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homeschooling, learning at home, homeschool pros & cons The Homeschooling Miniseries Choosing a homeschool curriculum He's the Expert Now How can I help my homeschooled child use the library? Reading Selection Guide for the Elementary Reading Homeschool Reading Selection Guide for Secondary Literature Homeschool Curriculum Why homeschool?Reasons for deciding yes or no Why homeschool? Reasons for deciding yes or no whyhomescool In this article I present reasons that some families give for choosing to homeschool their children and reasons why some families choose not to homeschool their children. I will share some that I have encountered in my journey in education. I will try to do this in an unbiased way, although there is one point I do want to discuss at the end because I think it is one often misunderstood. I’d like to begin by quoting an excerpt of the article The History Of Homeschooling In The United States from Northgate Academy , which you can read for yourself by following the link provided. Because of the decades-long controversy surrounding homeschooling, I believe it would be worthwhile to consider a brief history of homeschooling in the United States for perspective. History of homeschooling in the United States “Homeschooling has experienced a tumultuous journey throughout the last century, with many controversial court cases along the way. One of the first court cases that involved homeschooling was a ruling in 1904 with the State v. Peterman, where the court ruled that home school is equivalent to a private school. Since that time, homeschooling has gone through a lot of ups and downs while continuing to evolve to meet the needs of families.” from https://www.northgateacademy.com/the-history-of-homeschooling-in-the-united-states/ My own disclaimer There are pros and cons to homeschooling. It is not my purpose to convince you to homeschool your child. I believe that homeschooling is appropriate for anyone who deems it suitable for their family; and likewise if they choose not to. I myself chose to homeschool some of my children but not the others. Everybody has a reason for the configurations they have in their family for educational decisions. I am not giving advice about whether you should homeschool your child. I may from time to time offer advice in articles about curriculum or methods if you do choose to. Let’s please keep in mind that everyone has different values. Reasons why some choose to homeschool We are a creative family and want to explore learning about the world together. Having a special needs child is a good reason to homeschool so you can keep an eye on her and maybe participate with siblings. We have a strong faith community whose members homeschool. My spouse is in the military and we move often; homeschooling supports our transient lifestyle. The public school environment is dangerous for my child. The public school curriculum does not support our family values. I believe I can do a better job teaching my child than someone else can. Both parents work from home and we can school our children at the same time. We have wonderful books and learning activities that we want our children to explore. I want my child to have a classical education Having a special needs child is a reason to not homeschool because it is too much effort. We want our children to have opportunities to do activities ,such as sports, drama, creative writing workshops, languages, and Co-op activities with other homeschoolers. We can make better use of the time in the day for homeschooling than if they went to another school. Our local library has abundant programs and classes tailored to homeschoolers. I want my child to be able to graduate early. Reasons why some choose not to homeschool We have an excellent public school in our community. Both parents work outside of the home. Neither parent knows much about teaching; I don't think either of us could do a good job. We can afford to send our child to a good private school. We have a special needs child in our family My child is a devoted musician; it would be helpful to have the support of the school district for funding and music opportunities. My church doesn't approve of homeschooling. My taxes support the public schools; if I chose to homeschool I would have to purchase my own material in addition to paying taxes for the school system. My relative thinks I am being an irresponsible parent by homeschooling my child. I know a couple of homeschoolers and I think they're really awkward. I want my child to graduate with her class. What about socialization? In my observation I have seen that when a family chooses not to homeschool, the most common reason they give is socialization and specifically: I want my child to have socialization opportunities with children their own age. Allow me to clarify something that I know about homeschoolers and socialization. I was a parent in a very active homeschooling culture where children of all ages participated in classes, workshops, clubs, Co-op, travel, community service, sports teams, drama groups, swimming lessons, festivals, 4-H, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, community service, scholastic fair, and much more. A lot of people think that homeschoolers just sit around in their pajamas in their bedroom all day. I have seen some do that, but it certainly isn't the norm. Furthermore, with all of those amazing activities available to homeschoolers, why would anyone want to stay home in their pajamas? Same age? Now, what about being with children their own age? Is that a prerequisite for healthy socialization? Let's stop and think about that for a moment. Consider the job you are working in right now. Is everybody the same age? I conjecture that there's a broad range of ages in your workplace, perhaps even up to four decades in range-- and I also think that you perhaps have a more balanced work experience than you did when you graduated from high school and worked with other teenagers at your job. Evaluate the reasons Consider the reasons that people use to choose to homeschool their child or not. Have you heard these reasons? What is your opinion about these reasons? Have you heard of other reasons not mentioned in this article? (I certainly haven't heard them all.) Trust your judgment Which of the reasons do you feel are compelling for choosing to homeschool your child? Which reasons do you feel are compelling for not homeschooling your child? The point I want to leave you with is that whatever you think about the matter of choosing to homeschool or not, I encourage you to trust your judgment. You know your child more than anybody else and you can lead him or her through the formative next stages of education. Reading Selection Guide for Secondary Literature Homeschool Curriculum readingsecondary Junior High or High School students should be choosing and reading literature titles typical for secondary school. This includes the designation YA or Young Adult - typically for the teen years. You can ask at your public library for a list of books for your secondary student. You might also wish to consult these curated literature lists: The Newbery Medal: for the best American children's book since 1922 Caldecott Medal: for the most distinguished American picture book for children —this would be a good list to consult for the lesson on reading a picture book. Coretta Scott King Book Award: for the most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature. Pura Belpré Award: presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. 100 Best Books for Children Book Trust’s 100 Best Books Recommended Literature List: Literary Genres from the California Department of Education Here are some individual titles that may be appropriate for young adults: Julius Caesar The Great Gatsby Animal Farm 1984 Death of a Salesman Lord of the Flies The Odyssey Huckleberry Finn The House on Mango Street Poems by Robert Frost Poems by Billy Collins Poems by Emily Dickinson The Red Pony The Pearl A Christmas Carol Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge The Lottery You might want to pick up a used literature anthology where you can find typical works for young adults all in one place. readingselection Reading Selection Guide for the Elementary Reading Homeschool Curriculum Here are some elements that I think need to be included in a quality elementary homeschool reading curriculum. Read! read, read! Your child should be reading something all the time. It is wise to make sure she reads a variety of works in different genres on her grade/age level. Children in the primary grades can select picture books that are of high interest on a low reading level which can hold their attention. Upper Elementary students, of course, should also be reading continuously. It is wise to make sure they read a variety of chapter books by different authors. More challenging, historical fiction is an ideal genre for upper elementary students transitioning to higher level literature. Fiction selections can include novels, short stories, and children's plays. Children's poetry helps students learn about expression and different kinds of form, rhythm and rhyme. There are many books of children's poetry available. Nonfiction can include accounts of historical figures, how-to books, children's newspapers, children's encyclopedias and atlases. There are several well-known lists of books according to various categories that you might find useful to consult. The Newbery Medal : for the best American children's book since 1922 Caldecott Medal : for the most distinguished American picture book for children Coretta Scott King Book Award: for the most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature. Pura Belpré Award : presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. 100 Best Books for Children Book Trust’s 100 Best Books hestheexpert He's the Expert Now “What did you learn about today in Consumer Math?,” I once asked my homeschooled teenager. “About whether you should do home repairs yourself or hire out,” he answered. “Great!” I said, a little too enthusiastically. “We've been homeowners for only eight years, so you can give us some pointers.” Wise beyond his years and seeing through the ridiculousness of my request he replied, “Yeah sure, with my fifteen-minutes' experience!” Come to think of it, I was the one who got a lesson that day - in setting aside lofty expectations and remembering that we are a homeshooling family - partnering together in our learning the best we can and that’s the way it should be. homeschoollibrary How can I help my homeschooled child use the library? The public or university library is one of the best dwelling places for a student! For the homeschooled student, it is also a free or inexpensive source for materials for his studies, and there can be fine programs to meet the needs of everyone in the family. What can you, as a homeschooling parent, do to facilitate good use of this magnificent source? Set a goal for that visit. To make effective use of our student's time in the library it's better not to just point her at it and say, "Go!" then head out for Aerobics. (That’s a recipe for disastrous results!) She may find herself wandering looking for the right thing to do or even for inspiration. Instead, before you leave the house, make a plan for that visit. Why are we going to the library? For what subjects are you going to look for materials? What topic(s) within that subject? What kinds of materials do you think we need to find to assist work on that subject? What kind of questions are you (or better yet,she) going to ask the librarian if you can't find what you need? Are you also going to leave time for pleasure reading and selecting? Are we going just to do homework or reading or is this visit for research, taking notes, and borrowing materials? As you work this out together, write these down, at least in list form to refer to later. Decide your role as a parent during that visit. Are you going there as a partner in your child's work for the day, helping her determine what she needs and guiding her steps? Are you there only as a resource, showing her where things are, but letting her make the decisions herself? Or, are you just dropping her off on the way to Aerobics (with specific instructions) or taking the younger kids to the children's sections? Whatever you decide, make sure you tell her exactly what role you'll be taking during that day's library visit. This will avoid any unclear expectations. Hold her accountable . When you are finished together or pick her up from the library, have your child make a summary of what she accomplished during that time. Since you wrote your goals down before leaving the house, you can now compare them with what actually occurred. If the accomplishment fell short of the goal, examine together why. Were the goals too big? If not, did she not know where or how to find materials or ask for help? Was she not sure of what exactly she went to work on? That is, were the objectives not clear and specific enough (or sometimes, too specific, and the materials just didn't exist)? Or, was she distracted by something, such as the arrival of a friend or a pleasure book? After answering these questions, you can decide how to make improvements for the next visit to the library. Services and programs. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the services and programs the library has to offer. Many libraries have a brochure detailing the services available, or a calendar of upcoming events. At least, you can tell your librarian that you are a homeschooling family and ask what kinds of services you ought to be aware of, such as a writing workshop or other class. If you do not have Internet access in your home, you may be able to establish a limited account at the library. There also should be an interlibrary loan system you can take advantage of. If you have a busy household, the library may or may not be the ideal place to get school work done, depending on several factors. This should be evaluated by both parent and student. However, the library's only purpose should not be limited simply to a quiet place, but be used to enhance your homeschooler's studies. Choosing a homeschool curriculum Choosinghomeschoolcurriclum The topic referred to in the title can be difficult to address, since the outcome is particular to the individuals concerned. But before we discuss the topic, please remember that you are accountable to your school district superintendent and that all decisions must comply with the regulations of your home district. The principles discussed are not counsel but rather merely perspective. For new homeschoolers there may be anxiety or the feeling of uncertainty, inadequacy – and often that nagging fear of making a mistake. Only you can answer these questions for your own child and your own family. This is even true if you have several children, since learning styles can differ from child to child. Here are some suggestions to help you begin to answer questions you may have about choosing curriculum for your student. Do we choose a complete curriculum already designed for the homeschooler? Or do we find many different books and other materials by our own careful choosing? This is a question whose answer depends on you, your family, your individual child, and even your budget. There are some curricula available which are considered to be complete, that is, you need not obtain any other resources. Following this route should depend mostly on whether you like the elements of that program, but can also depend on the cost. If such a program is expensive, but you only like half of it, this may be a poor choice for you, unless you are not concerned with cost. If you trust that program, it may be better for you to have the publishers choose the elements for you. Many people prefer to choose individual elements from several programs or even choose their own books from sources such as the library or bookstore. This is an ideal method if you know what each of the resources contain and they suit the learning style of your child, and the values and budget of your family. If you are completely uncomfortable with making this selection, you may prefer to go with a complete curriculum. Do we do what someone else does? Asking advice from other people is not a bad idea, if we ask people we trust. That way, we are not ingrown and can become exposed to options we had not considered. But in the final analysis, our choices need to be our own. We need to carefully consider what is best for our child, based on his needs and our values and goals. Another's advice can be very helpful, but should not be the final say on what we will do. Do we buy materials only put out by publishers who share the same values we do? The answer depends entirely on your personal values. I will share my opinion. There are many excellent textbooks and helpful guides available on the market that are time-tested and sound. I believe there is no need to steer clear of such books since their primary purpose is to give objective, that is, unbiased educational instruction in the mechanics of English, the methods of laboratory science, or timelines in history. If you feel uncomfortable with curricula not being written only by those who share your own values, you may want to avoid such material. However, it is my view that materials on grammar, composition, or public speaking , for example,are not written for the purpose of influencing the values of children, but rather improving their communication skills. Literature, however, should be selected according to the convictions of the family. It is my view that we may gain much from exposure to the experiences and views of other people from other perspectives, times, and places. It seems that our scope of experience will be much too limited if we adhere only to writings of those who share our values. For the homeschooled student, I recommend that the parent is carefully involved in the selection process of the literature. It is also wise that parents teach their child to bring to him issues of a questionable nature for the purpose of discussion and protection. Using the Internet to build a curriculum It is possible to find endless resources for the homeschooled student using a search engine. Going on an Internet search can be inspiring, but it's also possible to waste time in it and become frustrated. Some resources for homeschoolers are good, others are very sparse. But overall I would encourage you to trust your own judgment (as you may hear me say from time to time) because you know your children better than anyone else and you know what is best for them .You also know best about how to go about making curriculum decisions based on various factors: your child's academic needs, disposition, strengths and weaknesses, goals, interests, attention span, and much more. In terms of logistics you know the amount of time you wish to spend in planning and in instruction. You also know your family schedule, what your budget is for educational materials or services. and of course you also know what requirements your school district expects of you as you select curricula and activities for your child's education. What about taking classes taught by professional teachers? Sometimes your child needs or wants a particular course, such as a special math class, a language class, a class that no one in the household is equipped to teach, or you just like the teacher and what she has to offer. There's no reason to avoid making use of a resource such as a class taught by a professional teacher or expert. In fact, there was a time in my career where I was homeschooling one or two of my children for high school while I was also offering classes to homeschoolers, sometimes Spanish, sometimes English, sometimes vocal music. Another option along those lines is for homeschool community members to gather their resources and plan a co-op of classes or workshops or other educational activities where adults teach a class or skill to a group of homeschooled students. That option requires advanced planning, of course, but it can be fulfilling for parents and students alike if it is done well. One more important point: if you get started using a curriculum or materials or objectives and you find that it's just not working for your child, I want you to know that you have not failed. Sometimes a curriculum is not a good fit for your child, didn't fulfill what it promised, or you found something far better. Nobody is standing over your shoulder holding a clipboard, and if he is, tell him that he came to the wrong house.

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So Busy Learning - A wide variety of articles, lessons and other materials related to learning So Busy Learning with Diana Learning through Culture Prayer Bytes Using Language and Related Skills Perspectives on Life and Learning Real-life Writing Prompts for Children The Homeschooling Miniseries

writing prompts, story starters, creative writing aids Real-Life Writing Prompts for Children I wrote these short writing prompts when I was teaching English to primary grades. I provided each student with a notebook that they could write their responses in. Most of the time I used these prompts as an opening writing activity before beginning our lesson. Oftentimes I wrote them on the fly to correspond with something that was currently going on, such as a festival our school was having, a change in the seasons, or a holiday. My students considered the writing prompts the highlight of the day and I hope yours do as well. spring Title: Spring Answer these questions. What is like waiting for spring to come? What can you do in spring that you cannot do other times? What animals do you see in the spring? Tell about an outdoor game you would like to play now that is is spring. Why do you like it? dayboygirl Title: A Story about a Boy’s Day Write a story about a boy and his friends or family. Give him a name. What does he do in his day? What do his friends or family do? Use parts of the day: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night. You may also use sometimes or often. Draw a picture. Title: A Story about a Girl's Day Write a story about a girl and her friends or family. Give her a name. What does she do in her day? What do her friends or family do? Use parts of the day: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, at night. Draw a picture. newyear Title: Happy New Year! New Year's Day is always January 1st after the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, December 31. Many people make New Year's resolutions. A resolution is a promise to do something good. When people make New Year's resolutions, they usually think of some attitudes or behaviors that they want to change. Or they make a plan to start something new, like a hobby or learning a new skill. Do you want to make a New Year's resolution to do something new, or to do something better, or to stop doing something you shouldn't? Title: My Thanksgiving Vacation What did you do? What was the weather like? Where did you go? What did you eat? Copy and finish this. Then write more sentences. I had a ________ Thanksgiving vacation. I ______……. tvacation lookingforward Title: What are you looking forward to? Write about a future event or something you are happy about. What are you looking forward to? I’m looking forward to ___. I can’t wait! What are you not looking forward to? I’m not looking forward to ___. chopsticks Note to parents: You might want to participate with your child for this interesting writing prompt that I developed while working at a Japanese school Title: Chopsticks Do you eat with chopsticks? You can write anything you want about chopsticks. Here are some ideas: How to use Your memory of when you learned Compare of chopsticks and American utensils What foods are best and/or worst with chopsticks? Draw a picture. fruitsvegetables Title: Fruits and vegetables Do you like fruits? Do you like vegetables? Which do you like better: fruits or vegetables? Which fruits do you like? Which vegetables do you like? We can't get every fruit or vegetable in every season. Which season has your favorite fruit or vegetable? Can you get that fruit or vegetable in this season? Title: My Favorite Sports What are your favorite sports? Why? What do you like to do? Snow in winter? Snow in winter Title: Snow in winter? Do you live in a place that is snowy in the winter? If so, do you get a lot of snow or a little snow? Do you enjoy playing in the snow? Do you make things out of the snow, like a snowman or a snow fort? If you do not have snow where you live, do you wish you could have snow? Write about the weather where you live. sick Title: Being sick What is it like being sick? When was the last time you were sick? Do you sleep a lot? What do you do to pass the time? Do you have something you always eat or drink when you are sick? What does someone do to take care of you? Valentine Happy Valentine's Day We celebrate Valentine's Day so we can say I love you to someone special. In this writing prompt you can make a valentine for someone you love. How can you say I love you to someone special? Will you tell the person why you love him or her? Will you say something nice about him or her? Maybe you can also draw a heart. The heart is a symbol for Valentine's Day. You can cut a heart out of paper and write on it the words you want to say to the person. Title: Buying gifts for loved ones for a December holiday When December holidays are near, do you buy gifts for your family or friends? What holiday are you celebrating? Who do you buy gifts for? What else do you do as you celebrate this holiday? Title: Choosing Did you ever have to choose between two things you wanted? What did you choose? Why? What happened after you made your choice? Title: Emergency What do you do in an emergency? Think of a time you or someone you know had an emergency. What did you or the person do to face the emergency? Examples: weather fire traffic medical house accident Title: A Pet I Would Like Write about a pet that you would like to have. What animal is it? What does it do? What is your pet’s name? What does it eat? How do you take care of it? Title: At a Part y You are having a party. There are many foods and decorations! Write about all the things you see at your party. Use your imagination.

You can expect a wide variety of articles, lessons and other materials related to learning. That's the theme of this website. Some of the series on this website may include: Foreign Language Learning, Using English and Other Academic Skills, Short Writing Prompts for Children, Learning Through Culture and more. Welcome Welcome to So Busy Learning with Diana! I'm so glad you have joined me! From time to time you can expect a variety of articles, lessons and other materials related to learning. That's the theme of this website. Some of the series on this website may include: Using Language and Related Skills, Learning Through Culture, Homeschooling articles and more. You may also find new-to-you museums to visit and tips on developing your performing arts skills. I have spent my life as a teacher, writer, and performer, but mostly as a learner. I have taught and written about many subjects including, but not limited to English Language Arts, English as a Second Language, Spanish, Vocal Studies, Performing Arts, and Applications of the Christian Faith. I have also taught in many educational settings and to many groups, including international students, homeschoolers, and people of all age groups from elementary school through college and beyond. I am very grateful to have this opportunity to pass on these materials inspired by my rich experiences and the people I have shared them with. Keep an eye on this website for more contributions for your learning enjoyment and enrichment!

ESL, Teaching best practices, soft skills, classroom management, philosophy of teaching, pedagogy Perspectives on Life and Learning The basic anatomy of a lesson Cyrano de Bergerac and the messed up self image - Edmund Rostand’s tale of bravado and tragedy Defining and measuring ELL success in a mixed cla ssroom Don't frustrate your learner Dr. Heidegger's Experiment Good Friday How can I help my child use the library? How good are your coping mechanisms? I'm a better teacher now from thinking about my own language learning An Informal Look at Emotional Intelligence Learning, teaching, and faith as I live it Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation Margaret Thatcher on Habits Maundy Thursday My momentary encounter with the impact of linguistic diversity on special education My most meaningful accomplishments in the college classroom N egative labels: How do they impact the academic success of a student? On Teaching English to speakers of Spanish Palm Sunday Resurrection Sunday The Rock in the Driveway: A True Fable Two Teachers’ Memories of September 11, 2001 Silent Saturday Yes, Thanksgiving chicken: Our family's tradition maundy Maundy Thursday On Maundy Thursday Jesus shared His last Passover with His disciples before His death. After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. John 13:12-17 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another . John 13:34 Maundy is from the Latin Mandatum, or "command" referring to Jesus saying “I give you a new commandment. Many churches celebrate communion as part of a Maundy Thursday service, since Jesus led the very first communion during this time with His disciples. palmsunday Palm Sunday Today is Palm Sunday. On this day in Holy Week the people celebrated Jesus coming to Jerusalem as King. The Pharisees really did not like that and ordered Jesus to tell his followers to stop rejoicing. But Jesus replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” Luke 19:40 NLT I invite us to rejoice with the cheering crowds in recognition of our King! frustrate Don't frustrate your learner Some teachers wind up frustrating their learners because they don’t understand what is needed for the learner to have his inquiries honored and answered. There is certainly a legitimate method of teaching that involves asking the student to come up with a possible answer but it is not the student’s responsibility to provide the path to the solution. After a few bad starts I ended up being a good teacher, being responsive to my learners but it wasn't always that way. I had some bad examples where teachers were snarky and unkind to their learners and they were bad examples for me. Thankfully I got the memo early enough to be responsive to my learners and came to be kind and respectful to all. And my students came to love me for it. Following are three fictitious scenarios where maybe you can see if learners are frustrated or not. Alyssa and Robin Alyssa Lane is a high school geography teacher who loves maps. But unfortunately she likes feeling superior even more. She went on vacation to the Rockies and when she returned home she invited her friend Robin to look at the pictures from her trip. Robin asked Alyssa which states the Rockies run through. Alyssa said, “What states do you think?” “I don’t know” “Well try.” “I have no idea, Alyssa - this is your subject area!” Alyssa came back, “You’re a smart girl Robin - I’m sure you can figure some of this out!” In an uncharacteristic move, Robin got up and said “I’m done here. What’s the matter with you - Why won’t you just tell me?” With that she stormed out to her car and drove off. Mr. Dolbear Mr. Dolbear is a 1st grade teacher. He is a big man. He has a German accent and wears a wooly sweater and kind of looks like a bear and all the children love him because he is kind, friendly and helps them succeed in school. He does what is known as scaffolding (temporary supports for learning) - for instance he will use objects such as blocks to demonstrate principles of addition. He also likes to teach simple German words such as the names of numbers and then tells the kids - Look you are bi-lingual! He doesn't give answers, he helps the kids discover a way to find the answer. Patsy and Chad Patsy is a 70-year old grandmother who enjoys her new digital camera but always struggles downloading and sharing pictures. “I don't like computers because they never do what I tell them to.” Chad is a 20-year old computer science major who is neighbors with Patsy and gives her impromptu computer help. Patsy asked Chad to show her how to handle the digital photos of her grandkids. During a help session, Patsy asked how to do a certain step. Chad took the mouse and said “Here, watch” and did the steps very quickly. “I missed that”, said Patsy. Chad replied, “ All you gotta do is…” and selected menu items very quickly with the mouse and left Patsy behind again. Chad said, “Any questions?” Patsy blinked. Chad ran through all the steps again. Suddenly he realized he’s going way too fast for Patsy. “I’m sorry - I think I’m not really teaching you very much. This is so second nature to me that I was just doing it for you.” Patsy answered, “That’s OK I can be a little poky. But I just noticed something important. You are giving the computer what it wants, not trying to force it to do what you want. That is how you are able to work magic with this machine.” Chad said, “Wow - never thought of that. Also I was trying to get you to do what I wanted you to do, not giving you what you want.” “So am I a computer, then?” Patsy said. They both burst out laughing. After that Chad learned to slow down and Patsy learned to share her family photos by giving the computer what it wants. Think about it Which instructors did not frustrate their learner and how? Which instructors did frustrate their learner and how? Which instructors were most effective with their learners? proclamation Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation November 27, 2025 Today, on the last Thursday in November we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. During the Civil War between the States in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that there should be a national day of Thanksgiving to promote unity in the land and to express thanks to God for His generous provision. Lincoln revered God and wanted to heal the division that was tearing the country apart. As you read his proclamation, can you see how we need a similar message of unity in the world right now? Personally, I am thankful for many things - God, who has given me a wonderful life; my husband; my sons and daughters and my brother. I appreciate my church and my fellow musicians. I am especially thankful for the cross of Jesus who has made me whole. I am also thankful for you, my wonderful readers. I think about you every day as I consider what to write for your enrichment. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 Washington DC, October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln William H. Seward, Secretary of State heidegger Dr. Heidegger's Experiment November 12, 2025 Growing old is mandatory. Gaining wisdom is optional. Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, written by transcendentalist author Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1837, is a short story that shines a glaring spotlight on the follies of vanity whether in youth or old age. In addition to being an exciting tale, there are sobering lessons to be learned. As you read the story, see if you can detect the author's attitude toward the characters. After the story are some questions to help you process what you read. Dr. Heidegger's Experiment That very singular man, old Dr. Heidegger, once invited four venerable friends to meet him in his study. There were three white-bearded gentlemen, Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, and Mr. Gascoigne, and a withered gentlewoman, whose name was the Widow Wycherly. They were all melancholy old creatures, who had been unfortunate in life, and whose greatest misfortune it was that they were not long ago in their graves. Mr. Medbourne, in the vigor of his age, had been a prosperous merchant, but had lost his all by a frantic speculation, and was now little better than a mendicant. Colonel Killigrew had wasted his best years, and his health and substance, in the pursuit of sinful pleasures, which had given birth to a brood of pains, such as the gout, and divers other torments of soul and body. Mr. Gascoigne was a ruined politician, a man of evil fame, or at least had been so, till time had buried him from the knowledge of the present generation, and made him obscure instead of infamous. As for the Widow Wycherly, tradition tells us that she was a great beauty in her day; but, for a long while past, she had lived in deep seclusion, on account of certain scandalous stories, which had prejudiced the gentry of the town against her. It is a circumstance worth mentioning, that each of these three old gentlemen, Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, and Mr. Gascoigne, were early lovers of the Widow Wycherly, and had once been on the point of cutting each other's throats for her sake. And, before proceeding further, I will merely hint, that Dr. Heidegger and all his four guests were sometimes thought to be a little beside themselves; as is not unfrequently the case with old people, when worried either by present troubles or woful recollections. "My dear old friends," said Dr. Heidegger, motioning them to be seated, "I am desirous of your assistance in one of those little experiments with which I amuse myself here in my study." If all stories were true, Dr. Heidegger's study must have been a very curious place. It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs and besprinkled with antique dust. Around the walls stood several oaken bookcases, the lower shelves of which were filled with rows of gigantic folios and black-letter quartos, and the upper with little parchment-covered duodecimos. Over the central bookcase was a bronze bust of Hippocrates, with which, according to some authorities, Dr. Heidegger was accustomed to hold consultations, in all difficult cases of his practice. In the obscurest corner of the room stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, with its door ajar, within which doubtfully appeared a skeleton. Between two of the bookcases hung a looking-glass, presenting its high and dusty plate within a tarnished gilt frame. Among many wonderful stories related of this mirror, it was fabled that the spirits of all the doctor's deceased patients dwelt within its verge, and would stare him in the face whenever he looked thitherward. The opposite side of the chamber was ornamented with the full-length portrait of a young lady, arrayed in the faded magnificence of silk, satin, and brocade, and with a visage as faded as her dress. Above half a century ago, Dr. Heidegger had been on the point of marriage with this young lady; but, being affected with some slight disorder, she had swallowed one of her lover's prescriptions, and died on the bridal evening. The greatest curiosity of the study remains to be mentioned; it was a ponderous folio volume, bound in black leather, with massive silver clasps. There were no letters on the back, and nobody could tell the title of the book. But it was well known to be a book of magic; and once, when a chambermaid had lifted it, merely to brush away the dust, the skeleton had rattled in its closet, the picture of the young lady had stepped one foot upon the floor, and several ghastly faces had peeped forth from the mirror; while the brazen head of Hippocrates frowned, and said, "Forbear!" Such was Dr. Heidegger's study. On the summer afternoon of our tale, a small round table, as black as ebony, stood in the centre of the room, sustaining a cut-glass vase, of beautiful form and elaborate workmanship. The sunshine came through the window, between the heavy festoons of two faded damask curtains, and fell directly across this vase; so that a mild splendor was reflected from it on the ashen visages of the five old people who sat around. Four champagne-glasses were also on the table. "My dear old friends," repeated Dr. Heidegger, "may I reckon on your aid in performing an exceedingly curious experiment?" Now Dr. Heidegger was a very strange old gentleman, whose eccentricity had become the nucleus for a thousand fantastic stories. Some of these fables, to my shame be it spoken, might possibly be traced back to mine own veracious self; and if any passages of the present tale should startle the reader's faith, I must be content to bear the stigma of a fiction-monger. When the doctor's four guests heard him talk of his proposed experiment, they anticipated nothing more wonderful than the murder of a mouse in an air-pump, or the examination of a cobweb by the microscope, or some similar nonsense, with which he was constantly in the habit of pestering his intimates. But without waiting for a reply, Dr. Heidegger hobbled across the chamber, and returned with the same ponderous folio, bound in black leather, which common report affirmed to be a book of magic. Undoing the silver clasps, he opened the volume, and took from among its black-letter pages a rose, or what was once a rose, though now the green leaves and crimson petals had assumed one brownish hue, and the ancient flower seemed ready to crumble to dust in the doctor's hands. "This rose," said Dr. Heidegger, with a sigh, "this same withered and crumbling flower, blossomed five-and-fifty years ago. It was given me by Sylvia Ward, whose portrait hangs yonder; and I meant to wear it in my bosom at our wedding. Five-and-fifty years it has been treasured between the leaves of this old volume. Now, would you deem it possible that this rose of half a century could ever bloom again?" "Nonsense!" said the Widow Wycherly, with a peevish toss of her head. "You might as well ask whether an old woman's wrinkled face could ever bloom again." "See!" answered Dr. Heidegger. He uncovered the vase, and threw the faded rose into the water which it contained. At first, it lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred, and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a death-like slumber; the slender stalk and twigs of foliage became green; and there was the rose of half a century, looking as fresh as when Sylvia Ward had first given it to her lover. It was scarcely full blown; for some of its delicate red leaves curled modestly around its moist bosom, within which two or three dewdrops were sparkling. "That is certainly a very pretty deception," said the doctor's friends; carelessly, however, for they had witnessed greater miracles at a conjurer's show; "pray how was it effected?" "Did you never hear of the 'Fountain of Youth,'" asked Dr. Heidegger, "which Ponce de Leon, the Spanish adventurer, went in search of, two or three centuries ago?" "But did Ponce de Leon ever find it?" said the Widow Wycherly. "No," answered Dr. Heidegger, "for he never sought it in the right place. The famous Fountain of Youth, if I am rightly informed, is situated in the southern part of the Floridian peninsula, not far from Lake Macaco. Its source is overshadowed by several gigantic magnolias, which, though numberless centuries old, have been kept as fresh as violets, by the virtues of this wonderful water. An acquaintance of mine, knowing my curiosity in such matters, has sent me what you see in the vase. "Ahem!" said Colonel Killigrew, who believed not a word of the doctor's story; "and what may be the effect of this fluid on the human frame?" "You shall judge for yourself, my dear Colonel," replied Dr. Heidegger; "and all of you, my respected friends, are welcome to so much of this admirable fluid as may restore to you the bloom of youth. For my own part, having had much trouble in growing old, I am in no hurry to grow young again. With your permission, therefore, I will merely watch the progress of the experiment." While he spoke, Dr. Heidegger had been filling the four champagne-glasses with the water of the Fountain of Youth. It was apparently impregnated with an effervescent gas, for little bubbles were continually ascending from the depths of the glasses, and bursting in silvery spray at the surface. As the liquor diffused a pleasant perfume, the old people doubted not that it possessed cordial and comfortable properties; and, though utter sceptics as to its rejuvenescent power, they were inclined to swallow it at once. But Dr. Heidegger besought them to stay a moment. "Before you drink, my respectable old friends," said he, "it would be well that, with the experience of a lifetime to direct you, you should draw up a few general rules for your guidance, in passing a second time through the perils of youth. Think what a sin and shame it would be, if, with your peculiar advantages, you should not become patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of the age." The doctor's four venerable friends made him no answer, except by a feeble and tremulous laugh; so very ridiculous was the idea, that, knowing how closely repentance treads behind the steps of error, they should ever go astray again. "Drink, then," said the doctor, bowing. "I rejoice that I have so well selected the subjects of my experiment." With palsied hands, they raised the glasses to their lips. The liquor, if it really possessed such virtues as Dr. Heidegger imputed to it, could not have been bestowed on four human beings who needed it more wofully. They looked as if they had never known what youth or pleasure was, but had been the off-spring of Nature's dotage, and always the gray, decrepit, sapless, miserable creatures who now sat stooping round the doctor's table, without life enough in their souls or bodies to be animated even by the prospect of growing young again. They drank off the water, and replaced their glasses on the table. Assuredly there was an almost immediate improvement in the aspect of the party, not unlike what might have been produced by a glass of generous wine, together with a sudden glow of cheerful sunshine, brightening over all their visages at once. There was a healthful suffusion on their cheeks, instead of the ashen hue that had made them look so corpse-like. They gazed at one another, and fancied that some magic power had really begun to smooth away the deep and sad inscriptions which Father Time had been so long engraving on their brows. The Widow Wycherly adjusted her cap, for she felt almost like a woman again. "Give us more of this wondrous water!" cried they, eagerly. "We are younger,—but we are still too old! Quick,—give us more!" "Patience, patience!" quoth Dr. Heidegger, who sat watching the experiment, with philosophic coolness. "You have been a long time growing old. Surely, you might be content to grow young in half an hour! But the water is at your service." Again he filled their glasses with the liquor of youth, enough of which still remained in the vase to turn half the old people in the city to the age of their own grandchildren. While the bubbles were yet sparkling on the brim, the doctor's four guests snatched their glasses from the table, and swallowed the contents at a single gulp. Was it delusion? even while the draught was passing down their throats, it seemed to have wrought a change on their whole systems. Their eyes grew clear and bright; a dark shade deepened among their silvery locks; they sat around the table, three gentlemen of middle age, and a woman, hardly beyond her buxom prime. "My dear widow, you are charming!" cried Colonel Killigrew, whose eyes had been fixed upon her face, while the shadows of age were flitting from it like darkness from the crimson daybreak. The fair widow knew, of old, that Colonel Killigrew's compliments were not always measured by sober truth; so she started up and ran to the mirror, still dreading that the ugly visage of an old woman would meet her gaze. Meanwhile, the three gentlemen behaved in such a manner, as proved that the water of the Fountain of Youth possessed some intoxicating qualities; unless, indeed, their exhilaration of spirits were merely a lightsome dizziness, caused by the sudden removal of the weight of years. Mr. Gascoigne's mind seemed to run on political topics, but whether relating to the past, present, or future, could not easily be determined, since the same ideas and phrases have been in vogue these fifty years. Now he rattled forth full-throated sentences about patriotism, national glory, and the people's right; now he muttered some perilous stuff or other, in a sly and doubtful whisper, so cautiously that even his own conscience could scarcely catch the secret; and now, again, he spoke in measured accents, and a deeply deferential tone, as if a royal ear were listening to his well-turned periods. Colonel Killigrew all this time had been trolling forth a jolly bottle-song, and ringing his glass in symphony with the chorus, while his eyes wandered toward the buxom figure of the Widow Wycherly. On the other side of the table, Mr. Medbourne was involved in a calculation of dollars and cents, with which was strangely intermingled a project for supplying the East Indies with ice, by harnessing a team of whales to the polar icebergs. As for the Widow Wycherly, she stood before the mirror courtesying and simpering to her own image, and greeting it as the friend whom she loved better than all the world beside. She thrust her face close to the glass, to see whether some long-remembered wrinkle or crow's-foot had indeed vanished. She examined whether the snow had so entirely melted from her hair, that the venerable cap could be safely thrown aside. At last, turning briskly away, she came with a sort of dancing step to the table. "My dear old doctor," cried she, "pray favor me with another glass!" "Certainly, my dear madam, certainly!" replied the complaisant doctor; "see! I have already filled the glasses." There, in fact, stood the four glasses, brimful of this wonderful water, the delicate spray of which, as it effervesced from the surface, resembled the tremulous glitter of diamonds. It was now so nearly sunset, that the chamber had grown duskier than ever; but a mild and moonlike splendor gleamed from within the vase, and rested alike on the four guests, and on the doctor's venerable figure. He sat in a high-backed, elaborately carved oaken arm-chair, with a gray dignity of aspect that might have well befitted that very Father Time, whose power had never been disputed, save by this fortunate company. Even while quaffing the third draught of the Fountain of Youth, they were almost awed by the expression of his mysterious visage. But, the next moment, the exhilarating gush of young life shot through their veins. They were now in the happy prime of youth. Age, with its miserable train of cares, and sorrows, and diseases, was remembered only as the trouble of a dream, from which they had joyously awoke. The fresh gloss of the soul, so early lost, and without which the world's successive scenes had been but a gallery of faded pictures, again threw its enchantment over all their prospects. They felt like new-created beings, in a new-created universe. "We are young! We are young!" they cried exultingly. Youth, like the extremity of age, had effaced the strongly marked characteristics of middle life, and mutually assimilated them all. They were a group of merry youngsters, almost maddened with the exuberant frolicsomeness of their years. The most singular effect of their gayety was an impulse to mock the infirmity and decrepitude of which they had so lately been the victims. They laughed loudly at their old-fashioned attire, the wide-skirted coats and flapped waistcoats of the young men, and the ancient cap and gown of the blooming girl. One limped across the floor, like a gouty grandfather; one set a pair of spectacles astride of his nose, and pretended to pore over the black-letter pages of the book of magic; a third seated himself in an arm-chair, and strove to imitate the venerable dignity of Dr. Heidegger. Then all shouted mirthfully, and leaped about the room. The Widow Wycherly—if so fresh a damsel could be called a widow—tripped up to the doctor's chair, with a mischievous merriment in her rosy face. "Doctor, you dear old soul," cried she, "get up and dance with me!" And then the four young people laughed louder than ever, to think what a queer figure the poor old doctor would cut. "Pray excuse me," answered the doctor, quietly. "I am old and rheumatic, and my dancing days were over long ago. But either of these gay young gentlemen will be glad of so pretty a partner." "Dance with me, Clara!" cried Colonel Killigrew. "No, no, I will be her partner!" shouted Mr. Gascoigne. "She promised me her hand, fifty years ago!" exclaimed Mr. Medbourne. They all gathered round her. One caught both her hands in his passionate grasp,—another threw his arm about her waist,—the third buried his hand among the glossy curls that clustered beneath the widow's cap. Blushing, panting, struggling, chiding, laughing, her warm breath fanning each of their faces by turns, she strove to disengage herself, yet still remained in their triple embrace. Never was there a livelier picture of youthful rivalship, with bewitching beauty for the prize. Yet, by a strange deception, owing to the duskiness of the chamber, and the antique dresses which they still wore, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ridiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shrivelled grandam. But they were young: their burning passions proved them so. Inflamed to madness by the coquetry of the girl-widow, who neither granted nor quite withheld her favors, the three rivals began to interchange threatening glances. Still keeping hold of the fair prize, they grappled fiercely at one another's throats. As they struggled to and fro, the table was overturned, and the vase dashed into a thousand fragments. The precious Water of Youth flowed in a bright stream across the floor, moistening the wings of a butterfly, which, grown old in the decline of summer, had alighted there to die. The insect fluttered lightly through the chamber, and settled on the snowy head of Dr. Heidegger. "Come, come, gentlemen!