It's Simple

That Child

Blond hair that's matted but if it's
 brushed would give the air of "little
 girl," rather than a waif. 

 She's not a stray, nor is she lost......not yet.

 Yet her needy gaze haunts me.

Shy at school because reading

 is so difficult now,

an elusive link to learning.

Building trusses 

to open wide her world is a challenge,

a right, and a need. 

Brush aside uncomfortable feelings

and find ways to reach her and teach her.

More than we dare to dream

beyond the dim days of struggle, 

children around us

deserve a dose of "possibility."

Daily

"We need to move beyond the idea 

that education is something that is

provided for us and toward the

idea that an education is something

that we create for ourselves."

                                ~Steven Downes

Mrs. Padgett

When you're young and jumping into the work world with that first full-time position, it's quite a whirlwind.  Juggling people, politics and unfamiliar responsibilities in any job
 truly makes for extremely long days.  

Enthusiasm is essential in those situations, especially
 when you haven't a shred of experience! 

Without a support system but a reservoir of ideas, you simply dive headlong into your "new adventure" with hope and grit.

Such was the start of my teaching career at St. Francisville Elementary School.

It was after one of those long, long days that

I looked up to see the grandparent of one of
my pupils standing in the doorway of
the second grade classroom.  

As the years went by it wouldn't be the only time that she stepped across the threshold of that room, where countless

numbers of youngsters joined into lessons and learning.  

The reason for her impromptu visits?  Each time Mrs. Padgett wanted to "discuss" a situation with me.

I was pleased but so surprised to see her.  

It was a bitterly cold day; I assumed she wished to talk about her grandson Gabe, one of my students.  He lived with his parents in a home directly across from our school  playground.  I erred about her motivation, for she asked that the visit and conversation remain private.  I soon understood why.

She was concerned about a child in my room that had no boots.  He was a playmate of Gabe's and her grandson had brought this fact to Phyllis' attention.  Gabe reasoned with her that because there was so much snow on the ground, he was willing to give up his own winter boots for a friend.  She had
an entirely different notion, pressing money into my hands.

The next day I figured out a way to approximate the size of the little boy's feet by doing a math lesson where each child
traced the outline of their foot and cut it out.  We graphed
the results of the entire group.  

The boy had a very small foot but because of

Phyllis, he soon had winter boots.

Over the coming years, she appeared in the doorway of that second grade classroom several times.  Her visits were never 

judgemental and our many conversations were molding me in an important direction.  I was thankful that her intuition about the youngsters or their needs was always in the best interests of the building and the many families within the community.  

She didn't criticize, she acted.

School supplies are a must for kids; she didn't question why they had none.  Money due for a Scholastic book order I was about to submit?  She seemed to know the youngsters who never got to participate, wanting to make sure they got an opportunity to choose a title from our order blank.  

She thought about those pupils in our room who wouldn't be bringing a present to exchange during the annual Christmas party too.  "Please take this and use the money for them," she would insist.  Smiling, she'd stress that the donations were to remain anonymous.  "Remember, please keep this just
between the two of us," were always her parting words.

That smile, how could one dismiss it?  

I never will because that straight forward, caring philosophy she bestowed has remained a loving part of my days.  

Did she realize how our secret visits in that classroom long ago were life changing?  Yes, conversations that translated into "an eye for children," that each of us can commit to.  The wellbeing of the young, a gracious gift and heritage that will always 

sustain me....and should sustain us all beyond the day.  

She loved her husband, children, grandchildren &
great-grandchildren unconditionally.  She told me once
that she felt blessed to be able to help others and be
a champion for those who truly needed it.

I think of her with great love when listening to 
Tim McGraw's "Humble and Kind," as if it's her song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awzNHuGqoMc

I'm really the lucky one & I thank you Mrs. Padgett.

  

   

Words Are Eternal

"Among the many worlds that man did
 not receive as a gift from nature but
 created out of his own mind, the world of books is the greatest… Without the word,
without the writing of books, there is no history, there is no concept of humanity. 

And if anyone wants to try to enclose in a
 small space, in a single house or a single
 room, the history of the human spirit and
to make it his own, he can only do this in
 the form of a collection of books."

                                                             ~Hermann Hesse

The ability to read and understand

simple, subtle, and complex ideas is

the golden feat we shall set our sights 

upon.  The priceless skills of reading

and thinking are tremendous gifts

which can elevate our children

into worlds of possibility!   

Let it be our mission and passion

to encourage the art of learning to

read for all children.  It may just

lead them to dream, and from

that distant shore....

there can be no turning back!

#IMMOOC & "The Purpose of Education"

"Change is nothing to fear."

Repeat:  "Change is nothing to fear."

  

Embrace it and step out of your comfort zone because each moment, each day, week, month, 

and the year that passes is different from
 the times that have eclipsed you and I.  The idea of "time marching on" is a powerful one.  Let it provoke wonder and energy within you because of the young people who come into class each day.  

Turning back to the first ten pages in George's 

The Innovator's Mindset, I recognized  

this phrase right away:  "What I care about

 is that kids are inspired to be better people because of their experiences in school." 

It was highlighted in yellow.  

I read the book months ago and was
curious about that first section which we
were responding to this week.  For me, 

it was necessary to "revisit" those 

early pages of the book. 

Why else should I rise from my bed each

morning and head off to work.....to play, to my important responsibilities?  It's for that genuine engagement with students, colleagues, families, and the community surrounding the school.  

Back to the book......I rediscovered three other passages (on page ten) that "jumped out" at me in that first reading of The Innovator's Mindset.

They were also highlighted in yellow. 

"Relationships are the crux of everything we do."

&

"The second thing my parents taught me was
 the value of being a constant learner,
especially in the face of adversity."   

&

In the same way, we need to, as Teach Like a PIRATE author Dave Burgess says, create

 an experience where students are

"knocking down the doors to get in."  

Lucky are we to recognize our mission

to be a part of encouraging and educating kids.

Let's reach out to seek the inspiration to 

get the job done......in style, and with love.

If you missed YouTube Live 1 

(Dave Burgess) and Week 1 Blog Prompts:
http://immooc.org/2016/09/17/youtube-live-1-dave-burgess-and-week-1-blog-prompts-immooc/

"Bill & #IMMOOC"

http://boomermagonline.com/magazine/2015/September/

A year ago I met a friendly gal around noon at

 the Vincennes, Indiana YMCA.  We were 

preparing to get our respective work-outs done under the watchful eye of a guard when she smiled and introduced herself as Laura.

 Throwing out a compliment about her suit,

 I jumped into the water and pushed off the 
wall.  "Timing is everything" they say,  
That poolside encounter proved to be true.

Little did I know a third swimmer

 finishing up his workout was the subject of
 of a piece Laura had  penned for 
Boomer Magazine, a local publication 

highlighting people and special events

 occurring in and around  communities

 adjacent to Knox County, Indiana.

Once I had the opportunity to read

 Laura's piece it both surprised and delighted
me.  Ironically I'd met the subject of her
 as a teenager and we were both living in 
Lawrenceville, Illinois.

He was my neighbor and the father of
 one of my friends, Mr. Carrithers.  

The afternoon Laura and I had a chance meeting, Bill just happened to be a couple of 

 lanes over from us.   Looking strong, he was

  in the midst of finishing up a mile swim.

Read Laura's story about Bill
in the link above (on page 8).  
Come back here to
"My Pedagogy Page," for there's
so much more to this story.

Bill Carrithers, Still in the Swim

Here's my shout-out to the group
participating in #IMMOOC