Quote of the Week

The Last Day of Grade 5

What an extraordinary journey we have had together. This day has certainly arrived faster than even I would have predicted. Our final quote for this journey comes from someone we learned about in Social Studies and I hope you will spend some more time discovering in the fUtUre, Mr. Ernest Hemingway.

Week Thirty-Eight

Our penultimate quotes of the week are upon us. Yes, we have more than one this week because all three sum up the feeling that something, Grade 5, is coming to an end. But if you sit still for a second and think about that feeling stirring up inside of you, you will realise that it isn't a feeling that everything is over. If you listen to what that feeling is telling you, it's probably saying something along the lines of, "This is exciting. This is not the end of anything, but rather the beginning of everything after."

Week Thirty-Seven

With our reading of Bridge To Terabithia behind us, we now have time to think about influence and how where we are affects who we are. Jesse describes himself as a weird kid who draws a lot. He then meets Leslie, who somehow magically unlocks his imagination while he influences her to have a bit more empathy with bullies like Janice Avery. Be kind to your friends, you never know how long they will be in your life and always appreciate the interesting ideas and experiences that they bring to your life, even if you don't notice it at first. 

Week Thirty-Six
In the middle of a pandemic, we could take some time to think about some of the bad things that happen in the world because of what we choose to do to others or what others choose to do to us, whether it seems justified or not. These words are given to us by the wife of the United Flight 93 who died unnecessarily like so many others on the 11th of September, 2001.

Week Thirty-Five

With Heroes Week finally upon us, and having taken a look at the presentations that have been submitted, the quote this week is not so much a quote, but rather a suggestion, and it comes from one of my own heroes. (Hint: I am working on the End Of Grade 5 Kahoot so some of the questions involve Heroes Week).

The idea is that in anything you do, start small, spiral out (get better at it and learn to do more - add SKILLS!!!) and everything, even hard work, will be a reward in itself. If you love what you do and follow this idea, you may just go where no-one's been in whatever it is that you do. I will explain more about this hero later TODAY and how much he has changed my life and attitude.  Until then, take what you love doing and spiral out, keep going!

Week Thirty-Four


Though it has been delayed by many weeks thanks to CoVid-19, Heroes Week is almost upon us. Next week we will be working on a few small projects so that you have time to work on your presentations at home. The week after that will be the week that we will learn about who your hero is. Here is a suggestion from a very influential person to help you stay focused. 

Week Thirty-Three

I was pleased to see the interest shown by the students when I spoke to them about one of my all time favourite heroes of the humanist cause, Carl Sagan. Check out the blog post to find out more about this extraordinary primate. 

Week Thirty-Two

Continuing with our Heroes Month theme, and after the conversation we had yesterday about who would not make a good subject for a Heroes Month presentation, here is a quote about the kind of person who would.  Integrity is one of many ways to inspire other people and I hope that this theme becomes clear in the presentation we look at next week. I think you might recognise a few of the people who I look up to so get ready to find out more and start thinking about who your hero is. 

Week Thirty-One

With Internatonal Expo behind us, and Heroes Week approaching, here is a quote by one of the people I look up to a great deal. What he is suggesting here is that you can learn a lot from reading books, but you can learn a lot from learning more about people who are not like you. We are lucky enough to share our day with people from all over the world. I will explain more about this when we talk about some of my heroes. You might remember seeing the photograph of my Grade 5 class when I was your age. I will refer back to this quote when we speak then.

Week Thirty

Thanks to Fee Bee Zee for this. It is easy for us to complain that we are being treated unfairly. This can happen and, despite the comfortable lives that we live. we could still feel excluded. Let's remember to be nice to each other, treat each other fairly, and think about Linda Brown and Rosa Parks and all that they did for INCLUSION before we interact with others negatively. 

Week Twenty-Nine

We're entering into a discussion about topics that make Social Studies my favourite subject to learn and teach. We will soon be meeting this brave young woman when we start talking about the civil rights movement. One of the most valuable lessons that Social Studies can teach us is that history repeats itself. Unfortunately, the words below are still relevant in too many parts of the world almost 60 years later. 

