Teacher Ponderings

Who’s Your Hero?

Is your all time hero Mother Teresa, Amelia Earhardt, Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana or Michael Phelps? Perhaps your hero is Mohhamed Ali or Martin Luther King Jr. All of these passionate historical heroes are truly special and brave. According to Encarta, a “hero” is somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality. Whoever your hero is- you more than likely admire him for his character and his actions.

During the London 2012 Olympics this year, heroes have truly emerged. 19-year old Usain Bolt won the gold medal in track and field while showing his flair and pride. He made history as the first man ever to win the sprint double, twice. And of course, Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals-ever! What persistence and dedication he has had!

There are many athletes that do not make the headlines, however anyone who tried out for and also made it to the Olympics are role models. Years of training and perseverance led them to compete among the best athletes in the world. They believed in and then chased their own dream. That is inspiring in itself!

One unlikely hero, who inspires me to simply “try it” is Wojad Shaherkani, a woman athlete from Saudi Arabia. She is one of the first woman athletes EVER representing and competing in the Olympics for her country. Prior to the London 2012 Olympics, Saudi Arabia did not permit women to perform in the Olympics. This 16-year old judo competitor, stuck to her Islamic practices. She competed in her head covering, even though judo is a contact sport. The strict dress code did not allow her to wear the traditional Saudi head scarf, so she wore a swim cap instead. Perhaps she was thinking, “I can do it my way, and your way. You won’t stop me.” Her acts were brave and I truly admire that her actions speak volumes. Many people spoke negatively of her athletic participation and still do. Coming from a country where women are denied equal rights, Wojad pressed forward and stood up for Arab women. She wasn’t being an extremist, but a hero, instead!

Age has not stopped certain athletes. The most decorated Olympic Basketball player ever, Teresa Edwards holds the record as both the youngest and the oldest Olympic gold medalist in women’s Basketball. She was 20 at her first Olympics and 36 at her last. I am sure that over the years, she thought to herself, “why stop”?

15-year old Gabrielle Douglass is the first African-American to win the gold medal for gymnastics. She competed against world champions and world record holders. Her poise, focus, and stamina allowed her to perform with a smile. Her many years of training paid off. Do you think she ever felt out of place at the gym? If so, she didn’t let that sway her or steal her confidence.

The Olympics are a great tool and backdrop for teaching our children to be strong and brave. When my children viewed the pole vault, high jump, running and diving events-they were amazed and attentive. They had never before seen someone do such interesting feats. My daughter became a gymnast at home, while watching the competitors. My youngest son was inspired to jump-a lot! I was both surprised and happy to see them enjoy watching the Olympics. Perhaps, it was like a live action video game to them. Most of all, I want them to partake in hard work, display confidence and persist when things seem hard. I thank these athletes for their inspiration!

Rumor Has It – Finding the Truth in Online Information

Adele says “rumor has it.” It is so easy to believe “rumors” no matter how good and pure of heart that they may seem. I recently read a beautiful story behind an amazing poem. I read the story on a Facebook group that I am a part of. I was mesermized by the thoughtful words of an inspirational elderly man. A picture was attached to his story and I was curious if the picture was the actual photo of the author. I needed a picture to go along with the story. So, I began researching via Google… I did find his picture, but after hours of research.

Here is the Original Poem

Source: http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com/old2.html and http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com/

Below are versions of the story behind the poem that follows. I directly “cut and pasted” them from the sources listed. Please keep in mind that both story one and two are false.

Story 1 “When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in GRASS VALLEY , CA . It was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the home. One nurse took her copy to Missouri . The old man’s sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem. And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this ‘anonymous’ poem winging across the Internet. Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there, too!” – http://www.facebook.com and more than 10 other websites.

Another website quoted the story a bit differently:

Story 2 “When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a hospital in England, it appeared she had left nothing of value. The nurse, packing up her possessions, found this poem. The quality so impressed the staff that copies were distributed to all the nurses in the hospital. This poem then later appeared in the Christmas edition of “Beacon House News,” a magazine of the Northern Ireland Mental Health Association. This was the Lady’s bequest for posterity.”” – http://crepusculum60.wordpress.com/crabbit-old-lady/ (I couldn’t find the poem published in any publication from the Beacon House or the Northern Ireland Mental Health Association).

