Every day I take a significant amount of time to prepare food for my family. I use what my kids like to refer to as "ingredients" over packaged food. I read labels and like to think I’m pretty informed about the foods that I choose for my family to consume. I also attempt to educate my kids on the importance of thinking about the foods that we put into our bodies, even when it means using the age-old "you'll thank me when you're older" line.

However, once a week this all goes out the window.

My daughter's school offers a hot lunch program which runs one day a week, and I have to admit, this is when she gets to eat the junky food that I typically give a flat out "no" to. While from time to time there are healthy choices, with a token package of apple slices or carrots and dip thrown in, the bulk of the options consist of pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and tacos.

As a former student of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, I was pretty excited to see that this innovative school is gearing up to provide a degree-worthy education related to sustainable agriculture (a far cry from the typical industry-driven programs that you tend to see).

Rather than responding to the needs of employers, this program is an answer to the needs of our changing world, and will be British Columbia's first production agriculture degree program, teaching students the art and science of small-scale farming.

As a label-reading, organic-conscious mom, I can see the value in knowing that the food my family and I are eating is grown by individuals, rather than corporations. I would far rather spend my money at a farmers market where I can talk to the person who grew my food, than purchase imported produce from a grocery store and wonder why on earth my green peppers need to come all the way from South America, and why they seem to last forever in my refrigerator.

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Who needs facts when you've got blind passion and fear? I'm normally one to take my time in deciding which side to support in a dispute. But with threats of a full-blown teachers' strike in Canada's province of British Columbia (BC)—and limited job action already occurring—I recently found myself seething with knee-jerk anger at teachers. I was furious at this group of people I generally hold in high regard. I believed they were causing real harm to some of their students. And it was all because of three words: no report cards.

I should have known better.

Before I explain, you first need to know a few basics.

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In previous blog posts, I’ve covered the fact that I had it pretty easy when it came to choosing a career and, therefore, avoided the hateful quarter-life crisis. But recently, I’ve come to realize the true value of that luck. Two people in my life are currently wrestling with the seemingly simple (but often excruciatingly difficult) question, “How do I figure out what career I want?”

My boyfriend breezed through high school but didn’t happen upon any particular area or subject that grabbed his interest along the way. He didn’t have the slightest idea of what to pursue in terms of post-secondary education or a long-term career, so he opted to skip them altogether and dabble in a variety of jobs. Although he’s excelled at them, being good at a job doesn’t always translate into being happy doing it. This has made him decide not to spend the rest of his life working at a job that holds no meaning for him. He's ready to get a post-secondary education and prepare for a career he can love (and I’m willing to bet it will be one that allows him to utilize his incredible talent and creativity—from writing to drawing to creating music, the guy never ceases to amaze me).

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I confess: I've never met a cell phone I liked. Even my fancy smartphone is something I merely tolerate. I'm sure this makes me a freak of nature. After all, these things are here to stay. And since I can't escape the electronic leashes, I must adapt. But the widespread use of mobile technology does present a number of hard questions.

Should students be allowed to use cell phones in school? This is one of those hard questions. It's made all the more difficult to answer because, I believe, we aren't framing it within an appropriate context.

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Let me start by admitting that the title of this post is meant to be provocative and even a little sarcastic. Obviously, there are many reasons to get an education that don't directly relate to a person's income potential. Yet, when someone who is genuinely curious asks, "Why do people need education?" the responses inevitably involve the financial benefits of college or formal post-secondary training. It's part of the culture we live in.

Is this a bad thing? I think it depends. The simplistic message of "the more education you attain, the more money you can make" is promoted relentlessly by many politicians and media personalities. College often seems to be touted as the silver bullet for what ails your current economic condition or as the magic carpet ride to a future of financial security. But such popular wisdom is usually only partially correct.

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