THE BIG C' S!

Dear Friends,
In case you had better things to do last night than watch the Agenda with Steve Paikin, from Peterborough, Ontario, I picked up the buzz word in education for you — Technology! Technology! Technology! 
Given my recent public rejection of technology in my classroom (Time Machine, February 27), I was eager to hear Michael Fullan's side!  Although he himself looked very familiar, his name remained a mystery to me until I googled him! Bravo Technology! 
According to Michael Fullan, the expert in the field of education, schools in Ontario are in much worse shape than we think! Although one or two speakers did point the finger at the boards of education and administrators, the spotlight remained on teachers! Once again, discarding socio-economy, bureaucracy, parenting, and the make-up of students themselves, teachers eclipsed the politicians and won the title of most invaluable players! 
What amazed me most was that a solemn-looking man, with the most passionless, uninspiring tone of voice and choice of words, a good many years my senior, claims to have the key to success. 
I always thought, "avant-gardish," often illogical and impractical, ideas came from the "me" generation. But then, a pompous grade twelve student also confessed that high school has failed to make a critical thinker out of him, although he was knowledgeable and well-spoken. He must be blessed with good genes!
Apparently, the era of "Sage on Stage" as someone put it, is over! 
Fullan's six C's, Character Education, Citizenship, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking/Problem Solving and Creativity and Imagination, are not novel ideas. I would like to add a seventh C - Curiosity to his "original" list! All of the above, regularly practised in daily lives of younger students, has little to do with technology and a lot with common sense and opportunity.  
While we are on the subject of "technology," perhaps someone can invent a snow/ice-melting/sucking machine, so we can let youngsters go outside and run around, instead of keeping them indoors for days, in fear of bloody noses and broken limbs! 
Here are the real six C's in teaching; Common Cold, Cough, Chest pain, Colitis, Cholesterol and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome! Accepted and filed! What have you accepted and filed, today?