—come, Madam Wycherly," exclaimed the doctor, "I really must protest against this riot." They stood still and shivered; for it seemed as if gray Time were calling them back from their sunny youth, far down into the chill and darksome vale of years. They looked at old Dr. Heidegger, who sat in his carved arm-chair, holding the rose of half a century, which he had rescued from among the fragments of the shattered vase. At the motion of his hand, the four rioters resumed their seats; the more readily, because their violent exertions had wearied them, youthful though they were. "My poor Sylvia's rose!" ejaculated Dr. Heidegger, holding it in the light of the sunset clouds; "it appears to be fading again." And so it was. Even while the party were looking at it, the flower continued to shrivel up, till it became as dry and fragile as when the doctor had first thrown it into the vase. He shook off the few drops of moisture which clung to its petals. "I love it as well thus, as in its dewy freshness," observed he, pressing the withered rose to his withered lips. While he spoke, the butterfly fluttered down from the doctor's snowy head, and fell upon the floor. His guests shivered again. A strange chillness, whether of the body or spirit they could not tell, was creeping gradually over them all. They gazed at one another, and fancied that each fleeting moment snatched away a charm, and left a deepening furrow where none had been before. Was it an illusion? Had the changes of a lifetime been crowded into so brief a space, and were they now four aged people, sitting with their old friend, Dr. Heidegger? "Are we grown old again, so soon?" cried they, dolefully. In truth, they had. The Water of Youth possessed merely a virtue more transient than that of wine. The delirium which it created had effervesced away. Yes! they were old again. With a shuddering impulse, that showed her a woman still, the widow clasped her skinny hands before her face, and wished that the coffin-lid were over it, since it could be no longer beautiful. "Yes, friends, ye are old again," said Dr. Heidegger; "and lo! the Water of Youth is all lavished on the ground. Well, I bemoan it not; for if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep, I would not stoop to bathe my lips in it; no, though its delirium were for years instead of moments. Such is the lesson ye have taught me!" But the doctor's four friends had taught no such lesson to themselves. They resolved forthwith to make a pilgrimage to Florida, and quaff at morning, noon, and night from the Fountain of Youth. Questions: Why did the author choose to have three men and one woman as the subjects of the experiment? What dynamic did this configuration unleash? If you had the opportunity to drink from the fountain of youth would you? If so, do you think you could handle the change? cyrano Cyrano de Bergerac and the messed up self image - Edmund Rostand’s tale of bravado and tragedy October 10, 2025 You might be familiar with Cyrano de Bergerac, the swordsman with the big nose and an ego to match. Cyrano is a swordsman in the French army and is famous for his ability to take on many enemies at once. He is also known for his eloquent poetry that impresses all the ladies, even though he is hesitant to pursue any of them. The only lady he really wants to woo is his cousin Roxanne. But Cyrano fears he has no hope of capturing his cousin because of his large nose. Early in the story Cyrano expects to have an encounter with Roxanne but instead ends up hearing about her love for his rival, Christian. Ironically, Roxanne asks him to pledge to protect Christian in the army unit where they are both serving. To make matters worse, because of Christian’s unbelievably poor command of the language, Cyrano agrees to woo Roxanne posing as Christian. Additionally, Cyrano actually acts as liaison to help Christian and Roxanne get married (would YOU do that!?) Cyrano’s messed up self-image is evident in that he is at once arrogant yet insecure, neither of which he is willing to let go of. Because he can’t get beyond his nose, like a lot of us, he allows himself to miss opportunities instead of speaking for himself. The entire story goes on to show event after event where Cyrano is trapped by his own insecurity. This is his tragedy. When all is said and done, I bet that his nose is not nearly as big as his issues that dog him. Perhaps Cyrano could have benefited from my article on Emotional Intelligence. If you are interested in the story, I highly recommend seeing the Kevin Kline portrayal in the 2008 television production . There really was a Cyrano de Bergerac, although his life did not resemble the famous story written about him. sept11 Two Teachers’ Memories of September 11, 2001 September 11, 2025 On September 11, 2001 I lived nowhere near the Metropolitan New York area. I was living in Upstate New York, 300 miles from New York City. When I was in the middle of my morning activities on that day, I was not aware of the terrible events occurring in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. I did not watch television or listen to the radio that morning. Instead, I was waiting for an adult student who took singing lessons from me. She was quite late that day. When she finally arrived, she looked very pale and stunned. She explained that she was watching the news on TV and saw that the World Trade Center had been attacked and was falling down. She was worried about her brother who lived in New York City. We talked about it for a few minutes, but it was hard to know what to say or do. We decided to begin our singing lesson, trying the best we could despite this shocking news. After she left, I spent the rest of the day wondering what had happened and why. It seemed I wasn’t personally affected by the attacks since I lived so far away. But I realized something very big and awful had happened to our country. My husband, Eric, on the other hand, had a different experience. Eric was a junior high teacher in a private school. He had spent the morning with his students and, like me, had not heard of the attacks. He was in the middle of teaching a math lesson when the principal came in to speak with him. She drew him aside and quietly said in his ear, "Both towers of the World Trade Center are gone and the Pentagon is on fire." She said that, for now, not to tell the students what was going on, but to wait until the end of the day to tell them there was a major event today and to ask their parents when they got home. The idea was to prevent the little ones from having stress all day, and to give the parents the ability to care for their children's reactions in the safety of home. When the principal left, Eric had to sit down and keep himself calm as he finished the lesson. He told me, “So once I knew, the job was to provide as normal a day as possible for the kids while I was in the dark about how widespread things might be. ‘How can the World Trade Center be gone?’ was all I could think. I could not come up with a way to answer that at all.” Today Eric says that back then most students in our private school did not ride the bus with kids from other schools, and there were no cell phones or widespread Internet available to everyone. He says that not hearing of the attacks could never happen today because everyone knows everything as soon as it happens. He feels that the principal made a wise decision that day about how to inform students of the tragedy. For the two of us as teachers the difficulty was to manage through our lessons with our students. It was challenging to continue teaching while our minds asked how we could go on as if everything was normal. Little by little over the next days and weeks we learned more of what had happened. But on that first day, we all were numb. One year later, my 14-year old son and I participated in a memorial presentation with a group of schoolchildren and their parents. He presented the speech that the Governor of New York gave after the tragedy occurred. I sang a patriotic song about being glad to be an American where we enjoy freedom. It was important to us as parents and teachers to encourage our children to care about making peace and being helpful and kind in the country we live in. Margaret Thatcher on habits habits September 5, 2025 Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of England in the 1970s was very wise. Here are some useful words she said: Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. What thoughts occupy your mind? As you dwell on those thoughts you are cultivating a habit. If you are cultivating that habit, take heed less you cultivate an addiction. And an addiction may very well become for you a permanent way of life. By the way you might like to take a little look at my Prayer Byte on addiction The same is true about positive behaviors. You can be so accustomed to that positive behavior, that it can become a positive habit and then you can have a fruitful destiny. Please join me as we look at our destiny together. What positive behaviors do you want to make a permanent part of your life? How might they affect your destiny? Now that you are safeguarding your attitudes, take a brief moment to evaluate whether there are any unhealthy habits or attitudes (social, physical, spiritual, sexual) that might compromise your journey. Revisit these questions periodically to check your progress. How good are your coping mechanisms? coping August 23, 2025 These fictitious case studies are for your use as you evaluate some coping mechanisms. Tommy Tommy was a postal clerk in my town. Although I did not go to the Post Office frequently, I went often enough to see Tommy at work. I was able to contrast Tommy with Mike who was always gracious at the counter, at least I thought so. Tommy actually huffed and puffed and groaned with each transaction. It was pitiful to watch. He was affable enough to say Merry Christmas or how are you today, but that sort of communication was not what caught my eye each time Tommy passed through the door leading to his counter of the post office. Despite his benign presentation, I consistently saw, not exactly a heart attack waiting to happen, but at least an ulcer. A worker who seemed to feel ill-used with each customer that came to his counter. I saw in his body language a harried man with a victim mentality. I eventually moved out of town, but I heard that he had adopted a cat that was perfect for him. I was glad for that, hoping he could find a pet that could give him joy and relief from his self-imposed stressful life. June I once got a job teaching in a small specialized school. Like in many small schools of this type, there was one teacher, June, who had the air of being reasonable and a team player, but in reality she skillfully and smoothly manipulated others to her way of thinking. Even so, I learned a healthy coping mechanism from watching her during one of our staff meetings. One time, the focus of a meeting was getting lost, and to compound things I found myself making a dumb joke. Well this was just too much for June. It would have not been a big surprise if she started yelling at us to get in line and get the meeting back on track. But her desire to remain in control of herself caused her to close her eyes and sit still for a minute with her hands on her face. That was enough to help her regain her composure and carry on in the meeting. I learned from observing her that it can be very effective to cope with a situation by stepping away, even if it’s in your own mind. I didn’t know what was going on behind her eyelids, but it was obviously working for her. People think that blowing up or letting off steam will make them feel better. But June’s coping mechanism avoided the dangers of elevated blood pressure, and release of the harmful hormone cortisol into her system and any of a number of other stress-related symptoms including heart issues. Jackson Jackson's mother had asked me to tutor her son because he aspired to join the college debate team. He struggled with many of the syllogisms that he needed in order to master the rhetoric. One time, Jackson was getting flustered by one of the syllogisms. As he began getting upset as he grappled with the logic, he stopped himself and tried to regain composure and started talking to himself and said, “Hold on Jackson!” Then he laughed at himself and took a look at me and I saw that he had a light go on. Jackson had invented his own personalized coping mechanism on the spot. It would be the first of a lifetime of self-confidence. Furthermore, at times when I myself and at my wit’s end I can be heard saying “Hold on, Jackson!” resurrection Resurrection Sunday If you look at your calendar today it would tell you that today is Easter Sunday. But that label refers to a secular holiday that pertains to bunnies & chicks and chocolate eggs and maybe a new hat for Mom. I want to focus on the resurrection of Christ today. Yesterday I told you about Silent Saturday when Jesus went into the underworld to preach the Good News to those who had not heard it to give them an opportunity to choose life with Him. Resurrection Sunday highlights the day that Jesus rose from the dead after having been crucified. He now has a glorified physical body that will never be destroyed or see death again. This is really good news for us if we want to join Him in this newness of life because of the fact that He went before us and we can share in His victory. This victory makes us able to partner with Him as we move through the world. 1 John 5:4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. silent Silent Saturday Yesterday was Good Friday which represents the day that Jesus was crucified to free us from our sins and bring us back to God. Today is Silent Saturday. That represents the period that while His body was still in the tomb, Jesus went in the spirit to the underworld to preach the good news to those who were in captivity in their sinful state. God had so much mercy on them and us that he went to all lengths so they could receive the good news, and walk in the power of newness of life. 1 Peter 3:18-19 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits Because Jesus was dead on Silent Saturday, I think we assume that He was not doing anything. On the contrary, He was very busy in the spirit preaching to those who still needed that power of the good news. It was such a wonderful act of love which is still in in force toward you and me today. goodfriday Today is Good Friday, a significant holiday in the Christian church. It is the last Friday before Easter in the Christian calendar. It commemorates the wonderful scandalous night on which Jesus Christ was crucified. But the most significant part of this day was when Christ died for the world to turn the world back to Himself. How did he do that? It was the wonderful powerful authoritative act of God the Father when he laid the punishment on Jesus Christ by requiring Him to carry our sins on Himself. I am even thankful that His sacrifice covered the sins of others committed against me. I find that tremendously freeing because in it I find the power to forgive others. Please ponder these somber but freeing words from Isaiah 53 concerning Good Friday: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. And of course it’s His resurrection that completed the healing for all time. childlibrary How can I help my child use the library? February 28, 2025 The public or school library One of the more popular dwelling places for a student can also be a free or inexpensive source for materials for his studies. There can also be fine programs to meet the needs of everyone in the family. What can you, as a parent, do to facilitate good use of this magnificent resource? Set a goal for that visit. To make effective use of our student's time in the library it's better not to just point him at it and say, "Go!" then cut out for coffee. (That’s a recipe for disaster!) He may find himself wandering looking for the right thing to do or even for inspiration. Instead, before you leave the house, make a plan for that visit. Why are we going to the library? For what subjects are you going to look for materials? What topic(s) within that subject? What kinds of materials do you think we need to find to assist work on that subject? What kind of questions are you (or better yet, he ) going to ask the librarian if you can't find what you need? Are you also going to leave time for pleasure reading and selecting? Are we going just to do homework or reading or is this visit for research, taking notes, and borrowing materials? As you work this out together, write these down, at least in list form to refer to later. Decide your role as a parent during that visit. Are you going there as a partner in your child's work for the day, helping him determine what he needs and guiding his steps? Are you there only as a resource, showing him where things are, but letting him make the decisions himself? Or, are you just dropping him off (with specific instructions) or taking the younger kids to the children's sections? Whatever you decide, make sure you tell him exactly what role you'll be taking during that day's library visit. This will avoid any unclear expectations. Hold him accountable. When you are finished together or pick him up from the library, have your child make a summary of what he accomplished during that time. Since you wrote your goals down before leaving the house, you can now compare them with what actually occurred. If the accomplishment fell short of the goal, examine why together. Were the goals too big? If not, did he not know where or how to find materials or ask for help? Was he not sure of what exactly he went to work on? That is, were the objectives not clear and specific enough (or sometimes, too specific, and the materials just didn't exist)? Or, was he distracted by something, such as the arrival of a friend or a pleasure book? After answering these questions, you can decide how to make improvements for the next visit to the library. Services and programs. It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the services and programs the library has to offer. Many libraries have a brochure and/or website detailing the services available, or a calendar of upcoming events you ought to be aware of, such as a writing workshop or other classes. Many libraries also have special interest groups. For your older children If you have older children that want to have library opportunities, you might want to consider visiting a university or college library for higher level materials and opportunities. There will likely be an interlibrary loan system to take advantage of as well. If you have a busy household, the library may or may not be the ideal place to get school work done, depending on several factors. This should be evaluated by both parent and student. However, the library's purpose should not simply be limited to a quiet place, but be used to enhance your child's studies. Remember to have fun Before you both leave the library for the day, consider browsing the books to take home for pleasure reading. Sharing the selection and discussing it may give you some extra camaraderie and sharing together. emotionalintelligence An Informal Look at Emotional Intelligence January 8, 2025 We admire a brilliant scientist, especially when she makes great strides in medicine or physics or chemistry. We also applaud the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize because they use their intelligence and creativity to make the world a better place. But do we appreciate the man, woman, or child who feels good about him or herself knowing that he or she has value and contributes to our world? Those individuals will not get an award for their self-esteem. And yet I say that the ones who have confidence in their own selves have great potential in impacting the surrounding world. For I say that people with healthy, authentic self-esteem have an intelligence called emotional intelligence. I have seen in my own life, as well as the lives of others that I am close with, practices such as setting boundaries, clarifying intentions, or stepping out into new vistas. Some of my loved ones and friends say, “How come I'm just now learning about the freedom of setting boundaries at this point in my life?- I could have avoided many mistakes.” Yes. I get you, but let's continue in our newfound freedom which is worth its weight in gold. Emotional intelligence Now let me put down for you a definition of emotional intelligence I found online. “Emotional intelligence can best be described as the ability to monitor one's own and other people's emotions, to discriminate between different emotions and label them appropriately, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior.”1 1 https://bigthink.com/series/legends/daniel-goleman-emotional-intelligence/ Interaction is crucial So that definition seems very straightforward and practical. But how can one personally grasp emotional intelligence? Well, it doesn't grow in a petri dish, and there is no magic formula-- you certainly cannot get it from pursuing popularity and success. The fact of the matter is that it is developed through social interactions. Alana James of Jones International University in her graduate course Learning Theory says this: “Learning cannot take place in isolation. Human nature encourages interaction. In terms of learning, social interactions assist learning as we learn from each other. Social interactions in the learning environment may include teacher and student; student and student; or both.” James,2010. Module 1, Theme1. That said, by extension a child may learn skills and information by playing with a learning toy by herself, but without interaction while grappling with the learning toy, the child may only gain factual knowledge but perhaps not emotional intelligence. When I was teaching English as a second language to children or adult learners, I always made use of pair and group work so that the students could share in their discoveries of the concept as well as practice verbally with one another. Even for adult learners, learning is better when it is not in isolation, but rather in a social framework. The times that I did not provide this type of practice for the students regardless of their age, the less progress they would make in their language learning. Furthermore, social interaction while exploring a concept with a partner provided enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment and success. Maslow - Learning can happen when basic needs have already been met Abraham Maslow was a prominent expert in psychology who created a hierarchy of needs. In short, the concept is that we must have our physical and emotional needs met before we attend to more advanced matters. That makes sense to me. On a very simple level I can't really plan my menu or my vacation itinerary on an empty stomach. But there is no great threat for me to plan my menu or vacation because I'm hungry since I can just put it off until after I've had lunch. As I see it, I think Maslow was an early expert on emotional intelligence. In contrast, as an ESL teacher I sometimes encountered students whose education was interrupted because of a migrant lifestyle. Not only was their learning interrupted, but their emotional development was stunted because of duress, changeable environments, and trauma. So even if we're not talking about learning at the moment, individuals with ongoing distress may ultimately experience a lower emotional intelligence. Too, people with family members or friends or educators who inflicted ongoing criticism, judgment, abuse, neglect, and the like may develop paranoia, anxiety, and low self-esteem. They may also develop clinginess and chronic attention-getting. It's not too late All people young or old need emotional security. Perhaps some readers seeing this article are comfortable inside their skin. If that is you, I am happy that you have that sense of well-being. Others may have chased after love and acceptance that they never quite grasped. I have compassion on you about that. I know what that’s like, too. But to all the readers I want to share the most significant knowledge of where you can find that elusive emotional intelligence. Let me show you what the Author of all has to say about your self-esteem, elusive or not. Please allow me to share with you Psalm 139:1-18; 22:18 ,23,24 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me in the way everlasting. For further reading about emotional intelligence and healing, I highly recommend looking into these two books that I have personally benefited from: Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend Changes that Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud chicken Yes, Thanksgiving chicken: Our family's tradition A yummy family tradition For many years we joined my husband's entire family at their homestead for Thanksgiving, except for the occasional year when someone was really sick or a baby was just born. Mom and Dad were good at cooking, and really got it down to a science – no, not a science. An art. My typical part in the meal was baking a quick bread, because that is something I was good at, and it traveled better on the 400-mile drive than just about anything else. The whole occasion was great, and we did it for years. We had the typical American Thanksgiving menu, and it was super tasty: Dad's turkey (he’d buy it fresh, not frozen), homemade gravy from the drippings (I still can't make gravy), Mom's unique stuffing (the herbs she put in set it apart from the ordinary), fresh green beans, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, pearl onions in cream sauce, my bread, sometimes other foods we wanted to try, all topped off (where'd we find room to put it?) with a variety of pies with cream whipped that morning. Their cooking techniques were somehow magical, because it was all so yummy, and came together all at once. Times inevitably change But eventually, as happens with many families, we no longer were able to participate in our traditional Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. The time came for us to cook our own Thanksgiving dinner for our nuclear family at our house. We would be doing the cooking from then on. I myself was a good cook in general but was not all that great at cooking meat. I guess I never learned how. My husband was a lot better at it than I was. But even so, there's one food that was going to be different. No turkey. Here's why. A turkey tragedy Some years earlier I had gotten a coupon for a free turkey at our grocery store. I think we had to spend a certain amount of money there for a number of weeks. Even though our children were still small and we didn't need a large turkey, free food is free food. And we had a large freezer, so we could take it and keep it there for later, which we did. And being free food, I picked up the biggest whopping turkey I could find. No, I didn't pick it up, the stock boy did. I picked out the biggest turkey I could find. Twenty pounds. I don't know what I was thinking . After all, I was a pretty small woman. Somehow I got it home and into the freezer. I don't remember how I did it. I must have called on my cell phone from the store to make sure that someone strong was waiting at home. A week later we thawed the gobbler. On the day of the Thanksgiving meal, I managed to unwrap and rinse it and lower it into my biggest baking pan. I did whatever I read in the directions I was supposed to do with this monster, and roasted it accordingly. I prepared the rest of the meal, and had the kids set the table. When the popper said the bird was done (isn't that how you do it?), I tried to hoist the beast out of the oven and onto the stove top. A bad moment for leverage. I made it to the stove unharmed, but I nearly toppled the animal on top of myself, along with the pool of hot grease that had accumulated during cooking. Breathless and trembling from the near miss, I stepped aside for my husband to take over the process. The day after the meal, being the frugal woman I am, I stewed the enormous carcass in a huge stock pot for bowls and bowls of soup. Phew! It was a traumatic experience, and I vowed I wouldn't be cooking quite as big a fowl as that again. And you want to hear a secret? I'm not even crazy about turkey all that much anyway (except perhaps when Dad cooked it!). So, for Thanksgiving the next year, we had chicken. A permanent change in the menu I had consulted the members of my family and told them my plan. Every last one of them said they preferred chicken anyway, and that they loved how I fixed it. That alleviated all pressure from me about the so-called real meaning of Thanksgiving: serving the right bird. I made my menu the day before shopping. Besides the chicken, we'd have stuffing (sometimes called dressing, but that's what I pour over my lettuce, so that's not the word I use), baked yams (baked just like russets, and served with butter and fresh ground black pepper), fresh green beans, cranberry sauce, and New York style cheesecake for dessert. Perfect. I did my grocery shopping the Monday before Thanksgiving, making sure to put chicken on my list. At the meat cooler, there were six or seven varieties of turkey. I searched over the mounds of gobblers for the chicken, but only spotted ones labeled “young chicken.” I knew I needed a bigger one than that for our little feast, but didn't see normal chickens there at first. A meat department lady was sorting sausages nearby. I asked her, “Where are the chickens?” She lifted her cheek and eyebrow. “Chicken?!” Translation: Lady, you must be the only person in America who doesn't know you should be buying turkey this week. Normally I would explain that I didn't want a turkey, that a turkey was too big for us, I don't like turkey, wanted to serve chicken for Thanksgiving instead, like I just did with you, but I didn't want to deal with it then. So, I just let her show me the regular chickens, and I picked out a plump one for our Thanksgiving. I was thrilled, and took the chubby fellow home. Every year people would ask me if I was cooking turkey for Thanksgiving, and I told them the awful truth. They nod their heads in an understanding way. But I detect a slight glint of skepticism in the eye. Oh, well. We were happy about it. And if I ever have to plan Thanksgiving again, which I won't, chicken it it will be. How I roasted chicken Unwrap your chicken and rinse it inside and out, removing the neck and package of giblets. (If you want to cook them, that's up to you. I don't. BTW the cats love them) Get your roasting pan ready. With the chicken nearby, pour a small handful of salt into your hand. Rub it inside the entire cavity of the bird all along the inside surface. Do the same thing with the outer surface of the bird. I liked to toss a few cloves of garlic in.Then arrange the roast in the pan, breast side up. Some people like to put a little rack under the bird, but I don't have one that fits my pan, so I skip that part. I haven't found a problem with that. Roast in a 375 degree oven for 1 ¼ to 2 ¼ hours, depending on the size of the chicken. I recommend you consult a cookbook or online for the specific time. The chicken comes out quite flavorful and moist. Absolutely perfect for Thanksgiving. speakersofspanish On teaching English to speakers of Spanish October 24, 2024 I once enjoyed the privilege of spending one college semester teaching English to 11 pastors from Colombia, two women and nine men. It was not only a wonderful professional experience, but a very significant personal occasion of my life. I have a Master's degree in ESL Education as well as quite a bit of experience teaching English to Spanish speakers and involving myself in their culture. I enjoyed bringing this into their classroom to enhance their program. It was very gratifying to be an instructor for the pastors. I taught two of their four English classes - Grammar and Conversation. I ate lunch with them daily in the cafeteria (because I wanted to), and took excursions to New York City with them. The pastors’ desire to learn English in our culture and at our college motivated them to work as hard as possible. One of the ongoing assigned activities they enjoyed was conducting interviews in English with people on campus or in the churches they visited. They would then present their results in class, which was very well received and motivating. I also assigned them to attend a church service in English and orally report on their observations. All in all I thought that was a very practical and relevant activity. For this group of pastors, humor and camaraderie, as well as structured grammar and vocabulary instruction were main elements in our classes together. The level of anxiety was low, and the level of confidence, morale, and risk-taking was high! Just laughing and conversing freely has a lot of value in overcoming fear of learning a new language. It was a joy to me to participate in the pastors' progress in English. One pastor told me in the first week that he really didn't like English. But halfway through his time in the US, he not only said he now enjoyed English but had enrolled in his home country in an English program there. I am grateful for all of these teaching experiences. They left an indelible fingerprint upon my life. For several summers I was the host family coordinator at the university level for intensive English students from Puerto Rico and other parts of the world. I also was a summer missionary to Mexico serving as cultural liaison and teacher. You may remember from a previous article that I served one spring as a guest teacher in a Christian school in Guatemala. There I taught English, drama, and vocal music. And back in the states I taught private classes and lessons to Spanish-speakers for many years, plus was an ESL tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America. For a time, I worked in a public library as a bilingual circulation clerk. There was plenty for me to do as there were many Spanish-speaking patrons from the community. A major project I’ll never forget was the time I volunteered at an English summer camp in Granada, Spain. It was a one-week camp for the purpose of learning English and was open to the children and teens in the city. My assignment in the camp was teaching a class of sixth graders. It was a very interesting experience for me because I was teaching children in Spain who spoke European Spanish unlike all other experiences which centered around Latin American cultures. I hope you can see how my passion for Spanish-speaking people coupled with a love for opening up the English language for others has been an amazing journey for me! betterteachingfromthinkng I'm a better teacher now from thinking about my own language learning February 22, 2024 Let me tell you about me learning English, my first language, and Spanish, my additional language. I want to tell you how my experiences made me a better ESL teacher in particular. (But I can testify that it changed everything about how I taught, regardless of the subject matter.) I think I was quick to learn to speak, and was rather articulate at a young age. I also learned to read early, starting at age three. I remember playing with words and sentences even as a small child, making puns and asking adults for clarification. I used to assign words to the objects I saw around me, manipulating them for fun. When I began to learn the alphabet and sounds, I found great delight at finding similarities and differences in words and word families. Later, as I began to read aloud and do oral presentations in public, I soon learned how to do so with fluency, cadence, and expression because I enjoyed it and also knew it was important. To this day, it is one of the most important things in my life, and one of the things I’m best at. (Allow me to briefly insert here that I am totally incompetent in science. I can do math, but I must work hard at it. My handwriting is terrible, and I cannot play sports. My strong points are with language and the Performing Arts, and also with the ability to help people make connections from concept to concept.) [Hence creating this website]) I began learning Spanish officially at age eleven when I was in junior high, using a grammar-based textbook, which I enjoyed at the time. I was delighted by the fact that I was learning a new language. I was also thrilled about it because I enjoyed grammar and vocabulary patterns. Most of my formal language learning after that point revolved around explicit instruction in grammar and vocabulary structure. I became adept at it. (It is really important to pause here to point out, however, that this method is not appropriate for most second language learners. As a result, I’ve committed myself as a teacher not to use that method with ELLs!) Eventually, for me, it was not until I began interacting with native Spanish speakers that verbal fluency really began. True, my grammatical knowledge kicked in, including complex conjugation patterns, because of how I’m wired (again, not typical for most people). This was fortunate for me. It was a combination of formal patterns and informal spoken exchange that gave me the boost I needed to grow exponentially in Spanish. There's an article on the audio lingual method forthcoming. But now I keep in mind the reality that people learn languages in very different ways. I will never assume that my learning style will be my students’. In fact, it’s pretty likely that it isn’t. In any case, my experiences in first and second language learning informed my teaching methods considerably. Although the specifics of my learning Spanish have equipped me substantially to teach English to Spanish speakers. I am able to use my perspective to teach ELLS of other languages. At various points in my teaching career I taught English to speakers of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean and many other languages, too. I do not speak Japanese, Chinese, or Korean-- all languages which have little similarity to English, but nevertheless I know how to apply second language principles to teach these ELLs effectively. Many learners have a strong accent when speaking English, or struggle with incorrect subject-verb agreement, the inappropriate use of prepositional phrases (is the dog on the bed or in the bed?) or idioms, or inverted word order in sentences. I myself can usually tell when native speakers of one language translate directly from it to English but do not choose the correct word appropriate for the context. I am able to spot mistakes and identify the cause. This insight allows me to know how to help a student overcome the error, which I have found to be helpful. Learning a new language is not easy, especially under certain conditions. It's not uncommon for native English speakers to think that learning English is easy because it comes easily to them. I always need to remember that things that come easily to one person because of natural gifting, life experience, or environment may not come easily to another person because of the same reasons. I also need to take into account how each student is affected by his home and school life, his confidence level, how much of his first language he has learned and whether he has learned to read in it, and how much of the second language he already knows (and whether I must simplify wording or use visual cues and so on). Even when I know the basics of a person's background and current situation, I still can't always know what's going on inside. Why is he struggling? Why is he quiet? Is he scared? Embarrassed? Have an issue at home or work? Feel intimidated by the teacher or classmates? Can’t understand my directions? Have a particular learning style? Am I talking too fast?!? I can't know all that affects his learning, but I can press on patiently, helping him develop and grow. One major turning point in my own learning was when I unexpectedly fell into the role as principal translator and mediator for a group of 44 Americans doing mission work in Mexico. My prior knowledge and foundation – with