Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives -#Family – My Mother’s Fairy Tales by Jennie Fitzkee

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Jennie

Fairy Tales have withstood the test of time, as children love them. Yet, my Mother’s were not mine!

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Peace

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Jennie

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Quotations On The Constitution

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Jennie

These are words we need to know. Our Constitution is the foundation of America.

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“Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.”

                                                                   Abraham Lincoln

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The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.

                                                                   George Washington

From the Preamble to the Constitution

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Oath to Uphold the Constitution

For members of Congress

“I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to…

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Gifting Books to New Families

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Jennie

Books.  A big bucket of books.  A big bucket of excellent books.

Sunday is my school’s annual Open House for new families, and for parents looking to enroll their child in our school.  As they walk through the front door, they will be greeted by this big bucket of books,  and encouraged to take one (or more).

What a wonderful welcome!

The message is more than wonderful.  It speaks to the importance of literacy, books, and learning.  Books define our school, and define my teaching.  Books define everything we need to learn.

And the books in the bucket?  Among the best, of course.

The Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown.
Chrysanthemum,  by Kevin Henkes
Giraffes Can’t Dance, by Giles Andreae

Sunday will be a wonderful day!

Jennie

Posted in books, children's books, Early Education, Inspiration, picture books, preschool, reading, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 59 Comments

Smorgasbord Posts from Your Archives – #Family – Childhood, and Train Whistles, and My Grandmother by Jennie Fitzkee

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Jennie

Family history and stories, and childhood experiences, shape our lives. Thank you, Sally Cronin, for sharing the story of my childhood.

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The Wisdom of Mister Rogers – Part 2

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Jennie

In Part 1, I talked about my good fortune to watch the TV show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with my children, to hear Fred Rogers speak at a national conference for teachers, and to see the documentary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”.

Part 2
Fifteen years ago I was gifted a book by the family of a child in my class: “The World According to Mister Rogers.  Important Things to Remember.”

It is a collection of his quotations and short writings.  It is a collection of wisdom!  Here are a few of those pearls:

When my mother or my grandmother tried to keep me from climbing too high, my grandfather would say, “Let the kid walk on the wall.  He’s got to learn to do things for himself.”  I loved my grandfather for trusting me so much.  His name was Fred McFeely.  No wonder I included a lively, elderly delivery man in our television ‘neighborhood’ whom we named “Mr. McFeely.”

The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love.  When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged.  And what a healthy thing that is!  Without it, we would never stand up and speak out for what we believe.

The thing I remember best about successful people I’ve met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they’re doing… and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success.  They just love what they’re doing, and they love it in front of others.

I must be an emotional archaeologist because I keep looking for the roots of things, particularly the roots of behavior and why I feel certain ways about certain things.

One of the best (and favorite) songs that Mister Rogers sings is “It’s You I Like.”

“It’s you I like.
It’s not the things you wear.
It’s not the way you do your hair,
But it’s you I like.

The way you are right now.
The way down deep inside you.
Not the things that hide you.
Not your toys, they’re just beside you.

But it’s you I like, every part of you.
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.

I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s yourself, it’s you.
It’s you… I … like!”

When we sing this song in my classroom, it feels good.  Children are quiet, smiling inside. They know.  They understand.  I do, too.

Stay tuned for Part 3, more words of wisdom from Mister Rogers.

Jennie

Posted in behavior, books, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Kindness, Quotes, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Quotations on Perseverance

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Jennie

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“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

                                                                Maya Angelou

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“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”

                                                               Theodore Roosevelt

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“Never, never, never give in!”

                                                                Winston Churchill

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My Favorite Children’s Books When I was a Child

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Jennie

Anne Copeland's avatarAll in a Day's Breath

Little Golden Books courtesy Ebay.com

The books I remember most as a young child were the Little Golden Books. These were the books I could read on my own. The four above, particularly The Poky Little Puppy were favorites.These were called Board books, likely because the covers were made of cardboard. I don’t remember how much they cost then, but it was not a lot of money at all. This would have been in the 1940’s.

When I was older, my favorite was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. And still later, perhaps around 12 – 14, my favorites that I read on my own were the Nancy Drew mysteries. These are stories I remember that cast young children as heroes in their own times, and Nancy Drew was particularly strong in portraying the star character as a very feminist type young lady, driving a sportster and fearlessly solving mysteries…

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The Wisdom of Mister Rogers – Part 1

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Jennie

I had the good fortune to watch Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood on television with my children in the 80’s.  I also had the good fortune to hear Fred Rogers speak at a national teacher’s conference in the 90’s.  He was a kind and gentle man, and he commanded the love and respect of children and parents – because he understood children.  He also understood the world, and more importantly, children’s place in the world.

Most recently I watched (twice) the new documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?  I thought I knew… well, there is so much.  I didn’t know.

I highly recommend watching this film.  Remember, it is a documentary, not a movie.  I will share one story that blew my socks off:

Racial tension was at a high.  In the south, a film clip showed black people swimming in a pool, and white people walking along the outside edge of the pool pouring straight chlorine bleach into the pool.  So how did Mister Rogers handle that on his show?  He was sitting, with his feet in a wading pool.  Along comes Officer Clemmons, a popular (and black) character on the show.

“Hi Officer Clemmons.  How are you?  It’s a hot day.  Would you like to sit and cool off?”

They sit side-by-side exchanging greetings, and Officer Clemmons takes off his shoes and socks, and joins Mister Rogers in the wading pool.  Their feet are swimming together, black and white.  It’s that subtle.  It’s that powerful.

What a perfect way to combat racial prejudice.  Better yet, what a brilliant way to bring the world to children. Humanity and kindness at it’s best, in an everyday situation.

That’s what Mister Rogers did.

He saw the inside of everyone, not the outside.

Fred Rogers was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the President of the United States. He received the coveted Peabody Award.  The Smithsonian Institution displays his trademark sweater.

Mister Rogers list of accomplishments is a long list, yet to him (and me) his most important  accomplishments aren’t on those lists.  They’re what he did everyday with children.  He has a lot to say about that.

Stayed tuned for Part 2, and the words of Mister Rogers himself.

Jennie

Posted in Diversity, Early Education, Expressing words and feelings, Inspiration, Kindness, Learning About the World, Love, self esteem, Teaching young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 88 Comments

Who Are Some of Your Favorite Fantasy Writers?

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Jennie

I often tell Dr. Charles French that he will eventually get the children I teach, or that I have prepared his students. You see, while I teach preschool and he teaches college, we actually teach the same thing – that literature is the greatest teacher. We both read to our students with passion, and follow the many trails that books blaze along the way. I know that my students will come to read Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, because I have read to them Charlotte’s Web and The Story of Doctor Doolittle. Fantasy is imagination, and also inspiration. For me and for Dr. Charles French, it is our greatest teaching tool. We are as excited as our students! Thank you, Charles. Keep reading great literature to your students. I will, too.

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I thought I would continue this series on favorite writers by asking specifically about Fantasy today. I have addressed Speculative and Science-fiction writers, but now let us consider those we love reading in Fantasy.

Here is a brief list of some of my favorites:

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J. R. R. Tolkien and The Lord Of The Rings

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J. K. Rowling  The Harry Potter Series

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Ray Bradbury Something Wicked This Way Comes

These writers are only a few of many possible whom I might have listed.

So, I ask you: who are some of your favorite fantasy writers?

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