It’s the last week to February and we’ve had some wild winter weather. In 4 weeks, it will be officially Spring; in 2 weeks, we’ll be setting our clocks ahead for DST. We will celebrate the Lunar New Year, better known as the Chinese New Year, ushering in the Year of the Sheep, which starts on the 22^nd of February. The Liberal Party is holding its leadership convention and Premier Robert Ghiz is turning over the reins of government to Wade Maclauchlan, former President of UPEI. I wonder how an academic will fare in position as tough as Premier of PEI. There will be many good things, I’m sure, including a clear understanding of the importance of education and culture. I hope that will be enough for him to drag the educational system into the 21^st century and perhaps bring along the change that will make PEI’s educational system comparable to the best in the world, similar to Finland. I hope that he will recognize the need to upgrade the system and impress the importance of adequate, if not excellent writing skills. I hope that he will improve the status of teachers and teaching because this profession is in the forefront of ensuring a well-trained, critical-thinking workforce that will become the backbone of PEI’s economy. I hope he will unite all PEI communities in building up the province, and equalize so many things that are blatantly unequal. I hope a lot of things for PEI’s new leadership, but I also hope that islanders pull together to make this tiny island province a much better place to live in.