Self-tutoring about English: the tutor mentions the word ideologue. An ideologue is someone who lives their code of beliefs. It’s the first ‘o’ I find interesting here: ideologue, yet idealist. Source: Barber, Katherine et al. Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current …
Self-tutoring English: the tutor mentions a word he noticed. Obviate means to relieve from need or from peril. Finding your own pencil can obviate the requirement of borrowing one. As well, one can obviate holiday panic by starting their Christmas …
Self-tutoring about spruce on the East Coast: the tutor recalls…. Living in the Atlantic provinces as a kid, I encountered three spruces: white, black, and red. White and black spruce thrive below the tree line. They are hardy species that …
Self-tutoring about English: the tutor notices another pair of homonyms… Calling syntax and sin tax homonyms might be a stretch, since sin tax is two words. People might hear them similarly, however. syntax: the rules of order and construction in …
Self-tutoring about wild plants and fungi: the tutor mentions a find. Visiting the compost today, I noticed a shiny black thing with numerous odd-shaped lobes. Nearby, a second one presented. I bent down to examine one. I assumed it a …
Self-tutoring about high school sports: the tutor opens a new chapter…. A few weeks ago, somewhat suddenly, my grade 12 son joined high school wrestling. It’s a sport I know little about, although, in grade 5 PE, I did do …
Self-tutoring about Canadian identity: the tutor comments… My wife is from Northern Ontario, and arrived here possibly around age 8. I’m from the Maritimes, and arrived on the west coast at age 16. We both know winter. Recently I’ve shown …
Self-tutoring about birds: the tutor mentions a new-found resource. Amidst the bustle of summer, a copy of Lone Pine’s Birds of Canada appeared on a shelf here. I’ve noticed it a couple of times but haven’t had time to examine …
Self-tutoring about childhood memories: the tutor shares…. I lived on a military base from ages six to ten, then moved off base to a farming village. On the base, everyone rented, so no yards were fenced: “private property” didn’t exist …
Self-tutoring about a smart man I met when we were both children. I met Larry when I became his project. I was new at the school, grade four, just at the start of spring. “We need to get you set …