my dictionary constantly by my side –forced me to grow more quickly than I ever expected! When I began traveling to Spanish-speaking countries or hosting visitors, I found that that was when I began to grow exponentially in my fluency. I used the grammatical and vocabulary structures that were so important and foundational in my early years (and which I still add to as I can). But I also gained fluency in idioms, synonyms, cultural variations, and nuances never to be found in formal classroom training. For me, in large part due to my personality and learning style, the formal, methodical, direct instruction of Spanish vocabulary and grammatical structures were absolutely necessary for my foundation, but my growth in becoming now truly bilingual could never have occurred without real world experiences. So, I would say for me, even the contrived audio-lingual method was effective for me as my foundation, but my real world immersion was more powerful than my classroom experience ever could be. learningteachingfaith Learning, teaching, and faith as I live it October 3, 2024- UPDATE I need to tell you outright that I don't consider myself to be a religious person. Nonetheless, learning and faith have long been integrated in my life. My faith in God propels me to seek out understanding of the world and my place in it. I am convinced that God is the Author of all creation and has established man's place in it. I like to apply Proverbs 25:2 to faith and learning: “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” God has laid many mysteries in the earth and in the life of man. I believe it pleases Him when man, the crown of His creation, uncovers and makes sense of the mysteries, and seeks to order his life according to what he understands, responding in faith in the Creator. This is how I conduct my own learning, and how I lead the students that I teach. For this reason, exercising my Christian faith in education is important to me. As people “search out a matter” in the many disciplines of study, they uncover the truth found within, and become equipped to move through the world in faith, particularly if they are believers, using what they learn. Their faith propels them to learn more in order to serve better. And learning, in turn, increases their faith in the Creator who established reality. Whatever structure of study in a learning environment, if it is shaped by faith, whether overt or intrinsic, it makes room for students to explore learning in the truth. I have a long history in both Christian and secular education of all age groups, and in my teaching I have as my default a moral compass, a moral framework from which to present any content. It does not by any means need to include so-called religious content or vocabulary. In fact, I personally believe that sprinkling (or pouring)in Christian vocabulary,and especially Christianese, distracts the learner from accessing truth. I highly value the opportunities to help students learn content and skills, but especially to lead them to make intellectual, spiritual, and practical connections in what they learn. My classroom is also a welcoming environment where students can feel safe as they face the challenges of growing academically, personally, and spiritually. I would encourage you to consider your own personal statement of faith about why you teach the way you do. What do you purpose to have as your mission when you teach? And it's ok to revise it from time to time as you yourself continue to develop as a teacher and person. NegativeLabels Negative labels: How do they impact the academic success of a student? January 23, 2024 Outlook and attitude – toward self or another person – can make or break a person's success in life. This is certainly true in education. Let's consider how labels can affect the academic achievement of a student. People can certainly make themselves believe one thing or another about themselves, for good or for ill. The issue of negative labeling or pigeonholing a student according to ability, disability, cultural, socioeconomic status, etc., is a matter to ponder seriously. A teacher can label a student, peers can label a student, and the student can label himself. This can permanently affect the student's academic progress throughout all his school years. Sometimes a label (usually a derogatory one, but sometimes one that is well-meaning but damaging) can give the child a predisposed attitude of whether he will amount to anything in school. In other words, the label itself can cause a child to believe he cannot rise above his characteristics or difficulties. A wise teacher and an alert parent, too perhaps, can be on the lookout for other defeatist attitudes in the child and encourage him to move beyond them and to think positively about his progress. The teacher or parent can use optimistic vocabulary to affirm a child's worth despite status, disability, or difficulty. Success, too, can beget success. Focusing on past successes can motivate a child to strive for future ones. And if a child has failed in a goal, the encouraging teacher or parent can give him small steps to take so a small but immediate success can occur. Naturally, a positive or negative attitude on the part of the teacher can make a big difference in the school success of a child with struggles. I remember when I was beginning to teach singing to a young man. He squawked out a bad note one time, and I made a face. I immediately noticed a sagging countenance as he processed my discouragement. Of course this was not an actual disability he had, but it did relate directly to a physical limitation at the moment. I look back now and realize with regret that his progress was not as it could have been. (Without making excuses for myself, as I have just confessed my shortcomings, I want to say I am also grieving the presence of a bad early influence in my life when it came to being an educator. I had to relearn everything.) Over the years as I taught students in various difficult subjects (like vocal music or learning a new language), I began to notice that my negative attitude and scolding disposition was not helping anyone. I then had an epiphany and turned over a new leaf. I made a deliberate effort to praise and encourage, even when there was only small progress, such as learning a new grammar concept in Spanish. Now adult students in particular often tell me they feel very encouraged by my instruction. I have noticed a good bit of progress in them, and I am ashamed that it took me as long as it did to realize that a positive attitude and words can make a lot of difference. As teachers or parents, we can help students overcome their negative view of themselves in relationship to school by using positive words and behaviors and avoiding destructive labels. We can speak kindly, expect the best, forgive and communicate that a classroom problem is related to behavior and not personal worth, and treat students with respect. Teachers in particular can also give students opportunities to succeed in their lessons by offering suggestions for reaching goals, adjusting the workload for students with learning disabilities, recognizing achievements, modeling correct responses and procedures, acknowledging cultural differences in values and beliefs and ways of accomplishing tasks, offering instruction in morals, and more. Follow up questions and activities Do you have positive memories of being affirmed as a student? If so, what words did you hear a teacher or a mentor affirm you with? What long-term effect did this have on your life? What negative memories do you have of being corrected as a student? What words did you hear as you were being corrected, if any ? After reading this article and answering some of the questions, please take time to informally evaluate your own practice when working with students. Are there certain speech patterns that you want to be sure to use when affirming a student regardless of their age? Are there certain speech patterns that you want to be sure to avoid when correcting a student, regardless of the age? Discussion group of educators Perhaps you can role play scenarios of how to affirm a student when he does something poorly. You can choose a scenario such as a voice lesson, a sports lesson, a math lesson, etc. If you feel comfortable with your discussion group, you might share some of the negative corrections you faced in your own school years. What word choices did you find to be the most problematic? What forms of affirmation did you experience even when you performed poorly in a lesson or activity? What difference did that make in your life? lnguistic diversity My momentary encounter with the impact of linguistic diversity on special education January 18, 2024 If you are an educator, no doubt you know that special education is a broad field of education that includes students with physical, mental, and/or emotional disabilities, or other exceptional characteristics such as giftedness and talent. It requires that a student first be evaluated as needing special education, then be given a plan for the sequence of her education as meeting her specific needs and situation. The people involved are the child, her family, and the professionals responsible for providing services. But cultural and linguistic diversity has brought an added dimension to special education, especially due to an increase in languages spoken in the schools, in that many children have specific educational needs because their culture and/or native language differs from that in the school setting. Some professionals estimate that there is an unrealistic proportion of special education students from another culture or language and are there because of that difference and not because of a disability. They believe it is necessary to take cultural and linguistic differences into account when determining special education needs, partially to avoid inappropriately labeling students that need only language help, such as ESL classes, or cultural acclimation, and partially to avoid using funding that could and should be spent on educating students with actual disabilities. Along those lines let me share a little experience I had while subbing at a public high school. I was filling in for the special education resource teacher who provides support classes for special needs students for some of their specific academic classes. She would usually go over the lessons and assignments with them, helping them as necessary. But it was two days before Christmas break, so most of the students did not have any assignments to work on, and mainly just sat in the room chatting, which she said was to be expected on that day. One group was composed mainly of hispanic students, mostly immigrants, who sat together in the back of the room chatting and joking. (I happen to have a lot of personal and professional experience with hispanics and love the language and culture.) Now, I am a very fair-skinned woman; no one ever expects me to speak Spanish. One girl asked me, “Are you used to being around a bunch of Spanish-speaking kids?” I smiled and said, “Well, I taught English in Guatemala, so I guess so.” They thought that was cute, and we all began speaking in Spanish together. That broke the cultural ice, and the girl who first spoke up took it upon herself to point out all the kids in the room, telling me what each of them was “there for,” meaning their disabilities. But a couple of them throughout their conversation were unknowingly revealing that they felt their presence in the support room was based mainly on the fact that they spoke Spanish and were immigrants. I assume that the school district had placed the students there because they needed special help and not because they were immigrants. They have a large hispanic student population, and they are certainly not all in special education. But I did find it interesting that the students themselves felt at least to some degree that it was for cultural and linguistic reasons that they were there. As an ESL professional, I believe it is important to take cultural and linguistic differences into thorough consideration before automatically classifying students for special education. Numerous assessments, both formal and informal, need to be done first. I predict that as the United States becomes more culturally diverse, schools will hire bilingual, multicultural teachers to help modify the education of these students. Perhaps special education, as we have known it, will be reserved for students with disabilities, and culturally- and linguistically-modified programs will be created. December 19, 2023 How do we define and measure success in a class of students at various levels of learning and backgrounds? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that all students are achieving at the highest level? Defining success in learning needs to be done by first deciding what content and skills students will master. In today's schools, this is done by means of selected standards that are implemented which dictate the material taught, but not the method of teaching. Therefore, teachers who care about student mastery of material need to know the standards for what to teach, evaluate individual students' learning levels and backgrounds, and, accordingly, choose pedagogical methods that will aid each student in achieving success. Because a classroom can easily include students with a variety of levels of learning and background, particularly in classes with ELLs, it is necessary for teachers to choose teaching and assessment methods to meet the needs of all students. This requires careful planning and ongoing reflection on the teacher's part. She needs to choose multiple modalities and encounters for students to interface with the content, likewise a variety of ways to assess understanding. The variety of modalities take into consideration a variety of learning levels, styles, and backgrounds. Some examples of presenting words include displaying them in print enhanced by diagrams, backed up by sound or pronunciation, or found in contextual sentences. Learners can draw a word web, discuss with a partner, point and demonstrate, manipulate vocabulary in sentences, list key words, describe, and so on. In assessment, students with advanced proficiency can, for example, complete a quiz that includes questions followed by blank lines. Those with lower proficiency can have the same questions (or worded somewhat more simply, if necessary), followed by answer lines that open with a prompt that the students finish themselves. Or, some can write complete sentences while others write key phrases with simple drawings, depending on content. The ESL teacher has the primary responsibility of ensuring that her students achieve at the highest level possible. There are many methods of instruction and assessment in the teacher's toolbox as she considers the learning needs of each student. It cannot entirely rest upon her, though, as it is not fully in her power to overcome insurmountable obstacles that her ELLs may bring to school – duress in immigration, socioeconomic factors, home life, L1 literacy proficiency, and so on. I do not wish to perpetuate the one-size-fits-all teaching style of my childhood school years. Instead, I recommend assuming the role of understanding students' backgrounds and learning levels to effectively draw on their assets and strengthen their weaknesses. Defining and measuring ELL success in a mixed classroom Anchor 3 Anchor 1 The basic anatomy of a lesson August 12, 2024 -revised If we were to break the structure of a lesson into its simplest parts, we might be able to simplify it down to just a few simple elements. Lessons can take on any degree of complexity or simplicity, of course. But perhaps let’s take a look at just some basic elements that may be effective to include during instruction time. The opening teaser To stimulate interest you can think of a quick opening question related to the lesson you're about to present. When I say quick question, I don't mean think of it as you're walking in the classroom; I mean quick to spark interest and awareness of the upcoming topic. quick can also mean that the students only need to give a short response. You, of course, determine how quick is quick. After all you know how much time you have for each activity. For example, if you are about to begin reading the book Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, you might prepare a quick write such as What is one advantage and one disadvantage of living forever? Or if you are about to study vocabulary for particles of foods, that is units, that each food comes in, you might ask students to brainstorm the names of particles: a dozen eggs , a can of beans , a quart of milk , a piece of cake , a bag of flour First encounter with the lesson topic While the students are working on the opening teaser, you can put the lesson agenda on the board for the students to see when they finish their opening teaser. Then you can direct their attention to the agenda. Don't hide it unless you have a logistical reason to do so, such as age range. For example, you may not want to post the agenda for younger grades so they don't get distracted while waiting, or if it is a science experiment with an element of suspense. Cluing students in to the plan has several benefits. Firstly, the more encounters the students have with the words and wording of the lesson the more it will become familiar to them, kind of like building in temporary prior knowledge. You can build on it as you move through the lesson. Another benefit is that the students will feel like you trust them rather than hiding something from them as though they are mischief makers. Trust begets trustworthiness. Thirdly, when they see and hear you using the wording from the lesson agenda and encouraging them to do so as well, they have a better chance at taking ownership of it. Knowledge is power, and power leads to ownership of application. The instruction At this point you present the material that you wish your students to master using whatever format or style you believe is best. Cognitive processing time during instruction Remember to give students thinking, sorting, and processing time so they don’t become swamped with lesson material. Using questions regulated by wait time Do you know about the principle of wait time? Wait time has been a pedagogical mainstay for several decades now, and there's still a very good reason to use it. Here's how to employ wait time in the midst of a lesson. One possible way to start using wait time is to tell the students that for the next few minutes we're going to think about questions pertaining to the lesson. You can consider the types of questions: introductory questions, mid-lesson content questions, or post-lesson inferencing or application questions. You might also want to include several questions from Bloom's taxonomy. You can use your judgment about what kinds of questions to ask to achieve your objectives. Prepare students for their processing by letting them know that you are going to ask a question and then wait a few seconds, and they are not to answer until you say they can. This will give students a chance to think about the sides of each question. Caution about wait time Resist the urge to jump in because of discomfort with silence. At this stage in your lesson silence is your best friend. Very often the students’ insight surfaces at the tail end of the silence. Don't preempt it by breaking the silence. Resist the urge to explain everything. Some teachers worry that if they don't fill in the space with expected words that the students will not arrive at The Answer . They are not quite trusting the students to work cognitively or metacognitively. And if the student arrives at the answer herself, more or less, she has a better chance of understanding and retaining it. Allowing students sufficient time to think through a matter also builds confidence. Furthermore, a teacher jumping in while the students are supposed to be thinking on their own may scuttle the whole mission; some students may be waiting for the teacher to answer for them. If the teacher has demonstrated a discomfort with silence, it may result in dependence upon the teacher's imminent answer. Wait time may be so familiar and simple for many teachers so as to dismiss it as a viable processing technique. But don't let familiarity breed contempt; resist the temptation to overlook this simple but effective tool. You can also foster cognitive processing by posing a question and then directing students to the Turn and Talk method. In case you are unfamiliar with Turn and Talk, it simply means that students are in pairs or threes and they turn and talk with each other about possible answers to the question that you posed. There are many, many more processing techniques that students can use to grapple with lesson content. To learn more you might try doing an Internet search for scaffolding techniques, Turn and Talk for cognitive processing. Assessment Assessment is a tool for the teacher to find out what the students have learned and what they may need to revisit. There are many forms of assessment that you can use for that purpose. Each kind of assessment has its own purpose. consider these. Formative — Checking for understanding through feedback Summative — Determining what was learned by the end of a finite segment of learning Essay — Students write an essay by responding to a prompt Demonstrative task — Students perform a task to demonstrate skill or understanding Evaluating our learning: The exit ticket Do you think because the class had instruction followed by an assessment that you are finished with your lesson? Even though you have put a lot into this lesson, it might not have its lasting effect unless the class has had an opportunity to evaluate the learning process in this lesson.This last component of the lesson is for the students benefit, not necessarily the teacher’s. Wise teachers can give the students a self-reflective question or task to ensure the ownership that is so vital to learning. One method that many teachers consider is something like an exit ticket. An exit ticket is one last simple task for the students to respond to about the lesson before the students leave class. There are many styles of exit tickets with many purposes. You can consider the style and purpose of which exit ticket you might want to use to conclude your lesson. Here is one example: I connected with[ this part of the lesson] because… I didn't quite connect with[ that part of the lesson] because… Another possible exit ticket could say I still have questions about[ this part of the lesson] Please be careful to acknowledge the students' remarks on the exit ticket. If you did not have time to do so on the day of the lesson, be sure to schedule a follow-up. When students have questions or remarks, it is important to acknowledge them. At this concluding point in your lesson you may at this moment wish to end with a summary statement of the main point of the lesson. And it will go a long way if you also affirm your students' hard work in the task of the day. Keep in mind that lessons and their execution may not always be perfect. For example ,a lesson may take more or less time than you had anticipated, especially if this is the first time you have taught that lesson. If that happens, you need to make a decision of how you will proceed. Are you going back to the lesson the next day? Are you going to give students tasks to complete in place of the live lesson you had for them? meaninfulaccomplishments My most meaningful accomplishments in the college classroom December 1, 2023 The accomplishments in the college classroom that positively impacted my students the most were not lessons, but rather that of building confidence in the hearts of my students. College Writing 1 Firstly, I taught a composition class filled mainly with students who had failed the class earlier or who had come from the remedial class. These students already felt dumb, and expected to continue to be in my class. On the first day, I faced this challenge head on with the principal stra tegies of revealing to them that I liked and respected them already, I loved English, I knew they could do it, I planned on having fun, and we were going to work hard without excuses. Those strategies dealt with character and attitude. Likewise, I worked methodically at building their writing skills with manageable lessons in sentence structure, crafting a thesis statement (and underlining it so they knew they had one), choosing (and eliminating) supporting details, organizing, editing, and so on. I designed useful, interesting activities for them to do with partners, while I circulated. It was more enjoyable for them (not rote or boring), built their skills, was measurable work they could succeed in, and gave them the opportunity to give and receive respect and helpful input from each other. As part of each major assignment, I gave them benchmarks with due dates that broke the task into parts. The step before the final due-date was the Rough Draft Workshop in which students critiqued their essay in class with a partner (following an enthusiastic lesson on the etiquette of peer reviewing). Though their grade suffered if they came unprepared, they cared even more about disappointing their partner. We, with my confidence-building strategies, had built a strong learning community of respecting each other and learning skills together. After the final exam, I received a note from one, “I appreciate the way you taught and gave back clear corrections on our paper. Writing was my most difficult class last semester and this term it was my favorite and one of the easiest to learn. Thank you.” S panish 2 The second success that was important to me was when I taught a Spanish 2 class that happened to have as one of its members a native Spanish speaker. I need to confess to you that I am not fully fluent in Spanish. However, I am very comfortable with my understanding of basic Spanish grammar and vocabulary and have my own signature style when teaching. I taught the first few levels of Spanish to students of all ages for years and I consistently received feedback that they enjoyed my class and they learned a lot. Nevertheless, it gave me pause when I learned that one of my new students was a native speaker of Spanish. So the first thing I did after getting this young lady's name was to give myself a silent pep talk. ”Okay, Diana, pull yourself together. You know what you're doing. This is one of your favorite things in the world to do. Why would it be any different simply because a native speaker of Spanish is looking to you to fulfill a language requirement? Just do what you always do. Be yourself. Be kind, be accepting, be yourself.“ So I did. As usual I explained things in my own signature way. I answered questions and I gave students an opportunity to practice conversation with one another. And I almost didn't notice when the native Spanish- speaking young lady was enthusiastically doing the exercises and conversation practice with her Korean -speaking class partner (The two of them worked very well together). And I almost missed it: this student was peppering me with questions about vocabulary and grammar. and most times she would say to me with her beautiful brown eyes wide with the joy of new discovery, ”Oh, wow I didn't know that!” At the end of the semester this student, whom I had grown to love and appreciate, came up to me and gave me a big hug, telling me that now there were some elements of Spanish vocabulary and grammar that she really didn't know until now. She thanked me for making things clear in a new way. Regarding these two accomplishments, I knew I had succeeded when the quality of their writing and Spanish skills improved and their grades rose; the confidence I had built in them produced better writers or masters of a language. But a more meaningful indication to me was that their confidence and self-respect had grown. Okay, so I am organized in lesson planning and teaching. But that's not the secret to my success. My most effective strategy was I believed in them. The Rock in the Driveway: A True Fable Anchor 2 November 26, 2023 We lived in the house that my husband and brothers had spent their entire childhood in. The driveway was a narrow dirt lane created by decades of cars coming and going on it. Near the mouth of the driveway slept a medium-sized rock. Nature had placed this rock near the side of the dirt driveway. The rock bore as its prominent feature a small but obstinate point near the top. Due to the position of the point, whenever a car entered or exited the driveway, the wheels always rolled over the small but obstinate point and made a bump…bump sound and jostled the occupants of the car. So, day after day, trip after trip, year after year, car tires rolled over the small but obstinate point. It wasn't dangerous. It wasn't a threat to the car. To me, at least as a relative newcomer, it was merely annoying. But the people that grew up in that house had grown accustomed to the bump…bump, bump…bump. I decided to approach my husband about it. He said, “Yeah, that rock has always been there.” “Doesn't it bother you going bump…bump every time you pull your car in or out?” “I guess, but that's the way it's always been.” One day my husband's older brother was visiting. They were hanging out chatting in the driveway. I had just driven home from somewhere, and when they heard bump…bump, they looked at me. I got out of the car and walked down the driveway and greeted them and exchanged pleasantries…Then, “Um, do you think you guys could please move this rock out of the driveway for me?” My husband gave a little laugh. “Diana, that rock has been in the driveway for at least 50 years.” I was not to be deterred. “Well, there are two of you men here. How about one of you just take one side and the other the other? I bet you could get it out in a jiffy.” Now it was my brother-in-law’s turn to laugh. “ Diana, can't you see that rock goes all the way down to China?”. My husband nodded in agreement. (When we were little we were convinced that if we dug down deep enough into the earth we would go all the way down to China because our teachers said that China was about halfway around the world from where we lived. The two men were tapping into our childhood lore with that remark.) I gave up. “Okay, have it your way. I will do it myself!” I ignored the smirks of bemused skepticism that the two brothers exchanged with each other as I picked up a strong stick that happened to be lying near the side of the driveway not far from The Rock That Went All The Way Down To China. I noticed a small gap under The Rock and pushed the stick in. I, who was not very large, wiggled and lifted, lifted and wiggled the stick under The Rock and without grunting or straining, made it move about 4 inches. By now the two brothers, who had been chatting while I had been engaged thus with The Rock, fell silent and watched the proceedings, stunned, as I grasped The Rock by its small but obstinate point and rocked it then rolled it over until it fell outside the driveway out into the grass and out of the way until it cleared the spot where the car used to go bump…bump.. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my husband and brother-in-law staring at me open-mouthed. Ignoring them, I wiped the dirt from my hands onto my jeans and walked straight into the house. Moral: Not every rock goes all the way down to China. Followup activities to The Rock in the Driveway: A True Fable For students Story questions for discussion or writing Did The Rock really go all the way down to China? What can we learn from answering that question? What might the Rock symbolize? What might have been an outcome if Diana had given up convincing the men to move the Rock? What are some possible outcomes of adhering to the principle” It's always been that way,especially, but not limited to a family dynamic? How might the story be different if the brother-in-law were replaced by a neighbor? Personal reflection questions Is there any difficulty in your life that you believe is a rock that goes all the way down to China? What steps can you take once you have identified that mindset in your life? What resources are at your disposal? Have you ever come up against the mindset it's always been that way? Was it a positive or a negative mindset? Is it possible that that situation can change despite It's always been that way? In other words, Must it continue to be that way. or is it impossible for it to change even with effort? Look up the word proactive in the dictionary (even if you know what it means; there might be some information in the definition that will help you with the following questions). How does the word proactive pertain to the story ? and/or write a sentence using the word to describe what being proactive means to you personally. For teachers Dramatization of the story To dramatize the story to prepare for discussion or writing activities, you might want students to read the story aloud taking parts: Diana when she is speaking ,Diana when she is the narrator, Diana's husband, and the brother-in-law How does taking parts in the story help you understand the difficulties of the mindsets, It's always been that way, and That rock goes all the way down to China? Altering the story to achieve other objectives This is a true story. How would you as an educator change the story elements to teach values and principles to your students?

Acting, museums, theater, theater etiquette, entertainment, lifelong learning, enjoying the arts Learning Through Culture The Bodies Exhibition A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: The Tale and a Movie Chrysler Museum of Art Clean as a Whistle Coffee Your Way Craft your own Charcuterie at home Deco at 100 Diana's Vacation on Virginia's Eastern Shore Diana - we need you! I guess I'm the interpreter now Edward Hicks, My Famous Artistic Ancestor February in Puerto Rico Free museum admission with Museums on Us by Bank of America The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry Good etiquette Guide for theater goers A gourmet chicken dish, a dam. And some Italian neighborhoods Grand Holiday Illumination at Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers The Great Hunger Handel's Messiah in junior high: my first exposure to learning challenging vocal music A House Divided The Hudson River Museum Illuminated Manuscripts with a Touch of Gold I've Been to the Mountaintop James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania Leap Year Letchworth State Park - Grand Canyon of the East Last Chance for Seeing Seeing Red at the Nassau County Museum of Art The Lyman Allyn Museum The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. NY The Mattatuck Museum The Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey My Day in Florence, Italy New Britain Museum of American Art My Reading Customs at Christmastime My Wonderful Wyeth Weekend at the Brandywine Museum Organization vs. Procrastination in Your Household Space Springfield Museums Suspend your disbelief while watching a play or, Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain The Twilight Zone: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder The Value of Entertainment Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art A World of Culture Awaits You at the Library Yale Art Gallery and New Haven-style pizza: Little-known treasures of Connecticut You're never too old: Why adults should bother to study and learn hrm The Hudson River Museum April 8, 2026 The Hudson River Museum is a medium-sized art museum on the Hudson River in Yonkers, NY. Its location provides breathtaking views of the Palisades. The museum features several large special exhibition galleries with exhibits showing for specific dates. Among the pieces in its permanent collection are many fine examples from the Hudson River School of painting including well-known artists such as Cole, Bierstadt, Cropsey and others. A Work by Cropsey - My favorite Hudson River School Artist A very whimsical feature is the Red Grooms Bookstore walk-in sculpture. It is a room-sized display that you can enter and explore. The details, including the book titles are very entertaining. The museum houses a state-of-the-art planetarium with a surprising variety of programs requiring a separate ticket. One time, I saw a fascinating program about the summer sky, See the website for the schedule of programs The original projector that was replaced by the modern one The Glenview Mansion is open for tours with limited hours. It gives visitors a glimpse into the opulent lifestyle of a family living in Yonkers from days gone by. There is also an amphitheater with free summer concerts that include free museum admission. Additionally there is an art education center offering various programs. While in Yonkers you might like to visit the neighboring Untermyer Gardens The Lyman Allyn Museum lyman March 14, 2026 The Lyman Allyn Museum is located in New London on the eastern Connecticut coast. It is a medium-sized art museum featuring special exhibitions as well as housing permanent collections of Louis Comfort Tiffany and historic displays of important early Connecticut works of art and craftsmanship. There are also many works centered around New London’s importance in the early shipping and whaling days. American Perspectives Items from Connecticut’s colonial days through the twentieth century can be found in this permanent exhibit. Playthings of the Past A small, but fascinating collection of antique toys and games from long ago can be found on the lower level. Tiffany Room Here you can find paintings by Tiffany and of course stained glass - lamps and decorative arts up to full-sized stained glass windows. You can enjoy an interactive audio-visual exploration of Tiffany’s history and family. Now on display are two photography exhibits of works by G, Roger Clements and Dorothea Lange, as well as a fun display of antique photos using cartoon cutouts that were popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. The Dorothea Lange exhibit has some historically important works. I was surprised to see her collaborations with Ansel Adams, another favorite photographer of mine. If you want to visit , you can find all you need to know here . The grounds are pleasant to visit especially in clement weather when you can enjoy the outdoor sculptures that are sprinkled through the the property Visitors needing ADA accommodations can inquire at the front desk for assistance. proclamation Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation November 27, 2025 Today, on the last Thursday in November we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. During the Civil War between the States in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that there should be a national day of Thanksgiving to promote unity in the land and to express thanks to God for His generous provision. Lincoln revered God and wanted to heal the division that was tearing the country apart. As you read his proclamation, can you see how we need a similar message of unity in the world right now? Personally, I am thankful for many things - God, who has given me a wonderful life; my husband; my sons and daughters and my brother. I appreciate my church and my fellow musicians. I am especially thankful for the cross of Jesus who has made me whole. I am also thankful for you, my wonderful readers. I think about you every day as I consider what to write for your enrichment. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 Washington DC, October 3, 1863 By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty-eighth. By the President: Abraham Lincoln William H. Seward, Secretary of State mexico Diana - we need you! I guess I'm the interpreter now February 9, 2026 I once went on a mission trip to Mexico, the purpose of which was to help with an orphanage, a drug rehabilitation house, Vacation Bible School and some needed construction. From the onset, I was terrified about being called on to handle rebar and other heavy labor. I was also a bit nervous about communication, but I was told they speak English since it’s near the US border. I believed there would be an interpreter and my own Spanish speaking would be just good practice. At the border on the bus, the van hadn’t arrived to get the luggage but no one could communicate what was happening. I was in my seat in conversation with a new friend when I kept hearing my name! They wanted a translator but I kept ignoring the calls because I thought the translator would take care of it. The calls became more urgent and I had to go forward because someone said they need YOU to translate for the situation. I got off the bus and learned the van was going to be late. Once I understood that camioneta was the word for van I was able to pass the message along. I thought maybe I was done translating and could get back to my friend. The group crossed the border and settled in at the church which would be our quarters. But not me because I was up til midnight translating for the pastor and the director. The next morning was church. I sat by a woman who surprised me by offering condolences to me about 9/11. During a sermon about commitment, the pastor mentioned giving 100%. Although not his fault, it set off a bad memory from my past, when I was told we must give 110%. This, along with the stress from all the translating, was the breaking point for me. Back at my room I was still very upset - but a close friend wisely prayed for me and put me to bed. I woke up refreshed and better. A young man in our group gave a talk to everyone based on Psalm 139 where God says He loves us and is always with us because we are special to Him. Because the average Mexican at that time lived on about a dollar a day, we were each given one dollar to spend at the grocery store to see what we could purchase. It was an eye-opening experience as well as a way to support the host church because at the end we put our purchases in their food pantry. That night, I stepped into the bathroom and noticed a scorpion only a few inches from me! I quickly retraced my steps and woke up the nurse. She took a sneaker and killed it. Isn’t that what a nurse would do? The next day I told a young man I was friendly with about the scorpion. He kept saying “They’re just animals”. I did not share his viewpoint. It occurred to me that I should ask to be excused from construction labor and it worked out well because I swept the dining hall and took care of garbage while the others worked. It also gave me time to study my Spanish, as well as converse with the Mexicans there In fact, I wound up as the principal translator for our mission, helping out with sermons, prayers, worship, leading all the VBS activities and generally being available. If I had worked with rebar and done heavy labor, I would not have been able to do what God sent me to do. I learned that I don’t have to be an expert in order to be useful to God - that He uses gifts as well as weaknesses to accomplish His purpose and that He loves me and has freedom for me in His Kingdom. charcuterie Craft your own Charcuterie at home January 11, 2026 Have you ever gone to a winery or event where they served wine and an assortment of tasty gourmet treats? If so, you have enjoyed charcuterie - a term from the 1800s originally describing cold cuts of pork and sausage. You can make your own at home and it’s surprising how inexpensive it can be. Quality cold cuts such as pastrami, prosciutto, salamis, mortadello can be bought inexpensively in small quantities at the deli counter in your supermarket An assortment of cheese from the dairy case can be sliced and displayed attractively A fresh bread from the bakery department and/or fancy crackers are nice We like fresh or dried fruit or maybe a special jam like fig preserves Nuts, olives or other savory sides are interesting Use your imagination - octopus (I really enjoy cold curly octopus tentacles!) A large cutting board makes an attractive presentation surface. If you grab pre-packaged charcuterie foods off the shelf the cost can run up surprisingly quickly and frankly the fresh items are much higher quality. Here are the elements of the charcuterie board pictured above before preparation. Bottle of Chianti wine Fresh Mozzarella cheese Deli cold cuts - hard salami and pastrami (only a few dollars each) Loaf of bread - this type you finish baking in your oven before serving Raspberries Extra sharp NY cheddar cheese I recommend that you choose a bottle of red wine or chilled white wine of your preference Depending on how many join, you can have several wines to choose from. A variety of wines and food items adds to the fun because of all the flavor combinations you put together. And I’ve found no two charcuterie nights are exactly the same. If you want to share the experience with friends, perhaps you could ask someone to bring a bottle of their favorite wine. After you've enjoyed learning about charcuterie, you can visit my companion article on coffee , as I examine the pros and cons many coffee preparation methods. The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, NY The History Museum November 29, 2025 Not far from Stony Brook University is the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook (LIM). Rather than a museum about Long Island, the LIM houses two art museums, the largest carriage collection in America and a beautiful herb garden as well as other historical buildings and features. The History Museum (which is the main building where you pay admission) currently is featuring the exhibit Common Ground . The works emphasize the common culture and experiences of the contributing artists. There is a side gallery with works by individuals with Alzheimer's disease. They have been able to express themselves through poignant art. Up the hill is the Art Museum which houses the current special exhibition entitled Giants and Gems. Interestingly, this collection displays some the largest and smallest pieces in the LIM's art collection. As we approached the gallery building we were delayed by over 20 turkeys (look carefully at the picture). We gave them a wide berth. Good thing, too, because once inside, the guard asked if we saw any turkeys and that they will attack if provoked. Coming back down the hill you pass the schoolhouse (pictured) and the historic blacksmith shop , which is currently closed for renovations. Lastly you come to the Long Island Carriage Museum, an extensive collection of carriages and related items. In addition to many types of carriages, there are displays showing carriage-making equipment, and interesting related historical displays. There is even a re-created local train depot. Hot off the press! The LIM is hosting Dickens in the Carriage Museum Sunday, November 30th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM If you would like to visit the LIM see their admission and hours here . My day in Florence, Italy One July, I visited the city Florence, Italy with a tour group. In the van on the way there our guide, using a microphone, pointed out the Carrera marble quarry. This is the source of rose-colored marble, said to be the finest in the world. In fact it was Michelangelo's favorite! When our guide was not busy narrating, I had the chance to talk with her about living in Italy. I even invited her to come visit New York! I also enjoyed seeing acres and acres of tremendous sunflowers going by the van window. I assume that this is an important crop in the area. On arriving in Florence we viewed the Duomo (cathedral) and Baptistery pictured here. Plenty to do with five museums on one site! In Florence there are replica David statues everywhere - he appears to be the mascot of Florence since Michelangelo was one of the most prolific artists of the Renaissance. By the way, if you wanted to see the original statue of David, you could go to the Uffizi gallery just around the corner. If you do, be sure to purchase your tickets very early in the morning to secure a spot. At one point, we went on the Ponte Vecchio - the only bridge not destroyed in WWII. We saw gold jewelry & leather goods for sale -Florence is known for these products. As I was walking up the street to get a bite of pasta, my attention was caught by a young Italian artist making a chalk drawing on the sidewalk. The picture he was working on was Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring , one of my favorite paintings. I watched him work for a few moments before heading onto the restaurant for a plate of ravioli. When I came out of the restaurant, I checked on his progress of the chalk drawing. He was all done and it was an breathtaking likeness. Strange to think how I happened to come by during the brief time that his artwork was in existence. It was probably completely gone in a few days! At the end of the day, we left Florence to attend a Chianti wine tasting at the Medici hunting lodge. The Medici's were the powerful ruling family in Renaissance Florence. We sampled three different Chianti wines, starting with the mildest variety first, working up to the most robust. Between wines, we cleansed our palates with delicious bruschetta. Splendid bougainvillea outside the Medici hunting lodge My short excursion to Florence was all I had hoped it to be. I would like to return someday. Letchworth State Park, Grand Canyon of the East October 20, 2025 Located between Rochester & Buffalo, New York is a panoramic feast for the eyes called Letchworth State Park. It is known as the Grand Canyon of the East and rightly so because of the incredible gorges, waterfalls and views that seem to go on forever. There's still time (but not much) to catch the spectacular fall foliage in and around the park. There are countless photo opportunities in the park as well as miles of hiking trails and hunting areas. Besides featuring stunning natural beauty, there are some very good historical spots in the park as well. There is a small natural history museum showcasing Indian artifacts and other related items. Of special interest is the park's connection to Mary Jemison, an historical figure know as the "White Woman of the Genessee". Her cabin is open for viewing and you can even go inside. There is a memorial statue of her and information about her exciting and at times perilous life. Since New York public schools focus on NY State history in 4th grade - this would be a great trip for any 4th grader to make. A fourth grade New Yorker learning about Mary Jemison The Grand Canyon of the East Find everything you need to know at the Letchworth State Park website . Springfield Museums Plenty to do with five museums on one site! The D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts includes European and American paintings and sculptures and other works across several centuries. It is an impressive collection and contains works from many major artists. From classics to modern art there are works for for every taste. Note: If you require ADA-type accessibility, this building presents a few challenges getting between floors. (There is an elevator, but you have to take stairs to get to it!) October 5, 2025 In the charming town of Springfield, Massachusetts families and friends can come face to face with the magical world of Dr. Seuss. The hometown of Dr. Seuss opened wide its doors to welcome visitors from all over to enjoy five museums for the whole day for the price of one ticket. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum is perfect for kids as well as adults who grew up with his books. But the Springfield Museums is not just for kids. Visitors should start at the The Springfield Science Museum to purchase tickets. The Science Museum has some large dinosaur models and many dioramas of various wildlife. There are some live animals to see as well. There is also a planetarium and an extensive section devoted to Africa. Another art museum, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum features a plaster cast gallery including copies of many important European sculptures. There is a collection of Japanese arms & armor and Chinese decorative arts. You can also earn about the Grand Tour of Europe that George and Belle Smith took to furnish the collection. Lastly is the Museum of Springfield History. Here you can learn about the origins of local products such as Indian motorcycles, Colt firearms, Friendly Ice Cream and many other smaller products you may recognize. There is a display about John Brown, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. Hasbro toys are detailed and there is a fascinating timeline of the rise and fall of downtown retail. There's something for everybody visiting the Springfield Museums. There is plenty of free parking and there is a very nice cafe and food truck so you can have a meal without leaving the museum. If you'd like to visit: Springfield Museums Free museum admission with Museums on Us by Bank of America September 29, 2025 If you live in the United States, love visiting museums, and are a card holder of Bank of America or Merrill Lynch, you have the opportunity to visit participating museums for free on the first full weekend of every month. This is the link to the list of participating museums: Bank of America Museums on Us Click on the state, then you’ll see the cities with participating museums. Click on the city to see what museums they sponsor. You can click on the name of the museum, then Continue, to see its website. Remember it’s the first full weekend of the month. Check to make sure it’s on the list and open that day. Museums do come and go from the list. Alternatively, there may be a map on the screen instead of a list of states and cities. You can find museums you are interested in by navigating on the map. You’ll need to present your BOA (credit or debit) card and a photo ID for each person. You should expect to pay for anyone in your party not having a card. You can go to more than one participating museum on that weekend. If you go to the Museums on Us homepage, you can sign up for a reminder. BOA-Sponsored museums Below are some examples of past BOA-Sponsored museums Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in Dallas, TX Frist Art Museum in Nashville,TN Northwest Museum of Art and Culture in Spokane,WA My Wonderful Wyeth Weekend at the Brandywine Museum Here I am at the Brandywine Museum with the Brandywine creek in the background September 28, 2025 I recently had a lovely visit to the Brandywine Museum in Chadds Ford, PA (Between Philadelphia and Wilmington,DE) This museum features art by the Wyeth family of artists as it was their generational home and their studios were located there. (see family tree) NC Wyeth, the patriarch - successful illustrator Andrew Wyeth, American realist painter of mid 20th cent Jamie Wyeth (still living and painting) Then there's Jamie’s Pig! Each time I see the pig I see that it is a realistic portrait of a specific pig. But beyond that, despite the realistic depiction of the pig, I wonder about its personality. Once I asked a farmer if pigs have personalities, He said “Sure they do.” So I took his word for it. I first was exposed to Andrew Wyeth from a book my grandmother gave me when I was eleven, You Can’t Get There from Here by Earl Hamner, Jr. In it, the main character describes seeing the painting Christina’s World on display at the MOMA in New York City. When I saw it for myself at the MOMA, I loved the golden wheat and golden grasses in Christina’s surroundings and fell in love with the art of Wyeth. And I love him to this day. A Farmer grapples with his emotions over his dying wife in a powerful study That's why I always enjoy visiting the Brandywine museum to see all the works from the Wyeth family and the engaging realism that all the members express in their works. I especially enjoy coming across occasional Wyeth works while engaging in my usual custom of visiting various art museums - that’s always a treat! If you'd like to visit: Brandywine Museum of Art N.C. Wyeth's Island Funeral - a breakthrough work taking him from illustrator to artist in his own right Here Andrew Wyeth shows the most important people in his life across time impossibly dancing together around the same maypole Illuminated Manuscripts with a Touch of Gold September 24, 2025 Painted Pages - an exhibit on view at University of St Joseph in West Hartford Connecticut In Central Connecticut in the town of West Hartford, lies St Joseph University, a private Catholic University which boasts a good art gallery. The gallery has a temporary special exhibition of illuminated manuscripts created through an amazing handcrafted process from the vellum or animal skin paper they are written on to the final intricate calligraphy and illustrations. Many works are decorated with real goal leaf giving them a aura to enhance religious devotion. Some works are Bible pages, some are prayer book leafs and there are also several choir sheet music pages. The pictures shown here are only a small sample of the kinds of works on display. During your visit, you can watch two brief videos demonstrating the incredible process and history of illuminated manuscripts as well as a recently completed handmade Bible expected to last 1500 to 2000 years! One manuscript features hand-written letters less than 1/16" high! The gold leaf enhancements are stunning. The exhibit runs through December 13th 2025. The Art Museum at University of St Joseph is located at 1678 Asylum Avenue West Hartford Connecticut. Admission is free and the museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The art museum has rotating scheduled exhibitions throughout the year. If you want to keep up with the schedule you can visit the art museum’s website . Diana's Vacation on Virginia's Eastern Shore Virginia is for Lovers! Here I am at the Love Sign in Cape Charles. These signs are all over the state. August 19, 2025 I recently enjoyed a trip to Virginia's Eastern Shore, which is a peninsula located between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. I stayed in a seaside inn in Wachapreague which was a good base of operations for the vacation as I explored the Eastern Shore. I had delicious fish in Chincoteague, the town famous for its annual Pony Penning Day. Chincoteague is famous for its children's stories about the ponies, written by Marguerite Henry in the mid-twentieth century. I met her in 1970 and she even autographed a copy of her book, Misty of Chincoteague for me. Another stop was Cape Charles, the southernmost point on the peninsula. Cape Charles has a lovely free, family-friendly sandy beach. The weather was perfect that day and was just right for sitting in the sun and watching the gentle waves of the Chesapeake. It is fun to see all the tourists and residents zooming around in golf carts which are street legal in the town. There are a variety of nice restaurants in Cape Charles. I found myself enjoying some hush puppies, a southern favorite. I left the Eastern Shore for a quick trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel over to Norfolk to return to the Chrysler Museum. You might recall my trip there in March, 2024 (link here ). This time I enjoyed the amazing glass collection as well as other quality art objects and a special exhibition called Constructing Mexico. The day ended with a lovely dinner in a restaurant called Freemason Abbey where I had shrimp ravioli and sampled a new dish for me - She Crab Soup. Very delicious! Warmer in August!! BTW you will not find cars at the Chrysler Museum. Just world-class art. I especially enjoyed stopping by Chatham Vineyard for an outdoor wine tasting. It is family run and a very friendly place. They are proud of their occupation in the farming aspect of producing fine wines. I hope you enjoyed my travels and maybe you can visit the area yourself someday for a slower paced getaway. The Great Hunger greathunger Irish young ladies or colleens in the happier days before the famine Sculpture depicting emigrants fleeing the famine while others stay behind to die. June 5, 2025 The years 1845 - 1852 saw one of the most tragic events in northern Europe and the UK. It was a pandemic of sorts that could have been completely prevented. This event was called the Great Hunger. It is also known as the potato famine. The people group most affected by the potato famine was the Irish. The Irish were the victims of a class war against the privileged English who had appropriated for themselves the best farmland while the Irish had inferior farmland, and to make matters worse, the potato crops, their main form of sustenance, was afflicted by what was known as late blight which rendered the potatoes scrawny and useless for food. The ensuing starvation was severe and led to the death of many and drove a huge emigration to the United States. A woman from the West of Ireland, a natural congregation area for the displaced of the time A recent exhibition at the Fairfield University Art Museum featured works capturing the tragedy of the Great Hunger and the beauty and resilience of the Irish in paintings and sculptures. The exhibition is on through August 16, 2025. The featured art is on loan to the University Museum courtesy of Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum. The museum’s hours are found here Another moving place to visit is the Great Hunger Memorial in Ardsley, NY Names inscribed on a table being crossed by a surviving wife and children leaving father/husband behind New Britain Museum of American Art Not a real guard!! I found out the hard way... December 7, 2025 ***UPDATE*** The New Britain Museum of American Art is located in the town of New Britain in central Connecticut, not far from the capital city of Hartford. The museum has as its mission to curate American art throughout the decades. In their permanent collection you can enjoy several Hudson River School landscapes. You also can view a number of portraits and sculptures. There is a whole room (floor to ceiling!) devoted to the art of Thomas Hart Benton which is in a folk art style of exaggeration of figures and settings. Hanging between two floors you can have the pleasure of seeing a glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly, a very famous and prolific glass sculptor. Like most museums in America, the New Britain also hosts special exhibitions from other museums for a specified duration. This is always a great opportunity to see new items without having to travel far. At the time of this writing there are two special exhibitions on display. One fascinating special exhibition is called Joe Fig: Contemplating Vermeer (through 1/11/26). Each work is a painting of people looking at a particular Vermeer painting. Not only are the people captured well, the Vermeer they are viewing is well done also. If you are familiar with the famous Dutch painter you will love this exhibition. (If you are an attentive So Busy Learning reader, the article on my visit to Florence may ring a bell) It's fun to see well-known Vermeer paintings being admired by a variety of people. It's hard to remember that the whole thing is a painting, not a photograph! Another special exhibition is Norman Rockwell: From Camera to Canvas (through 2/15/25). On loan from the Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, there are many examples of Rockwell's technique and workflow using photos as the basis of his paintings. There is a great example of his process shown where the actual dress worn by the girl in the civil rights painting The Problem We Live With is displayed right next to the painting. There are many other interesting examples of the importance of photography in Rockwell's work as well. If you want to visit the New Britain Museum of American Art here is their visitor information: New Britain deco Deco at 100 April 6, 2025 A few months back readers had the opportunity to see the special exhibition, Seeing Red at the Nassau County Museum of Art A new fascinating exhibit, Deco at 100 , is currently showing through June 15th, 2025 The Museum The museum building itself is a Gold Coast mansion from the heyday of the Art Deco movement. Along Long Island’s north shore were many sizable estates during the period of prosperity immediately before the Great Depression. This particular mansion was a wedding present from Henry Clay Frick to his daughter. What is Art Deco? Art Deco, popular in the 1920s and 1930s, emphasizes streamlining and dramatic lines inspired by the modern age of rail and air travel. Howard Carter’s discovery of King Tut’s tomb, and Egyptian iconography and design also informed the movement. It can be seen in building details, patterns in textiles and even household items of the era. The current exhibit has many paintings as well as examples of fashion. To better understand the effect on Art Deco on the art world see the Deco at 100 Timeline from the Nassau Museum's website. If you wish to go The Nassau Museum is in Roslyn, Long Island and is in the Bank of America Museums on Us program . The grounds of the museum are lovely and ideal for a stroll to view several outdoor sculptures. Plan your visit: Museum Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11 am–4:45 pm Adults $15.00 Free parking housedivided A House Divided March 30, 2025 Rare Civil War photography on view at University of St Joseph in West Hartford Connecticut In Central Connecticut in the town of West Hartford, lies St Joseph University, a private Catholic University which boasts a good art gallery. The gallery has a temporary special exhibition of rare photography from the Civil War era. The photographs are riveting mainly for the human element in this great event in American history. In addition to photography the art gallery is screening short films giving explanations about various aspects of the Civil War. One section shows important medical developments that occurred during the Civil War. There are even some photos of survivors who received serious wounds in the form of holes in their bodies and yet they went on to live the rest of their lives. There was even attention paid to pets that the troops adopted as companions. You can see some famous personalities shown such as Abraham Lincoln alongside his son and General Robert E. Lee. Many of the photographs in the exhibition are daguerreotypes. Some photos are tinted in color by hand. The exhibit runs through May 10th. The Art Museum at University of St Joseph is located at 1678 Asylum Avenue West Hartford Connecticut. Admission is free and the museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The art museum has rotating scheduled exhibitions throughout the year. If you want to keep up with the schedule you can visit the art museum’s website . The Mattatuck Museum mattatuck March 22, 2025 The Mattatuck Museum, not to be confused with the small Long Island village of Mattituck, is a mid-sized community art and history museum located in the heart of the City of Waterbury, Connecticut. While many of the art exhibitions are of the artwork of local artists, it is no way inferior to other art in other museums. Furthermore some famous artists’ work, such as Georgia O'Keeffe, and photographer Gordon Park are on display as well as one of my favorite Connecticut Impressionists, Julian Weir. The Mattatuck also features many educational activities for young people as well as self-guided kid friendly exhibits. One unusual feature of the Mattatuck is the Waterbury Button Museum. Since Waterbury was a center of the button manufacturing industry, there is a surprising variety of buttons on display from military buttons to ones resembling cameos found in decorative arts sections of major museums. You can pull out drawer after drawer of every kind of button imaginable as well as ones you could not possibly imagine! Its History Museum tells the story of the timeline of the products and people that put Waterbury on the map. They have wonderful displays of industry and invention; the history of the immigrants that made Waterbury their home, and some celebrities that have also made Waterbury famous. A particularly moving display features a formerly unknown slave named Fortune who has been identified and given a proper burial after being a medical anatomical skeleton since 1798. Perhaps you can take the opportunity to try Sweet Bella,the museum’s cafe. There is a parking lot in the rear. The museum hours are: Tuesday-Saturday 11AM to 5PM and Sunday 11AM to 4PM https://www.mattmuseum.org 144 West Main St. Waterbury, CT The Twilight Zone: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder March 5, 2025 In episode 6 of The Twilight Zone season 2, we see Miss Tyler in a hospital surgical ward for altering her physical appearance, which is labeled as ugly and repulsive by the society around her. She has had her 11th treatment for this hoped-for outcome. There are no more treatments available to her and she now is facing the permanent iteration of her appearance. This unfortunate woman will soon face the fate of living outside her community with other outcasts who have the same condition of ugliness as she. Despair is her food, and hope is no longer a possibility. The community that she and the other citizens live in is governed by the Leader who indoctrinates the citizens on the standards of beauty in the Community. Finally the day arrives for her unveiling of her last hope for a successful cosmetic surgery. When her surgeon takes off the last of the bandages to unveil her now permanent appearance, the medical staff and all the patients around her see the final version of her appearance. At that moment, medical staff and patients alike see this now unfortunate outcome which is the failure of her cosmetic surgery. The woman, in anguish, flees the room running through the halls screaming in fright over her permanent appearance. I must stop here now because this is the moment of the climax. The viewers now realize that this unfortunate woman will live the rest of her days as an outcast because of her failure to achieve the appearance of those in her community. It is a surprise ending, and I will say that it holds a lesson for the audience. Discussion questions after viewing the film When the climax reveals the standards of beauty of the members of the community we find that we have been somewhat tricked because we see our own standards of beauty confronting us. What do you think of a community who has a leader that dictates the standards of beauty and acceptance and of rejection? What do you think of the standards of beauty we have developed in our own society? The Twilight Zone episodes are available for streaming online. The service FreeVee has it for sure. February in Puerto Rico February 6, 2025 I woke up this morning to find school closed due to the wintry mix here in southern New York. I checked my text messages after I got out of bed and saw that my friend was getting on a plane to Puerto Rico. A little jelly here. Just kidding. I'm really happy for her. So I decided to find out the weather in Puerto Rico today. I pulled out my phone to see the temperature there. 77 degrees Fahrenheit! Before I could add the information to this article, Google beat me to it by telling me the price of a flight to Puerto Rico that would take 3 hours and 45 minutes from New York. Thanks Google. Send the tickets here. I’ll be waiting. Indoors. Attractions Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. They use the US dollar for their currency. Puerto Rico is an island in the Caribbean Sea and is 110 by 40 miles in size. Spanish is the main language, although you can get by speaking English. A very popular tourist attraction is the El Yunque National Forest. This rainforest is the home of the coquí, a tiny frog which is the national symbol of Puerto Rico. His get his name from the sound he makes, saying “coquí! coquí! coquí!” This is a pin that was given to me. It is the size of an actual coquí Another popular site is the Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It is a fortress built in 1539. The Spanish held the fort for over 300 years! Getting there Travel there is very easy. US citizens do not need a visa to enter. People visiting the US with a student or work visa are not restricted from going over to Puerto Rico. My connection For several summers I was the host family coordinator at the university level for about 100 intensive English students from Puerto Rico. I made many friends from the program and several of them kept in touch with me over the years. I still have not traveled to Puerto Rico, but I’m thinking about it now! Especially today. hicks Edward Hicks, My Famous Artistic Ancestor February 3, 2025 This past Thanksgiving as I was writing about the Kensico Dam in Westchester County New York I introduced you to an Italian ancestor who was a stucco specialist working in Czechoslovakia in the 1700s. His name was Risnaro who later changed his name to Lizner. Now you know almost as much about him as I do. I'm going to introduce you to another of my ancestors who was also born in the 1700s. But this time you have a shot at recognizing his name because he was a well-known artist. My ancestor's name is Edward Hicks. One time I was visiting The Michener Museum in Doylestown Pennsylvania. I rounded one corner of the gallery and came to eye level with the lower part of my own face! I stood straight up to take in the entire self-portrait of Edward Hicks. It was then that I recalled my father telling me that Edward Hicks was my ancestor, since his mother, my grandmother, was a Hicks. Edward Hicks was a Quaker preacher as well as an artist. Hicksville, Long Island was founded by his descendents. Edward Hicks is perhaps best known for his series of paintings called The Peaceable Kingdom. These paintings have groupings of animals with very large round eyes. (see the beginning of this article) Versions of this work are in several museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MOMA and the National Gallery in Washington, DC. The Peaceable Kingdom is based on the passage in the Bible from Isaiah 11:6-9 foretelling the coming peace in the Kingdom of God illustrated by contradictory pairings such as the wolf lying with the lamb. So now when I look in the mirror, I see the chin of Edward Hicks, as well as the narrow sparkling eyes of Anna Lizner, my Czechoslovakian great-grandmother who came to the new world through Ellis Island. And I even see a few inherited red hairs from my grandmother who descended from the Hickses. Last Chance for Seeing Seeing Red at the Nassau County Museum of Art December 22, 2024 Seeing Red January 5 is the last day art lovers can view the Seeing Red: From Renoir to Warhol exhibit. The premise of the exhibition are many works of art that explore the concept of red which can be interpreted in nearly infinite ways: love, anger, jealousy, courage, etc. Louis Comfort Tiffany And if you do come to the museum by January 5th, you can also see a marvelous exhibition of the recently acquired paintings of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany, mostly known for his spectacular stained glass lamps, began his career in art by painting landscapes similar to those of the Hudson River School artists. From the museum’s website : Most of the Museum’s 145 acres originally belonged to William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), long time editor of the New York Evening Post, and also a poet, lawyer, conservationist, political activist, and patron of the arts. In 1843 Bryant settled in his Roslyn home, Cedarmere, on Hempstead Harbor, adjacent to the Museum. It became an intellectual and cultural center for some of the greatest minds of the mid to late 19th century. In 1862 Bryant built a Gothic Revival board guesthouse on his Upland Farm, now the Museum property. Named for his friend and fellow poet, Jerusha Dewey, who was a frequent visitor, the cottage was restored by the Roslyn Landmark Society in 2011. The Nassau Museum is in Roslyn, Long Island and is in the Bank of America Museums on Us program . The grounds of the museum are lovely and ideal for a stroll to view several outdoor sculptures. Plan your visit: Museum Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 11 am–4:45 pm Adults $15.00 Free parking A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens: The Tale and a Movie December 15, 2024 The tale In case you don't know, A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge the miser and how his heart was softened toward Christmas and humanity after the visit of four ghosts. Yes four; in addition to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, Ebenezer is visited first by Jacob Marley, his miserly deceased business partner. I like to read A Christmas Carol at Christmas time because it is a well-told story, an easy read, and especially because it has the theme of reclamation. Along the way, the reader encounters terror, joy, regret, humor, revenge--all of which contributed to the development of Ebebezer’s turnaround. These elements, if we are honest and paying attention, can serve to challenge us to be more circumspect, valuing what is truly important, as we move through the world. One film version A Christmas Carol , starring George C Scott from 1984, is my favorite film version of the story. Unlike many iterations of the character of Ebenezer Scrooge, in that he is portrayed as a grump and a meanie, Scott’s portrayal has Scrooge demonstrating a degree of tact and refinement in the midst of his intolerance. He is not merely lashing out, in fact he is rebuffing people who presume to encroach upon his personal wealth and time. His character, even after his redemption, in many ways, surprisingly retains the core of his identity. Delightful characters I love the appearance of all four ghosts as they interact with Ebenezer. Each has a strong personality that is not distracted by Ebenezer’s complaints. Ebenezer parries with each but is ultimately humbled by them one at a time. Bob Cratchit’s family is a delight, every one. Even the rank and file citizens in the city are authentic and engaging. The setting The look and feel of the sets seem genuine to the period and are loaded with authentic elements. The snowy streets feel cold and the cozy interiors are indeed comforting. The locations where the ghosts conduct Ebenezer are vivid, even the blacks and grays of the graveyard scene. Musical elements are scattered throughout tastefully. The movie, for the most part, follows the book, with the exception of some more ethereal elements. It is 1 hour and 40 minutes in length. You should have little trouble obtaining this film through your library system, or perhaps streaming, which I hope you will because it will certainly add richness to your Christmas season. A gourmet chicken dish, a dam. And some Italian neighborhoods. December 10, 2024 For Thanksgiving this year we enjoyed chicken thighs stuffed with prosciutto, herbs, and provolone with a bottle of chilled white wine. It was terrific, especially the Linzer Tarts for dessert. All these comestibles were purchased at a local Italian specialty market. They can be found dotting the landscape in southern Westchester County in the Metro New York area where the dam in our title made its appearance in 1917. What’s the connection? Risnaro But first a short personal story…In the 1700s an Italian ancestor of mine named Risnaro was living in Prague, Czechoslovakia working as a stucco specialist in churches, castles, and even palaces. At some point someone suggested he take the “o” off his name and he became Risnar. Eventually that changed to Lizner. (Not to be confused with Linzer tarts which aren't even Italian* ;) Lizner then married a Czech girl and left his trade in order to become a farmer. Are you still with me? * actually they’re Austrian! Generations later at the start of the 20th century, descendents of the Lizner family entered the United States through Ellis Island and eventually settled near White Plains, Westchester. Sometime later my grandfather was born, who became a banker. Construction on the Kensico dam Around that time, a few miles away in Valhalla, Westchester, the Kensico dam, a marvel of engineering, was being constructed. It involved the labor of countless Italian skilled stone workers who came to the United States for the project. It was completed in 1917. Many families stayed on in the area when the dam was completed, and to this day there are a large number of Italian neighborhoods, including my own. Although I am not very Italian (Risnaro notwithstanding), I occasionally get greeted in the evening by Italian women saying “Buonasera! ” If you live in southern Westchester County and your roots go down several generations, it just may be that you are a descendent of those brave stone workers on the Kensico dam. The Bodies Exhibition October 12, 2024 See The Wonders of the Human Body Outside a Textbook I admit it. I tend to be squeamish. I can't watch surgery videos or bloody boxing matches. But on the other hand, I always loved full color plates of the human body in textbooks and encyclopedias, especially when the drawings are divided up into body systems and have plastic overlays. I love the way these books show the reader a visual (though drawn) closeup of the organs of the body, something the non-medical student or non-EMT never gets to see. So when I saw an ad atop a taxi for The Bodies Exhibition in New York City, I took notice. My first reaction was, Wow, cool . Real bodies and body parts ? I'd like to see that . So, when my birthday rolled around, and I decided to go to New York to see The Bodies, I went online and bought for my teenage daughter and myself our dated and timed tickets. But on the bus ride there, I had my second reaction: Wow. Real bodies and body parts ? Do I really want to see that? I mean, the exhibition is not of models and drawings of the human system. They have real bodies, organs, and systems that once were part of living human beings. Will I make it through the exhibition? As we headed downtown to South Street Seaport where the New York version of the Exhibition was housed at the time, I expressed my concern to my daughter, and asked her to keep an eye on me, helping me out if I started turning green. When we got to the building, we showed our timed tickets to the guard. A big group of students was just leaving, and he asked us to wait. I wondered how many high school and college science classes came here for a field trip, a privileged look into the human body. The guard then directed us up the escalator, which took us to the main floor of the exhibition. At the top, the first thing we had to do upon surrendering our tickets was to read the rules: stuff like, don't use flash photography, no food or drink, and above all, don't touch the bodies . Our first look was at a whole human body form, mainly revealing its muscles. It was in a sports pose and its hands held a ball. It had simple plastic doll's eyes, which surprisingly gave it a friendly appearance. I stood transfixed at what was for me a first-time wonder. Surprisingly, I did not feel squeamish, nor did I regret paying the ticket price to come. Instead I was awed. I felt an immediate sense of the privilege of looking at a human body, more or less like my own, but in a view I never had seen before, and likely will never see again. I was ready to move on, undaunted, through this adventure. For the most part, the exhibition is organized into human systems, each getting its own room: muscular, skeletal, circulatory, endocrine, nervous, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems. Sometimes we would see whole or nearly whole bodies revealing the featured system. In cases, we would often see specific organs or just a system itself without the full human frame. It was amazing how they were able to use a new technique called Polymer Preservation which allowed the organs to be preserved without formaldehyde-filled cylinders so viewers may see a permanent specimen that will not decay. They also used a technique which allowed the organs not featured in the system of a particular room to be removed, while the featured organs or system would be remarkably and clearly revealed. For example, I was astonished to see in a case the entire circulatory system of just the veins, arteries, and capillaries completely preserved in the correct form. That was very helpful to me. I could see a specific organ or system without having to take into account the other systems or organs normally nearby. How tiny are the capillaries in our fingers or feet, for example. And we got to see them without having to see past the parts that normally surrounded that system. So delicate, so perfectly preserved, so amazing. Most of the organs and systems displayed were of normal, healthy character. But sometimes for educational purposes, a particular disease or infirmity would be displayed. For example, in addition to healthy lungs, there were lungs with emphysema also shown in the respiratory system room. We found it interesting that in the same room there was a plexiglass case filled a third of the way with visitors' discarded cigarette packs. If I'd been a smoker, seeing the hard, blackened lungs nearby would have caused me to reconsider my habit. It was fascinating to see a whole ear, and the smallest bone in the body, the ear's stirrup. Engrossing to get a glimpse into the mysterious endocrine system. Sobering to be up close to diseases or malformations. Inspiring to discover an unborn fetus inside its mother. Throughout the museum were knowledgeable docents, all medical students or therapists. It was helpful to be able to ask questions as we looked at some rather unfamiliar organs. At the end of the exhibition was, of course, the museum's gift shop, full of excellent books, such as Gray's Anatomy , and visual aids to expand on our newly-sparked knowledge. But the most unexpected part at the end of this fascinating journey was the opportunity to hold some real human organ specimens. The docent manning the hands-on exhibit explained we were allowed to hold the two brains she had on her table – one normal and one with Alzheimer's disease. She explained to us the difference, “Can you see the wider gaps here in the diseased brain?” I don't know why I was surprised to actually see a visible difference. We also got to hold another pair of lungs marred with emphysema, not nearly as blackened as the earlier one in the respiratory system room. In case you are wondering, I felt absolutely not squeamish as I held the specimens. On the contrary, I considered it a privilege. Remember, too, that each specimen of this type was processed by Polymer Preservation, so it felt only rubbery, not so much like a natural body organ. But the image of each was clear, and gave me insight I hadn't had before. For parents, this is a great opportunity for children to see the Exhibition, if you feel you can guide them through sensitively. But make sure to be prepared for the many questions they may have, especially about people of the opposite sex, because there are specimens of each there (whole bodies as well as reproductive systems). I sincerely recommend The Bodies Exhibition to any visitor who would like to know more about the human body, and see it up close. The price tag is a little steep, compared to that of other museums. But it really is worth it to get this privileged look. Where to Go At the time of this writing, the Exhibit is a traveling one and is now showing in Las Vegas Nevada through the Fall and into winter. You can see the information here . James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania July 19, 2024 Perhaps you know of James Michener, known for his research-based historical fiction novels reaching 1,000 pages or more. Some titles you may have heard of are South Pacific or Hawaii , both of which were made into major motion pictures in the second half of the 20th Century. Michener and his wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa founded the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, the Micheners' adopted hometown forty miles north of Philadelphia. The purpose of the museum is to provide a home base for artists in Bucks County Pennsylvania which also includes Philadelphia. There are active programs, workshops, lectures, and many other educational opportunities for children and adults. Daniel Garber is a major Pennsylvania impressionist that the Michener Museum features. He was also known as a romantic realist, and worked in the late 1880s in Pennsylvania. The Michener Museum also features the bronze sculptor George R. Anthonisen. Anthonisen has several bronze sculptures which are permanently installed in the outdoor sculpture court behind the museum building and also gives lectures to museum-goers. He also exhibits his own special showings of his works from time to time and has several books available for purchase in the museum’s gift shop. photos by Eric Nygard The museum is located Michener Art Museum, 138 S Pine St, Doylestown, PA 18901, USA Much of the art in the permanent collection of the museum is from the artists who worked in the area. The predominating art style was a form of American impressionism called Pennsylvania Impressionism in which landscapes and surrounding buildings made up the subject matter for the works. In addition to the permanent collection, the Michener Museum also hosts temporary special exhibitions. The Morris Museum in Morristown New Jersey May 31, 2024 The Morris Museum in Morristown New Jersey is a midsize art museum whose enduring feature is an excellent collection of vintage music boxes and automata. Automata, or in the singular, automaton, is usually a windup sculpture that makes mechanical movements and sometimes sounds. The Morris Museum boasts a large collection of automata, music boxes, jukeboxes. The museum also houses the Edgerton Mechanical Music Library. As I wandered through the galleries containing the antique music boxes and automata, which were behind glass, I noticed several of the antiques had companion videos of them working. For example there was a video of someone wearing gloves and winding up either an automaton or a music box. I appreciated the videos so that I could see them in action while the museum was protecting the antiques from human hands. As an art museum, the museum showcases scheduled special exhibitions. When I went I saw a charming exhibition of fanciful inventions and accompanying paintings which had unusual geometric shapes. In another exhibition I enjoyed looking at many sculptures of whimsical animals, many of which were covered with thousands of tiny seed beads. Please enjoy the photographs from our visit. Please keep in mind that special exhibitions are temporary unless otherwise noted, and so you most likely will not see them the next time you visit that same museum. That's usually the case with special exhibitions. The Morris Museum also has a stage theater known as the Bickford Theater, which the entire community and surrounding area make good use of with abundant live performances and cinema showings. Morristown sits in the Skylands region of the state of New Jersey, 30 miles from New York City. In addition to being a Smithsonian affiliate, the Morris Museum is a partner with Bank of America's Museums on Us program. To learn more about this program, please take a look at my article Free Museum Admission with Museums on Us by Bank of America . You can find the Morris Museum at 6 Normandy Heights Rd, Morristown, NJ Clean as a Whistle May 20, 2024 I'm sitting by an open window as I am writing this article about household cleaning, and I see a large white truck with blue letters parked at the curb by my home. On the side of the truck are printed the words Environmental Services, Spill response. Spill response? Why next to my home?! Why is that truck there? I have no idea. I’d better just get back to my article to grapple with a tamer non-toxic subject: household cleaning. While I don't think your house needs the services of the clean environmental response truck, perhaps you might benefit from some tips on making your home clean. What are the chores we need to do to keep our house clean? What supplies do we use to do the job? Dusting Dust collects on all horizontal surfaces and even on vertical surfaces. We need to remove the dust.Dusting should be done before vacuuming or sweeping. We don't want to shake dust onto a newly cleaned floor! Take the items off the surfaces to be dusted: shelves, tables, etc. Using either a dust cloth or a feather duster, brush the dust off the item. Then, using either a dust cloth or a feather duster, wipe the dust off the surfaces. You may spray a light layer of furniture polish on your dust cloth, but this doesn't need to be done often, if at all. Put the items back on the surfaces. Take your feather duster outside and shake it out, but never in the house! If you used a dust cloth, put it in the laundry. If you have window blinds or shutters, you can take a vacuum cleaner to remove dust. Vacuuming Vacuuming is good for carpets and large floors. It's also good for dry spills, such as potting soil, flour, or crumbs. You may use any kind of vacuum cleaner you like. Follow the directions that come with yours. Make sure you use the right tools and attachments for the job you're doing. Before you begin, do a pickup in the room. It's hard to vacuum a room with stuff lying around on the floors. When possible, move furniture off to the side, then vacuum the floor where it was. Check your vacuum cleaner bag or filter to see if it's full. Empty or replace it before it gets too full. Do you want to do all your dusting and vacuuming in one day? All your dusting one day and vacuuming another? Or dusting and vacuuming one or two rooms per day? Sweeping Sweeping is good for dry small, bare floors, uncarpeted stairs, or if there's no vacuum. Sweeping is done with a broom. If there is wetness or stickiness on the floor, wipe it up and dry it off before sweeping. Make sure you have a good, undamaged broom. It also should not have any stickiness. When sweeping, pull the broom towards yourself with medium strokes, holding it somewhat firmly against the floor. Draw the dirt into little piles, then