Story 3 A message board user posted: “It’s been around a fairly long time. I worked as a care assistant in many nursing homes and residential homes between 1995 and 2004, and without fail, in every single one, someone would have pinned a copy of this poem on the staff noticeboard.” – http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=13896

Surprisingly, I discovered that the poem (that I thought was written by an elderly man in a nursing home) was actually written by a home-bound disabled man who has authored hundreds of poems. David Griffith is the original author of the widely circulated poem, “Too Soon Old.” I also discovered that the poem (as mentioned in the false background, did not actually appear in the Christmas edition of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. This magazine does not exist. It is only found in google searches, in places where others have quoted the un-original version of the poem and background behind it. More than ten websites quote this poem as having been published in this non-existent magazine. However, an elderly person in a nursing home may have been found with this poem in his pocket. Perhaps the words of this poem spoke to his heart and how he felt as his years were coming to an end. Perhaps many aged individuals feel this way right now. (Source: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/c/crabby-old-man.htm )

Story 4 -The real story….I found the original authors website, thanks to Dianne’s article @ http://www.dianeatwood.com/catchinghealth/2011/12/is-the-crabby-old-man-depressed/. Mr. Griffith’s website has his countless number of poems published online. They are amazing! He writes about his brother who is mentally ill, and shares insight for Kevin’s pure love for God. David also wrote some humorous poems called “Adam’s Underwear” and “Dr. Seuss Explains Computers.” David is actually a home-bound disabled person. He’s been writing and publishing short stories since 1969-forty three years ago (as of July, 2012). I have emailed him to find out more about him. To be honest, I am not sure if he is still living. His website is dated 2001-2008 and his guestbook is too full to receive more messages.

A link on his page led me to his photo. http://www.faeriekeeper.net/criteria1.htm (you can view it there, as my blog won’t let me post it….it must be copyrighted)

After typing his name in google images, I found a similar picture. At the following website, I found out that he was born in 1941 in Corpus Christi, Texas. If he is in fact still alive, he would be age 71. He was number 10 in a 10 child family. His parents were born late in the 1890s, and they too were from large families. He played high school football then later joined the Marines where he served two tours in Vietnam. After his military service he went to College and become an engineer and then a Southern Baptist Minister. He became homebound after suffering from a series of stress related heart attacks in the late 80s, and then a motorcycle wreck. He was left with spinal injuries and with a mobility impairment in 1991. He also suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. Once fully disabled Dave refused to give-up, but started a writing workshop and came on the internet full time. He is the author of over 600 poems and 100 short, stories, much of his works can be found at http://www.palletmastersworkshop.com where he maintains over 450 pages of his writings in page format. Dave is single, and lives alone with a full-time caregiver in Fort Worth, Texas. He refuses to live the life of a “cripple,” but rather travels, writes and maintains as active a lifestyle as his illnesses and injuries allow. Source: http://www.msmusings.com/archive90/97/GALLERY%2097,%208.htm (published 2007)

So, why did I spend all of this time researching the true story? I simply wanted to prove and follow several points. First, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Second, think of how others feel-no matter how young or old they may be. Actively listen and help them in some way-don’t feel sorry for them. Next, research stories and find out the real meaning and history behind them. Also, enjoy poetry! Finally, learn about the stories behind your favorite poems and authors-it might make the poem come to life and become more personal. Last but not least, don’t quote a poem, statement or article without first reading the actual article and/or source.

What is the Best Way for Teaching Reading?
Arthur Read

Arthur Read (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     Dolch words vs. Sight Words. Which method proves to be the best way for teaching reading? Are they even the same thing or are they different? As a Kindergarten teacher, who has taught sight words, I was curious about the answer to this question. Other Kindergarten teachers across the world teach dolch words. So, are we both up to part with the teaching of reading? Is one method better than the other?

     According to Edward William Dolch, there are 220 most commonly used words in the English language. This list was first published in 1948 in his book “Problems in Reading.” Dolch called these words “service words” meaning-words that must be quickly recognized to be able to read successfully. Words that must be recognized and read quickly are also called “sight words.” Many of the Dolch words are sight words (the answer to my original question)! In fact, any general text contains about 50-70 % of the 220 dolch words which are sight words. Therefore, sight words are vital to reading successfully.