Week Twenty-Eight

With all the adapting that everyone has done this week, it's time to celebrate your success with the words of one of my heroes. Hopefully we will all be in the same room again soon. 

Week Twenty-Seven


It's hard to believe that this is our 27th week of school together, even though we are not in the same room at this moment in time. Here is a quote that I hope you will be able to relate to distance learning. As productive as learning is when we are all in the same room, it is true that we will never be able to teach each other everything that we need to know. However, having worked together to help each other go in search of new knowledge, you have all done a fantastic job of continuing to learn. 

Week Twenty-Six:

We may or may not have created the virus that is currently threatening communities across the planet, but our predecessors did invent the means by which the spread becomes easier than it would have been just two centuries ago. As we learned in our lessons about World War II, sometimes we have to make sacrifices and cancel trips abroad or social gatherings for the sake of the greater good. Let's think about how we can solve this problem as one species working together. Keep washing your hands and staying healthy while educating others. 

Week Twenty-Five:



Thank you to Henry once again for finding this quote. Lois Lowry, as you will know, is the author of the novel that we are reading right now. I hope this gives you a better idea as to why she created Annemarie who has been keeping all of you in suspense for the past week. 

Week Twenty-Four:


We learned about Alexander Graham Bell earlier this year. One thing that inventors know for certain is to never give up. He probably had a very good learning experience that led to the realization that he explains below. 

Week Twenty-Three:

We have had some discussions about the most dangerous animal on earth. Now it is time to start thinking about ecosystems and how all animals are a part of them. 

Week Twenty-Two:

Now that we are working on our theme and you have an idea of what all of the myths that we are dealing with have in common, here is a quote to think about. It is related to Carl Sagan's life's work which will become more clear to you when we discuss the great Dr. Sagan during Heroes Month. 

Week Twenty-One:

We're spreading Literacy Week across two weeks as is usually the case in Robustania. This gives us time to work on our skits and make them as good as possible. Here is one of my favourite quotes about what literacy can do by one of my favourite people.

Week Twenty:

Thanks, Beck-A-R00! This one sums the reality of life up pretty well. 

Week Nineteen:

In less than a week, we will be on holiday again and when we come back, there will only be 2 days of January 2020 left. Time flies, especially when you are having fun. Use the time wisely, and make the most of the experience. 

Week Eighteen:

We started reading Michael Morpurgo's War Horse this week. This quote will make more and more sense the more we read the book. There is a scene coming up in No Man's Land that involves Joey, a German Soldier, a Welsh soldier, and a coin toss. This quote will make the most sense then. 

Thanks, Henry, for lending me the book that contained this quote. 

Week Seventeen:

Henry is a huge fan of baseball and one thing sports tend to produce besides good, entertaining competitions, is competitors who know more than just a little about life. Herewith, a very applicable quote by the great Jackie Robinson who, if you look into it, was so much more than just a baseball player.

Week Sixteen:

Our inspiration for this week comes from Bronte. These are fine words to live by.

Week Fifteen:

Another very fitting contribution from Fee Bee Zee comes our way again this week One of my favourite heroes replaces the word 'Respect' with the word 'Recognition' but both ways of putting it are equally important.

Week Fourteen:

Rachelle has contributed a perfect quote for what we continue to be made aware of in our class. This one speaks for itself. The hard part is reminding ourselves that it is relevant to our own lives and we need to keep aiming for the best we can achieve while seeking improvement along the way.

Week Thirteen:

Willie May warns Rob in The Tiger Rising, that if he doesn't go back to school, he will end up cleaning motel rooms like she does. What she doesn't realize is that there is a huge difference between EDUCATION and schooling. Rob could learn so much more from her than he could from Mr. Phelmar who is just doing his job. Willie May cares about Rob being successful. In some ways, this quote, contributed by Henry. is related to this idea. 

