Category Archives: Education

Equality and Equity

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Barry Pomeroy

I once told a colleague that I didn’t believe in objective marking, and she enthusiastically agreed. “I don’t think it’s possible to be objective,” she said. I told her that I didn’t think we should try to be objective, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Education, Health, Politics | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Equality and Equity

Honda Civic Maintenance from 81 to 99: A Personal Journey

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

Many older people often fall into the trap of believing or pretending that the world was better when they were young. They mistakenly presume that their nostalgia means that their memories are worth more than those who are young now, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Self-reliance | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Honda Civic Maintenance from 81 to 99: A Personal Journey

Conclusion to my Teaching International Students

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

By the point of the final exam, there is little we can do as instructors. Our responsibility is to hand the students on to the next year as prepared as we can make them in the time allotted. We have … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Teaching | Tagged | Comments Off on Conclusion to my Teaching International Students

Narcissism and Greed in Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein’s Balance

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

Perhaps one of the clearest exhibitions of narcissism is the breakdown in cooperation of the characters in Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein’s Balance. In the film, five men live on the world of a smooth metal plate which they must keep … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Solitude | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Narcissism and Greed in Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein’s Balance

The Purpose of a Lie

Posted on February 26, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

When Joyce chose to lie to her daughter it was as if she’d forgotten the purpose of a lie. She was trying to cover up her crime with perfidy, but she didn’t realize that making the person you are lying … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Health | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Purpose of a Lie

Such Friendly People

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

When I first moved to Manitoba, I couldn’t avoid noticing the license plate. Each car proudly proclaimed—even while they were swerving in front of me for the advantage of a few metres—that I had arrived in friendly Manitoba. I made … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Travel | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Such Friendly People

Cultural Covid

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Barry Pomeroy

Now that Covid-19 has been with us for two years, its profound effects on the different societies of the planet are becoming more obvious. Relatively democratic societies, for all their flirtation with fascism, are descending into mob rule as unscrupulous … Continue reading →

Posted in Activism, Culture, Education, Environmentalism, Health, Media, Social Media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Cultural Covid

Found Sentences: Customs and Traditions

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Barry Pomeroy

I’ve written before about the sentences and sentiments that my students will insert into their papers, and this year’s marking was no exception when it came to complicated nonsense infused with the gift of meaning. While writing about Thomas King’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Editing, Education, Literature, Teaching, Writing | Comments Off on Found Sentences: Customs and Traditions

Halfway Across the Country

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Barry Pomeroy

I have driven across Canada over fifty times, although that measurement is contested by my friend. Everyone gets cranky when they are overtired or have had a bad day, or just when someone is annoying, but when some of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, Superstition | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Halfway Across the Country

My Brother’s Dinner with Andre

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Barry Pomeroy

I have a special relationship with Louis Malle’s 1981 Hollywood cum arthouse film My Dinner with Andre. Although normally such a declaration would be followed by a revelation about how I was related to one of the actors, perhaps Wallace … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Health, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on My Brother’s Dinner with Andre