Recently I had the opportunity to attend the 50th anniversary of my grammar school — Sir Wilfrid Laurier Public School.
It wasn't a reunion per se but more of an invitation to come visit the school, celebrate its 50 years in the community, and spend three hours getting lost in the memories of my childhood.
I visited my grade one classroom, saw the office where I got the strap (for throwing snowballs up in the air and letting them land on my head no less), and looked out over a lonely baseball diamond where we played ball at lunch — all against the backdrop of how students are being taught today compared to the fuzzy memories of my past.
In my old grade six classroom I saw something on the wall worth a second (and even a third) look — it was a piece of chart paper that offered insight on OPINION (written with the steady hand of a teacher, and looked surprisingly like it could have been written fifty years ago).
In a world of so called fake news, opinion that masquerades as news, a constant stream of information that's impossible to sift through, and bullshit jamming up the internet, I was encouraged to see (up on the board in big letters and bright colours) that opinion is more than something that's simply said (usually many times and very loudly) until sadly, it becomes believable fact.
As someone who is quick with an opinion, this piece of chart paper offered insight on OPINION that was a clear reminder (and lesson) for what makes up a good opinion — and anything less (in my opinion) is just adding to the bullshit that is jamming up the internet.
It is true when they say you are never too old to learn (or relearn) something — and it's definitely more fun when you are learning it with the memories of a 10 year old boy.
iamgpe