     The other 30-50% of the words in most general text is phonics-based. Phonics based reading (the sounding out of words) is also vital to reading successfully. One could read with only sight words, or read by only sounding out words. However, if that were done, the person could not read successfully-or would be reading on a K-1st grade level. In order to read by phonics, a child must have phonemic awareness-the realization that letters make sounds. Then, the child must be able to know the name of each capital and lowercase letter, and the sounds that each makes. When letters are recognized within a word, such as “man,” the child should be able to think about the name of the letter and the sound it makes, and then sound out each sound slowly. By “reading” and practicing “sounding out” simple 2-3 letter words, a child will eventually sound out the letters more quickly and read more successfully. Therefore, phonics-based reading, sight word and dolch word reading are vital toward being a proficient reader.

The list of Dolch words can be found all over the internet via Google searches. The easiest to print list (found below) can also be found on Wikipedia. Below is the list, from Wikipedia, in alphabetical order. They are separated into categories by grade level and by noun/non-noun.

Dolch list: Non-nouns Pre-primer:

a, and, away, big, blue, can, come, down, find, for, funny, go, help, here, I, in, is, it, jump, little, look, make, me, my, not, one, play, red, run, said, see, the, three, to, two, up, we, where, yellow, you

Primer:

all, am, are, at, ate, be, black, brown, but, came, did, do, eat, four, get, good, have, he, into, like, must, new, no, now, on, our, out, please, pretty, ran, ride, saw, say, she, so, soon, that, there, they, this, too, under, want, was, well, went, what, white, who, will, with, yes

1st Grade:

after, again, an, any, as, ask, by, could, every, fly, from, give, giving, had, has, her, him, his, how, just, know, let, live, may, of, old, once, open, over, put, round, some, stop, take, thank, them, then, think, walk, were, when

2nd Grade:

always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don’t, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, its, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, wish, work, would, write, your

3rd Grade:

about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six, small, start, ten, today, together, try, warm

Dolch list: Nouns

apple, baby, back, ball, bear, bed, bell, bird, birthday, boat, box, boy, bread, brother, cake, car, cat, chair, chicken, children, Christmas, coat, corn, cow, day, dog, doll, door, duck, egg, eye, farm, farmer, father, feet, fire, fish, floor, flower, game, garden, girl, good-bye, grass, ground, hand, head, hill, home, horse, house, kitty, leg, letter, man, men, milk, money, morning, mother, name, nest, night, paper, party, picture, pig, rabbit, rain, ring, robin, Santa Claus, school, seed, sheep, shoe, sister, snow, song, squirrel, stick, street, sun, table, thing, time, top, toy, tree, watch, water, way, wind, window, wood

References: Dolch, W. E. (1948). Problems in Reading. USA: Garrard Press.

Internet Source: www.wikipedia.com

Published June 17, 2012 at my professional website: https://greenbeankindergarten.wordpress.com

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Bring back the grinch…..

I love that old grinch. He is so mean, but so kind deep down inside. Let’s not forget what he can teach us in this new year…

Have you ever encountered the shopping Grinch? The week before and after Christmas was a time that brought out the best and worst in people. Unfortunately, a Grinch sticks out like green broccoli! I was shocked when I was in Bath and Body Works and a shopper bumped into a Grinch who then proceeded to yell at this stranger-making the entire store of packed customers completely silent. Oh, it was such an uncomfortable feeling that I had, so I left the store and was inspired to find good. Why is it that those bad situations are easier to remember than the good ones? After all, that mall Grinch is what inspired me to write this….. However, if you remember Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the story ends with the Grinch changing and seeing that Christmas is not about what we give and get, but it is about the love that is shared and it is about family and friends being together. When we focus on just the gifts of Christmas, we are at risk of becoming Grinch-like. Christmas is not about how happy a gift can make someone, but it is about figuring out how to make people feel special in a very special way.

I am sure that we all have seen good grinches, like how the Grinch became at the end of the movie. Maybe even you yourself are a Grinch turned good-I know that I am. So, can you recall at list 3 good Grinch behaviors? Here is my list: 1.The stranger that held the door open for me, at Olive Garden-until I walked all the way through, as well as three other people too! 2. My parents-instead of telling me how messy my house is, they cleaned it! 3. The person who let me into traffic, which kept me from missing my turn.

I would love to hear your list too!

