In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. We're all probably familiar with the power of storytelling to capture our attention, transport us to faraway places, conjure up exciting worlds for us

May 19, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. A few days ago, a post regarding with the catchy title, “Forget Python, Study Plato” appeared on my various social media feeds. It invol

May 11, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. On April 30, I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the Nbisiing Indigenous Cultural Competency training at the Native Can

May 1, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Last week, I attended two very different talks, back-to-back. One was on the stark workplace implications of an aging population around

April 22, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. I finally found some time this morning to watch a BBC interview between journalist Katty Kay and author and Harvard professor Arthur B

March 13, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Over the years, I have seen a range of higher education strategic planning frameworks and guidance. These often speak to many of the c

Mar 6, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Earlier this week, I travelled to speak on a career panel for students in sociology and anthropology in a subterranean basement classro

Feb 13, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. It’s been an intense week with a range of stories of higher education in Canada. It’s made me think about the whole adage of journalis

February 6, 2026 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Canadian Prime Minister Carney described Canada as one of the most educated countries in the world. Yet, I have mixed feelings about

An Educator’s Purpose in 2026 Jan 31 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. As January draws to a close, I am taking a moment of what has long been my busiest period of postsecondary teac

An Educator’s Purpose in 2026 Jan 23 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Over the last ten days, in two different virtual conversations with people that I have never met before, the to

An Educator’s Purpose in 2026 Jan 13 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. I was reminded of the saying, “As Goes California So Goes the Nation” while reading Ronald Purser’s scathing e

An Educator’s Purpose in 2026 Jan 6 In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media. Over the holidays, I read David Weitzner’s Think Like a Human: The Power of Your Mind in Age of AI (2025 ).

Idea 37 for 2025 Last week, I wrote an article on why Gen Z were reporting higher levels of burnout and what to do about it in the Conversation . I have been astonished by the responses. Sure, there’s the fact that there’s been over 56000 reads, which is 10x more than my previous piece in the Conversation! I also received far more comments than I expected, on the site and in my inbox. Some of these shared detailed personal experiences with burnout and the stark realitie

Idea 36 for 2025 The World Economic Forum has released its first report as part of a series of five key “New Economy Skills” that include "human-centric" skills, along with AI, data and digital skills, green and sustainability skills, trade and vocational skills, and business skills. I am looking forward to spending more time with this report; I am really curious to delve further into the regional strengths and gaps from different parts of the world related to human-centric s

Idea 34 for 2025 I recently published an article, Gen Z is burning out at work more than any other generation — here’s why and what can be done . As a member of Generation X and a seasoned educator of younger people, I well aware of the rise of mental health concerns, such an anxiety and stress, that seems widespread among Millennials and Generation Z. Indeed, my educator colleagues and I are constantly responding to the impacts of these mental health challenges in the classr

Idea 33 for 2025 A few weeks ago, I participated in a panel on moving from Potential to Performance for learning and development practitioners. One of the panelists spoke about the power of improv to build dialogue, empathy and relational engagement with team members. Improv is not new to me, but I haven't 'done' improv in 20 years or so. Yet, two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a professional development event held by NAAAP-Toronto. It's a network that I had recen

I wanted to discuss a new white paper written by British tech philosopher Dr. Tom Chatfield. It examines how AI can support educators and students. This technology has the potential to deepen the process of higher learning in various ways. As a postsecondary educator, I found Chatfield’s exploration of cognitive, instrumental, and social dimensions of learning particularly interesting. He navigates research and strategies to design and implement assessments through the appli

Idea 31 for 2025: Rethinking Higher Education in the Age of AI A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast recorded in September about the future of higher education and the rapid rise of generative AI. This insightful discussion was part of The Globe & Mail's Machines Like Us podcast series, moderated by Taylor Owen. The podcast featured Conor Grennan, the chief AI architect at NYU’s Stern School of Business, and Niall Ferguson, a senior fellow at Stanford and Harvard, who co-f

Idea 30 for 2025 As a writer and creator, I am a member of Access Copyright and joined dozens to attend an online webinar a few weeks ago featuring the lawyer Erin Finlay, Partner, Stohn Hay Cafazzo, LLP. Finlay, perhaps in true lawyerly fashion, presented her comments as information and not legal advice and stressed that they were accurate as of the day of the presentation, October 1, 2025. After the session we were presented a webinar summary in pdf format, and I have, with