Memorial Day is approaching. This day of remembrance is symbolized by our great American flag. What if the flag could share its thoughts? What would that be? In my classroom I teach children about the American flag. It is the first step to instilling patriotism, learning about our country, and thanking our military and heroes. Please read and enjoy this excellent and important post from GP Cox.
Tomorrow is 1 May, the start of Military Appreciation Month. I thought it appropriate to remind some about the flag they fly under and why……
Some call me Old Glory, others call me the Star Spangled Banner, but whatever you call me, I am your Flag – the Flag of the United States of America. There has been something that has been bothering me, so I thought that I might talk it over with you here today.
I remember some time ago, (I think it was Memorial Day, or was it Veterans’ Day?) that people were lined upon both sides of the street for a parade. A high school band was behind me and, naturally, I was leading the parade. When your Daddy saw me coming along, waving in the breeze, he immediately removed his hat and placed it so that his right hand was directly over his heart.
There were the many cards and the emails, texts and phone calls, to wish me a happy birthday today. 70 is weird, because when I was young 70 was old, and I’m still the queen of rock and roll (at least in my mind.)
The people that you see every day know you best of all. And that would be my wonderful co-teachers. Together, we have lived through most everything and done it all, with laughter and sometimes tears. Honestly, the laughter makes us better teachers. It’s a great glue.
This is what I found on my front porch.
The two books are new to me. That in itself is huge for the giver. And, those books make the gift precious. I am excited to read them!
The Academy Award statue is priceless. “Award For Best Dramatics.” My co-teachers have seen me in action many, many times – from relating my boo-boos and fears, to finding that Gloria is suddenly on the floor in a heap, to telling a Jennie Story. I do react in the best of ways… 🙂
Thank you to my wonderful fellow teachers. Because of you, 70 years young feels pretty awesome.
In these difficult times when many are feeling great stress and fear, please do not be upset about inconvenience. I hope a few quotations might be useful.
(www.pixabay.com)
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”
“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Let us all remember that we have a responsibility to the greater good, and let us take a lesson in action from the behavior of the Greatest Generation. We must sacrifice and endure inconvenience so that others may live.”
How to Expand Literacy and Reading Picture Books When You are Quarantined at Home
One of the mainstays of teaching children is reading aloud books. Why? Children are drawn to stories. They love hearing the words, and for good reason. Their brains are giant sponges, soaking up everything they hear. Children can’t get enough when it comes to hearing a book read aloud. Good books also create a loving bond between a child and the reader aloud.
When parents and teachers are armed with the knowledge that the number of words a child hears is directly attributed to his/her success in school in all academic areas, they should be reading aloud to children multiple times a day. This is the single most important thing you can do for your child.
Libraries are closed. Reading online isn’t quite the same thing. After six weeks of no school and being stuck inside, the books you have at home may feel old and dull to your child. But there are ways to bring your books to life in a different way. A new way. An exciting way.
Use props to play a story or favorite book. Beanie Babies or Legos can be characters. Blocks can become houses. Does your child love Big Red Barn? There are probably all the animal characters in your house, in some way. Are you brave enough to use real eggs as props?
Act out the book. An impromptu play performance is fun. Children love play-acting. Set the stage, find anything for a costume, and let your child tell and act out the book.
Recreate the cover of a favorite book, by posing for a photo. Let your child’s creativity soar. Can s/he pull together items from home to be like the cover of a favorite book?
Think about the many different ways children learn. Some are visual and want to see the pictures. Some are auditory and want to hear the words. Some children need to have objects, plan and build. If we can use what we have at home to make books come alive in a different way for all learners, we are deepening reading aloud. We are giving children a great gift.
This video of The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
shows all the teachers doing different variations of the book.
The Aqua Room teachers picked their favorite books and used objects at home to create their favorite book covers. Can you guess what books they are?
If you have young children or grandchildren, this is really fun to do. It adds to the pleasure of picture books and reading aloud. It makes those books come alive, once again. So, pull out those old books, and recreate the cover. This idea has been done with major pieces of art, dressing up and posing. Now, children can delight in doing the same thing – with books.
In difficult times, like now,
the little things we do for others
become most important.
They’re really the big things.
Yet, it has always been this way.
Perhaps we never had the time to truly appreciate
those little moments.
Now we do.
We have all the time in the world.
Writing a letter is a long lost art.
Emails and messaging have replaced letter writing.
Now you have the time.
Who would be over the moon getting a letter?
More people than you can ever imagine.
Write that letter.
Make a difference.
“It is better to give than to receive.“
We all know that…but not really.
Here’s a case in point:
Everyday I am online, reading aloud, singing,
and making YouTube videos for children.
A family sent me a photo of their children
watching me sing a song,
and their children singing along.
This meant the world to me.
They had no idea.
The ‘world’ has seen this marvelous photo.
No words needed.
The giver now knows.
Sometimes a giver has a special message:
So, to all of us who might feel trapped
and ready to get back to a fast paced life,
we have been given the gift of time.
Time to be a giver.
Time to make a difference.
The little things we do are really the big things.
Today is National Superhero Day. Gloria wanted to celebrate. She dressed up for the big day. She wanted to be a Superhero.
I had a talk with Gloria. She needed to know that a real superhero doesn’t need a costume. She didn’t understand. Spider-Man and Wonder Woman wear a costume. Yes, but they are pretend. Real superheroes, like a dad, or a teacher, or a neighbor don’t always wear a costume. It’s what they do that makes them a Superhero.
Gloria was shocked. She hadn’t thought about that! We talked about what a real superhero does. Gloria decided just what she wants to do, too. It is touching. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Gloria really is the best.
Jennie
P.S. For my new blog followers, Gloria is perhaps the most important person in my preschool classroom. Over the years she has brought more joy and wisdom to children than I could have ever imagined. She is the ‘real deal’, with the biggest heart of all. Children see her insides, not her outside. There is much I have written about Gloria on my blog, she has really good stories.
Faces. This is ‘Life 101’ with a footnote of humor. John Kraft was one of the first bloggers I followed, as he has a sense of humor that is as brilliant as Barb Taub, wisdom like Charles French, and he writes serials that are as good as Pete Johnson’s. I hope you enjoy his post as much as I did.
Everybody has one with the exception of those people we meet who turn out to have two, but we try to avoid them. As a youth in Pennsylvania there was a character who had been in a horrible accident and was known locally as “No Face Charlie.” That is another story for another day.
What I’ve been thinking about lately is what The Face, my face, your face, everyone’s face, tells us about the person. It’s not a matter of “beauty.” What constitutes beauty changes constantly. A great beauty from the 1890s in America would today be posing for the “Before” picture in an ad for the Weight Watchers diet program.
When we meet somebody for the first time we hear their name but, more often than not, we instantly forget it because we are looking at their face – making a million snap decisions based on what we…
Today we had a drive-by birthday party for a fellow teacher. It was the first time ‘out’ except for occasional trips to the grocery store, which are somber and depressing. The masks and one-way lines and store monitors will one day be a stark reminder to future generations.
But, today was a breath of fresh air. Literally. The birthday party host played live music. People honked and cheered. His big farm sits atop a wide open hill with views for miles. A few people got out of their cars to wave and enjoy the music. I felt like Maria in the opening scene of “The Sound of Music.”
The host took my music request, “Baby Shark.” Anyone with little children knows this song! This was perfect for the birthday party guest of honor, my former fellow teacher. She remembered. She cried. She loved it. I ran around singing the song the way I do with my preschoolers.
A Teacher's Reflections 