Category: Ontario Writers Union Member

René Schmidt is the author of four books by Scholastic Canada on Canadian Disasters series, and received the Red Maple Honour Book award for Leaving Fletchville.

$275 for one session, $375 for two, $525 for three and for $750 for four sessions.  No travel charge will be asked within 100 km of Trenton Ontario. Skype sessions are available for $150 per session.

FACT vs. FICTION.  Where do you get your information from?  As well as his regular presentations, René Schmidt is presenting on teaching students to separate known fact from rumours and fiction.

Do you teach any students that don’t have a clue

about fiction or non-fiction what’s opinion, what’s true?

Because in our world of media confusion

many students can’t tell between real and illusion.

They research something and come up with actual

 opinions or hearsay but nothing proven factual.

Did they read it on Facebook or other media social

(because we all can be fooled by arguments emotional).

So I tell what I found researching Canadian Disasters,

including many times when rumors spread faster than truth…

My rule is: don’t trust any source that can’t be fired

for lying or misleading the public or whoever hired – them

Be it books or newspapers, TV or Internet media;

a lot of real facts can be found in Google or Wikipedia.

But trust only sources with something valuable to lose,

 like a job, or tenure, or a reputation; they should have no excuse…

 for lying.

To your students I’ll bring funny stories of misinformation

and tragic ones too, that fooled our nation.

Because the falsehoods we sift through are no real mystery

bogus stories are endemic through Canada’s history.

So invite me to your school if your principal has a budget

and you and I will teach research and how to judge it.

Q & A sessions follow all presentations.

As a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, René’s presentations qualify for the Ontario Writer’s In The Schools grants (WITS) program.

Contact Rene to book a visit: