Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
Everyone has been told or thinks of themselves as special. But are they really? I cannot tell you how many times I have heard parents tell their children that they are special or the kids tell each other that they are special and why. I even had students come crying to me because another student tells them that they are not special. I reassure them that we are all special in our own way.
But then I stayed thinking and voila, my latest The Craziest Things comic was born.
I hope you enjoy this June’s The Craziest Things: Useful?.
‘Of all possessions a friend is the most precious.’ Herodotus
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
For all the negative news you hear about the education system, there is a lot of positive interactions happening everyday. Not just teachers helping students or students helping students but teachers helping teachers and occasionally students helping teachers. People have to remember that students not only suffer from difficulties in everyday life but the teachers too.
Teachers are expected to be there for their students but who is there for the teacher? People need to realize that teachers are human, with human emotions. With issues and trials in their life just like everyone else.
But all is not lost. Teachers work with some amazing people, and develop some close friendships. These friendships can be the difference in someone’s life, and can make a hard day that much easier.
I hope you enjoy this May’s The Craziest Things: Best Friends.
‘Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.’ Albert Einstein
‘The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.’
Albert Einstein
Growing up I enjoyed reading comic books. I cannot tell you how many times I had teachers and adults tell me that I was not really reading, and that my brain would rot away with that garbage. Yet I thought they were the ones whose minds were rotting by not opening their minds to new and imaginative possibilities.
Many did not think I would amount to anything, but they were wrong. I became a teacher and now I meet many different people and students on a daily bases. On one occasion while I was teaching a group of students, the subject matter went towards comics and the movies based on them.
One such movie was about the possibility of different dimensions or universes; they called it the Multiverse. The theory goes that there are an infinite number of universes and in each one, a different version of You. Yet in each universe the You would be slightly different than who You are, or maybe even a totally different version of You.
As I reflected on this notion, it occurred to me that there may be different versions of Me that exist in other peoples minds. A different universe than the one I am familiar with. To some, many may know Me as the quiet person that doesn’t talk much. Some may know Me as the annoying person that won’t stop talking. Some may see Me as cold and mean. Others find Me kind and caring.
At the heart of it, the person I think of as Myself, exists only for Me and even I don’t know who that really is from time to time. Everyone person I meet, have a relationship with, or make eye contact on the street with, creates a version of Me in their heads. I’m not the same person to My mom, My dad, My sibling, My family members then I am to My co-workers, My neighbours or My friends. There are a thousand different versions of Me out there in people’s minds, and I exist in each version, just like the Multiverse.
Yet I, Myself, isn’t really a someone at all to them. I’m not responsible for the version of Me that exists in other people’s minds. There are versions of Me that only exist because other people give them life, and I am not obliged to keep those other versions alive to make other people happy. Good or bad.
The only true version of Me will be the one I choose to be.
Just like the people who thought I would not amount to anything, I ignored them and became a person I can be proud of. I need to ignore the versions of Me that others create. Choosing only the one that I connect with. My real self.
It has been a long journey but I had to first find happiness within, before I could seek it in the outside world. I didn’t and won’t let outside versions of Me define who My true self is inside. Because I AM Me.
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
It never ceases to amaze me on the different ways student try to get out of doing the work assigned to them in class. From kindergarten all the way up the grades its the same thing.
Student ‘I have to go to the bathroom’. Teacher, ‘You just got back from the washroom.’ Student ‘I need a drink of water.’
Student ‘I don’t have a pencil.’ Teacher, ‘There’s one on your desk.’
My favourite. Student ’I don’t get the question.’ Teacher, ‘Did you read the question?’ Student ‘No.’Teacher, *Sign!!*
They come up with new and interesting ways but in the end, they reluctantly get down and do the work. Most of the time.
I hope you enjoy this April’s The Craziest Things: Save me.
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
Whenever I go into a classroom, I sometimes see students who have an over exaggerated sense that they are the centre of the universe. I sometimes wonder where this comes from. Is it from their parents, the staff in the school or a combination of the two. But wherever it comes from, there always comes the inevitable dose of reality that brings that person down to earth.
I hope you enjoy this March’s The Craziest Things: Not That Much.
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
In today’s world, expressing your emotions is encouraged and seen as a sign of good mental health. But under the surface of all this talk our human instincts are ever present. I saw a saying that said, ‘It’s okay to not be okay. Just pretend you’re okay around others. Emotions make people uncomfortable.’ I laughed a first but then thought, this is so true.
I hope you enjoy this February’s The Craziest Things: Public Display.
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the differences in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students, a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
Whenever I go into a class or even when I talk to people, It astounds me on how many times I need to repeat myself. For a while I thought it was me, that I was not making myself clear or that my instructions were not through enough. But the more I slowed down and spoke clearly the issue persisted. Then I remembered a quote one of my professors once said; ‘Selective hearing procedures selective learning.’ If you only hear what you want to hear that’s all you will know.
