Hi, Everyone.
A long post, please read carefully!
Today's lesson was based largely around the themes of happiness and what makes us happy, and we looked at the story of the autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire and his life. Just search for 'Stephen Wiltshire' on YouTube to see more videos about his amazing work. His website is here: http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/
I thought there were a few misconceptions about autism and what it means. Take a look at this New Scientist interview with Michael Barton, a high-functioning autistic university student - it's very interesting.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21657-mapping-the-language-minefield-for-kids-with-autism.html#.VIIwa9KsXsY
If you'd like to know more about autism and asperger's syndrome, check out this website.
http://www.autism.org.uk/
Homework reading for this week is very nice! First, here's 'The Happiness Workout' from the man who is officially the happiest man in the world! You might be surprised when you see who he is!
http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/68377/
For more advice on being happy, here are Pope Francis's ten recommendations:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/pope-francis-issues-top-10-tips-for-happiness-9639488.html
And (optional extra), if you have the time and inclination to be even happier, here is a short (8 minute-) but very nice interview with the Dalai Lama about happiness. And... um... gas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUEkDc_LfKQ
Remember to tell your parents that they have the opportunity to come and talk to me about your progress on Friday December 19, and to check that the time that you chose for them is ok. Here is the Google doc with the times everyone agreed on for their parents: http://goo.gl/W8HIxG
The times are not set in stone, and we can make any necessary changes next lesson. Please stress to your parents NOT to call customer services about the time of their appointment if they need to change it - we will deal with it directly.
That's it. Have a happy week! :)