Since this is my Kindergarten blog, I must mention how this applies to Kindergarten. The week before Christmas break, I read the story to my students and we discussed how presents are not the most important things. I had them take turns to tell me what they are happy for, which they always have. The answers I heard were amazing- “my mom,” “our school and food,” “the markers and books,” they said! I was so happy that they understood the lesson. However, I did have one student who told me that he went home and pretended to be the Grinch and take everyone’s toys. I am sure that his parents were real happy about that, right?!?

(So…I wrote this post before I left for the holidays and just realized I didn’t post it. So I updated it and now it is posted! I guess I will stick to writing my drafts in wordpress instead of on Microsoft Word. Then, I will be able to retrieve it virtually. Lesson learned!)

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2011 in review-Every blog is a success!

My first blog writing began with this blog. I was so happy to recieve this report from wordpress. This report may not be very interesting, but to me, it is a validation that I helped someone out there in cyber land to find what they were looking for. I was also able to see how people found me online. Thank you wordpress for making my first blog a success for me and others!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 57 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Which Is the Better Investment: Higher Education or Early Education?

 

Have you ever thought of this question before? Not I-not until I read this article which I stumbled upon, on LinkeIn.

I think the main difference between both is the age of accountability. Early Education must be chosen for our youngest, by us. They have no say in the matter. It is not thier choice, it is our choice. At least with higher education, scholarships can be obtained or a young adult can work to pay tuition and fees. This is merely my opinion, though. According to the “Reading Horizons” blog article, they found that: “if a student is given a proper foundation from the start of their education they are more likely to gain a quality education.” I agree!

Which Is the Better Investment: Higher Education or Early Education?.

Read the article to find out what scholars and research says about the subject matter. You might be very surprised!

9 Favorite Quotes-Do you see your favorite?
Albert Einstein
Image via Wikipedia

Please add your favorite quote, if you don’t see it on my list. Thanks! If you don’t have a favorite that resonates with you, then sit back and be inspired!

  • “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” -Chinese proverb
  • “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” -Socrates
  • “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” -Aristotle
  • “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” -Albert Einstein
  • “The only thing that interferes with my learning, is my education.” -Albert Einstein
  • “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” -Albert Einstein
  • “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” -Mark Twain
  • “You must be the change that you want to see in the world.” -Gandhi
  • “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” -Abraham Lincoln
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What do you miss about being a child?
Child 1

Image by Tony Trần via Flickr

What was your favorite thing about childhood? I recall catching fireflies, making mudpies, spinning on the tire swing, the smell of fresh cut crass and making forts inside with my older brother. Even though we are adults now, that child is still deep down inside of us, just beggin to have fun!

If you haven’t felt like a kid in awhile, just read the attached list and pick something. The suggestions do not involve money or planning. I promise, you will have fun-and, you will feel like a kid again. So, go out and feed some ducks, play in the rain or pick any of the 48 other ideas. Recently on Linkedin, I met a new author, Helena Harper. She created a list of 50 ways to discover your inner child. Thank you Helena for sharing your ideas that are both simple and fun!

http://www.helenaharper.com/resources/RDYIC-SubscriberFreebie1.pdf

A blog is like a log? Do you agree?
Log of a Spruce tree on end showing ring detai...

Image via Wikipedia

What is a blog, anyway? Have you ever tried to explain it or personify a blog to someone? I suggest using my log illustration. A log was once a tree, but now it is exposed and about to do something more. It might just roll or it may be turned into paper, firewood or structures for a home. All of these are great uses, as long as the log is changing and becoming better. A log is just a log, that may be sat upon. But, it can do so much more than just be! In comparison, a blog was once a thought or idea in someone’s head (either spoken or unspoken). Now, it is a written thought (not just in an e-mail)…and those words might as well be written in blood, because what is online stays online, right? So, this blog is nice, but it is kind of like a log when it is not being used or read. Just being in cyberworld is not special enough. For this blog to be more, it needs others to intervene. The blog must have visitors, subscribers, group members and friends. When this begins, the blog is like a book-it is shared and used. But, the blog must be more than a book to thrive. A book can be closed and put on a shelf to gather dust. To prevent this devastation happening to a blog, the owner must add content often (2-3times/week, according to Ann Handley & C.C. Chapman in their book, Content Rules). When content is added often, then a unique and visual structure is being engineered. However, the key is to keep building and becoming more amazing. So is your blog just a log right now? What stage is your blog in?

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