It would appear with our fast paced, instant gratification society, people are selecting only what they want to hear. Not just with social media, but with interpersonal exchanges as well. The end result could have consequences not foreseen by all.
I hope you enjoy this January’s The Craziest Things: Selective Hearing.
After Juno Beach we made our way to Gold. There we would have some time to look around the village and grab a quick lunch. In stark contrast to Juno, Gold Beach is built up with the D-Day Museum and with the village of Arromanches-les-Bains around it. There were signs, flags, military vehicles and posters indicating the regions’ past, but thankfully the scars of the war have longed been removed. Looking very much like a seaside resort town, shops adorn the streets with little souvenir, clothing and other retail stores to entice any tourist visiting the area. But as abundant as these shops may be, there were many more little cafés with an assortment of foods for anyone to indulge one’s pallets.
Our immediate need was to find a place to get something to eat. With an abundant selection of little cafés, the choice was a difficult one. A couple of my fellow travellers and I settled on a little take out cafe. You might think it would be a simple meal, but the food was filled with flavour and the bread did not disappoint. So far every food experience in France was living up to my expectations.
With lunch and dessert taken care of, I took in the area as I walked along the stone walkways along the beach. A rather picturesque area, I did notice a couple of Mulberry Harbours’ pillars still in the water offshore.
Mulberry harbours were temporary portable harbours developed in WWII. They were designed to expedite the rapid deployment of troops, equipment and supplies onto the beaches of Normandy during the D-day invasion. These harbours were prefabricated harbours towed across the English Channel and placed offshore at Saint-Laurent, Mulberry “A” (Omaha) and Arromanches Mulberry “B” (Gold). This ingenious system of floating roadways/bridges allowed the rapid unloading of transport ships with easy deployment of equipment to the front lines.
After the Dieppe raid, the allies knew that they needed a deep water harbour to help speed up the deployment of men and equipment to the front. Such ports are few along the French coast, therefore these locations would be heavily defended by the Germans. Furthermore, if such a harbour was about to fall into the Allies’ hands, the Germans would no doubt destroy or heavily damage the harbours to prevent there use by the allied forces, thereby limiting the amount of reinforcements and supplies to the landing troops. The Mulberries solved many of the Allies needs.
The Mulberry “A” harbour at Omaha was damaged on June 19, 1944 after a violent storm pummelled it before the sections were secured into place. After three days the storm let up and the Americans found that the harbour was so severely damaged that they had to abandon it and land troops and materials onto the open beaches. Conversely, Mulberry “B” harbour at Gold beach was used for over 10 months after the invasion of D-day. Over 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 tonnes of supplies went through the harbour before it was decommissioned.
Our stay in Gold Beach was short and but enjoyable. Our next destination would take us to a place I have seen in movies and read about in countless books, then to a rather uncelebrated part of the D-day landing many people are not too familiar with.
After the museum we went on the coach for our trip to the beaches. However, on our way we would be making a stop at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery. It is 15 kilometres (km) north west of Caen and on the north side of the main road, 1 km east of Reviers.
Many of the Canadians buried here are from the 3rd Canadian Division that landed at Juno beach, and the subsequent Battle of Normandy, the days and months after the D-day landings of June 6th, 1944. During the early days of the invasion, the Canadians advanced towards Caen where they met fierce resistance from the German battle group; formed by the 715th division and the 21st Panzar Division.
I learned that the cemetery was designed by P.D. Hepworth. It contains 2,028 burials from WWII, mostly Canadians from the D-day invasions; 19 of them unidentified.
It was a sunny morning when we arrived at the cemetery with only a few wisps of clouds over head. We are greeted by the Canadian flag waving above the main entrance, but also a flag painted on the parking lot pavement. Once I made my way into the cemetery I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of the layout and the tranquillity of the place. I have seen Canadian war cemeteries on TV and the internet, but there is nothing like walking in one for yourself.
As I walked along the graves, I stopped occasionally to read the names on the tombstones. You see their names, which brigade they were from and the date they passed away. But the most powerful statement was the age of these brave Canadians. Many of them were between 19 to 21, yet one was 18 years old.
I continued to walk around the graves and I constantly reflected on the names and their ages. My thoughts went back to when I was 18 or 19 and to what I was doing. I was a typical adolescent, yes I did my service but I was probably driving around with my friends, dancing with girls and playing music; basically enjoying life. However, these amazing Canadians enlisted about two years before the D-day landings (probably lying about their age) and came to Europe because their country needed them. That level of responsibility and dedication astounds me. Maybe because I see how people are acting today, and I wonder if we as a society have lost that dedication to our country or at worst, become complacent about the freedoms we enjoy today. A somber reminder to not take our freedoms for granted.
