What’s the best period of your life?

The period
you remember the most? The period that
makes you happy when you think about it?
Childhood!
Kid Someone, especially a child who behaves badly but in a
funny way rather than in an annoying way
Rug rat A Young adult
Kiddie Someone who keeps annoying you, especially a child
Monkey A very Young kid
Pest A very Young child, especially one that has started to
crawl
Kid A young adult
Rug rat A very young child, especially one that has started
to crawl
Kiddie A very young kid
Monkey Someone, especially a child who behaves badly
but in a funny way rather than in an annoying way
Pest Someone who keeps annoying you, especially a
child
As a kid, what did you
wanna be when you grew
up?
An Astronaut! Or a
Neurosurgeon! Seriously?
You, adults,
and your
imagination!
What about a pro
skateboarder! A surfer! Or
a minecraft player!
1. Did you have a happy childhood?
2. What did you like to do when you were a
child? Do you remember anything about your
personality when you were a child?
3. Are you happy now?
Discuss the meaning of happiness
with a partner. Write a short definition.
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue
happiness. You have to catch it yourself. ~Ben Franklin

Happiness is like those palaces in fairy tales whose gates are

guarded by dragons; we must fight in order to conquer
it. ~Alexandre Dumas

Happiness depends upon ourselves. ~Aristotle

Happiness does not consist in having what you want, but in

wanting what you have. ~Confucius

Happiness is good health and a bad memory. ~Ingrid Bergman

Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird
that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not
unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds
and horses. ~Dale Carnegie

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of

creative effort. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Watch the video.

Logan LaPlante. 00:14 to 01:17

Discuss the following sequence with a partner.

Go to school
Go to college
Get a job
Get married
Boom!
Then you’ll be happy!
Is formal education the way it is
nowadays effective? Really?
According to Logan LaPlante, these elements are
the key to being happy. Do you agree? Would you
erase any of them? Would you add another one?

TLCs (Therapeutic Life Changers)

Make a list of examples for each of the ítems named
in the chart.
• Do you think that our schools today are making of
these TLCs (Therapeutic Life Changers) a
priority?
• Are you? How?

Most of our education is oriented, for better or worse,

towards making a living rather than making a life.
-Roger Walsh
Analyze the following chart.
What do you find out?
What do you think of a system like this in Mexico’s schools?
Would you like to apply a system like this on today’s schools?
What would be the advantage?
1. Do you have children?
2. In what aspects are they different?
3. Are you a curious person? Explain why.
4. Do you consider yourself a creative person? Why?
5. Is creativity a good thing? Why or why not?
6. How does early exposure to diverse stimuli, and
involvement in creative activities affect a child's future
creativity?
7. Do you believe that natural, genetic features in a human
being are absolutely determinant to their future creativity?
Or is interaction and engagement into self-expression and
interaction with the world more influential?
8. How does a person's standard of living, involving such
things as diet, exposure to chemical or other forms of
pollution, active versus sedentary living, different forms of
addictions, or any other aspects you may think of, affect
them biologically regarding their creative capacities?
According to Sir Ken Robinson, there are three principles
on which human life fluorishes:

1. Human beings are naturally different and diverse.

2. Curiosity. It’s the engine of achievement.
3. Human life is inherently creative.

Discuss these aspects and draw your own conclusions.

Watch the video.

School system in Finland

• They don’t obsess about math, science and reading.
• They have a broad approach to education, including humanities,
physical education, the arts.
• There is no drop back rate, if people are in trouble, they get support.
Sir Ken Robinson. 10:57 to
12:00
Read the following information.

Death Valley is the hottest, driest place in USA and

nothing grows there… because it doesn’t rain there! In
the winter of 2004 it rained in Death Valley, 7 inches
over the rain period. And in the spring of 2005 there was
a phenomenon, the whole floor of Death Valley was
coveted in flowers. What this proved is that Death
Valley isn’t dead, it’s dormant. Right at the surface
there are the seeds of possibility…waiting for the right
conditions to arrive, and with organic systems, if the
conditions are right, life is inevitable, it happens all the
time… you take an area, a school ,a district, you change
the conditions, get people a different sense of
possibilities, a different sense of expectations, a broader
range of opportunities, you cherish and value the
relations between teachers and students, you offer
people discretion, to be creative and innovate in what
they do, and you will see life!
Observe this image closely.
What is it?
Observe this image closely.
What is it?
Watch this guy. Who is he?
Watch the video.

School system in Finland

• They don’t obsess about math, science and reading.
• They have a broad approach to education, including humanities,
physical education, the arts.
• There is no drop back rate, if people are in trouble, they get support.
Michael Moore
Did you see this guy in the clip?
Who is he?

What is the common stereotype

of a teacher in Mexico?
Some highlights from the clip?
Some highlights from the clip.

• They do not have homework.

• They should have more time to be kids.
• 20 hours a week (including lunch hour)
• If you just work, your brain stops learning
• Student centered
• Teach them to be happy people
• Respect other and respect themselves
• They want children to play

Compare and contrast the approach on

education in Finland against that of Mexico.
Write your conclusions.
Folks: used when talking to a group
of people in a friendly way.