join the piles together. Using a dustpan and either your broom or a little whisk broom, brush all the dirt into the dustpan. Dump it into the garbage, without spilling it onto the floor. Mopping Mopping is good for bathroom and kitchen floors. Hardwood floors can also be mopped with proper cleaner. (Murphy's Oil Soap is good for wood.) If you don't have a mop, you can use a sponge while down on your knees. Remove the items from the room, when possible. First sweep the floor to remove all loose dirt. Fill a bucket with hot water and disinfectant. Read the product label. Using a mop you can squeeze, plunge the mop into the bucket. Squeeze out excess water. Using back and forth strokes, press somewhat firmly down on the floor. Frequently plunge the mop into the water in order to wash with as clean water as possible. Dump mop water into the toilet or outdoors when done. Put away supplies. General Cleaning It's a good idea to wash surfaces frequently to keep clean and germ free. Here are some supplies good for various jobs. A sponge and disinfectant cleaner are good for just about all cleaning jobs. Use window cleaner and paper towels or newspapers for windows. A squeegee also works. Use dishwashing liquid for hand washing; dishwasher detergent for machine washing. Dry dishes with a clean towel and put away. A dust mop is good to wipe a bare floor that has dust rather than crumbs on it. Shake it outdoors before putting it away. Scouring cleansers are good for sinks, tubs, and toilets. Keep all your supplies in a smart place, stored away from sight (always from children!), yet near the area you need to clean. It's hard to want to clean a room when you can't get your supplies. Keep garbage bags on hand and replace them regularly. That's it! following these methods will help keep your house clean as a whistle. Organization vs. Procrastination in Your Household Space April 18, 2024 Taking care of your household space is a challenge whether you live in a dorm room, a house, or a mansion; whether you live alone or in a family. It takes skill, practice, time, determination, and self control to learn it. Whether you do it as a man, woman or even a teen, or as a full time job or you operate in survival mode because you have another job, there are certain principles you can follow to make it work for you. Sayings Use these sayings to help you learn the art of housekeeping. Start with this first saying: If you procrastinate, you are shooting yourself in the foot . That means you are causing a problem for yourself. But what is procrastination? Procrastination From my years of experience I believe that avoiding procrastination is the most powerful tool for succeeding in your household management. Procrastination is when you have an unpleasant task that needs to be done and you leave it usually for much later, perhaps waiting for the unpleasant task to go away by itself if possible. (It's amazing how easy it is to talk ourselves into believing that.) See if you can evaluate which of these sayings relate to the concept of avoiding procrastination. Let's try another saying. Do I really need this? Ask yourself this when you are going to buy something or you are deliberating about whether to keep an existing possession. Also ask this when you are tripping over something or always moving it out of the way. You can even go through closets and drawers every month or two to see what you can give or throw away or donate to charity. Furthermore, whenever you enter a room, find one thing you can tidy or improve. Handle it once , also known as Don't put it down, Put it away. When you get mail, bring something into the house, or use something, don't put it down. Instead, put it away. If you get junk mail, throw it away. Yet another cable service ad? Get rid of it immediately along with the other junk mail. But if you receive an important piece of mail that you need to process, don't leave it on the counter or table. Put it in your inbox, folder, or bulletin board so you don't lose it and so you can take care of it soon. Besides, keeping important papers on the kitchen counter may run the risk of getting food on them. If you fold clothes, don't leave the piles around, put them away. If you're walking up the stairs or through a room and you see something lying around, notice it, stop and pick it up to put away. If you just walk by it, you're making more work for yourself later. If it needs to be done, then do it! If you always clean your house, you'll never have to clean your house. Try to get yourself a daily and weekly routine. If you can steadily keep things tidy, clean and in good repair, you will never have to do major cleaning seasonally, such as spring cleaning. Furthermore, if you don't clean something properly and thoroughly, you're really not cleaning it and you're making more work for yourself later. Then, when good weather comes, you can do special projects, like cleaning the attic, rearranging the furniture, or having a yard sale. Beware distractions If you see something needs to be done and you don't feel like doing it, do it anyway and get it over with. Speak to your soul kindly but firmly. Don't let yourself become distracted by pleasures or even other work. If your friend or TV program calls, say no and stick with your job until you're done. Break a big job down into little jobs. This principle is actually one of the best cures for procrastination. This is because you are working away at the task, even if it's little by little. If you do this, you will find yourself making progress. See what mini tasks you can do to reduce your big job. Make a plan for when and how you will do each step and stick to your steps. Avoiding procrastination is such a powerful tool for achieving organization in your household space. Maintaining a consistent and a proactive pattern of organization affords you a lifestyle of freedom and success. The Value of Entertainment April 2, 2024 People are crazy about public performances. We attend readings , lectures and speeches, skits, songfests, storytelling festivals, puppet shows, and plays. Whether held in a coliseum, the public library, in local schools or on college campuses, town square, on a platform in the park, in a professional theater in the Hamptons, at a festival – what makes them special? Is it because they are fun, we learn something, or maybe a little bit of both? There's such a variety of performance types and topics to entertain and inform us – humor , history, folk arts, science, fiction , politics, biography, sports, religion and philosophy , social issues, drama. Why are public performances so important in our society? Human beings possess a strong sense of creativity and expression. Because of our nature, we love to compose, produce, and perform. People love creativity in all its forms. We create visual arts (painting, sculpture), music (vocal and instrumental), crafts (practical and aesthetic), drama (plays and mysteries), dance (entertainment and athletics), textile arts (clothing and quilts), creative writing , and much more. We love to create things! We also love to share what we've made with others. Sometimes we have something specific that we want to offer, such as a fitting tribute to a hero or an impassioned drama with a moral. In that case, we produce a deliberate, planned performance. But sometimes we just want to express ourselves in any form, even singing in the shower. We can't help but express ourselves that way. Performance is instinctive. It's all because of a deep down sense that we have in our being of creating and then sharing. We want to be on stage. This is why we seek to entertain. We enjoy looking at or experiencing other people's creativity. We're all so different. We recognize that everyone has a distinct gift – something completely unique to him. We like to admire what someone has made, like beautiful beadwork, or can do, like sing, act , or perform gymnastics. We may or may not have talent in the performing or decorative arts ourselves. But we still will stop and enjoy someone sing, imitate voices, do back flips, dance the hornpipe, create a character, or recite poetry with a passion . And even if we do have similar talents, for the most part, we aren't jealous , judgmental, or negative . We value what we see and hear, and are grateful for the moment to witness it. That's why we drop money in the hats on the sidewalk of street performers in Central Park or the sax player under the bridge behind the Met, hire clowns for a birthday party, or read storybooks to kids at the library . We may gain something that adds to our knowledge. Or, more likely, we just have fun. Either way, we grow. We are enriched by what others have done. We love to laugh, cry, be scared, or get angry. We love to root for the hero and jeer at the villain. We want to see daring feats and hear exquisite strains of music. We enjoy being stirred by the passions of an orator and learn a new perspective on life. Even a mild-mannered person gets caught up in the hijinks of a slapstick team so he can enjoy a good laugh without anybody actually getting hurt. We want a release from the steady pressures of our everyday life. We're willing to suspend our disbelief so we can do just that. We want to be in the audience . This is why we seek entertainment. We crave connection with people. Part of it has to do with just wanting to connect with the human spirit. We sense we have something in common with the person on stage – even if he's pretending to be someone else. (Do I see myself in the character he's portraying...?) Listening to the beautiful song of a soprano stirs something within – and we connect. We identify with oral poetry (even if we're not poets) because it's written and then performed for us by another person. We share hopes and griefs with the storyteller because he's sharing something from out of his experience – and touches something deep within as we relate to his tale. All of these performers move us. And even if we're made uncomfortable for a time with the humanness of it all, that's what we want. Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art March 16, 2024 In the city of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, you can find a world-class museum sporting varied offerings of western art. The Wadsworth consists of a collection of spacious galleries where you can enjoy the best of J.P. Morgan's art holdings posthumously donated in memory of his father. Within the same building you can see a sizable old-school salon setting as well as more modern galleries for an up-close and personal encounter with the art. In case you are unfamiliar with the salon style display of art, let me explain it to you briefly. In the salon arrangement, paintings are arranged in a grid pattern on the wall of a large gallery. The lowest pictures are about hip height, while the highest reach to the ceiling. By the way, the salon style was the arrangement of paintings in Paris in the 1800s to display and judge paintings. Beyond the works hanging in the salon, the museum has on display many works of Modern art, portraiture, modern sculptures, French porcelain, and much more. For me, a standout work is the painting The Mirror Crack’d by William Holman Hunt, pictured here. Another gallery hosts the Cabinet of Art & Curiosity which is a reconstructed example of an organizational method that was the precursor of what has become the modern museum. The museum staff are friendly and very eager to engage with you about the art. Also, there are several amenities for your comfort and enjoyment including a nice bistro cafe to enjoy your lunch. Also for your comfort you may find rest on the benches placed all around the museum for the purpose of viewing the art as well as giving your feet and back a break. In the lowest floor of the museum there is a cinema where films are scheduled for an additional fee and you can snack on popcorn. (Even if you are not planning on seeing the movie, you probably can't resist the buttery fragrance wafting up the stairs near the admissions desk! ) Like most large art museums, the Wadsworth displays special exhibitions for a limited time. To find out the titles and gallery locations of the special exhibitions on view, consult the map that the admissions desk gives you when you first arrive at the museum. The two largest sections of the museum building are respectively the Morgan wing, named after the aforementioned Morgan; and the Avery wing named after Milton Avery, a 20th century modern artist native to Connecticut who left a sizable bequest to the Wadsworth. Hartford residents can gain free admission with proof of residence. Likewise, on the first full weekend of the month, visitors can enjoy free admission sponsored by Bank of America's Museums on Us if they are Bank of America or Merrill Lynch cardholders. See my article explaining how to take advantage of free admission . However you do come, you’re sure to find some art that suits your taste, and perhaps you’ll take away an appreciation for something new! You're never too old: Why adults should bother to study and learn March 11, 2024 Many adults believe that learning ended when they graduated high school or college. If that's the case, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they miss out on one of the best parts of life's journey. Sometimes we believe that learning and study are for the young, for students, for those preparing for a career. What makes us think this way? Fear, busyness, self-doubt, misunderstanding, weariness? Learning new things –scholastically or along life's path― makes us a better person, opens up new opportunities, and gives us an awareness of the world. It broadens our horizons. We become more culturally refined, well-rounded, and well ― human . We enrich our life by engaging in new experiences, reading interesting books, attending informative lectures and programs, visiting educational sites and museums. We meet new people, find new ways to do things, discover new interests and hobbies, become active and informed citizens, gain potential job and home management skills, and transform into better learners with each new experience. And whether we know it at the time or not, we will be able to use what we learn someday, somehow. Happening upon a new topic can guide us to a hobby previously unexplored. When my four children were little, I had little time or stamina for learning new pastimes, let alone reading a good book. (At that point, thumbing through a picture book was about all I had energy for. Don't worry, it was temporary.) One summer vacation, I took my small kids to the children's craft-story hour at a local library. I took the opportunity to look through the stacks. I wandered a bit, then found the biography section. My eyes were attracted to the title of a book on the wives of the presidents. I grabbed the book and plunked myself down on the rug for a good hour's sit. Each wife's story was short enough for me, and eventually I came upon the trivia that Theodore Roosevelt had had two wives, having lost one to disease. Perhaps you knew that, but I didn't and I was drawn in, reveling in a new discovery. By the end of the hour, I was hooked on a new pursuit, and a longtime hobby was born. (Here's a fun fact: Theodore Roosevelt did not call himself nor did his family call him Teddy. They called him either Theodore or Thee. Teddy was an imposed nickname designed for a marketing campaign for the newly popular teddy bear.) From that point I collected and read many books and attended lectures on Roosevelt and his family, and visited all his historic sites in New York State. From there I chose to veer to the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt side of the family for more learning. By that point my Roosevelt hobby had become a joy to me, and learning wasn't a chore because I took ownership over it. Furthermore, by then the kids were older and I willingly traded in the picture books for a more scholastic pursuit. The mental malaise I had allowed myself to fall into gave way to the freedom and exhilaration of learning that propelled me onward for years. Studying new topics and reading good books helps us develop our vocabulary and cultural knowledge base. A better command of the language about various topics is useful for engaging in conversation with a wide assortment of people. We can talk on topics that aren't our favorite with people we meet, and take an interest in what they have to say, and use the correct words to do it. This makes us more accessible and interesting with new friends and colleagues. And we enjoy ourselves more, too! Sometimes, too, chatting with someone about a topic can deepen and/or broaden our knowledge of it. It can also lead to joining an organization, workshop, or club with that focus, bringing us to new experiences and new friends. Remember, too, that many of the things you studied about in your youth have changed with new discoveries. The act of learning actually has physiological benefits to the brain and its function. Continued learning in later life helps positively affect brain function, thus leading to structural changes; “these structural changes are believed to encode the learning in the brain” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 126). It stands to reason that allowing the brain to lie dormant for years may affect its later ability to learn and recall memory. Just from a practical, functional point of view, it pays to keep up with ongoing learning so you can do the stuff you need to in your daily life. Studying something new need not be an arduous chore. As a refreshing change from querying the ever-present browser on your phone, try browsing in different sections in your city library – perhaps one section per week – is a painless method of learning something new. Pick up a magazine (without having to pay for a subscription!). Check out a biography or how-to book. Picture books can give you a quick overview on just about any topic from bee-keeping to skyscrapers. Take a look at the bestsellers' list the library keeps to see if there's a book that captures your interest. Here are some fitting quotations from Happy Publishing that illustrate the power of learning – and its absence. Only the educated are free . – Epictetus What you don't know can hurt you. – Lord Chesterfield It's what you learn after you know everything that counts. – J. Wooden When you're through learning, you're through. – Vernon Law Knowledge is power . – Sir Francis Bacon The unexamined life is not worth living . – Socrates Nothing in life is to be feared, only understood . – Marie Curie And let's not miss this gem from my daughter when she was young–It's good to know things . References Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Chrysler Museum of Art March 1, 2024 Not far from the impressive Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia is the Chrysler Museum of Art. Originally founded in 1933, this mid-sized museum began as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences. The Chrysler Museum grew substantially when Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. donated more than 10,000 objects to the museum in 1971. The curatorial departments include European Art of the 12th to 19th centuries, American Art 18th to 19th centuries, and European and American Art 19th to 20th centuries. There is also Ancient Art of Greece and Egypt, non-western art, and more. You can also enjoy Medieval Art, Photography, and the Porcelain Gallery, as well. Perhaps the most prized possession of The Chrysler Museum museum is the Perry Glass Studio. Not only is there an extensive glass collection for visitors to view, there also may be an opportunity to watch demonstrations of glassmaking. If you want to visit the Chrysler Museum, you will be happy to know that the admission is free. The museum is located at One Memorial Place, Norfolk, VA 23510 Last but not least, the Chrysler Museum of Art, like most museums, displays special exhibitions for a limited time. When I went to visit the Chrysler Museum in February 2024 the major special exhibition was Eyes of the Storm , the photography of Paul McCartney from 1963-1964. Next stop: Brooklyn Museum May 3–August 18, 2024 Brooklyn Museum: Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052 Leap Year February 29 (of course), 2024 A bare bones explanation of leap year Leap year is a year where there is one additional day in February, that is February 29, called Leap Day. So, instead of 365 days in the year, leap year has 366. Why? The Gregorian calendar In the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar used in western civilization, it is necessary to add one more day to the calendar in order to synchronize with astronomical events because an astronomical year lasts nearly 366 days or, more precisely 365 ¼ days. A very precocious 5 year old? I had a friend in college who was born on Leap Day, 1960. I remember him telling me that birthdays were a little odd for him because he had one birthday every 5 years, so to speak. If I have my math right, which, if you recall, is suspect, we joked about how he was 5 years old at the time of our friendship. It was funny to have a friend in college who was 5 years old. My college friend is not the only person to face a tricky birthday on Leap Day. Leap year makes an appearance in The Pirates of Penzance ***SPOILER ALERT*** If you have never seen the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance you may not want to continue reading because I am about to tell you some important details from the plot. In the 1879 madcap operetta, The Pirates of Penzance , by Gilbert and Sullivan, Frederic the handsome protagonist, is in love with Mabel the local beauty. Because Frederic had been indentured to the pirates for a certain term of his life , he is prohibited from leaving them and can not marry the lovely Mabel until then. But you guessed it: Frederic was born on Leap Day and so has many years to go before he can leave the pirates' employ. 63 more years, in fact! All because of Leap Year. Hmmm…I wonder if Little Orphan Annie was born on Leap Day… Makes sense, doesn't it? PS : I hope you have an opportunity to attend a live performance of the Pirates of Penzance or see a filmed recording of it. I recommend you look for a version with Kevin Kline playing the Pirate King. Factual information from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year# coffee Coffee Your Way Drinking coffee is a culture in itself. People around the world make coffee an integral part of their daily life. Whether drinking solo as in I can't wake up until I have my coffee or as a social activity, as in Hey, let's meet for coffee . Many coffee drinkers’ preferences include the actual choice of coffee beans, the method of preparation, and the flavorings that go with their preferred beverage. In this article we will explore some coffee beans, some coffee equipment and some preferred preparations of coffee beverages. Here are various coffee preparation methods and their characteristics: Coffee maker type - French Press Degree of Setup Convenience - Requires assembly & babysitting. Must boil water. Description of the coffee experience - Full-bodied mouth feel. Complete flavor extraction. Degree of cleanup convenience - Involves handling wet grounds. Hand wash screen, parts & carafe Grind - Coarse Coffee maker type - Automatic drip Degree of Setup Convenience - Scoop and go. Requires filter. Some models have a timer to have coffee ready when you wake up. Description of the coffee experience - Good body & flavor due to slow seeping through the grounds Degree of cleanup convenience - Discard filter with grounds. Wash filter basket and carafe. Grind - Medium Coffee maker type - Percolator Degree of Setup Convenience - Requires assembly. If stovetop percolator, must be timed and removed from heat. Description of the coffee experience - Can be on the strong side. Coffee boils and recycles through grounds. Degree of cleanup convenience - Must handle wet grounds, clean parts and re-assemble. Grind - Coarse Coffee maker type - Espresso Degree of Setup Convenience - Pack the espresso maker with grounds, brew according to instructions. Description of the coffee experience - Very small cup of highly concentrated flavor. Many preparation variations. Degree of cleanup convenience - Must handle wet grounds, clean parts and re-assemble. Grind - Very fine Coffee maker type - Instant Coffee Degree of Setup Convenience - Pour boiling water over a teaspoon of powder in a cup and stir. Description of the coffee experience - Taste can be metallic or bitter. Unpleasant foam appears on the surface. Degree of cleanup convenience - Just a cup and perhaps a spoon to wash. Grind - Freeze-dried crystals So what to put in your coffee maker? (never mind instant - if you're using that kind, you don't have time to worry about this part!) Here are two basic kinds of coffee beans, arabica and robusta. Here are their characteristics: Bean - Arabica Caffeine level - moderate Flavor - Smooth, sweet Uses - Higher quality - featured in single-source coffees Bean - Robusta Caffeine level - high Flavor - Bitter, smoky Uses - Espresso, blends Some people, like me, always drink their coffee black with no sugar. In my case I am enjoying the coffee as is. And if I am drinking coffee made from arabica beans (See the chart) I am simply enjoying the rich flavor. Other people would never drink their coffee black. They prefer to add flavorings such as cream, coffee creamer, syrup and other flavorings such as candy. Some people want to drink their coffee with a donut or a cookie. In the case of drinking espresso, many people drink it late at night after drinking alcoholic beverages. This is common in Europe. (I did that once as an overnight guest at someone's house, and I couldn't fall asleep all night.) At any rate, enjoying one’s coffee is a very personal experience, and fortunately there are many brewing/flavor choices available for each of us to settle into the perfect cup. yale-and-pizza Yale Art Gallery and New Haven style pizza: Little-known treasures of Connecticut January 20, 2024 In this article I am on two missions. First, I want to make you aware of the presence of the spectacular Yale Art Gallery located on the campus of Yale University in New Haven. (By the way, there are other galleries on the Yale University campus that you can explore.) Secondly, I encourage you to try New Haven style pizza as part of your itinerary when you visit New Haven. Normally I don't recommend restaurants when I write a museum itinerary, and I'm not doing so now. I figure you can find your own lunch. New Haven, as a college town, has many wonderful options for dining. The reason I am suggesting to you to try New Haven style pizza is because it is very unique to the Eastern Connecticut region of New Haven, unlike, say, New York style pizza. Since this article is part of the series Learning through Culture I want to make you aware of both the Yale Art Gallery and the unique cultural delicacy that is New Haven-style pizza. Yale Art Gallery and a sampling of its curatorial departments The Gallery is located at 111 Chapel Street (at York Street) New Haven, CT. and is free and open to the public. Here is an introduction from the director of the Gallery as printed on the website: This, from the About Yale Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery collects, preserves, studies, and presents art in all media, from all regions of the globe and across time. The museum’s exceptional collection—numbering over 300,000 objects—is the core of its identity. It sustains and catalyzes all we do. Founded in 1832, the Gallery is the oldest university art museum in America. Today, it is a center for teaching, learning, and scholarship and is a preeminent cultural asset for Yale University, the wider academic community, and the public. The museum is open to all, free of charge, and is committed to engaging audiences through thoughtful, creative, and relevant exhibitions, programs, and publications. Below is a short sample list of the curatorial areas. African art Ancient art American paintings and sculpture Modern and contemporary art Numismatics (currency) Asian art and much more I never tire of visiting the Yale Art Gallery. Its world class collection (they have works by Picasso , Frans Hals, and Van Gogh, for example) always thrills me because it seems to touch nearly every corner of the globe. I hope that you enjoy the photographs that we took when visiting the Gallery. New Haven-style pizza The New Haven style pizza is quite different from New York or other mainstream pies. First of all it is baked in a coal-fired oven. Then, it has an irregular shape which gives it an almost homemade look. Also, the doneness is close to what some traditional pizza fans might call burnt. In fact the black carbon that appears on the crust is affectionately referred to as “char” and is seen as very desirable. As you would expect the crust is very crunchy. Typical toppings - pepperoni, mushroom, sausage etc. are all available. One popular pizza with an unusual topping, made famous at a particular pizzeria, is the white clam pizza. There are no tomatoes or tomato sauce and the main feature is a generous portion of clams! If you are interested in trying New Haven pizza for yourself, most of the New Haven pizzerias are located in the vicinity of Wooster Street, New Haven, CT. I've been to the Mountaintop By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 3, 1968 January 15, 2024 Thank you very kindly, my friends. As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about. It's always good to have your closest friend and associate to say something good about you. And Ralph Abernathy is the best friend that I have in the world. I'm delighted to see each of you here tonight in spite of a storm warning. You reveal that you are determined to go on anyhow. Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in our world. And you know, if I were standing at the beginning of time, with the possibility of taking a kind of general and panoramic view of the whole of human history up to now, and the Almighty said to me, "Martin Luther King, which age would you like to live in?" I would take my mental flight by Egypt and I would watch God's children in their magnificent trek from the dark dungeons of Egypt through, or rather across the Red Sea, through the wilderness on toward the promised land. And in spite of its magnificence, I wouldn't stop there. I would move on by Greece and take my mind to Mount Olympus. And I would see Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Euripides and Aristophanes assembled around the Parthenon. And I would watch them around the Parthenon as they discussed the great and eternal issues of reality. But I wouldn't stop there. I would go on, even to the great heyday of the Roman Empire. And I would see developments around there, through various emperors and leaders. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the day of the Renaissance, and get a quick picture of all that the Renaissance did for the cultural and aesthetic life of man. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even go by the way that the man for whom I am named had his habitat. And I would watch Martin Luther as he tacked his ninety-five theses on the door at the church of Wittenberg. But I wouldn't stop there. I would come on up even to 1863, and watch a vacillating President by the name of Abraham Lincoln finally come to the conclusion that he had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. But I wouldn't stop there. I would even come up to the early thirties, and see a man grappling with the problems of the bankruptcy of his nation. And come with an eloquent cry that we have nothing to fear but "fear itself." But I wouldn't stop there. Strangely enough, I would turn to the Almighty, and say, "If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy." Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And I see God working in this period of the twentieth century in a way that men, in some strange way, are responding. Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee -- the cry is always the same: "We want to be free." And another reason that I'm happy to live in this period is that we have been forced to a point where we are going to have to grapple with the problems that men have been trying to grapple with through history, but the demands didn't force them to do it. Survival demands that we grapple with them. Men, for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it's nonviolence or nonexistence. That is where we are today. And also in the human rights revolution, if something isn't done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty, their long years of hurt and neglect, the whole world is doomed. Now, I'm just happy that God has allowed me to live in this period to see what is unfolding. And I'm happy that He's allowed me to be in Memphis. I can remember -- I can remember when Negroes were just going around as Ralph has said, so often, scratching where they didn't itch, and laughing when they were not tickled. But that day is all over. We mean business now, and we are determined to gain our rightful place in God's world. And that's all this whole thing is about. We aren't engaged in any negative protest and in any negative arguments with anybody. We are saying that we are determined to be men. We are determined to be people. We are saying -- We are saying that we are God's children. And that we are God's children, we don't have to live like we are forced to live. Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we've got to stay together. We've got to stay together and maintain unity. You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh's court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that's the beginning of getting out of slavery. Now let us maintain unity. Secondly, let us keep the issues where they are. The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers. Now, we've got to keep attention on that. That's always the problem with a little violence. You know what happened the other day, and the press dealt only with the window-breaking. I read the articles. They very seldom got around to mentioning the fact that one thousand, three hundred sanitation workers are on strike, and that Memphis is not being fair to them, and that Mayor Loeb is in dire need of a doctor. They didn't get around to that. Now we're going to march again, and we've got to march again, in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be -- and force everybody to see that there are thirteen hundred of God's children here suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. That's the issue. And we've got to say to the nation: We know how it's coming out. For when people get caught up with that which is right and they are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no stopping point short of victory. We aren't going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they don't know what to do. I've seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, "Ain't gonna let nobody turn me around." Bull Connor next would say, "Turn the fire hoses on." And as I said to you the other night, Bull Connor didn't know history. He knew a kind of physics that somehow didn't relate to the transphysics that we knew about. And that was the fact that there was a certain kind of fire that no water could put out. And we went before the fire hoses; we had known water. If we were Baptist or some other denominations, we had been immersed. If we were Methodist, and some others, we had been sprinkled, but we knew water. That couldn't stop us. And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and we'd go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and we'd just go on singing "Over my head I see freedom in the air." And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, "Take 'em off," and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, "We Shall Overcome." And every now and then we'd get in jail, and we'd see the jailers looking through the windows being moved by our prayers, and being moved by our words and our songs. And there was a power there which Bull Connor couldn't adjust to; and so we ended up transforming Bull into a steer, and we won our struggle in Birmingham. Now we've got to go on in Memphis just like that. I call upon you to be with us when we go out Monday. Now about injunctions: We have an injunction and we're going into court tomorrow morning to fight this illegal, unconstitutional injunction. All we say to America is, "Be true to what you said on paper." If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. Maybe I could understand the denial of certain basic First Amendment privileges, because they hadn't committed themselves to that over there. But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.1 And so just as I say, we aren't going to let dogs or water hoses turn us around, we aren't going to let any injunction turn us around. We are going on. We need all of you. And you know what's beautiful to me is to see all of these ministers of the Gospel. It's a marvelous picture. Who is it that is supposed to articulate the longings and aspirations of the people more than the preacher? Somehow the preacher must have a kind of fire shut up in his bones. And whenever injustice is around he tell it. Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and saith, "When God speaks who can but prophesy?" Again with Amos, "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Somehow the preacher must say with Jesus, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me," and he's anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor." And I want to commend the preachers, under the leadership of these noble men: James Lawson, one who has been in this struggle for many years; he's been to jail for struggling; he's been kicked out of Vanderbilt University for this struggle, but he's still going on, fighting for the rights of his people. Reverend Ralph Jackson, Billy Kiles; I could just go right on down the list, but time will not permit. But I want to thank all of them. And I want you to thank them, because so often, preachers aren't concerned about anything but themselves. And I'm always happy to see a relevant ministry. It's all right to talk about "long white robes over yonder," in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here! It's all right to talk about "streets flowing with milk and honey," but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can't eat three square meals a day. It's all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God's preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do. Now the other thing we'll have to do is this: Always anchor our external direct action with the power of economic withdrawal. Now, we are poor people. Individually, we are poor when you compare us with white society in America. We are poor. Never stop and forget that collectively -- that means all of us together -- collectively we are richer than all the nations in the world, with the exception of nine. Did you ever think about that? After you leave the United States, Soviet Russia, Great Britain, West Germany, France, and I could name the others, the American Negro collectively is richer than most nations of the world. We have an annual income of more than thirty billion dollars a year, which is more than all of the exports of the United States, and more than the national budget of Canada. Did you know that? That's power right there, if we know how to pool it. We don't have to argue with anybody. We don't have to curse and go around acting bad with our words. We don't need any bricks and bottles. We don't need any Molotov cocktails. We just need to go around to these stores, and to these massive industries in our country, and say, "God sent us by here, to say to you that you're not treating his children right. And we've come by here to ask you to make the first item on your agenda fair treatment, where God's children are concerned. Now, if you are not prepared to do that, we do have an agenda that we must follow. And our agenda calls for withdrawing economic support from you." And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy -- what is the other bread? -- Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on town -- downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right. But not only that, we've got to strengthen black institutions. I call upon you to take your money out of the banks downtown and deposit your money in Tri-State Bank. We want a "bank-in" movement in Memphis. Go by the savings and loan association. I'm not asking you something that we don't do ourselves at SCLC. Judge Hooks and others will tell you that we have an account here in the savings and loan association from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. We are telling you to follow what we are doing. Put your money there. You have six or seven black insurance companies here in the city of Memphis. Take out your insurance there. We want to have an "insurance-in." Now these are some practical things that we can do. We begin the process of building a greater economic base. And at the same time, we are putting pressure where it really hurts. I ask you to follow through here. Now, let me say as I move to my conclusion that we've got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to stop at this point in Memphis. We've got to see it through. And when we have our march, you need to be there. If it means leaving work, if it means leaving school -- be there. Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together. Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness. One day a man came to Jesus, and he wanted to raise some questions about some vital matters of life. At points he wanted to trick Jesus, and show him that he knew a little more than Jesus knew and throw him off base.... Now that question could have easily ended up in a philosophical and theological debate. But Jesus immediately pulled that question from mid-air, and placed it on a dangerous curve between Jerusalem and Jericho. And he talked about a certain man, who fell among thieves. You remember that a Levite and a priest passed by on the other side. They didn't stop to help him. And finally a man of another race came by. He got down from his beast, decided not to be compassionate by proxy. But he got down with him, administered first aid, and helped the man in need. Jesus ended up saying, this was the good man, this was the great man, because he had the capacity to project the "I" into the "thou," and to be concerned about his brother. Now you know, we use our imagination a great deal to try to determine why the priest and the Levite didn't stop. At times we say they were busy going to a church meeting, an ecclesiastical gathering, and they had to get on down to Jerusalem so they wouldn't be late for their meeting. At other times we would speculate that there was a religious law that "One who was engaged in religious ceremonials was not to touch a human body twenty-four hours before the ceremony." And every now and then we begin to wonder whether maybe they were not going down to Jerusalem -- or down to Jericho, rather to organize a "Jericho Road Improvement Association." That's a possibility. Maybe they felt that it was better to deal with the problem from the causal root, rather than to get bogged down with an individual effect. But I'm going to tell you what my imagination tells me. It's possible that those men were afraid. You see, the Jericho road is a dangerous road. I remember when Mrs. King and I were first in Jerusalem. We rented a car and drove from Jerusalem down to Jericho. And as soon as we got on that road, I said to my wife, "I can see why Jesus used this as the setting for his parable." It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles -- or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass." And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the priest asked -- the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?" That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question. Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation. And I want to thank God, once more, for allowing me to be here with you. You know, several years ago, I was in New York City autographing the first book that I had written. And while sitting there autographing books, a demented black woman came up. The only question I heard from her was, "Are you Martin Luther King?" And I was looking down writing, and I said, "Yes." And the next minute I felt something beating on my chest. Before I knew it I had been stabbed by this demented woman. I was rushed to Harlem Hospital. It was a dark Saturday afternoon. And that blade had gone through, and the X-rays revealed that the tip of the blade was on the edge of my aorta, the main artery. And once that's punctured, your drowned in your own blood -- that's the end of you. It came out in the New York Times the next morning, that if I had merely sneezed, I would have died. Well, about four days later, they allowed me, after the operation, after my chest had been opened, and the blade had been taken out, to move around in the wheel chair in the hospital. They allowed me to read some of the mail that came in, and from all over the states and the world, kind letters came in. I read a few, but one of them I will never forget. I had received one from the President and the Vice-President. I've forgotten what those telegrams said. I'd received a visit and a letter from the Governor of New York, but I've forgotten what that letter said. But there was another letter that came from a little girl, a young girl who was a student at the White Plains High School. And I looked at that letter, and I'll never forget it. It said simply, "Dear Dr. King, I am a ninth-grade student at the White Plains High School." And she said, "While it should not matter, I would like to mention that I'm a white girl. I read in the paper of your misfortune, and of your suffering. And I read that if you had sneezed, you would have died. And I'm simply writing you to say that I'm so happy that you didn't sneeze." And I want to say tonight -- I want to say tonight that I too am happy that I didn't sneeze. Because if I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1960, when students all over the South started sitting-in at lunch counters. And I knew that as they were sitting in, they were really standing up for the best in the American dream, and taking the whole nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1961, when we decided to take a ride for freedom and ended segregation in inter-state travel. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been around here in 1962, when Negroes in Albany, Georgia, decided to straighten their backs up. And whenever men and women straighten their backs up, they are going somewhere, because a man can't ride your back unless it is bent. If I had sneezed -- If I had sneezed I wouldn't have been here in 1963, when the black people of Birmingham, Alabama, aroused the conscience of this nation, and brought into being the Civil Rights Bill. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have had a chance later that year, in August, to try to tell America about a dream that I had had. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been down in Selma, Alabama, to see the great Movement there. If I had sneezed, I wouldn't have been in Memphis to see a community rally around those brothers and sisters who are suffering. I'm so happy that I didn't sneeze. And they were telling me --. Now, it doesn't matter, now. It really doesn't matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us. The pilot said over the public address system, "We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with on the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we've had the plane protected and guarded all night." And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!! Suspend your disbelief while watching a play or, Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain January 7, 2024 Most of us who attend plays go to be entertained, to be touched in our emotions, to learn something, to hear a message or to gain a new experience. So we dress up, pick up our friends and head to the theater. We show our ticket to the usher and head down the aisle to find our seat. We look at the playbill to see the names of the actors and what other plays they've been in or what their real-life hobbies are. We chat with our friends, pointing out the décor or any set pieces we can see while the ushers seat the last playgoer. Then we all hush as the lights dim. We know we're in a theater. We know this is a play. To get the full benefit of the intent of the play, we need to remember that it is pretend – even serious ones based on a historical event. The actors are pretending to be someone they're not and doing something they're not, like shooting the bad guy or drinking poison, and you're pretending that what you're watching is actually occurring. That's one reason we turn off the house lights during the show. Sometimes a playwright or director may use a vehicle to help tell the story. A vehicle is a theatrical device used to provide the means for the action to take place. Let's look at an example, except instead of a play, let's examine a familiar movie. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy bumps her head while her house in Kansas is in the midst of a cyclone. A fantastic scene follows, where the house, along with many neighbors and even farm animals, is pulled up into the cyclone. Her house then drops into the Land of Oz. Most of the rest of the story takes place in Oz, a place with very unusual inhabitants. Dorothy continually strives to return to Kansas. In the end of the film, we see her recovering in her bed surrounded by her loved ones (who strangely resemble her friends in Oz) and they tell her it was all a dream. She insists that it was not a dream, but a real place. The movie finishes with us not knowing quite for sure. Well, Dorothy's bump on the head is the vehicle the script writer uses to get us into the Land of Oz so we can enjoy this engaging fantasy. We also do this with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and other fantasy works. We have to accept the vehicle a playwright or director uses so we can enjoy the story, learn from it or make the details of the story work out together in a play or other work. When we do this, we suspend our disbelief during the play. This means to decide to not disbelieve all that we see, pretending instead that it indeed is so. We decide not to be too rational for the duration of the play so we can get out of it all that the story intends for us. We don't say things like, “Oh, that could never happen in real life;” “Hey, I saw the string;” “He was hiding behind the couch;” or “Cats don't really talk.”(Besides, that would spoil it for our fellow audience members), wouldn't it? If we can let our practical, skeptical minds go and let the guy hide behind the couch or let the cat talk, we'll be more engaged and get more out of the theater experience. So, the next time you're at a play, make a deal with yourself to leave your disbelief at the door with the usher. The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry December 21, 2023 One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad. In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good. Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim. There was a pier glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art. Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy. So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet. On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street. Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.” “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of it.” Down rippled the brown cascade. “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand. “Give it to me quick,” said Della. Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present. She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness and value—the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain. When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task. Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically. “If Jim doesn’t kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me, he’ll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?” At 7 o’clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops. Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit of saying a little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty.” The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves. Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face. Della wriggled off the table and went for him. “Jim, darling,” she cried, “don’t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn’t have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It’ll grow out again—you won’t mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say ‘Merry Christmas!’ Jim, and let’s be happy. You don’t know what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift I’ve got for you.” “You’ve cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet even after the hardest mental labor. “Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don’t you like me just as well, anyhow? I’m me without my hair, ain’t I?” Jim looked about the room curiously. “You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy. “You needn’t look for it,” said Della. “It’s sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too. It’s Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,” she went on with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?” Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a week or a million a year—what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark assertion will be illuminated later on. Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table. “Don’t make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don’t think there’s anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you’ll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first.” White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat. For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims—just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone. But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!” And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, “Oh, oh!” Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit. “Isn’t it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You’ll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.” Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. “Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on.” The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi. My Reading Customs at Christmastime December 17, 2023 After all of the music has been performed, the dinner has been eaten and cleaned up after, and the presents have all been opened everybody goes his own way for some needed down time. When I get to that point, I like to pull out my standby Christmas readings. I want to tell you about a couple of books or stories I like to read then. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In case you don't know, A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge the miser and how his heart was softened toward Christmas and humanity after the visit of four ghosts. Yes four-- in addition to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Ebenezer is visited first by Jacob Marley, his deceased miserly business partner. I like to read A Christmas Carol at Christmas time because it is a well-told story, an easy read, and especially because it has the theme of redemption. Gift of the Magi by O. Henry A timeless classic, Gift of the Magi tells the story of Jim and Della, young lower-class married couple, who selflessly sacrificed their prized possession in order to give to the other at Christmas time. I often would read a young reader's version to middle school ESL students at Christmas time. “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement C. Moore Popularly known as "The Night Before Christmas," Moore wrote this poem in a couplet rhyme scheme on the evening of 23 December 1823. The poem enjoyed instant, as well as enduring success. The poem tells the story of the night that St Nicholas came to the house to deliver presents. The main character, "I", quietly follows St. Nicholas through the house, watching him deliver the presents and finally watching him escape to the rooftop where the reindeer were waiting. St. Nicholas takes leave of the house with the cry, "Happy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!" I personally don't spend much time with Santa Claus when celebrating Christmas. However, I chose this poem to share with you since it was most likely the first long poem I learned as a child after my first years with Mother Goose. I think it is a charming fantasy story, printed below: A Visit from St. Nicholas 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds; While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, Gave a lustre of midday to objects below, When what to my wondering eyes did appear, But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny rein-deer, With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name: "Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky; So up to the housetop the coursers they flew With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too— And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight— “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!--- The Birth of Jesus Christ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. For me, that's the best story. Love, Diana Good etiquette Guide for theater goers December 14, 2023 G oing to a play or a concert is a cultural experience in the realm of the fine arts. It helps us grow as refined, civilized, educated people. The people presenting cultural events have worked very hard to share their talents and their stories with the public because they understand the value of the fine arts. They also enjoy their work very much, especially when they see others enjoy it, too. And most people who attend plays and concerts do so because they value them. They are willing to pay money for the tickets. For these and other reasons, it is important that we as audience members show very good manners when attending any play or concert, even when audience participation is encouraged. Now that many of us have DVDs and streaming we can watch at home, we've become accustomed to chatting during a movie, especially since we usually can rewind it to see anything we missed. We've brought this habit into the public theater and tend to talk throughout a performance. Unfortunately, that's not very pleasant for the other people in the audience, and is distracting and discouraging to the actors. With this in mind, please not talk during a play. Depending on the type of performance,there may be an intermission during which you can discuss your thoughts with your neighbor. Here is some other important etiquette. No food or drink in the theater If there are refreshments provided, please consume them in the lobby. I once was at a school concert seated by a man loudly chomping and slurping on peanut M&Ms. Ick! But I have to ask myself why the school was selling them prior to the concert?! Booster Club, I guess. Stay in your seat during the performance. Use of the restroom can also be distracting to the audience.You may use the restroom during intermission if there is one. Please keep physical movement to a minimum. No use of flashlights Avoid putting your feet on your neighbor's chair, opening a candy wrapper using a flashlight to read your program,or wearing a tall hat. Little things like that annoy both the people in the audience and the performers on stage. Never have a cell phone on during a performance! If you have one, please set it on silent, and don't answer it if someone calls you. When Brian Dennehy was playing on Broadway, he confronted some loud talkers arguing with an usher. Another time he faced a cell phone user as well. Dennehy was chagrined at the total slide in good etiquette in theaters. If an actor addresses the audience rhetorically, do not answer him; he is airing his thoughts so you can learn something. If it is an audience participation play, when answering, do so in a respectful, reasonable way; never in a way that will derail the play. If a play schedules a Talk Back following a performance, that is, a question and answer session, keep those same rules of etiquette in mind as you respectfully discuss your thoughts with the actors or director. Lastly, Laugh, sigh, gasp, and applaud in all the right places! If something moves you during the play, take time to talk about it afterward with someone and/or write your thoughts in a journal. It's part of what makes us human, and that's a good thing. Check Your Theater Etiquette with This Quiz If you have read some of the articles in the series Learning through Culture, you might have learned some etiquette about going to the performance in the theater. If so, you might already know the answers to some of these questions. see if you can answer these true- false questions. The answer and an explanation is beneath each question in smaller print. True or False? Some of these are more obvious than others. See what you can learn from this quiz. T F 1. During an opera or concert, you are welcome to sing along with any songs that you know. False. unless a concert is billed as a sing-along, we should consider it to be a performance only. We do not sing along unless invited to do so. We should never sing along with an opera. An opera is a very formal performance. T F 2. Whenever the music stops, you may clap. Actually, False, because it depends. If we are watching a symphony, it likely will have several movements. A movement is a major section in a symphony concert. At the end of each movement the conductor will raise his baton for several seconds to signal to both the orchestra and the audience that he is pausing between movements. The audience must not clap between movements. So how do we know when he is pausing between movements and not ending the piece? He will hold his baton up in the air as he faces the orchestra. The orchestra is watching the conductor very carefully to indicate when the next movement starts. In such a case we will not applaud until the very end of the symphony. We can tell the symphony is over when the conductor makes a much broader upward then downward movement to the orchestra. He will also straighten his body and may even make an obvious movement with his head, shoulders, and foot. then he will likely turn and face the audience and smile and bow his head or body. Now we can applaud! If we are watching a concert that is not formal like a symphony concert or an opera, you may applaud occasionally throughout depending on whether there are several different songs making up a whole. Of course, we should applaud after a solo. T F 3. If we arrive late after a concert or play has started, we do not enter. True. Some concert halls or theaters will never let a latecomer in. Those who do let in latecomers usually wait until a stopping point in the action, such as a scene change, or between songs. People arriving late cause a distraction and detracts from the overall experience for fellow audience neighbors as well as the players. it's best to arrive on time. T F 4. Children really do not belong at a performance in the theater. False. While it is possible that children may become fidgety and distracting to the other audience members during a performance, attending cultural performances can be a very rich and important part of a child's development. You yourself know your own child’s tendencies and patterns. If you plan on bringing your child to a public performance, it would be a wise idea to take the day before to give your child some ground rules and tips for the next day's performance. it might very well be one of the most beneficial opportunities for your child. Even so, it is your responsibility as the parent to monitor your child's behavior for the sake of the audience and the performers. It will also make for a better experience for both you and your child if you explain the content of the performance. if it is a musical performance, explain the style of the music. If you are attending an opera,explain in advance the premise of the story and the nature of operatic music . You can also talk about the way to applaud after an aria. See Question 11. If it is a play, explain the general premise of the play. Please do not bring your child to a play with mature adult themes. If you and your child are attending a symphony together, it might be good to teach your child about the etiquette of not clapping between movements of a symphony. See Question 2. You and your child can both be on the lookout for the physical cues of the conductor so you know where to applaud. T F 5. If the conductor's hand is in the air, the piece of music is not finished, so do not clap yet. True. See Question 2. T F 6. We can take the opportunity to record the play or concert and take pictures. False.This may be a paid performance; we must always respect the artists’ work. Most play or concert programs have a line in them saying that you may not take pictures or videos. So leave your cell phone packed away. You also run the risk of it being confiscated. T F 7. If you turn to talk to a friend during a concert or opera, no one can hear you because concert halls are so big. False. On the contrary the size and shape of the theater makes it conducive to distribute the sound all throughout. We may very well be heard if speaking to a friend. T F 8. We can leave the theater if we want to use the restroom or make a call. False. We need to stay seated during the performance. Leaving the room can also be distracting to the audience.We may use the restroom during intermission if there is one. Please keep physical movement to a minimum. T F 9. If the seat in the previous row is empty, we are free to put our feet up on it. False. We’ll look inattentive as audience members if we have feet on the chair.It is disrespectful to the performers who have worked hard to prepare. It may also be distracting to neighbors, too. T F 10. At the beginning of a symphony or other orchestral concert, watch for the entrance of the conductor. This is a time to applaud. True. the conductor is the esteemed leader of the entire concert. He or she is worthy of your appreciation. It's like saying,Thank you to him or her. T F 11. After an aria (a solo song in an opera), it is impolite to applaud. False. On the contrary, it is customary to applaud and even shout Bravo or Brava to the soloist. Bravo is for the male soloist, and Brava is for the female soloist. Sometimes the soloist receives flowers on the stage. An aria is a very difficult solo, so these are customary responses. T F 12. Do not eat or drink in a concert hall. True. A theater showing a play or a musical concert is formal, and thus should not have snacking going on, nor should there be trash in the aisles. On the contrary, you should save snacking for the movie theater where it is expected Theater Goers: Good Etiquette vs. Bad Manners from the series Learning through Culture to read about the time I was seated next to the peanut M&M Chomper. Grand Holiday Illumination at Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers December 21, 2025 If you will be in the Metro New York area between December 6 and January 4, you may enjoy visiting the Grand Illumination at Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers, New York. The entire garden has been transformed into a magical scene in its Indo-Persian gardens. It is a multicultural event with seasonal music, occasional holiday dancing, and free hot chocolate. Admission is free but donations are welcome at Untermyer Gardens to support the Conservancy. Since the gardens are up hill from the Hudson River, it can get surprisingly cold during the Grand Illumination. Dress appropriately! Don't miss the other beautiful seasons at the Garden too! December 6 - January 4 opens at 4:30 PM 945 North Broadway Yonkers, NY 10701 For visitor information, especially regarding pets and parking, consult the website: https://www.untermyergardens.org/visit.html BTW Untermyer Garden is the location of my picture on the homepage! Handel's Messiah in junior high: my first exposure to learning challenging vocal music November 29 , 2023 Handel's Messiah in junior high: my first exposure to learning challenging vocal music Mrs. Rockwell, God rest her soul, was one brave teacher. For our public school junior high choir she chose, rehearsed, and performed selections from Handel's Messiah. What was she thinking?! Realistically speaking, having chosen and ordered the sheet music for us, what in the world was she going to do if these twelve-year-olds just couldn't pull it off? She was already committed to the task. What if we rebelled, fooled around during rehearsals, or, more likely, just plain sounded awful? Fortunately, though, we did it, and sounded (so I am told and have always believed) beautiful. As a lifelong vocal musician, I had always assumed that my great start in vocal musical training was singing challenging selections from Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols while in tenth grade. I had learned at a very early age how to read music, and my experience in the tenth grade choir gave me a rich opportunity to put my sight-reading skills to the test. Of course, it was no small thing to me the year before to prepare an ambitious repertoire of patriotic songs for the nation's Bicentennial. The program included George M. Cohan's Yankee Doodle Dandy and others of his compositions, along with the musical version of The New Colossus printed on the Statue of Liberty and originally penned by Emma Lazarus, and many more soul-stirring numbers and poetry readings. We even recorded a record album that year! But learning to sing Benjamin Britten was challenging with its difficult four-part harmonies, Middle English text, and virtuoso harp part. (We had a professional harpist play the part for our concert. Our teacher warned us in rehearsal that the part was so strenuous for a harp player, that she could play through no more than one time per day, or she could become paralyzed in her forearms. I don't know how accurate that is, but it convinced me, so we worked hard to avoid having to start the section over.) We worked and studied super hard during that first semester. I learned how to form my vowels like I had never had occasion to before. My listening skills grew sharper by necessity in this difficult series of pieces. I even had my first experience turning pages for the professional pianist who accompanied us for this concert, and got good at it. (Oh my gosh – I forgot that I had done that. What a privilege!) So, naturally, all those years, that tenth grade experience had stuck fast in my mind as my seminal challenging vocal exposure. Until one day. Just before one Christmas, I was sitting in rehearsal with the church choir having a chat with my friend while we waited to begin. We were talking about this or that church in town putting on Handel's Messiah, and how many churches and choirs do it because it's so enduring. I mentioned that I had done the most well-known selections from Messiah in junior high school choir and that I loved it. Her eyebrows lifted a bit, and she said with a little admiration,“Oh!” At that moment it dawned on me that Messiah was my first real and formative experience with challenging repertoire. There, too, as we did later with Benjamin Britten's pieces, we did four-part harmony, and focused a lot of attention on vowel pronunciation. I was enthralled with the marvelous melodies and counterpoints. It seemed to me (whether accurately or not) that for once the altos had a shot at a melody part. Or at least it felt like the melody in And the Glory of the Lord, and a little bit also in Unto Us a Child Is Born. A whole new world had opened up to me. When we finally got to the Hallelujah Chorus, I was hooked. Mrs. Rockwell patiently led us through uniform pronunciations so we would have a chance to not sound like the junior high students we were, but instead lend a professional flavor and attitude to presenting the selections. We were expected to accurately use our sight-reading skills, and to learn and hold our parts confidently and without wavering. She made us feel like we were executing a great responsibility in learning what was for us rather complex parts. It was certainly challenging, but it was a labor of love. For all of us. She treated us like we were near-professionals (even though we were kids), and made us believe that we really could manage it. I don't remember her ever once losing her temper, holding her head in her hands, or expressing certainty that we would embarrass her. She believed in us. Rehearsals themselves were pleasures, not just necessary evils in order to have a good concert. Looking back through all those decades, after having later directed a number of children's choirs and musicals, I see that that was a miracle. I certainly don't remember my students relishing rehearsal time. No, Mrs. Rockwell was positive and optimistic, and very patient. Oh, this was no party or free-for-all. We worked hard, sometimes staying after school for sectional rehearsals. As much of a whiner I can be when faced with difficult tasks, I don't remember complaining. That was a miracle, too. Maybe it was the magic of the Messiah. The beautiful words of Scripture and Handel's musical cadences still hold our attention today, and we brave snowstorms to see a candlelight performance of it in town. Or maybe it was Mrs. Rockwell. A World of Culture Awaits You at the Library November 23, 2023 You certainly don't need me to tell you that the library is a fitting place for you to browse the stacks for your next read, or to access the New York Times Bestseller list, or that you can request materials through interlibrary loan. And you doubtless know whether your library has a little cafe to share coffee with your friend. You know all these things and more. But I want to take some moments to tell you about some of the cultural resources that the library offers me , and which your library perhaps offers you . I find an assortment of classes such as MahJong, Zumba, painting, earring making, yoga, computer tech, English, Spanish, sign language, US citizenship and more. Some classes may be free, some may charge a nominal instructor and/or supplies fee, or some may be restricted to library card holders. You can usually find out about classes that a library offers by looking at the events calendar on the library's website. Be aware that most classes will require you to sign up in advance. Some of the more popular classes may have a waiting list. Museum passes More and more libraries are offering their card holders the opportunity to borrow one or more area museum passes by using their library card to reserve the pass on a special calendar on the library's website. Typically, patrons would access the website to see which passes are available to borrow and on which available dates. You will probably need to sign in with your library card when you make the reservation. They usually give you a couple of days for travel to pick up the pass and to return it. At the time of this writing I have seen museum passes available only to the library's own card holding patrons. To avoid an overdue fine be careful to return the library pass on time. Furthermore keep in mind that if you lose the museum pass, you will need to monetarily replace it. I hope you can enjoy taking advantage of this generous opportunity so that you can tap into culture of the museums that you visit! Live presentations It is just not possible for me to tell you the countless live presentations I have attended at libraries. Some highlights are the following : An abridged production of Hamlet by a professional theater troupe A lecture about the presidential libraries A book talk by Mitch Albom, the author of Tuesdays With Morrie Many concerts A slide presentation of the history of Grand Central Station in New York City A murder mystery with audience participation A mariachi band A tea demonstration A slide presentation of the shipwrecks in Long Island Sound A Chinese acrobat A visit with several live animals An opera demonstration A talk about Amelia Earhart who had been a local in our area A reading of a well-known short story Living history reenactor in costume A visit with retired greyhounds who were available for adoption, and many more! Unique offerings N ow, I want to let you know how I came to attend such a wide variety and quantity of presentations. Well, it started with my new home library when I first moved into town. I noticed that they had some fliers about an upcoming program for the library that was scheduled for later in the week. In fact, it was the opera demonstration I mentioned earlier. When I attended that program a few days later, I had grateful tears in my eyes that I now lived in an area where I could enjoy many such programs as this. In addition to looking for fliers about upcoming events such as the ones I've mentioned, I have also signed up for email newsletters and announcements about upcoming programs. I started with my new home library, but quickly discovered the countywide library system and I found myself signing up for many newsletters and announcements from area libraries even though it was not my home library. I especially looked for libraries with large program rooms or even theaters. By the way, most of the time presentations are not restricted to your local library; they are usually open to all, except if there is a restriction such as limited space or other resources. Also, you might want to check if you need a reservation. For example, a live play might require tickets to attend, even though it is free, due to the limited space and/or the popularity of the event. Another arrangement you might investigate is if the program you were interested in is offered through a streaming platform, in which case you might need to request the link to the streaming presentation. Sometimes programs are scheduled for a series over the course of several weeks and members register for the program and attend all sessions. Some libraries you attend a program at may also have a large program room with a lot of wall space and/or they have space devoted to displaying artwork or other pieces. If they do have such a space, you might want to visit to find out what is scheduled for display in the gallery, and what is the opening and closing date. Another feature you might be able to access is movie screenings which some libraries do offer on a scheduled date. A few libraries evenn have a seed exchange program between patrons. Another library hosts a spice-of-the week program where participants receive a spice and several recipes which they can prepare using that spice. I once was a patron of a local library which scheduled a monthly bus trip to New York City for a small fee. It was a very nice time to socialize with friends as they headed out to the city for the day. So, are you ready for this rich world of culture at your doorstep through your library?

Prayer Bytes Addiction Asking for Forgiveness Be Yourself Do the Right Thing Do you carry shame? Easily Offended Facing Death Get out from under it God's Gifts Gossip I Can Help Love Marriage Mind of Christ Overwhelmed Peace in You Partnering with God Supposed to Tempted or Sinning Work Welcome to the series Prayer Bytes. This series affords you a small devotional that you can consider in a short span of time. I came up with the name Prayer Bytes while I was thinking about the term sound bite which refers to a very short piece of news information. (In addition to the computer term byte which is also a small bit of information). Unfortunately it is usually disparaged as information that may be manipulated and meaningless. My Prayer Bytes are short, but not meaningless :) In each Prayer Byte you'll see the following: a title, a question, an explanation related to the title, a scripture passage related to the topic, and a 'pray that'. Enjoy! Love, Diana beyourself Be Yourself Do you realize that being yourself actually fulfills the mission that God has given you for your life? When you respond to the urges that God gives you as you walk with Him, you are automatically fulfilling His plans with your personality, not in spite of your personality. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them . Ephesians 2:10 Pray that God reveals to you your own special characteristics that He wants to harness as you learn how to be yourself in Him. death Facing Death Would you agree that most people see death as an unknowable mystery? Facing death, whether your own or a loved one's is very hard, don't you think? The difficulty can be lessened by confidence in your destination. All that's needed for this confidence is finding out God cares and He has made a way for you to be with Him forever. You can have this confidence for your own by agreeing to let Jesus pay your way by forgiving your sins and counting on the death He went through in your place. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” – Psalm 116:15 Pray that His plan, which He calls salvation, would come and settle in in your heart and mind. forgiveness Asking for Forgiveness What can you do when you know that you have hurt someone's feelings or caused them sorrow in some way? One simple measure you can take might be asking the person to forgive you. You also might consider asking the person if he wants you to take care of something in some way to make it right. “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13 Pray that your apology will bring healing between you and the other person. icanhelp I Can Help Is there someone in my life that needs my support in an area that I have strength? Sometimes we are in a position to help another person with a struggle, even though we ourselves have weaknesses. God provides what we need to go beyond ourselves to help. Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. — Romans 15:1 Pray for God to reveal to you someone who may be weak, needing for you to come alongside. Pray for wisdom on how to support that person in such a way that it would be the kind of help that God wants for him or her. rightthing Do the Right Thing Are you aware of someone that you have hurt? If so you probably need to make it right. You may need to apologize, restore something or in some other way be part of the person's healing. It can be in person, on the phone ore maybe you can write a letter. God can help you make it right even if it is very difficult for you. He has shown you, O mortal what is good, And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Pray that you find the best course of action to care for the one you have hurt. Ask God to help you steer clear of making similar mistakes in the future. shame Do you carry shame? Do you ever carry on yourself a strong feeling of shame to the point where you even wonder if God loves you? Because of the first Fall, shame is a part of our reality because we really did violate what God had for us. However the amazing news is that Jesus took upon His body on the cross the shame that we actually did deserve and He killed it! So this shame does not belong to you anymore. You can walk free of it. He is not ashamed of you! And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:5 Pray that the awareness of God's love that the Holy Spirit fills your heart with would bathe your heart and give you hope in any area where you feel shame. work Work What does God think about work? God values your work because you are improving your life and the world. Also, when you work you are sharing something in common with God in that you are showing good stewardship. We can be like Jesus because We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. (John 9:4) Pray that your work would be fruitful as you carry out your tasks assigned by God. partnering Partnering with God Do you know that God invites you to partner with Him as we move through the world together? God made you with a personality and your own unique disposition. He uses these elements to set up an assignment for you to use them to give to the world something truly valuable. In this way He allows you to partner with him. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. ( Ephesians 2:8-10) Pray that your ear is tuned to hear the call to partnership that God has for your life. Ask Him for the first step. godsgifts God's Gifts Are you receiving all the good gifts that God has for you, or are you feeling you don't have the right to any of it, so you leave the gifts unopened? Technically speaking, none of us deserve the good gifts of God. But because of the Cross and the grace of God, and because of the generous heart of the Father, there is an abundance of gifts and blessings that are yours! You can bless God's heart by receiving in faith what He so desires to give to you. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of Heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. — James 1:17 Pray to fully open yourself to receiving God's good gifts to you--even those gifts that you thought you would never receive but are now coming to you. mindofchrist Mind of Christ Do you ever feel that your mind is too cluttered, or that you find that your thoughts are doing you no good? If so, perhaps you might like to know that the Bible tells us that believers have the mind of Christ. Even so, we still have choices about where our thoughts go. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, ” declares the Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 Pray for God to renew your mind. Try this: Ask yourself what your thoughts are set on, then begin to make a first adjustment by thinking a higher thought than the one you just identified yourself as having. A second step may be to consider something from the word of God that you can meditate on as being one of His thoughts. That will be a good next step to renewing your mind to be more like His. addiction Addiction What is addiction? Addiction can be any habit, especially a negative one, in which the person is nearly unable to stop the behavior. It often affects people around the addict. Furthermore, the addict may need outside intervention. Since addiction can be very strong and difficult to break, pray for the power of Christ to break the addiction and give the addict and his loved ones victory. When facing addictive behavior, boldly pray aloud through this scripture: We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 love Love What is love? Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Pray that you can be sensitive to the characteristics of love by the power of the Holy Spirit. peace Peace in You Do you know that members of the body of Christ have dwelling inside them the peace of God? And do you realize this peace is not dependent on conditions or circumstances? So if you feel you need an extra dose of felt peace, you can just ask God right now to fill you with a sense of His peace. Keep in mind it’s not a big lift for you, but you merely need to let it happen as is says in the following verse: And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:15 Pray that God will fill you with His peace. And don’t forget to be thankful! offended Easily Offended Do you wince at every word or look people give you? That you feel like they are criticizing you all the time? You may be easily offended. There are several reasons why people become offended easily. Perhaps they have low self-esteem and doubt God's love. Perhaps they were criticized often as a child. Sometimes people are easily offended because they feel that they are right and don't want to be questioned. You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. you know when I sit and when I rise. You know my thoughts from afar; you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:1-3 God loves you more than those people you feel are criticizing you. Furthermore, those people that are looking at you likely do not have the same opinion that you have of yourself. If God knows everything about you and still loves you, surely you can delight in God's high opinion of you. Pray that you can sense the deep love of God that is yours in Christ Jesus your Lord, and that you may esteem God's opinion of you more than the opinions of other people. marriage Marriage Are you married or contemplating marriage? Many marriage ceremonies start with the line, Marriage is not to be entered into lightly . Why? One reason is because two people are depending on each other to make a life together in the world. There is a close bond in marriage that must be nurtured, cultivated, and protected. Here's what Jesus says about marriage. “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” ...“They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together. ” Matthew 19:4-6 New Living Translation Pray that God will help you cultivate your marriage in unity, if you are married. Or pray that God would prepare you for marriage in the event that you do marry someday. underit Get out from under it Sometimes you get so overpowered by your burdens in your daily life. It feels crushing to you. How can you get out from under it all? Jesus is always watching you, always near you, and always inviting you to lay down ways, methods, or habits that you shouldn't be walking in. Accept His invitation and lay down what He reveals to you is not for you to bear. Do you ever feel overtaxed, perhaps by your workload, your circumstances, persecution, illness, or even your feelings? The Bible is full of evidence that life can be too much sometimes, that you will face adversity from the outside or from the inside. But with that proof comes the assurance that God is bigger than any of your trials or difficulties, and that He cares very much about you. God stands at the ready to guide you, comfort you, heal you when you face challenges of life. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Pray that God would reveal to you which things are a yoke you bear on your own that are different from the yoke that Jesus intends for you. gossip Gossip Do you know a person in your family, workplace, or church who gossips? And do you know that you do not have to cooperate with perpetuating the gossip? Sometimes family members start gossip about other family members, particularly adult family members, often expressing disapproval of their choices. You do not have to join in the conversation just because of the familiarity of the relationship. Instead, you could support the person who is being gossiped about whether in or out of the person's presence. Sometimes coworkers gossip and spread misinformation in order to gain an advantage in the workplace dynamic. You don't have to participate with the gossip and the rumor mill. You might even contradict the information with a compliment about your maligned coworker. A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. — Proverbs 16:28 And perhaps worst of all is church gossip. Very often church members use prayer requests as an opportunity to show what they know about a situation in someone's life. Perhaps the gossip does not even care about the person who is the object of the prayer request. If you are in that situation you might want to be sure to communicate to the group that you give your full support to the person in need. When you do pray, you can steer the focus of the prayer to compassionate intercession for the needy person’s benefit. Pray for discernment to identify gossip in a situation, and then use wisdom to defuse the gossip. And you can always help protect someone’s privacy by silently refusing to participate. Tempted Tempted or Sinning Are you being tempted or are you sinning? Which is it? The devil tempts all of us. But sometimes while he is tempting us, he is accusing us that we have already done the thing when actually we haven't. So we feel guilty about what we “did” and we feel stuck. But temptation is not the same as sin. You can say, ”No, I haven't done that and I'm not going to accept this as true about me.” Then we can run to Jesus to strengthen us and move us past the temptation and its effects. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:15-16 Pray that God would reveal to you the difference between being tempted and sinning, and to reveal to you ways that you can practically use that insight. Supposedto Supposed to Are you doing something only because you think you're supposed to, through another person's social pressure on you due to that person's preferences or from someone's desire to control you? If so, you need to ensure that there is an actual, legitimate reason to do it, because you may be responding to habitual feelings of societal obligation or expectation. Jesus, too, faced pressure from influential people in His society, and had to refuse to give in to what people thought he was supposed to do. We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. —Matthew 11:17 Pray for discernment about whether someone's request is reasonable, or is intended to make you do something they want you to do. Ask God for the wisdom and courage to make the right choice and stick with it. Overwhelmed Overwhelmed Do you ever feel overwhelmed, perhaps by your workload, your circumstances, persecution, illness, or even your feelings? The Bible is full of evidence that life can be too much sometimes, that you will face adversity from the outside or from the inside. But with that proof comes the assurance that God is bigger than any of your trials or difficulties, and that He cares very much about you. God stands at the ready to guide you, comfort you, heal you when you face challenges of life. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Psalm 142:3a Pray that God would reveal to you the way you should turn when you are overwhelmed.