Week Twelve:

Next week's submission is also from Fee Bee Zee who has done really well to find a quote that relates perfectly to the novel that we will start reading next Tuesday. The novel covers many topics including what happens when you don't keep a secret in addition to the theme of Gratefulness that we will cover for the month of November.  Think about this quote as we meet Rob, Sistine, Willie Mae, and all of the other characters next week.

Week Eleven:

Next week's submission is from Fee Bee Zee once again. I think there is no need to explain the meaning but I will take the opportunity to remind you to WRITE AS MUCH IN YOUR JOURNAL AS POSSIBLE so that you will be able to look back at these moments that will soon just be memories unless you forget the details.

Week Ten:

Becky found and shared this week's quote. She has clearly been paying attention in class and has realized that there is no person on the planet who can claim to be perfect or to have never failed. Think about the football matches that I showed you between Barcelona and Liverpool in August of this year. Two of the best teams were both defeated by each other within a week in the UEFA Champions League Semi-Final because even the best teams, playing their best, can still lose. That is exactly what life is all about. As long as you know that you did your best and one defeat is not the end of the world, you can continue to keep trying. 

Week Nine:

This week's contribution is an original by Rady Chin. She has come up with a variation of something that my grandmother used to say but Rady's applies far better to the world we live in right now. In a time when people believe too much of what they read on the internet without checking for facts, Rady suggests this:

"If you don't have something truthful to say, say nothing."

Week Eight:



We have another contribution from Agent Fee Bee Zee. This is a great inspiration for those who feel they have failed and are filled with regret. It is not over until it is over. You cannot control everything, but you can take control of how your story plays out as much as you can if you try.

Week Seven:


Week Seven brings with it a quote suggested by Bronte. It is a very popular quote and a good way to look at life. You will often not achieve what you set out to do, but falling among the stars is a good way to know that even if you didn't reach your goal, you must have learned something valuable along the way. I have no idea who originally said this. Interestingly, Bronte cites Les Brown as the original source of the quote, but if you search on Google, you will find that it is attributed to Norman Vincent Peale and Oscar Wilde too. I wonder which of them, if any, originally said it. Let me know if you find proof of its origins.

Week Six:

Next week's quote was submitted by Phoebe Zee who clearly knows, as Einstein does, that we don't simply know how to do things. Expertise in anything takes time, practice, and dedication. Thanks for this very relevant quote, Phoebe!

Week Five:

This coming week's quote was sent to me by Henry. Both he and I made the mistake of attributing the quote to Albert Einstein, about whom we will be speaking a lot this year. However, upon looking into it, I was reminded that the quote comes from Thomas Alva Edison. We will learn about him in Social Studies later in the year. For now, we need to learn from him. The message we get from the quote below means that to achieve something, you need to put in a really great amount of work.

Week Four:

Week Four Quote One: "Speak only if it improves upon the silence." This quote is attributed to Mohendas Ghandi but was brought to my attention by Mr. Burt who lived by it. He never spoke unnecessarily and when he did speak, it did indeed improve upon the silence.


Week Four Quote Two: "I don't need to be perfect to be successful." This is taken from Isaac Oliver's final speech when he finished Grade 5 just over a year ago. Isaac is right. Nobody is perfect and if you think the only way to be successful is to be perfect, you are going to be very disappointed most of the time.

Week Three:

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." These are the words of Ian McLaren, who is suggesting that everyone has problems or things that they are worried about. We should always be kind because, with all of the things we have to think and worry about in life, we don't need extra concerns that can be caused by people who are not kind.

Week Two: I learned about Jascha Heifetz from a student named Art Chen who is now in Grade 7. He taught us that Mr. Heifetx became one of the greatest violin players of all time because he said this:

"There is no top," and "You never finish practicing." What he meant was that you are never the best and you never stop getting better. It was the key to his success. If he had reached a point where he had thought, "Okay, I am the best, I can't learn anymore," he would probably not have been as good at playing the violin as he was.

Week One: Grade Five is considered the beginning of Middle School in many countries. This is the time to start becoming as independent as you can to ensure that the fUtUre you will be able to deal with a number of problems that need solving. This is as good a place as any to start off our weekly quotes for the year.