High school daze

It was interesting to read the comments on Kristin Rushowy's weekend story about a Toronto high school that plans to shift its start time to 10 a.m. beginning in September 2009.

The pilot project is a response to research that shows that teens experience a circadian shift that means they fall asleep at adult-like bedtimes (quite a bit later, in many cases) but still require child-like amounts of sleep. Couple this with a socio-economic reality that plenty of teens hold part-time jobs in the evening, and it all adds up to bleary eyes and poor attention in the early morning hours.

Response ranged from supportive to indignant. Some felt this was a practical solution that acknowledges advances in what we know about teen brain physiology, not to mention, just plain good sense. Others suggested that giving in to the lazy ways of teens, so to speak, would worsen the work-ethic problems that some feel are already endemic among Gen-Y workers. One even went as far as to say that graduates from Eastern Commerce would go on his "do not hire" list.

It could be argued that resisting this change on the grounds of "we've always done it this way" is akin to holding on to hazing rituals or 24-hour shifts for medical residents, even though both are acknowledged as unwise. I'm looking forward to seeing what teachers, students - and ultimately - test results, will have to say about the program's success. Stay tuned!

Halloween Hullabaloo

Have your kids decided what to be for Halloween? Last night I discovered (to my dismay) that all the Luke Skywalker costumes on buycostumes.com are sold out. I hope this means I'm not out of luck, but my five-year-old just changed his mind from side kick Hans Solo to the man himself, and I've been - perhaps naively - hoping that, should this happen, I'd be able to borrow the Luke costume, since there had to be at least a dozen Lukes on the playground last year.  The infant-sized Chewbacca costume for my younger son is another story. That's a definite online buy.

Still, for a sewing-challenged parent like me, it's a relief that Cameron is veering toward a mass-produced movie character this Halloween. Yes, part of me feels like it would be so much more creative and interesting to construct some sort of clever D-I-Y costume out of egg cartons and old vacuum tubes. It briefly looked as though I was in trouble when he wanted to be the Pink Panther. Pretty sure they don't have Pink Panther at Toys 'R Us.

Though the toughest Halloween fulfillment order, surely, is what you're faced with when your little one can't decide WHAT to be, and instead concocts some sort of hybrid two-for-one costume in his or her little mind. Like being, say, "half Indiana Jones, half werewolf." I have absolutely no good advice for those situations.

What deadline do you impose for a final decision about Halloween costumes? I'm thinking that it's got to be soon... October 1st?

How do you plan to celebrate? Halloween has, apparently, become the second-biggest festive occasion in terms of consumer spending, and it's clear that some of that goes into decor and party decorations. Some people are clearly forgoing trick-or-treating for at-home Halloween parties, or doing both.

We live in a very kid-friendly, walkable neighbourhood, and Halloween is the time I feel most grateful for that. There's a great vibe on the street, parents socializing as kids bound up and down porch steps, fuelled by sugar and the high of being outside after dark. When the kids are done trick-or-treating, our enclosed porch is a great place to enjoy a drink with friends while the kids count their candy.

Watch here for details of our Halloween contest, and for tips on having a fun, safe and EASY Halloween.