Spelling, grammar, study, writing, organization, homeschooling, public speaking, vocabulary Using Language and Related Skills The audio-lingual method: A good way to learn a foreign language? ¡Ay, Bolivia! Characteristics of common genres, Part 1, ballad, dramatic poetry Characteristics of common genres, Part 2, Fairy Tale and Fable Characteristics of common genres, Part 3, humorous poetry or light verse Characteristics of common genres, Part 4, short story Characteristics of common genres, Part 5, Speech Characteristics of common genres, Part 6, Letter Characteristics of common genres, Part 7, Techno-thriller A Cold Reading Complete tips to get the most out of your English Language learning, ESL Edition Complete tips to get the most out of your Foreign language learning, Native Don't assume your politics are my politics: A lesson in manners English Speakers Edition Exposure to idioms: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Exposure to idioms: Hair on Fire Exposure to idioms: Keep your hand in it Exposure to idioms: Let the dust settle Exposure to idioms - One’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach Exposure to idioms: Running One's Mouth Exposure to idioms: Shooting yourself in the foot Exposure to idioms: You can lead a horse to water... Critical thinking questions you can ask yourself about what you're reading Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me your Ears Giving an insult by paying a compliment using the adverb actually Giving and Receiving Critiques of Performances Gracious words and not so gracious words How You Can Practice the Basics of English: Grammar How You Can Practice the Basics of English: Oral Skills How you can use English across all your school subjects I'm a better teacher now from thinking about my own language learning Irregardless? Lay and Lie : You can learn to use them correctly, and that's no lie Managing an audience no matter what! A missionary’s perspective on learning a foreign language My personal experience with learning a foreign language and what helped me The order of adjectives in a sentence really matters Practical tips for English Language Learning, ESL Edition Practical tips for Foreign Language Learning, Native English Speakers Edition Reading Picture Books to Children and Young People Responding to feedback from my critique group Study-for-the-Test Tips Study-for the Test Tips- Updated Teaching in Guatemala There's Something about Water for Inspiration Thinking about Thanks at Thanksgiving The imperfect tense: Talking about habits of the past To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 1: Making Truthful Excuses To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 2: Setting Boundaries To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 3: This Is Definitely Me What's the Hurry? Why Characters? You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 1 You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 2 You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 3 Exposure to idioms: Let the Dust Settle dust April 15, 2026 Robert and Annmarie are getting a divorce which coincides with their only daughter Cassie getting her first apartment. Annmarie’s best friend Helen had just stopped by. Annemarie likes to talk with Helen because she tends to be the voice of reason when there is upheaval. And since upheaval is certainty in the air, Helen made it a point to come over. While they are having coffee at the table, Cassie keeps passing by carrying boxes to her car. “How’s Casssie been handling the whole thing with you & Robert?”, asked Helen. “As well as can be expected - she’s always had a good head on her shoulders. Listen, Helen - I want your opinion on something.” “All ears, Annmarie!” “Well, I think this would be the perfect time for me to take that accounting course that I was telling you about at the community college. I’ll certainly have time now.”, she sighed. Helen replied, ”I think you had better let the dust settle first. Just look at all the things that are on your plate right now.” Cassie passed through with another box, followed by Diana carrying a small lamp. Breaking the fourth wall, Diana turns to us and says, “Did I just hear another idiom? Seriously, it’s almost impossible to get through a day without using many idioms. ‘Voice of reason, Good head on her shoulders, Breaking the fourth wall, Things on your plate and most importantly –Letting the dust settle. You can see that it’s just not time for Annmarie to take on another new thing in the midst of a divorce and child leaving home. Helen gets it. Before I leave and stop breaking the fourth wall, you can know that this is a theater device to break the action and call attention to the message that the writer wants to emphasize. Back to the friends and their coffee…” Annmarie said,”Maybe you’re right - I can take the course any semester, I do need a little breathing room.” Diana can be heard clearing her throat off stage. And so Annmarie let the dust settle and handled her existing situations the best she could with a renewed focus. techno Characteristics of common genres, Part 7, Techno-thriller Techno-thriller - a story involving technology and suspense, sometimes with military and espionage themes Examples: The Hunt for Red October -Tom Clancy High stakes cat & mouse between US & Soviet subs Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton Amusement park featuring real dinosaurs, What could go wrong? Breakpoint - Richard A. Clarke Cyber attack targeting weaknesses in infrastructure In suspense genres, specific sub-genres are not always clearly defined and there is sometimes disagreement among readers into which sub-genre a work falls, but they all do include: Stealth, tension, often international intrigue Threat level high and rising Intercepting communication Danger level in the story arc is very high Many readers, having enjoyed one work by one of these authors go on to read them all! Responding to feedback from my critique group critique March 18, 2026 I used to belong to a writers' critique group. We'd take turns reading each other's stories and commenting on them about what we liked and disliked and how to improve them. Along the way there were two stories of mine where I objected to what the other writers criticized. I wrote a story involving my husband and our cat. My husband loves cats and thinks their everyday actions and mannerisms are funny. At one point in the story, I said that my husband giggled at the cat. My critique group didn't like that because they couldn't picture a grown man giggling. So I changed giggling to chuckling. I wrote a story that was a composite of students from my many years of teaching that involved a conflict among some girls. I changed the names of the kids, but wanted to keep it pretty much the way it happened. The critique group said they were under the impression that the girls were much younger than I had shown them. I said that, no, that was how old they were. One of my colleagues explained to me that it's okay to change details from how they really happened in order to make the story more believable to the readers. It's not dishonest. It's just good writing. So, I changed their ages. Most stories we read are based in some way on real life. To make them good for public consumption, we writers sometimes need to alter the real life to serve the needs of our readers. We know what really happened! eyes Exposure to Idioms - One’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach March 8, 2026 Jamie and Mary are friends who work in the same office. They have a fun arrangement of going to a restaurant together on payday and take turns picking the restaurant. It’s Jamie’s turn to choose this week and he goes with a Chinese buffet because it is inexpensive and you can eat as much as you want. The waiter asked Jamie if he would like to order the one dollar special for all you can drink soda with lunch. He thought that was great. Mary chose to have spring water for her drink. After going up to the buffet line, Jamie and Mary sat back down with their plates.Mary looked at Jamie’s plate and asked, “Are those donuts!?” “No they’re Chinese biscuits,” “They look just like donuts” “The sign said Chinese biscuits” Changing the subject, Jamie said "what have you got there?” “This is crispy fried vegetables. I like them because it keeps the nutrition intact and they are flavorful. Can’t go wrong with veggies.” “Cool”, said Jamie, but I’ll stick with my spare ribs and orange chicken.” Five minutes later, Jamie got up. “Round two!”, he said and headed back to the buffet. He returned with a new plate filled with food in various sizes, colors, and textures. Mary looked a bit stunned but went back to working on her vegetables. “Think I’ll grab a little rice," she said as she made her own trip up to the bar. She came back momentarily with the rice topped with some fermented beans. She looked over at Jamie and saw him holding his stomach and his eyes were mostly closed. “You OK, Jamie?” “Not really, I feel like maybe I overdid it.” “I think your eyes were bigger than your stomach,” Mary observed. “What do you mean? Oh I get it - everything looked so good I had no idea whether I could actually eat it all. Yeah - my eyes were way bigger than my stomach”, he admitted. Soon after the waiter brought over fortune cookies, “What does yours say, Jamie?” Opening it, he read, “You will soon have a change of scenery” Jamie laughed, “It's true - I plan on staying far away from any lunch buffets next week!!” characters Why Characters? March 4, 2026 If you are a frequent reader of So Busy Learning, you might notice that I include characters in many of my stories and articles. I put characters in my stories to keep them from becoming essays. Furthermore it gives the characters a voice to interact with the content. In the previous story Don’t Frustrate your Learner , I included three pairs of individuals who were experiencing varying degrees of frustration in their learning experiences. So I chose these characters to explore various dynamics of negotiation in communication. This can lead to the “aha! ” moment which is the most important outcome I can hope for. The presence of these characters gives me leverage for communicating my objective. As I have heard authors say, sometimes well-written characters even come up with what they would say on their own! While developing characters, I refer to principles of psychology, which is the study of how the individual human mind works and faces the consequences of choices. Likewise I pull in principles of sociology, the study of group behavior and outcomes. So then I give names and personalities to my characters so they can help me tell the story. Then the reader benefits from new perspectives and perhaps may learn something (after all this is So Busy Learning). Fun fact - the character Alyssa Lane was appropriated from a street name near my home. If you know me personally, I assure you that you will not find yourself in one of my stories. Most of my characters are not specific people but a combination of traits of people I have known. The exception is when I am writing about myself - for instance trips I have taken and also I did use one real-life story with real people in the story The Rock in the Driveway . Why characters? Human characters are the most powerful element in a story because the readers, as humans, directly identify with their experiences. horse Exposure to idioms: You can lead a horse to water... January 25, 2026 You might call Cherry Potter a busybody. She appears to want to be busy, but she is far from busy or even productive. Her family and friends want her to get a job so that she can have a fruitful life. And stop interrupting people who have real work to do. It turns out Cherry had come across an opening at a nearby cellphone store but didn’t do anything with it. “You know, Cherry, I could help brainstorm and we could work on your resume together", said her older brother Danny, hoping to help. “Wow thanks Danny - um today’s not good though”, replied Cherry. Later that day her mother said, “How about we go for a haircut and look for a nice outfit for an interview?” “Wow Mom, thanks! But Danny is going to help me with my resume, so I’m kind of busy right now.” After dinner, her friend Lenore called. “Are you really looking at a job at Cell City? Did you know I’ve had a job there for 6 months? I can put in a word for you with Mr. Ackerman, the manager. He likes my work and I bet he’ll see you if I ask” Cherry paused and blurted, “What is everybody’s problem? I’ve been bugged all day about getting a job!” Lenore said, “I was only trying to help because you’re my friend, Boy - you can lead a horse to water…” and hung up. “What does that even mean?!?”, Cherry yelled at her phone with nobody on the other end. Cherry moped up to her bedroom and sat at her laptop. She found herself typing “You can lead a horse to water” in the browser search window. She stared at the hit on her screen: You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Old English proverb circa 1175 Used to describe a person who takes no initiative despite ample help “Holy cow - that’s me!” Cherry went down the hall to her brother’s room. “Hey Danny - Let’s work on my resume. Thanks for leading me to water” “Sure”, said Danny. “I have a weird sister…” water There's Something about Water for Inspiration January 5, 2026 Water, water everywhere. What is it about water that inspires poets and authors to write good stuff? From The Rime of the Ancient Mariner to The Secret Sharer to All Day I Hear the Noise of Waters, water makes for good writing material – even if water isn't the subject! For several years I enjoyed the privilege of teaching creative writing in workshops to schoolchildren. One of the schools I taught in was located on the shore of Lake Ontario. I would take my class down to the edge of the water to spend our hour and a half sitting, resting, thinking, and writing. It never failed to be very relaxing and rejuvenating for all of us. There were very few rules. 1. Be quiet. Don't talk to one another, unless you have to. And then whisper and get it over with. 2. Write if you want to. Don't if you don't. 3. Don't feel pressured to write about the water. Let the environment inspire you to write about anything that comes into your heart and mind. This is your time. You may not have the privilege of living by one of the Great Lakes or an ocean. That doesn't disqualify you from getting inspiration from water. Maybe you have an opportunity to sit by a small stream, a river, a waterfall, a smooth-topped swimming pool, a fountain, a pond. There are even recordings of water you can listen to for serenity and inspiration. And it doesn't have to be peaceful water, either. A rushing river, the roaring ocean, or the mighty Niagara Falls can bring inspiration of majestic power. If you plan on going to the water to write, all you really need to bring are a clipboard and your paper and pencil. I don't recommend bringing along music. It may distract you. Let the water be your music. As mentioned in the workshop rules, don't feel like you have to write about the water. I often don't. You might even want to write a letter you've been meaning to send. Just sitting by the water (whether serene or turbulent) is plenty to give me inspiration for my writing. One time during the workshop by the lake, I ended up writing about the Hudson River three hundred miles away. It was still about water, but not the water I was sitting by. Don't rush yourself to begin writing. But once you do, don't worry about spelling or punctuation. It will only slow you down. Just let the words come out of your pencil tip onto the paper. You can always proofread and revise later. Below is the worksheet I gave my students during the Lake workshop. You can adapt it for your own setting and for your own purposes. At the Lake Worksheet Purpose: To use powers of observation and patience. Sit and also walk around this area (not too far, or you'll get more input than you want). What do you hear, see, smell, touch, taste? What's big? Little? Active? Still? Try closing your eyes when you want to hear or smell, Disregard your ears when you want to see, etc. Observe silently for a few minutes; then wait. Now begin writing. Here are two possible suggestions: Write what you observe. Or Write a story having nothing to do with what you observe, but rather one that comes through the inspiration of sitting by the water. haironfire Exposure to idioms: Hair on Fire December 31, 2025 Definition: an out of control reaction to a crisis Of all the places for someone’s hair to be on fire it has got to be a wedding. The punch bowl tipped over. The mother of the bride, Mrs. Jackson, said, “Quick! Somebody get a mop!” The ringbearer could not be found for a half hour before the wedding. “Joey can fill in as the ringbearer!”, she suggested. The groom’s car is being towed because he left it in a no parking zone. “I hope this isn’t an omen!” Mrs. Jackson wailed. “And now I broke a heel!”, she could be heard saying as she rushed down the aisle. “There goes Grandma with her hair on fire again!” Joey said to the flower girl. Later that day the wedding party chipped in for a spa certificate for Mrs. Jackson… hurry What's the Hurry? December 12, 2025 In our culture, we seem to always be in a hurry. In fact, there are many idioms to describe getting someone to go faster. Diana - you're as slow as molasses in January (spoken to me by my Grandfather born in 1905). Shake a leg, Get Moving! Step on it! Get the Lead Out! (as in out of one’s shoes), Chop Chop! This is certainly an incomplete list. Maybe you have some you are familiar with. I was driving along in a metropolitan area on a road with many stop lights. A businessman who was in “hurry up and wait mode” was right behind me, tailgating. I don’t wear out my brakes and waste gas just because someone else is in a hurry. Suddenly, he passed me and sped up like mad only to see me roll up to the same red light he had to wait for. Unwrapping an antacid tablet at the red light, he glared at me. This happened several times. A glare became a glance, a glance became a plea. The final time, as the light turned green,he looked at me and proceeded in a more relaxed manner. No matter how much he hurried, he kept seeing me at the same point in his trip. He didn't win any points for getting there first and what would he do with the points anyway? Maybe he learned something new that day. I don’t want to judge him, just show him some compassion, really. Maybe we don’t always have go Chop, Chop! letter Characteristics of common genres Part 6, Letter November 18, 2025 Letters from one person to another have been in existence since written language was devised. There have been what are called friendly letters where people were catching up with each other about their personal experiences. There also have been letters of great international importance that changed the course of history from one world leader to another. There have also been secret letters, such as love letters, or plots of assassination or overthrow. Tragic letters have been written by military commanders informing a mother about the death of a son at war. Some letters have been written by famous people, not famous at the time of their writing, that were very enlightening in later years in the person's life. Many letters that have been preserved are still used today for historical or research purposes or for inspiration. Some examples are letters from President Abraham Lincoln to mothers whose son died in the Civil War; military updates from General George Washington during the American Revolution; pen pal exchanges between J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Letter from John Adams to his wife, Abigail about how Canada could have become part of the United States in 1776: Philadelphia July 3d. 1776 Had a Declaration of Independency been made seven Months ago, it would have been attended with many great and glorious Effects . . . . We might before this Hour, have formed Alliances with foreign States. -- We should have mastered Quebec and been in Possession of Canada .... You will perhaps wonder, how such a Declaration would have influenced our Affairs, in Canada, but if I could write with Freedom I could easily convince you, that it would, and explain to you the manner how. -- Many Gentlemen in high Stations and of great Influence have been duped, by the ministerial Bubble of Commissioners to treat .... And in real, sincere Expectation of this effort Event, which they so fondly wished, they have been slow and languid, in promoting Measures for the Reduction of that Province. Others there are in the Colonies who really wished that our Enterprise in Canada would be defeated, that the Colonies might be brought into Danger and Distress between two Fires, and be thus induced to submit. Others really wished to defeat the Expedition to Canada, lest the Conquest of it, should elevate the Minds of the People too much to hearken to those Terms of Reconciliation which they believed would be offered Us. These jarring Views, Wishes and Designs, occasioned an opposition to many salutary Measures, which were proposed for the Support of that Expedition, and caused Obstructions, Embarrassments and studied Delays, which have finally, lost Us the Province. Adams Family Papers archive, https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17760703jasecond If you sat down to write a letter to someone, what would you say? Maybe your letter would go down in history! idiomrunning Exposure to idioms: Running One's Mouth October 26, 2025 Tracy: What's up with Jerry? Brad: What do you mean? Tracy: He's running his mouth again. Brad: Overpriced real estate? Tracy: Is there any other topic? In this conversation Tracy and Brad are once again having to deal with Jerry's self-centered conversation skills. The idiom Running one's mouth doesn't just refer to the number of words used by someone. Rather, it refers to an imposed obligation to hear an insensitive or, in this case, repetitious stream of words without any consideration for the listener. If you don't want to be a Jerry, it might be a good idea to check in occasionally with the people you're in conversation with. Are you careful to be taking turns? Is there any body language of others you might observe that could let you know you've crossed a line? Changing this dynamic is not really difficult to make, and could improve relationships in your life. irregardless Irregardless? September 22, 2025 Hey Pete, are you finished borrowing my lawn rake? Yeah, yeah Pete –you've had it for a month. I keep asking you to put it in my garage. Yeah yeah - I’m almost done with it. I want that rake in my garage tomorrow, irregardless. My dear readers, can you spot an error in this conversation? Let me give you a hint. One of the words in this conversation is not a real word. Can you spot the fake word? The fake word is irregardless. But perhaps you say “Diana, I hear people say irregardless all the time. what's wrong with it?” You are right, my friend, people say irregardless all the time. but it is not a real word. Let me tell you what the real word is – regardless. Regardless means Anyway . The conversation above should say this: I want you to return my rake regardless, (finished with it or not). Another meaning of the word regardless implies that I am not regarding your excuse to keep my rake. I will not regard your excuse. So what you need to know is in the word irregardless the prefix ir- is not requ ired.That is because the word regardless contains the suffix -less already meaning without. More is not better in this case. There is another true word in English you can use. The word is irrespective . This word means whether you see it or not. Return the rake irrespective of your future plans for it. genrespeech Characteristics of common genres, Part 5, Speech August 2, 2025 Speech Characteristics—Typically it is nonfiction and may be somewhat long or be short, and centered around a theme with a specific point to communicate. A speech may or may not be charged with emotion. An inspiring example of a speech is John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. It is famous for the "Ask not what your country can do for you" challenge. Here it is in its entirety: John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961 We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom — symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning — signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago. The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans — born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage — and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge — and more. To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do — for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom — and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside. To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required — not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge — to convert our good words into good deeds — in a new alliance for progress — to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbours know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support — to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective — to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak — and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run. Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction. We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed. But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course — both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war. So let us begin anew — remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belabouring those problems which divide us. Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms — and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations. Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce. Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah — to "undo the heavy burdens -. and to let the oppressed go free." And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavour, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved. All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin. In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. Now the trumpet summons us again — not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are — but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" — a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself. Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort? In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility — I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own. genres4 Characteristics of common genres, Part 4, short story July 29, 2025 Characteristics—Simply put, a short story has a plot, that is, a storyline. It has characters who are in conflict with each other. There is action that moves the story along. There is a resolution of the conflict, and there is an ending. Short stories, as you might imagine are not very long. Novels, by contrast can be hundred of pages long. Examples— "The Most Dangerous Game"; "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment; "The Lottery" A favorite of mine is "The Most Dangerous Game". If you'd like to enjoy it there is a PDF you can read here . Exposure to idioms: Shooting yourself in the foot idiomshoot July 25, 2025 Usually idioms are not the literal meaning of the words (that’s why they’re idioms!) but today’s idiom could be literal OR figurative, that is, a saying. Let me explain. During World War I, some soldiers were so desperate to get away from the fighting that they would shoot their own foot, claiming it was an accident so they would be sent home. While that must have been an extremely painful thing to do, it seemed to be worth it to some soldiers. So a nearly literal meaning of our idiom could be to cause yourself harm to get out of an obligation. But much more commonly, shooting yourself in the foot means making a bad decision or mistake that puts you at a disadvantage. Here's a possible application: I think you should pay off the loan with the money you have. But if you don't you will only be shooting yourself in the foot. Here you are causing yourself possible harm that is completely avoidable. Have you ever done something that turned out to be shooting yourself in the foot? I bet you want to keep it to yourself! idiomstitch Exposure to idioms: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine July 19, 2025 Today's idiom may or may not be related to a needle and thread. If you have a garment where a stitch has opened up and you don’t mend it, the stitch behind it is threatened and may come undone next. Unchecked, this will continue with stitch after stitch. In a very real sense that first stitch protects all the ones behind it. In the same way the idiom could also talk about taking care of anything that's out of order before it gets worse. It could pertain to relationships that need to be healed to make amends through an apology. Or it could be that you need to take care of something in your workplace, for example having work piled up high can undermine other projects. You can even help your coworkers by not having them cover for you! Is there anything in your life that needs to be taken care of before a problem gets worse? You can be a good steward of the situation by taking care of it right away before any more stitches open up. creativewriting3 You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 3 July 10, 2025 How about some tips? Since we previously discovered that you can draw on ALL that make up YOU in your creative writing, here are some specific tips you can follow to draw good material for writing from out of your everyday life. Use your own experiences. You have plenty of material in your life from which to draw for really creative writing! You can do it! The people who write the best stories write from their own experiences. Even fantasy writers write out of their familiar experience but soup it up out of the imagination to write something that is a bit unreal, but still something readers can identify with. Increase your own experiences. Sometimes the things we've experienced aren't quite enough to make a good story on their own. What can we do about that? There are several possibilities. One is that you can try to expand your experiences. You can look for new opportunities to learn or experience things in life. Go to community events, take classes and workshops, go for rides in the car to new places. Ask people questions about things you're curious about. But mainly you can just keep your eyes open. Make it a point to observe things around you. There are many things in life we can see, hear, feel, taste, and touch that can give us good material we can write about. Embellish on your own experiences. Take an episode or character from your life and make some or all of it fictitious . Give the episode or character some details that make it fun to read about. Maybe you can write about someone you know that can have certain additional characteristics you invent for him. Or, you can write a totally different ending to an episode that really happened to you or someone you know. Be an active reader. Reading lots of books and stories can help round out our everyday life. There are many adventures people in stories have that we could never experience ourselves. Reading about them can help us experience them vicariously, which means “sharing in or experiencing by imagined participation in another's experience” (Webster's New World College Dictionary). We can share in the thrills and tragedies of someone else without true risk or danger. This gives us more of life to learn about. And reading a good author's writing can help us improve our own , if we pay attention to his techniques of style, grammar , spelling , and vocabulary . Reference Agnes, M. (Ed.). (1999). Webster's new world college dictionary. Cleveland, OH: Macmillan USA. creativewriting2 You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 2 June 30, 2025 The origin of Really Creative Writing from My Everyday Life I originally began writing lessons and activities for a two-week workshop of the same name when I taught in a summer enrichment program for school children at a university. The kids loved the idea that their own lives gave them something to write about. I encouraged them that the things they liked and disliked, the people in their families and neighborhood, their hobbies, their pets, their disappointments – everything had some value to give them something to write about. We also talked about their favorite stories and what it was about them that they liked . And it worked. They bought into it hook, line, and sinker. They began to write. And as they wrote, they also shared their writing with one another. They gave each other kudos and suggestions. They thought their stuff was pretty good. Good enough to post on the wall for everyone to see. They loved sharing with each other and hearing what the others had to say. Creating is part of performing , and is part of what makes us human as we connect our experiences and expressions with each other. The experience worked wonders in their hearts. They unlocked unknown talents because they believed that the stuff they had in their own lives was plenty to put down on paper for others to read. It was very gratifying to me when they shared at the end of the workshop, “Now I really understand what it means to make really creative writing from my everyday life.” It's important for you to understand right now that what worked year after year for a group of eleven-year-olds can work for you, too, no matter your age or stage in life . All of the principles are the same: you have experiences, feelings, people, decisions, outcomes, conversations – everything – that all make up You. They make up your Life. You can draw on it all and really write. creativewriting1 You Can Produce Really Creative Writing from Your Everyday Life, Part 1 June 26, 2025 The urge to write about your life Do you have an urge deep down inside to write something from your life, but you can't figure out what in the world you might write about? Are you afraid your life isn't all that interesting – well, it is to you, but why would anyone else want to read about it? Don't be hard on yourself and talk yourself out of it. There's really no reason you can't write. Let's get something straight. If you do the things you do, generally, unless they are unpleasant or monotonous obligations, you do them because you like them. I hope that even your job is something you enjoy. You have experiences that make you happy, sad, scared, frustrated, bored, eager, motivated, indignant, hopeful... Every day you have conversations with people, or you hear people talking around you . There are many people you come across in your life – peculiar people, or annoying people, or jubilant people, or fascinating people... There are many different environments that you visit. You find yourself somewhere or doing something you didn't expect through no fault of your own, or sometimes you get yourself into trouble by making a bad decision... As you travel throughout your day, you see things that catch your attention, or make you turn away... All of this and more makes up your everyday life. And you can use it all. Write. genres3 Characteristics of common genres, Part 3, humorous poetry or light verse June 18, 2025 Characteristics —Humorous poetry, or light verse, is intended to be funny, obviously. Most of the time, light verse is short. It makes use of a strong emphasis on an exaggerated rhythm which has a playful feel to it. Common features are puns, wordplay, alliteration or a comical rhyme scheme, Light verse can contain made up words, satire, tongue-in-cheek wording, and so on. Some types of humorous poetry are limerick, clerihew, American cinquain, and some nursery rhymes. Examples — Some iconic examples of humorous poetry can be found in the works of authors such as Willard Espy, Max Beerbohm, Ogden Nash, Shel Silverstein, and Lewis Carroll. Celery - Ogden Nash Celery, raw Develops the jaw, But celery, stewed, Is more quietly chewed. Smart - Shel Siverstein My dad gave me one dollar bill 'Cause I'm his smartest son, And I swapped it for two shiny quarters 'Cause two is more than one! Singular Plurals - Willard Espy Now if mouse in the plural should be, and is, mice, Then house in the plural, of course, should be hice, And grouse should be grice and spouse should be spice And by the same token should blouse become blice. And consider the goose with its plural of geese; Then a double caboose should be called a cabeese, And noose should be neese and moose should be meese And if mama's papoose should be twins, it's papeese. Then if one thing is that, while some more is called those, Then more than one hat, I assume, would be hose, And gnat would be gnose and pat would be pose And likewise the plural of rat would be rose. fairytale2 Characteristics of common genres, Part 2, Fairy Tale and Fable Illustration from Rumplestiltskin May 27, 2025 Fairy Tale -- A short story that has fantasy elements and characters, such as witches, goblins, princes and princesses, magic, falling asleep, romance, kingdoms, enchantments. Examples are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, and Rumpelstiltskin. The most famous authors are Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) of Denmark and the Brothers Grimm (~1785-1863) of Germany. Fable -- A very short story that includes animals, objects, and occasionally people who speak and behave in such a way to point out the faults and weaknesses of people and teach a lesson called a moral. Examples are The Ant and the Grasshopper, The Fox and the Grapes, The North Wind and the Sun, The Two Pots. The most famous author of fables is Aesop who lived in Ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BC. idiomskeepyourhand Exposure to idioms: Keep your hand in it May 7, 2025 An idiom is a phrase that expresses an idea in a figurative sense, not a literal one. In other words it doesn’t mean what it says. Tammy had spent a month practicing violin for the symphony. When the month was over she put down her violin and picked up her cello, her usual instrument, and began to practice on it. she wanted to keep her hand in it . Is there something you do that you need to get back to because you want to keep your hand in it ? genres1 Characteristics of common genres, Part 1, Ballad, Dramatic Poetry April 30, 2025 There are many, many genres of literature, and whole books have been written about them, namely literature anthologies and textbooks. Likewise there are many types of poetry, and entire textbooks have been written about interpreting poetry. Therefore, for our purposes here we will just take a brief look at some of the most common genres. You may have some favorite genres that you gravitate toward. In this article we will look at two related genres of literature: Dramatic Poetry, Ballad Characteristics—Typically are long, serious, and written in meter with blocks of verses to tell a story, usually about heroic deeds, tragedy, or victory. Often includes a hero or a heroic group, such as the military; often told by a narrator. Examples - "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "The Highwayman" As you read through these poems, watch for the characteristics mentioned above. The Charge of the Light Brigade By Alfred, Lord Tennyson I Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. “Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. II “Forward, the Light Brigade!” Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldier knew Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred. III Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of hell Rode the six hundred. IV Flashed all their sabres bare, Flashed as they turned in air Sabring the gunners there, Charging an army, while All the world wondered. Plunged in the battery-smoke Right through the line they broke; Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre stroke Shattered and sundered. Then they rode back, but not Not the six hundred. V Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. VI When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made! All the world wondered. Honour the charge they made! Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred! The Highwayman By Alfred Noyes PART ONE The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding— Riding—riding— The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door. He’d a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin, A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin. They fitted with never a wrinkle. His boots were up to the thigh. And he rode with a jewelled twinkle, His pistol butts a-twinkle, His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky. Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard. He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred. He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked Where Tim the ostler listened. His face was white and peaked. His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay, But he loved the landlord’s daughter, The landlord’s red-lipped daughter. Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say— “One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I’m after a prize to-night, But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, Then look for me by moonlight, Watch for me by moonlight, I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way.” He rose upright in the stirrups. He scarce could reach her hand, But she loosened her hair in the casement. His face burnt like a brand As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast; And he kissed its waves in the moonlight, (O, sweet black waves in the moonlight!) Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the west. PART TWO He did not come in the dawning. He did not come at noon; And out of the tawny sunset, before the rise of the moon, When the road was a gypsy’s ribbon, looping the purple moor, A red-coat troop came marching— Marching—marching— King George’s men came marching, up to the old inn-door. They said no word to the landlord. They drank his ale instead. But they gagged his daughter, and bound her, to the foot of her narrow bed. Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side! There was death at every window; And hell at one dark window; For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride. They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest. They had bound a musket beside her, with the muzzle beneath her breast! “Now, keep good watch!” and they kissed her. She heard the doomed man say— Look for me by moonlight; Watch for me by moonlight; I’ll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way! She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, Cold, on the stroke of midnight, The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers! The tip of one finger touched it. She strove no more for the rest. Up, she stood up to attention, with the muzzle beneath her breast. She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again; For the road lay bare in the moonlight; Blank and bare in the moonlight; And the blood of her veins, in the moonlight, throbbed to her love’s refrain. Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horsehoofs ringing clear; Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear? Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill, The highwayman came riding— Riding—riding— The red coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still. Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night! Nearer he came and nearer. Her face was like a light. Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath, Then her finger moved in the moonlight, Her musket shattered the moonlight, Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death. He turned. He spurred to the west; he did not know who stood Bowed, with her head o’er the musket, drenched with her own blood! Not till the dawn he heard it, and his face grew grey to hear How Bess, the landlord’s daughter, The landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there. Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky, With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high. Blood red were his spurs in the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat; When they shot him down on the highway, Down like a dog on the highway, And he lay in his blood on the highway, with a bunch of lace at his throat. . . . And still of a winter’s night, they say, when the wind is in the trees, When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, A highwayman comes riding— Riding—riding— A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door. Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard. He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred. He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there But the landlord’s black-eyed daughter, Bess, the landlord’s daughter, Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me your Ears March 9, 2025 Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears (don’t worry - you’ll get them back!) This is a super familiar quotation uttered by Marc Antony in Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar . Marc Antony said these words as he was delivering an oration at Caesar's funeral in which the conspirators took part. You really don't need to know a single thing about Julius Caesar or Shakespeare's play because I'm not going to talk about it. But I am going to talk about the use of the words loan and lend . Why? Because they are often misused, of course. This shouldn't take too long because it's very simple. One of the words is a noun and the other is a verb. Loan is a noun and lend is a verb. Could you lend me a dollar? In this sentence the speaker is asking his friend if he could borrow a dollar from her. In other words the speaker wants His friend to give him a loan of $1. The speaker's friend expects him to repay her the $1. Notice we didn’t say could you please loan me $1 . Just like we wouldn't make a lend to someone. However, as often happens in modern English, words change parts of speech, and words change meanings. I have even seen some lending institutions use the word loan as a verb. That's the way it is today, until it changes again. Even so, that's kind of hard for me being a grammatical purist. So until then, I'm all ears. lendmeyourears gracious Gracious words and not so gracious words February 21, 2025 Gracious words When I woke up this morning I was greeted with today's Bible verse from Proverbs, the book of practical wisdom, on how to do life. The verse was Proverbs 15: 23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply, it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time. Having been a teacher and a performer for most of my life I really appreciate this perspective, and with it comes the opposite: Who likes a sarcastic person? (That's not in the Bible. I just now made that up.) There are many synonyms for the word fitting . Here are some that I can think of: Apt, pleasing, welcome, lovely, and many more. If you want to find some more positive words that could describe our speech, you can use a thesaurus to find more. (or just Google it) All you have to do at this point is to substitute the word or phrase that you like best into the verse where you see the word fitting. All of these words are terrific but there has been one synonym that I have had on my mind for some time. The word is gracious I think that I have a sweet spot with the word gracious because it is connected to the word grace. Because grace is one of my prized possessions given to me by God Himself. In fact, the gift of grace itself teaches me to speak graciously. Let's think of some gracious words that somebody might want to hear. Gracious words Thank you I'm sorry I forgive you I love you I'm so happy that you said that I know you're having a hard time with your project, but I believe you can do it. I appreciate you I know you didn't mean to hurt my feelings Not so gracious words You idiot, what's the matter with you!? She's such a loser. The whole family are losers. Someone might say this instead of the more polite could you please lower your voice - Would you shut up!? Insult humor So-called four letter words and other inappropriate language And my pet peeve: You actually look nice today. (We tackled this one in my article , Giving an insult by paying a compliment using the adverbs actually and even ) It’s simple to make a change It doesn't require a huge effort to change the way we talk to or about one another - we just need to remember to do it! Breaking lifelong habits may take a long time, but it is one of the most worthwhile efforts you can make in your relationships touching other people. The order of adjectives in a sentence really matters January 20, 2025 No doubt you know that adjectives are words that describe nouns. For example, I have a silver Jeep. In this sentence, the noun is Jeep and the adjective is silver. That's simple enough. But what do you do if you have more than one adjective in your sentence to modify your noun? I can show you with a demonstration of using multiple adjectives to prove to you that you will instinctively recognize whether a sentence with adjectives is incorrect. Unless perhaps you are a beginning English language learner. But this skill will come in time. Incorrect adjective order is jarring to the fluent English speaker. For example, we could say: I have a blue big house Do you see that blue and big are in the wrong position? It should say: I have a big blue house If you are learning English you may say “But how do I know which is the correct way?” It turns out there are rules you can use to put your adjectives in the proper position within your sentence. We have a hierarchy (rules of priority) of adjectives we can follow. This resource demonstrates several examples of multiple adjectives used together. Try reading the examples across while changing the order they use! adjectives special thanks to https://pdfcoffee.com/order-of-adjectives-4-pdf-free.html So we see it is necessary to stick to the order of Determiner, Observation, Physical Description, Origin, Material, Qualifier in order to “sound right”. Follow this order and you will produce sentences with correctly placed adjectives. Try this - correct the order of the adjectives in this terrible sentence (there may be more than one way to fix it): We spent the summer at Caribbean swimming a sandy desolate beach. Is the following sentence one with proper adjective order or not (why or why not)? I just finished reading a long chilling foreign mystery book. This is a correctly written sentence, but do you know why? It follows the hierarchy properly. (see the table). Now you are able to go out and tame those pesky old adjectives! One answer to Try this : We spent the summer at a desolate sandy Caribbean swimming beach. thanks Thinking about Thanks at Thanksgiving If you do something nice for me, I will be sure to say thank you. If I didn't say it, you would be offended because it is the customary response for a gift or a courtesy. And if you did something nice for me and I said to you that was nice of you, but didn't add the words thank you, you'd wonder what was wrong with me. That is because we need to say thank you as the expected response. What do we do on Thanksgiving Day when we sit down to our sumptuous feast? One custom that I have seen throughout the years is that somebody at the table asks, “What are you thankful for?” The response would be “I am so thankful for my thus and such.” If we were sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner together and went around the table naming gifts that we are thankful for, I would say, in no particular order: my husband and children, my neighborhood, my music, and the wonderful experiences I had teaching in different parts of the world, and for beautiful art. And you, my readers! But wait, something is missing here. We are missing the act of giving thanks. But perhaps you would say to me what I was just doing? Well you were giving a list of things you're thankful for, and those were wonderful things. But whom were you thanking? Of course I need to do a little English grammar lesson. I promise it is short. To thank is a transitive verb, which means that it's not finished until we add another word or so to the sentence, in this case an indirect object - the recipient of the thanks. There might be several possible recipients, depending on your point of view. Most common, and the given purpose of the holiday (going back to its inception from the Pilgrims through Abraham Lincoln) is to thank God for His provision. Some who may not hold to this belief may choose to thank one another, especially those providing and preparing the meal. In any case, the holiday that we celebrate in late November does call for thanks to someone so you can express your gratitude. So that your thanks don't go merely into the air, but connect you to the giver, I would ask you to consider this question: Whom do you wish to thank? politics Don't assume your politics are my politics: A lesson in manners November 4, 2024 UPDATE It was a late October day in a Presidential election year. I was waiting in the supermarket checkout line, looking at the newspaper headlines when a shopper suddenly and breathlessly whirled his cart behind mine. A bit too fast and a bit too close. (In fact everything about him was a bit too much.) ‘Wow, that was a close shave!” he said. “I know-our carts almost crashed.” “No, I mean when the Sentator brought in that incriminating evidence. What a relief - maybe we don’t have to worry about 4 more years of you-know-who after all!” Since he saw me looking at the newspapers, I realized that he assumed that I supported the same candidate as he did. I couldn't let that go unchallenged. I decided to disabuse him of his assumption on the spot. “Oh I see from your sentence structure you think I support the same presidential candidate that you do.” “Well, of course. Why wouldn't I assume it? Everybody in this county is voting for him.” “Well, for a start I am not displaying any preference or loyalty to a particular candidate- like a campaign button. I’m just picking some things at the store. Think about this - if I came up behind you and said it was a close shave about the incriminating evidence and how it was unfair and we needed to do something about it - what would you make of that?” “I’d think that you were pretty pushy. I think I just learned a lesson here. You know, this makes me think of the words one of my favorite songs from back in the day - “There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy There's only you and me and we just disagree”* I thought over his humble response. “That IS a great song”, I said “- and it really fits” “True that - no hard feelings?” “No hard feelings!” I paid for my groceries and left the store even more determined to take care with my own assumptions before speaking. *We Just Disagree by Dave Mason 1977 grammar How You Can Practice the Basics of English: Grammar September 7, 2024 Communication is one of the most important functions people have in society. So, English skills never lose their value in a person's education. Practice, practice in the basics of English is so necessary for all developing students. Grammar can fall by the wayside when it's considered to be a skill only studied by beginners, when really everyone needs to improve on usage and understanding throughout their lives. How can you practice grammar skills? Here are some tips. First of all, keep in mind that grammar is the building blocks of language. Therefore you need to expose yourself to language. Maintain exposure First, one simple but overlooked tip: listen to good speeches or news broadcasts. Although there may be exceptions, you will probably hear correct grammar exercised in formal speeches and news broadcasts. See if you can train your ear to the