any given software or website.  The problem with that approach is for the majority of participants, I am going too slow, while a large portion of the group it seems to be too fast, while some don’t care.  It would also have people check out mentally from the session because no matter what technology I would show, many would think “Why?” which is a legitimate question. Tapping into my inner Simon Sinek, if people don’t understand “why” the “how” and “what” doesn’t matter.

Now, I zip through things for a few reasons:

1. To show how quickly things can be done.
2. To show “value” to participants.
3. To put participants in a situation where they know they will have to figure things out on their own.

The first two often make sense to people but many struggle with the third.

If I go through every step, people learn dependency.  But what happens when the “teacher” is gone? People that are determined will find a way so if you can show value in both the process and product of learning.

All of this doesn’t mean a teacher shouldn’t focus on delivering content or walking through a process with their students.  It is more about finding those times where we free our students to figure things out on their own.  A challenge of teaching in our world today is knowing when NOT to help understanding that this will lead to something much more powerful in the future.

From “The Innovator’s Mindset“:

As educators, we sometimes need to deliver content and transfer skills, but other times, we need to inspire our students to figure out their own way.  Sometimes we step forward, and sometimes we step back, but both steps are part of the artistry of a great teacher.

• October 18, 2012 Let’s Figure This Out
• July 17, 2018 3 Thoughts on Innovation in Education Heading into the New School Year
• April 18, 2018 Wonder, Explore, Lead
• May 10, 2018 Don’t add. Make better.
• August 2, 2018 The Most Important Element to Innovation in Education

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