#tedxkitchenered

Meet Renu Persaud! Dr. Renu Persaud graduated from the University of Toronto with her BA, MA & PhD. She is a lecturer and professor at the University of Windsor, with her intellectual work being in the area of arts and social sciences, sociology, education, religion, theory, social life and social dynamics. She is an author and poet and is writing her book, The Mastery of You by Waldorf Publishers, which will be realized in 2017.

In order to learn more about Renu, we asked her some questions. She talks about creativity, the importance of human attributes with regards to education, her fridge, and more!

Spoiler? If she had a machine that could produce $100 a day for the rest of her life, she would use the money to educate children across the globe and stop child labour, trafficking and abuse.

Keep reading to learn more about Renu!

Question: Growing up, what was your favourite subject at school and why?

Answer:  Art.

I believe that Creativity is manifest intelligence. The greatest scientists, artists, mathematicians, intellectuals, inventors, writers, philosophers of the past and present could only have been successful with an open road to allow their ideas and creative thoughts to freely flow.  Our interest in a subject matter is nurtured through our passion to explore the subject from unique creative pathways.  Often, there may be hesitation to embrace new modes of thinking, but it is the determined creative geniuses amongst us that provide different ways of thinking about a subject matter.  Regardless of academic discipline, the progress of humanity would remain stagnant without creativity.

Question: Is there a teacher or professor that really made an influence on your life, possibly beyond just school? If so, looking back now, how do you think they did it?

Answer: My passion to research, write and become a Professor was nurtured by one, Professor M MacKinnon at University of Toronto.  I will never forget his kindness, encouragement and the times he helped me as a student.

Question: Education can happen in many different locations and ways, not just through a traditional school system. Where is one other place that you learned the most?

Answer:  Learning is serendipitous. We cannot plan to learn.  Any moment, big or small could stimulate learning:  from the glance and awe of a flower growing through cracks of a sidewalk to the professor who lectures passionately about a subject for three hours.    Both impart learning in unique ways.  Our experiences dictate the intensity by which we learn, certain learning moments touch us deeply, while others do not.  For this reason our education system must impart experiences that all students can relate to.

Question: If you had to pick one major driving factor of what keeps students from performing to the best of their abilities at school, what would you pick and why?

Answer: Technology has enabled great strides in the educational forum.  With this however, there is a sense of dependence on technology that is tenuous.  Traditional modes of learning (reading a book, hand-written notes, face to face communication) are powerful tools that we should always embrace.  I try to remind students that it was not too long ago that email did not exist or papers were hand-written. Technology while it assists learning, could never replace the human attributes of education.  Hence, I would change the deepening personal dependence on technology while at the same time appreciating its importance in other realms of education.

Question: If you could change one thing about the education system today, what would it be and why?

Answer: Perhaps a Utopian notion, but despite the ideological expressions of inclusive education and the need for it, the want for it, there are groups of students that persistently lag behind the rest, and for too long.  We require a serious momentum to ensure that talk translates to vast action.

Question: What is your favourite quote?

Answer: "There is no greater mastery, than the mastery of Self"

Question: If you had a machine that produced $100 a day for life, what would you do with it?

Answer: If I had a machine to create 100$ bills, I would find a way to transport the bills to every corner of the globe to educate every child, stop child labour, trafficking and abuse of the most precious members of our humanity:

Our children, this is priceless.

Question: What’s in your fridge right now?

Answer: In my fridge right now are a lot of colours!

Now that you know a little more about Renu, make sure to check out her Twitter!

Stay posted for more interviews - we will be sharing 3 - 4 a week until May 14th. If you weren’t able to get a ticket, don’t worry - we will be live streaming the entire event on Saturday! Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get all the details.

Meet Kristin Werner! Kristin is the founder and owner of the dance studio Star Performance Academy, where she works as a Dance Educator with recreational and competitive level dancers from preschool to adults. Her competitive dance team at Star Performance Academy has won multiple awards for Top Studio and Sportsmanship! She has also competed all over the world, including New York City, Las Vegas, Disney World and finally to Germany where she earned a gold and silver medal for Canada at the IDO World Tap Dance Championships.

We asked Kristin some questions so we could learn more about her! She talks about the importance of students staying connected to their own uniqueness and staying true to themselves, the dangers of feeling like one has to “fit in”, listening to self-discovery tapes in her mom’s car and more!

Spoiler? If she could have an hour with any individual, alive or deceased, she would choose to be a fly on the wall while Michael Jackson created any part of the Thriller album.

Keep reading to learn more about Kristin!

Question: Is there a teacher or professor that really made an influence on your life, possibly beyond just school? If so, looking back now, how do you think they did it?   

Answer: My Grade 7 teacher, Mr. Houston, had a way of expecting the absolute best of everyone in our class, yet making sure he gave us everything we needed to reach our potential.  I always felt challenged and yet capable of accepting each challenge along the way.  I don't know how he did it, but I know that he had the ability to see our true potential and our strengths and weaknesses.  He would teach us these systems for learning, studying and make sure we followed them every day.  His persistent faith in our potential inspired me to have the same faith in myself.

Question: Education can happen in many different locations and ways, not just through a traditional school system. Where is one other place that you learned the most?  

Answer: Aside from my dance studio, I also learned a lot in my mom's car.   I went to school in the country and we drove to a lot of lessons, and she would play these self-improvement and self-discovery tapes in the car and we would talk about life.  I loved these rides especially, because it was there that I really learned that I had an element of control over my life and the power to shape each situation in a way that served my goals and/or the greater good.

Question: Beyond the traditional “skills/subjects” taught at school (Math, English, Science, etc) what skill do you think is most important for students to learn (e.g. collaboration, teamwork, leadership, etc) and why?  

Answer: I think students need to be connected to their own uniqueness and understand the true value of what makes them special.  Staying true to yourself and expressing it throughout your life is a huge part of feeling successful and happy, and gives students the confidence to make strong choices in their life.

Question: If you had to pick one major driving factor of what keeps students from performing to the best of their abilities at school, what would you pick and why?

Answer: I feel this need to fit in can really rob students of their power. Looking at others and trying to match them and fit into their reality is distracting to students and pulls them off their path, away from their goals.  Students can be aware of others, but need to know and love themselves first.  Being connected to who they truly are,  know how they work, what makes them tick and what they really want out of life will give them the drive and power to embark on an amazing journey.

Question: What is your favourite quote, and why?

Answer: "The things that make me different are the things that make me." -Pooh.  Love the quote, because its truth is so simple yet so empowering, and it's by Winnie the Pooh:)

Question: If you could have an hour with any individual, alive or deceased, who would it be and why?

Answer: Easy.  I'd like to watch Michael Jackson create any part of the Thriller album.  The few insights into his creative process that he provided in interviews makes me want to be there first hand, fly-on-the-wall style.

Question: What’s in your fridge right now?

Answer: A lot of whole foods, some probiotics, probably something sketchy hiding in the back corner, and a bottle of wine or two.

Now that you know a little more about Kristin, make sure to check out her dance academy's website and LinkedIn!

Don’t forget to save the date - May 14th at CIGI in Waterloo! The countdown is on, we hope you’re as excited for this as we are!

Stay posted for more interviews - we will be sharing 3 - 4 a week until May 14th. If you weren’t able to get a ticket, don’t worry - we will be live streaming the entire event on Saturday! Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get all the details.