After the cemetery we made our way to the coast of Normandy for our first beach, Juno. Juno Beach is the landing zone for the Canadian 3rd Division in-between the British landing zones of Sword and Gold. Our tour guide mentioned a couple of interesting facts about the naming of the beaches. The two American landing zones were named by General Bradley, probably after the U.S. states of Omaha and Utah, but the British and Canadian zones were named by General Montgomery after fish. The British zones were Goldfish and Swordfish and the Canadian zone was supposed to be Jellyfish. However, because of the nature of the invasion and the expected loss of life, they thought that calling the zone Jelly may appear inappropriate. Churchill reminded his staff to not use inappropriate names for operations that may have a large number of casualties attached to them.
D-Day Map Canadian and British Sectors
Therefore, the Canadian Wing commander Dawn came with a counter proposal; he offered the name Juno instead of Jelly. Juno being his wife’s first name. After verifying it with the cipher services, the code name was accepted. Amazing, Juno Beach was almost called Jelly Beach.
As a student of history, the D-Day landings have always held a special place for me. So much so, that I began researching the different units that took part. My research continued to the point where I started collecting the regimental badges of the 3rd Canadian Division. Out of the 14 regiments that landed on D-day, I have ten. Below you can see each regiment’s logo/cap badge.
We drove to the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer where the Juno Beach Centre is, but that was not our destination. We would be going right to the beach itself. When we arrived I was very excited. I literally jumped off the coach to see the place. It has been a dream of mine since high school to come visit Juno Beach and finally here I am.
I made my way to the beach, taking pictures along the way. As I stood there on the sand, I took a moment to reflect back to the veteran accounts of the battle I read. I stood at the waters edge looking inland and wondered; how could they have done it. Explosions all around you, bullets wizzing past and the constant noise of battle. How could they have summoned up the courage to move forward. But they did, and by the end of the first 24hrs of the invasion, the Canadians were the closest to achieving their first 24hr objectives than any other nation.
The tour guide mentioned another interesting fact to us on the coach ride. Canadians are allowed to keep a hand full of sand from Juno beach to take back to Canada. However, Americans are not allowed to bring back sand from Omaha or Utah beach. I’m not sure why, but I took the opportunity to collect a handful of sand in a ziplock bag, thanks to a fellow Canadian traveller. I knelt down on the beach and gathered up some sand. Once I sealed the bag I took a moment to look around and take in everything around me. The sights, the smells. I stood and made my way across the beach, looking and listening to everything around me, occasionally imagining and remembering the accounts I read about from the battle.
After taking in all I could, I made my way back to the Juno Beach Centre. Before I left the beach area I paused and turned around to take another look. With a grateful sigh I turned and continued to the centre to take a quick look and maybe grab a souvenir or two.
Today we have been to the Mémorial de Caen, the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery and now Juno Beach. Already the day was a roller coaster full of emotions; from empathy and grief to pride and excitement. However, this was only the morning itinerary; this afternoon we will be visiting Gold and Omaha beach, with a visit to a rarely understood or mentioned chapter of the D-day Invasion.
Being both a supply teacher and an artist, I sometimes have the opportunity to combine my passions. Creating my comic strip The Craziest Things is one of them. The genesis of this comic strip came from the situations I have observed from the students. I thought it would be great to create a comic strip based on my experiences and thus The Craziest Things was born.
I use many different themes to inspire me: some include the difference in the generations or the use of technology by the students compared to their parents. At other times, I use situations that inspire me from the real world. However, the majority of my inspiration comes from real life experiences with the students; a great many of them sarcastic comments within the classroom.
Usually around the holidays, people get into the spirit of the season by taking stock of their lives and are grateful for their blessings. They look to the positive side of their life and make the most of what they have. But then there are those who are a glass half empty. You know the type.
Well, I want to wish you all the best during this holiday season and I hope you enjoy this December’s The Craziest Things: Ending Badly.
Born and raised in Toronto Canada, I am a certified Elementary teacher working at a school board with children from kindergarten to grade 5. The one thing you should know about me is that I love all art forms but especially drawing, writing and music.
I discovered that when I inspire others, they in turn inspire me. This wonderful realization is the inspiration in creating this blog. My creativity comes from the people around me. Hopefully, I can inspire others as they have inspired me.
I try and post everyTuesday and Friday along the following themes:
Tuesday – I will try to post some of my art or that of the children’s
Friday “Friday Two Cents” – I will try to post my opinion, or my two cents, on something that happened in the news or to me during the week.
But watch out during the other days of the week just in case. If I find something Inspiring, Interesting or Creative, I will do my best to share it
Paul Gauchi 
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