Lets be great.Greatness isnt saying it cannot be done, or it shouldnt be done, nor its impossible to be done.Greatness is lets see how it can be done.Greatness is saying, Id rather see our children learning music and enjoying sports, than doing without, thanks to license fees.Greatness is you.Just as in days gone by..years ago...no farmer/settler/native fisher would ever sit by and say oh..you said this so I cannot do that.They did /THAT/. Step up to the plate, be a leader, put your influence in any way it may be..to help the kids...with no fees to software.Think of it...the amount payed for those fees, would buy new up to date computers in every classroom.Listen to the voices in your area.....share and share alike.

And as one of the few full-timers out here sitting on a broadband pipe, if anyone wants to take Bub's words to heart and even just try a copy of OpenOffice.org's kit (word processor, spreadsheet, database, presenter, illustration kit ...) for Windows or even for Linux or Mac, let me know, I have the disks here and it's free software so there's nothing at all illegal about my burning an extra copy for you. Same deal goes for anyone after  any of about half a dozen different Linux kits, whether that's workhorse RedHat, the user-friendly Mandrake 10.1 (Official just released today!) or one of the no-install LiveCD kits like Morphius or Knoppix; what I don't have, I can probably pull of the net for you for about the cost of a beer ...

Tell you what..take up Gary on his offer..and everyone who does..he will keep track..and I will buy the beer.Now..whats stopping you?

I notice with some glee that the Number One Rule is (hey billy, listen up) anti-Flash, and I'd exempt the search rule since Google does it so much better, but at the least very bottom line of it, having made the Blogdexings, I can see word is finally g

Laurie R.P.N  I agree education is very important

 and no hidden agenda

 ,Ggood point Bub things do have to change

and it starts in our community, we need to get

involved and start caring for our neighbours

,our children!

300 plus children go to Amabel sauble school

 with my son and there are many excellent

 teachers like Mrs. Stewart. The teachers can't do

 it alone. My son goes to cubs at  Zion church

every tues night and guess what only 6 kids attend

. thats disgracefull.! Children learn so much from

 cubs.guieds,scouts. We car pool children,

 Hockey has a conflict with that night and even

 the cub master would change it  if there was

 enough support.

It is ecanomical the children learn  morals

 values skills that last a life time.  nobody cares.

I went to Wiarton Willie pancake breakfast with

 my family. How many local people took up the

challenge to show their children community spirit,

 community values . only a handfull. nobody cares

. Have a nice day laurie

Good point Laurie.Parents come into the equation of education as well, and education does not end at school. While we are all tired after a day of work, its in our best interests as parents, and in the interests of the kids, to get them involved in activities as you mentioned. I'd add further to the list, Tai Chi, Karate, even night school or summer school computer labs. I know that there is a lack of older teenage things to do, and all of us were teens and there is nothing new under the bridge about this, but we still must be there and know what they are doing, guide along the way if you will.

I have heard nothing but good things about the teachers at Amabel, now..Gary left this fun link once..

"http://canada.ratemyteachers.com/"
Its sad to hear about lack of the wiarton willie involvement, I was a bit shocked when I watched CBC news and the headlines were all about the American Phil, a little blurb on the east coast rodent, and a flashing glimpse of our Willie..and even then I swear the pic was from last year.

uhmm.. Ahem...to the little fella/gal that posted Mr. Holgate as the best teacher and should run for President.....mmmm maybe a little refresher course on Canada??? :)

Is there still a fund for helping out the young ones to make sure they have a full stomach before school??If so..someone please post about it.

It's because, as educators, they are SUPPOSED to be smart, and so it stands to reason they would make smart demands from their IT vendor of choice ...

"HP listened to our needs and now is delivering a product designed by education for education."

It may sound odd for HP to take its first step into Linux by way of education, but there is money to be made in the education vertical. Lenovo Director of Software Strategy Debra Kobs-Fortner said, for example, that Lenovo had seen its best business so far for its Linux-powered ThinkPads in the American education market.
[ HP releases its first Linux-powered laptop ]

Mind you, not everyone is so sharp: Nicholas Negroponte accused free software advocates of being "open source fundamentalists" and said open source software "hampered usability" and "scared developers", and thus ordered the OLPC XO to downgrade back to Windows; Richard Stallman still hopes old Nick might yet see the light and turn his turn-around around before he blunders it asunder:

Those who have supported the OLPC project with their effort or their money may well feel betrayed. However, those concerns are dwarfed by what is at stake here: whether the XO is an influence for freedom or an influence for subjection.
[ Can we rescue OLPC from Windows? ]