different constructions you hear when listening. Likewise, reading news articles should, hopefully, afford you the same opportunity. It's a good idea for you to keep on top of your regular exposure to grammar (and even mechanics) – even if your school district downplays or even avoids it. In your grammar course, you may or may not learn how to diagram sentences (mine didn't)or simply to label sentence parts as you study them (that's what I did). If your school does or did not focus on grammar, it might be a good idea to purchase a basic grammar guidebook or go to grammar sites on the Internet (there are some really good ones!) for practice at home. Beyond studying grammatical principles using sentences already given in the text, you should learn how to examine your own writing for correct usage. Learn from your mistakes through a word processor When you are writing a paper by means of a word processor, make sure that you have the spell check function and grammar check function on. That way, when you make a mistake in spelling, grammar, and mechanics, also known as punctuation, the word processor will alert you to the mistake , and may even offer a suggested correction. Before you go ahead and accept the correction, evaluate it for accuracy. And even more importantly, make note of the correction so that you can use it in your writing in the future. This is how we learn. It might not be fun, but needs to be done at least to some extent to improve the mechanics of your writing skills. Also as part of this scrutiny process, you should compare your sentences to each other to make sure your grammar is consistent throughout the composition. imperfect The imperfect tense: Talking about habits of the past August 20, 2024 No, I'm not talking about your mistakes in your youth. I'm talking grammatically about ongoing activities, realities, behaviors, and habits from the past. Look at these sentences below: When I was a little girl, I used to climb trees. I would not take naps. Both of these sentences are true about me, and both are expressed by using the imperfect past tense, also known as the imperfect tense. If you look at these sentences there is no specific time expressing the tree climbing or the nap avoiding. Instead, these sentences are expressing an ongoing behavior, or habit or custom. In grammar, and especially in this construction, imperfect simply means not completed. That's why we can use the imperfect tense to talk about habits and ongoing behaviors with an unspecified duration or time. Contrast those sentences with this one: At 5:00 I sat down to drink a glass of lemonade. Notice that we have a specific time or instant at which I drank the lemonade, and there is no suggestion that I drank lemonade on a regular basis at 5:00. On the contrary, the lemonade sentence is using the simple past, also known as the preterite, to talk about one instance of lemonade drinking. To talk about the habitual past in the sentences above, use either the construction used to or would . Remember the sentence I would never take a nap . You can tell that avoiding taking a nap was my custom. Still is. Hee hee. Used to and would For the most part the adverbs Used to and would can be used interchangeably. I'm not quite sure about that, but my impression is that used to is perhaps stronger and more direct than would , whereas woul d seems to express a tendency rather than a typical, ongoing habit. I have no research to back that up, it's just my intuition, which usually serves me well, especially in terms of language. Time Take another look at the lemonade sentence: At 5:00 I sat down to drink a glass of lemonade. In this sentence I am only drinking the lemonade at 5:00. In the imperfect tense, you may not use a very specific time to express the action. Once the lemonade has been drunk, the action has ended. Side point: The modal would is not the same as the adverb would as in the sentence I would like a glass of lemonade, please. Time frame, set of circumstances, or duration So how do we use time to express a habitual action? We can interpose a set of circumstances, timeframe or duration. When I was teaching Guatemala, I used to coach the music director in the afternoons. So, the time frame or duration was when I was teaching in Guatemala So, when I.got on the plane to go home, I no longer coached the music director. Please enjoy the following story written by one of my ESL college students illustrating the imperfect past tense using used to and would . Let’s play soccer - the best game in the world, our passion, our life, our love, our game ... Soccer! Today, I find myself thinking back on my childhood memories when I used to follow my father around the soccer field, when he used to practice for his upcoming soccer games. My father used to play professional soccer for my country's team. My father used to be the captain of the team. His team used to play soccer games with some of OME OF Europe's best soccer leagues. For example, England, Germany and Spain. Growing up with a family that used to eat, sleep and breathe soccer, I grew a passion to play soccer. My father used to coach me every day. He used to teach me new tricks and skills so I could be the best player in the field. I used to be very dedicated to soccer, and I used to train very hard. Each time I entered the field I used to think about the techniques that my father used to teach me, and I did exactly those same tricks. My favorite part about playing soccer was traveling. My team and I used to go to other cities for games. I used to wear a red soccer uniform, and my number used to be 10. Are you now wondering why I quit playing soccer that I used to love so much? I used to get hurt all the time throughout my career as a soccer player, but during one game I injured my knee and on that day everything ended for me. completetipsesl Complete tips to get the most out of your English Language learning, ESL Edition July 8, 2024 Part 1, Practical tips for English language learning You can use many resources and techniques in learning another language,including English. Taking advantage of all the tools — written and mental — that are available, as well as keeping in mind your own learning style, will help you learn more quickly and thoroughly. Here are some suggestions to try. You can probably think of others as you learn. A big key to learning is knowing what works for you . Know your own language well. Being familiar with your own language's grammatical structure, peculiarities, idioms, situations, vocabulary, and word origins can bring you a long way in learning another language, particularly when the two languages have the same roots, as is the case with Spanish and English or Italian and English, for example. Take advantage of cognates. When a word looks or sounds similar in English to one you know in your language, find out if it is a cognate, that is a word that is similar in both languages and have similar meanings. It may very well have the same exact meaning as your language’s counterpart or it may have a concept that is similar but not exact. Even then, the concept may help you learn the meaning or use of the word. The worst that can happen is that there are no similarities to the English word you thought it was! You still learned something from the experience! See how a word is used in context. When you are reading a passage or story in your own language you often find a word that you do not know. Do you automatically look it up in the dictionary? No, you don't. You try to figure it out by the words near it, or by the setting or situation of the passage or story. This is called context. Use this same skill as you learn English. As you come to an unfamiliar word, see if you can figure it out by the context. Practice in many situations. When we practice unfamiliar things, we get good at it. When we don’t, we may lose ground in the subject. This is especially true in learning a language. Feel free to practice in many situations, even in unlikely or unexpected ones! This will help round out your knowledge of appropriateness of word or idiom use. Try out your new language with native English speakers. Native speakers of some languages enjoy hearing other people try to speak their language. They may be encouraging and willing to help you and even to correct your mistakes if you want! Make mistakes. Except in situations where mistakes are life-threatening, mistakes are a normal part of learning and are healthy to our growth — if we’re willing to make them! Guess! You never know when you’ll be right! Keep gaining knowledge and build on it as you go. Most language concepts are built on ones previously learned. Listen and read. Listening to English being spoken and reading written material adds to your dimension of learning, rather than just repeating the phrases a teacher or recording gives you. One tip is to read something in English which you are already familiar with in your own language. Or, read bilingual posters at the clinic. bus stop or labels on packages. Examine punctuation and sentence structure. These are clues to the meaning of a sentence and sometimes help with the framework of the meaning. Get a collection of helpful reference books and materials . Here are just a few useful books that you can keep by your side as you learn English: language dictionary, verb book, grammar book, traveler's phrase book. Ask, ask, ask questions! In some situations, this is the only way you will find out something. Try to ask them according to your learning style. For example, if you are good at grammar, ask for an explanation of a word or sentence structure as it applies to grammar. Or, if you manage better at turning a phrase without knowing why it works, ask if an idiom will be appropriate in a new situation. Don’t give up. Language is orderly and you have a good mind to learn. Keep trying as you find yourself in new and challenging situations in your language learning. Last but not least, have fun ! It is fun to learn a new language, despite the hard work. It opens up new experiences for you and helps you to build bridges of friendship with people you’d never get to know otherwise. Part 2 Learning English before and during class Language learning often requires methodical instruction, group work, regular oral, written, and listening practice, repetition and review, and other patterns. An English class in a school is usually designed to provide the instruction and group work useful to meet this need. But there are things you as a student can do during the class and at home to get the most benefit from this structure. There are some classroom habits and home study skills that are good to develop. Here are some suggestions to help you improve by working before and during class. Before class Check to make sure you have everything before you arrive at class. The materials you may need are any homework due, textbook, folder with notes and homework, notebook for taking additional notes in class, pens or pencils, any questions you have, and a can-do attitude! A calendar or assignment book is also recommended to keep track of your stuff. Before you arrive at class, if possible, practice speaking a little bit of your English. You may wish to recite some of your written work in your notes or have a little conversation in the car or on the bus. The idea is to get your “English mouth” warmed up before class! During class Regardless of how long your class period is, or how frequently you meet each week, you will get the most out of your class by being fully engaged. You can purpose to absorb a lot of material during the period, with the following suggestions, then work daily with it at home. Pay close attention to the instructor and your other classmates. Watch the instructor for pronunciation, facial expressions and gestures, and emphases. Observe how the other students pronounce words and any corrections that are made. Repeat pronunciation whenever possible. Look at the instructor or at the spelling, depending on the instruction given. Listen to yourself pronounce it, too. Write down notes when given and any notes you feel will help you later on. Include translations and meanings, diagrams, and phonetic spellings if you like. The more thorough you are in class, the more you will have at your disposal at home. Ask questions for explanation, example, clarification, repetition, or curiosity. Usually the instructor will answer them, unless doing so will hinder rather than help the learning at that time. Ask any questions you brought from home, too. Teachers love it when you ask questions, because it shows you are engaged, and it gives them a chance to see where you're at in your learning. Write down any assignments due or scheduled quizzes or tests. Being diligent and thorough will help you go far as you learn! Part 3, Quick Review of English class You regularly prepare for each English class, and you engage in some English activities with your classmates just before the opening minutes of the day's lesson. You're a very proactive student during the lesson, and you write your assignments and any logistical information such as due dates or upcoming tests. Now class is dismissed and you are going home for the day. When you get home, take that well-deserved break after working so hard. Find something that you love to do and find refreshment in what you choose. When you have had sufficient rest and respite, it might be a good idea for you to again focus on your English studies for a little bit so that you will be prepared for your next class. At home Due to the peculiar nature of English learning, it is wise to study it daily. Get all your materials in one place. Review your class notes, starting with the most recent class. Review and rehearse vocabulary, grammar and explanations, any cultural information. Read the notes given in class as well as any you wrote. Repeat everything in English out loud. Check yourself for vocabulary, or work with a partner. Practice writing and saying something daily. Write down questions you want to ask in class in your notes. In situations where it is possible, set one day between English classes for classmates to work together. Follow the above format, abbreviating the study period if necessary. If you have the good fortune to have a partner, try out conversations together. In the beginning, create simple ones at first using the vocabulary that you are practicing from your lesson or readings. As your English proficiency increases, see if you can form more complex conversations using the vocabulary and grammar you have learned. If you are in a social situation together, try out your new vocabulary on each other. Greet each other in English, too! Outside of study times Take opportunities and risks to practice your new language or pick up new vocabulary, where possible. For example, if you see your English written on a poster in the store, see if you can read it. If the English is also given, try to read the English first, then check the dictionary to see how you did. When you see a familiar English word in an unfamiliar context, stop and examine it. Ask yourself, How is this used here? Why? Could I also use this word in another context? If possible, ask someone else, too. Explore other resources to supplement your learning. Picture dictionaries, audio series, radio programs, magazines and newspapers are just a few of the things that can help you learn. If you have time, don’t confine yourself to just what you cover in class. Call or email your instructor, if permissible, if you have any questions, or if you’re just plain stuck! And see if you can have fun, too. Although studying a new language is and has to be hard work, it can be a lot of fun. See if you can find ways to enjoy what you’re learning and pass that enthusiasm on to the others! Part 4, Continuing with English Independently So, you had English classes in school, but now you've graduated or discontinued classes? You discovered how interesting it can be to learn a new language? And you still want to grow in your new language? Good for you! But how will you continue learning without your class? Don't despair – here are some possibilities for you. Take a look at them and see which ones are accessible to you. Here are some suggestions for English students to continue to learn when no more academic courses are available. Some of these methods are expensive, some are inexpensive, and some are free! Most of them will require you to exert deliberate effort, others will come almost as naturally as breathing. These are somewhat divided into expense categories. Expensive Language school in an English speaking-country. There are many to choose from, some good, some bad. One place to find them is through an Internet search or in ads in international student magazines. Mission trip . Expensive, yes, but for a good cause. You may find trips advertised through religious, civic, and medical organizations. I myself have gone on several mission trips that were mostly for teaching purposes. I found out about them through relationships with people from churches or missionary organizations. Book and audio program. Sometimes these can be found inexpensively, but not often. Do a search for reviews for the product before spending your money to see what other users think of it. Travel to another country . What a benefit that is in learning a language! There's nothing like immersion in authentic situations. Hire a professional tutor. Watch for ads for tutors, or ask your friends at work if they know of anyone. Guided immersion tour with language-speaking guide and related language attractions. Exchange student program or au pair opportunity. Inexpensive Find language workbooks, flash cards, verb books, dictionaries, travel books, etc. in larger bookstores . While in a large city, visit an international or English bookstore, restaurant, museum, or other attractions, such as a parade. Host a native speaker for a visit. Subscribe to a language magazine for international speakers. This may be somewhat more expensive than regular magazine subscriptions. Buy or borrow a familiar book in your new language. The familiarity of the story will help guide you into the words of your new language, kind of like training wheels. Continue using your school textbook and purchase additional materials available from the publisher. They may put out accompanying audio-visual video and other supplies. If you liked the book you used in school, you probably can find an inexpensive used one on the Internet. Start over in the textbook from the beginning. Do every exercise in the book, especially the reading and writing selections. Be thorough and consistent. Attend events that come to your area that have an international emphasis. Cheap or Free Don't let a lot of time pass between language experiences and interactions. You will lose what you have learned if you do. Find a pen pal who speaks English, preferably sharing an email relationship. To do this the free way, do a search on the Internet for pen pal organizations where you can choose a pen pal from an existing list. Don't bother with any services that charge a fee. You can find free ones. Schedule a video chat. There are many platforms you can use using several devices. Some may be cheap or free. New apps are created all the time for connecting with people. Follow regular lessons on YouTube for learning English Read the bilingual posters when visiting a public place such as a health clinic, restaurant, or bus station. Continue chatting with your friends in English. Even if you aren't learning any new words that way, you aren't letting yourself get rusty, a very important factor. Teach what you have learned to someone else, such as a young child or family member. Again, you may not be learning something new, but you will firm concepts up in your mind, and you bring them out and serve others with them. Visit the library. Find kids' books in English (the sentence structure will be simpler), or read about its culture. There are also some great online resources available through your library. Plus, they may have language audio-visual programs you can borrow. Some libraries even schedule bilingual conversation groups. Many libraries have language programs that you can download or borrow. Cultivate friendships with native speakers of English. Be encouraged that you may know more target language than you realize. Be willing to try to use what you know, and learn from your mistakes. Some of the most important qualities you can possess in this area is a willing spirit, confidence, and an open mind. Be willing to exert effort to continue to learn throughout your lifetime, not just spending time with a course to meet a requirement and get a grade. Be open to learning in a way different from what you'd expect or perhaps even choose for yourself. As those situations come up, formal and informal, you may find yourself amazed at how quickly you can learn and grow. completetipsnative Complete tips to get the most out of your Foreign language learning, Native English Speakers Edition Part 1, Practical tips for Foreign Language Learning You can use many resources and techniques in learning another language,including English. Taking advantage of all the tools —written and mental — that are available, as well as keeping in mind your own learning style, will help you learn more quickly and thoroughly. Here are some suggestions to try. You can probably think of others as you learn. A big key to learning is knowing what works for you. Know English well Being familiar with your own language's grammatical structure, peculiarities, idioms, situations, vocabulary, and word origins can bring you a long way in learning another language, particularly when the two languages have the same roots, as is the case with Spanish and English or German and English, for example. Take advantage of cognates. When a word looks or sounds similar in your foreign language to one you know in English, find out if it is a cognate, that is a word that is similar in both languages and have similar meanings. It may very well have the same exact meaning as its English counterpart, or it may have a concept that is similar but not exact. Even then, the concept may help you learn the meaning or use of the word. The worst that can happen is that there are no similarities to the English word you thought it was! You still learned something from the experience! See how a word is used in context. When you are reading a passage or story in your own language, often find a word that you do not know. Do you automatically look it up in the dictionary? No, you don't. You attempt to figure it out by the words surrounding it, or by the setting or situation of the passage or story. This is called context . Use this same skill as you learn your foreign language. As you come to an unfamiliar word, see if you can figure it out by the context. Practice in various situations. When we practice unfamiliar things, we get good at it. When we don’t, we may lose ground in the subject. This is especially true in learning a language. Feel free to practice in many situations, even in unlikely or unexpected ones! This will help round out your knowledge of appropriateness of word or idiom use. Try out your new language with native speakers. Native speakers of some languages enjoy hearing other people try to speak their language. They may be encouraging and willing to help you and even to correct your mistakes if you want! Make mistakes. Except in situations where mistakes are dangerous, mistakes are a normal part of learning and are healthy for our growth — if we’re willing to make them! Guess! You never know when you’ll be right! Keep accumulating knowledge and build on it as you go. Most language concepts are built on ones previously learned. Listen and read. Listening to your foreign language being spoken and reading written material adds to your dimension of learning, rather than just repeating the phrases a teacher or recording gives you. One technique is to read something in your foreign language which you are already familiar with in English. Or, read bilingual posters at the clinic or labels on packages. Examine punctuation and sentence structure. These are clues to the meaning of a sentence and sometimes help with the framework of the meaning. Acquire a collection of helpful reference books and materials. Here are just a few useful books that you can keep by your side as you learn your foreign language: language dictionary, verb book, grammar book, traveler's phrase book. And keep a notebook to write down things that you learn. Ask, ask, ask questions! In some situations, this is the only way you will find out something. Try to ask them according to your learning style. For example, if you are good at grammar, ask for an explanation of a word or sentence structure as it applies to grammar. Or, if you manage better at turning a phrase without knowing why it works, ask if an idiom will be appropriate in a new situation. Don’t give up. Language is orderly and you have a good mind to learn. Keep trying as you find yourself in new and challenging situations in your language learning. Last but not least, have fun! It is fun to learn a new language, despite the hard work. It opens up new experiences for you and helps you to build bridges of friendship with people you’d never get to know otherwise. Part 2, Learning a foreign language before and during class Foreign language learning often requires methodical instruction, group work, regular oral, written, and listening practice, repetition and review, and other patterns. A foreign language class in a school is usually designed to provide the instruction and group work useful to meet this need. But there are things you as a student can do during the class and at home to get the most benefit from this structure. There are some classroom habits and home study skills that are good to develop. Here are some suggestions to help you improve by working before and during class. Before class Check to make sure you have everything before you arrive at class. The materials you may need are any homework due, textbook, folder with notes and homework, notebook for taking additional notes in class, pens or pencils, any questions you have, and a can-do attitude! A calendar or assignment book is also recommended to keep track of your stuff. Before you arrive at class, if possible, practice speaking a little bit of your foreign language. You may wish to recite some of your written work in your notes or have a little conversation in the car or on the bus. The idea is to get your “language mouth” warmed up before class! During class Regardless of how long your class period is, or how frequently you meet each week, you will get the most out of your class by being fully engaged. You can purpose to absorb a lot of material during the period, with the following suggestions, then work daily with it at home. Pay close attention to the instructor and your other classmates. Watch the instructor for pronunciation, facial expressions and gestures, and emphases. Observe how the other students pronounce words and any corrections that are made. Repeat pronunciation whenever possible. Look at the instructor or at the spelling, depending on the instruction given. Listen to yourself pronounce, too. Write down notes when given and any notes you feel will help you later on. Include translations and meanings, diagrams, and phonetic spellings if you like. The more thorough you are in class, the more you will have at your disposal at home. Ask questions for explanation, example, clarification, repetition, or curiosity. Usually the instructor will answer them, unless doing so will hinder rather than help the learning at that time. Ask any questions you brought from home, too. Teachers love it when you ask questions, because it shows you are engaged, and it gives them a chance to see where you're at in your learning. Write down any assignments due or scheduled quizzes or tests. Being diligent and thorough will help you go far as you learn! Part 3, Quick Review of foreign language class You regularly prepare for each foreign language class, and you engage in some foreign language activities with your classmates just before the opening minutes of the day's lesson. You're a very proactive student during the lesson, and you write your assignments and any logistical information such as due dates or upcoming tests. Now you are going home for the day. When you get home take that well-deserved break after working so hard. Find something that you love to do and find refreshment in what you choose. When you have had sufficient rest and respite, it might be a good idea for you to again focus on your foreign language studies for a little bit so that you will be prepared for your next class. At home Due to the peculiar nature of foreign language learning, it is wise to study it daily. Get all your materials in one place. Review your class notes, starting with the most recent class. Review and rehearse vocabulary, grammar and explanations, any cultural information. Read the notes given in class as well as any you wrote. Repeat everything in the foreign language out loud. Check yourself for vocabulary, or work with a partner. Practice writing and saying something daily. Write down questions you want to ask in class in your notes. In situations where it is possible, set one day between foreign language classes for classmates to work together. Follow the above format, abbreviating the study period if necessary. If you have the good fortune to have a partner, try out conversations together. In the beginning, create simple ones at first using the vocabulary that you are practicing from your lesson or readings. As your foreign language proficiency increases, see if you can form more complex conversations using the vocabulary and grammar you have learned. If you are in a social situation together, try out your new vocabulary on each other. Greet each other in your foreign language, too! Outside of study times Take opportunities and risks to practice your new language or pick up new vocabulary, where possible. For example, if you see your foreign language written on a poster in the store, see if you can read it. If the English is also given, try to read the foreign language first, then check the English to see how you did. When you see a familiar foreign language word in an unfamiliar context, stop and examine it. Ask yourself, How is this used here? Why? Could I also use this word in another context? If possible, ask someone else, too. Explore other resources to supplement your learning. Picture dictionaries, audio series, radio programs, magazines and newspapers are just a few of the things that can help you learn. If you have time, don’t confine yourself to just what you cover in class. Call or email your instructor, if permissible, if you have any questions, or if you’re just plain stuck! And see if you can have fun, too. Although studying a new language is and has to be hard work, it can be a lot of fun. See if you can find ways to enjoy what you’re learning and pass that enthusiasm on to the others! Part 4, Continuing with a foreign language independently So, you had foreign language classes in school, but now you've graduated or discontinued classes? You discovered how interesting it can be to learn a new language? And you still want to grow in your new language? Good for you! But how will you continue learning without your class? Don't despair – here are some possibilities for you. Take a look at them and see which ones are accessible to you. Here are some suggestions for foreign language students to continue to learn when no more academic courses are available. Some of these methods are expensive, some are inexpensive, and some are free! Most of them will require you to exert deliberate effort, others will come almost as naturally as breathing. These are somewhat divided into expense categories. Expensive Language school in your target language's country. There are many to choose from, some good, some bad. One place to find them is through an Internet search or in ads in international student magazines. Mission trip. Expensive, yes, but for a good cause. You may find trips advertised through religious, civic, and medical organizations. I myself have gone on several mission trips that were mostly for teaching purposes. I found out about them through relationships with people from churches or missionary organizations. Book and audio program. Sometimes these can be found inexpensively, but not often. Do a search for reviews for the product before spending your money to see what other users think of it. Travel to another country. What a benefit that is in learning a language! There's nothing like immersion in authentic situations. Hire a professional tutor. Watch for ads for tutors, or ask your friends at work if they know of anyone. Guided immersion tour with language-speaking guide and related language attractions. Exchange student program or au pair opportunity. Inexpensive Find language workbooks, flash cards, verb books, dictionaries, travel books, etc. in larger bookstores. While in a large city, visit an international or foreign language bookstore, restaurant, museum, or other attractions, such as an ethnic parade. Host a native speaker for a visit. Subscribe to a language magazine for international speakers. This may be somewhat more expensive than regular magazine subscriptions. Buy or borrow a familiar book in your new language. The familiarity of the story will help guide you into the words of your new language, kind of like training wheels. Continue using your school textbook and purchase additional materials available from the publisher. They may put out accompanying audio-visual video and other supplies. If you liked the book you used in school, you probably can find an inexpensive used one on the Internet. Start over in the textbook from the beginning. Do every exercise in the book, especially the reading and writing selections. Be thorough and consistent. Attend events that come to your area that have an international emphasis. Cheap or Free Don't let a lot of time pass between language experiences and interactions. You will lose what you have learned if you do. Find a pen pal who speaks your target language, preferably sharing an email relationship. To do this the free way, do a search on the Internet for pen pal organizations where you can choose a pen pal from an existing list. Don't bother with any services that charge a fee. You can find free ones. Schedule a video chat. There are many platforms you can use using several devices. Some may be cheap or free. new apps are created all the time for connecting with people. Follow the regular lessons on YouTube for learning your target language. Read the bilingual posters when visiting a public place such as a health clinic, restaurant, or bus station. Continue chatting with your friends in your target language. Even if you aren't learning any new words that way, you aren't letting yourself get rusty, a very important factor. Teach what you have learned to someone else, such as a young child or family member. Again, you may not be learning something new, but you will firm concepts up in your mind, and you bring them out and serve others with them. Visit the library. Find kids' books in your target language (the sentence structure will be simpler), or read about its culture. There are also some great online resources available through your library. Plus, they may have language audio-visual programs you can borrow. Some libraries even schedule bilingual conversation groups. Many libraries have language programs that you can download or borrow. Cultivate friendships with native speakers of your target language. Be encouraged that you may know more target language than you realize. Be willing to try to use what you know, and learn from your mistakes. Some of the most important qualities you can possess in this area is a willing spirit, confidence, and an open mind. Be willing to exert effort to continue to learn throughout your lifetime, not just spending time with a course to meet a requirement and get a grade. Be open to learning in a way different from what you'd expect or perhaps even choose for yourself. As those situations come up, formal and informal, you may find yourself amazed at how quickly you can learn and grow. managinganaudience Managing an audience no matter what! June 27 You've worked long and hard to get ready for this moment: performing for an audience! What will happen? How will they like my reading? What if I make a mistake? There are so many things that can go wrong! These fears can make you very nervous as you step out front. After all, an audience brings special challenges, but you can learn to manage an audience — no matter what! You are the one who has done all the interpretation of your reading speech, or monologue. You have examined, prepared, and practiced it the way you think is best. Unless you sense that something in your interpretation isn't appropriate for your particular audience, stick with it . Don't change it for embarrassment or fear. If you do, it won't be as good as you planned. Remember — you know best! Do whatever you need to do. If you need to pause, drink, pick up papers, or ask for changes from a stage manager, you can do that. The audience doesn't usually notice those little things, especially when you handle it naturally and don't call attention to it. Don't go dry or hoarse because you need water! Take a drink, then go on. Do your best to hold the audience's attention. You don't have to do tricks, but you do need to give an interesting reading. You can command their attention by believing that your reading is worthwhile, then acting like it! When necessary, add intensity to your voice or body to capture their attention. You can't control their attention — especially with little kids and distractions in the environment — but you can act like they should give you their attention. Then the response is up to them! Should I make eye contact? Well, yes and no. It's a good idea to scan the audience and look them in the eye in a general, impersonal way. You can even pretend to look at them. But, you don't need to keep your gaze fixed on them. Rather, go back and forth from your copy to them. And it's a good idea to not watch them, especially if they're doing things other than paying attention. You will probably get very distracted— and maybe intimidated — by it and lose your place or even change your interpretation. The general rule of thumb is that you make a form of eye contact with the audience. Here's what it looks like: unless you have a reason to do otherwise, you should look just over their foreheads but probably not directly in their eyes, unless you detect that the audience would not be uncomfortable with eye contact from you. What do I do with reactions from the audience? What will you do when the audience laughs too hard or doesn't laugh where you wish they would? What if someone screams at a scary part in your exciting story? You need to be ready for reactions — or no reactions — from your audience. Basically, the rule of thumb here is to pause in your story if there's a noisy reaction so your voice is not drowned out by theirs. They may need time to absorb the emotion. You may even get applause during your reading. If you do, it's polite to stop and wait for it to end, then resume your reading. If they're not responding where you thought they would, keep going. It would be embarrassing to pause for a laugh and not get one! What will you do with audience distractions? Here's what might happen: coughing, cell phones, bad manners, babies crying, noisy machines outside, people getting out of their seats. And of course, the unexpected. Anything can happen at a performance. Don't lose your cool. And don't take it personally. It's probably not your fault. Sometimes mishaps can happen to you. Like what? Dropping your book or pages, losing your place in the reading, needing a closer microphone, choking on a dry throat, getting itches or hiccups, seeing something that makes you nervous. And again, The Unexpected. If you drop your material, calmly pick it up; then ignore it. (The audience will, too.) If you have a microphone or music stand problem, quietly ask the stage manager or host to help you if you can't help yourself. (Try not to be afraid of your microphone.) What about mishaps and distractions? Don't make a big deal of them, take care of them, and ignore them if you can. If you cannot take care of an unruly audience member, see if you can discreetly get the attention of the host or stage manager for help. If there is no one, it may be that you will have to be that person yourself. If that happens, I suggest that you walk directly to where that person is seated, tip your head toward him or her and with a soft but firm voice ask the person to sit quietly as an audience member, then go on! Read your audience Even reading the same piece may change from one audience to another. A perceptive performer will notice the type of audience based on some nonverbal signals the audience gives before a performance. Be observant about the characteristics of the audience. See if you can read them regarding factors such as attention span, age group, openness to the topic, and other demographics. Audience management self-talk for you Here are some things you can say as a pep talk before you go on: I am in charge of my interpretation and performance. I am not intimidated by the audience. I can try to command the attention of the audience. I can't control everything, and that’s okay. I can manage distractions and mishaps gracefully and confidently. Here are some important points of etiquette to be aware of when giving a performance: Well, if there is a host who has invited you to perform you might want to acknowledge the host before beginning your performance out of appreciation for the invitation. Overall, the most important manner is to be gracious. When you are introduced, don't look shy or apologetic, but not arrogant either. Just be yourself when you walk to your spot and you'll be just right. Fill your skin — don't shrink inside it or burst it either. Thank your host and audience. Accept any applause graciously. Leave graciously. And remember to be a good audience member, too. Put yourself in the performer's shoes. How would you like to be treated when you're giving a reading? Do the same when you're in the audience, of course. teachguatemala Teaching in Guatemala June 10, 2024 Note: any names used have been changed to protect privacy. A private Christian school I once taught English, vocal music, and drama for three weeks as a guest teacher at a private Christian school in a small village in Guatemala. This small Christian school with primary and secondary grades, was managed by the church on the same campus as the school. I stayed in the teacher's house for female teachers during my 3 weeks in Guatemala. I divided my time between the church and the school. 11th grade English One of my favorite educational memories is when I taught English composition to a group of Spanish-speaking eleventh grade students. Since English is taught in the earliest grades at the school, all these students were fluent. Their teacher was Miss Bonnie, the woman who invited me to visit the school to teach; she had been with them for a few years, and I also knew her well. We were covering a short series of basic composition skills that Miss Bonnie could build upon after my time was over. She attended the lessons so she could keep in close connection with what the students were learning, and to help me if I needed it. The lessons I brought had a consistent format: an opening introduction to the lesson concept, the rule or tip in boldface type followed by an explanation, several model sentences or a paragraph, and practice exercises. I also included translation of difficult words in footnotes that I had anticipated to be unfamiliar. Since the students were advanced English learners who had lifelong composition instruction, they had a good working knowledge of acceptable writing, but would make typical errors in construction, writing the same way they would speak in casual conversation. I planned on taking these errors into account as I taught the lessons. During the lesson, I would have student volunteers read sections of the lesson including the model sentences. At the end of each section, we would stop to see if there were any English words they did not know, as well as discuss the concept as it pertained to composition. I used a teaching style where I gave clear, direct instruction of the material, but with a friendly, encouraging manner that allowed students to ask any questions they wanted until they understood either the words or the concept. In the months prior to my coming to the school, I checked with Miss Bonnie for what composition skills they already possessed and what their typical weaknesses were. For example, Ivan tended to write whole paragraphs as one run-on sentence. I noticed that he spoke English very well, but that he did indeed speak fast and in run-on sentences. Other students, Miss Bonnie advised me, wrote often in sentence fragments. Therefore, I made sure to include lessons in identifying and repairing sentence fragments and run-on sentences as part of the series. I also correctly anticipated some vocabulary difficulties based on prior experiences of my own with other Spanish speakers, so I inserted a Spanish translation in the footnotes. I knew that students would know a particular Spanish equivalent of certain words, so I presented the Spanish word and replaced it with the most appropriate corresponding English word. I knew that students generally have an understanding of the differences between spoken and written language, especially this group of students at this late stage of their childhood education. So, I compared the appropriateness of speaking in sentence fragments and run-on sentences to the lesson at hand. I invited students to give examples of their and expand upon it afterward. Overall, I was satisfied with the turn-taking interactions between teacher and students, which is my usual style. I got feedback from them later that that method was just right for the lesson and that they definitely learned something from it. Furthermore, the school principal paid our class a visit during our English lesson. He later commented to me that he was pleasantly surprised that I stood in close proximity to the students during the lesson, rather than standing behind a teacher desk lecturing from a distance, which is what they typically experienced with their teachers. You can imagine my gratification. Vocal music coach In the late afternoon some days I would head over to the church to work with the worship team. The worship leader was a young man named Pedro, and all the singers were teenage girls who also attended the Christian school whose English class I was leading that month. I was asked to give the girls some pointers so they could sing more in tune. Having already taught vocal music classes a few years earlier in my home, I brought principles of good vocal production to the girls. They were very enthusiastic participants. Pedro also tapped into my experience as a lifelong worship team member. The pastor of their church had just left with his family on furlough to the United States for six months. Since half the worship team was made up of the pastor's family, Pedro felt like he had had his arm cut off; he gladly welcomed my expertise and encouragement. Because one year earlier I had had a similar experience, I felt privileged to work with Pedro as a vocalist and a leader. I gave him pointers on how to lead the worship team after the pastor's family had left. Saturday nights at 7:00 was the weekly church service. The service was not held on Sundays because that day everybody in the village was either a vendor or shopper in the open air market. So on Saturday evening before the service, Pedro, the girls and I would practice the songs we were going to sing. I had my tambourine on hand to enhance the percussion, in addition to a drummer playing. Miss Bonnie joined us by playing the keyboard. Since we knew each other from our home church, and both played on the worship team there, we just picked up where we left off from when she had left for Guatemala. One evening I noticed a rainstick nearby that someone had left on a table. A rainstick is a percussion instrument in the form of a man-made or natural hollow stick. It has dried beans or peas in it so that when you turn it upside down, it makes a sound like rain. I had always wanted to play a rainstick and so I began to play during one of the songs. All of a sudden the sky opened up and unleashed a great downpour on the metal corrugated roof! I was right in the middle of playing the rain stick when I realized nobody could hear me, and it really didn't matter because God's rainstick was doing a fine job. So I stopped playing and listened to the music it made. Drama exchange My third assignment on the campus in Guatemala was to participate with the drama ministry of the church, whose focus was mime. Years earlier our church had presented a Christmas musical where the main character was a mime. I had the privilege of playing that character. Although I had had quite a bit of experience in the theatre department at college, I had never officially learned the principles for mime. When I played the main character in our musical, I was just using freeform intuition to craft my performance. But when I was working with the drama ministry in Guatemala, they taught me the standard mime motions for various emotions and intentions. I really enjoyed learning the techniques, although it was a challenge for me. In exchange, I taught them some theatre games, and techniques for improv that I had prepared for them. Performance! Near the end of our mime activities we began rehearsals for a skit that we would perform in the coming weekend downtown. The skit was a pantomime skit set to the music of Amy Grant's song Angels Watching Over Me . The lyrics of the song are all about the spiritual warfare that God's people go through, oftentimes unaware that angels are watching over them. I played the main character who was going through her daily routine while angels and devils were fighting over her, with the angels winning, of course. I just did my little walking- through-my-day part of the pantomime while the teenagers in our group were doing backflips and other acrobatics around me as they were playing the parts of the demons and the angels. It was absolutely astonishing to me the high quality of the acrobatics the kids were doing to convey the message. This weekend event was a televised fundraiser for all of the schools in the vicinity. A Spanish-speaking rooster?!? Finally, I experienced a curious recurring element while staying in the teacher's house. The terrain there is terraced and my bedroom window was somewhat above where my head lay. On the other side of the glass in a cage sat a rooster who crowed at any time of the day or night, not only in the morning, as we had been taught in our childhood poetry. But the crazy thing that I witnessed as he crowed, no lie, was hearing him say, ¡Nos vemos, nos vemos!, which in English means “See you later!” This is me! picturebooks Reading Picture Books to Children and Young People June 4, 2024 Reading picture storybooks to children and young people can be really fun, but can also present a special challenge. Just a few practical tips will help make it a positive experience for audience and reader alike. There are three basic rules a reader must follow just for picture storybook reading. 1. Know your audience. Take into consideration that the younger the audience, the shorter the attention span. Pay attention to your pacing and your visual aids. 2. Make sure your audience can see and hear your storybook. 3. Choose a book that will hold everyone's interest. All other tips are based on these three rules! Know your audience What is the age range of your audience? If you are reading to an audience that has been specifically advertised to or invited, there's probably a certain age that the majority of the people have. If not, you will most likely have a larger age range. Of course, if you are reading to children, you probably will have adults in the group, too. Although you don't have to read to them as adults, you can still make it fun for them, but not at the expense of the target audience. (It's not likely that you will be reading a storybook to adults only, but if you are, then adjust your interpretation to them.) It's a good idea to know what different age groups understand and enjoy and how they act. You should choose your books for your audience's age range. You can easily learn the target age for your books by doing a title search on the Internet (Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com are two good places) or asking a children’s librarian. What tone of voice should you use with each age audience? Be careful not to be overly loud or scary with very young kids. Also, don't talk down to kids of any age. They will sense that you think they're inferior. Different age groups generally have different attention spans. Typically, the younger they are, the shorter their attention span. Make sure you choose a storybook with an appropriate length for your group. Is your audience a general one or have a specific purpose (such as a club)? An audience with a special interest or purpose tends to be more focused than a general one. It's a good idea to select a book with a purpose in mind to ensure the interest of a club. If you are reading for a general audience, try to choose a story you think everyone will like. Is your facility big or small? Indoors or outdoors? Are you near your audience or farther away? Will you have audience participation or not? If you are near your audience and in a small room, you should be aware that your actions and voice will be more noticeable. As discussed earlier, you should avoid being too “big” if you are close, especially if you have very young or sensitive children. If you are reading in an audience-participation setting, “big” can be too intimidating. Save “big” for distances, outdoors, and for non-participation settings to avoid making the audience uncomfortable. Make sure your audience can see and hear your storybook The difference between an oral reading (like a speech) and a storybook is the pictures! The pictures in a storybook are at least as important as the words, so the audience should both hear and see the story. Here are some more tips to help you be a great story reader. Hold your book so the audience can see it. If you hold the book so you can see all the words and pictures, it's pretty likely that the audience won't be able to see it! And if they can't see it, they will not enjoy the performance. If you're reading to little kids, they might squirm and be noisy. Here's a good way to hold the book. Sit in a chair facing the audience. (Pay attention to where the audience is: on the floor, in chairs, near you?) Hold the book open as wide as you can with the pages facing toward the audience, about at the height of your shoulder and chest. As you read the words, hold the book still. When you are done with the page or major section, move the book using a panning movement — from one side to the other across the width of the audience. When you turn the page, repeat this pattern. Go as far as you can to memorize the words in your story. Because you will be holding the book towards your audience and not towards yourself, you really should have as much as possible memorized. Your audience won't want you turning the book away from them frequently to see the words! Occasionally you may need to hold the book below you, on your lap. Then, you can read upside down! This is a good skill to practice. Can you see why nearly memorizing your story can help you? What if you come to a page with long text and little or no pictures? You need to work extra hard to keep the interest of an audience. First of all, it's a good idea to avoid publicly reading storybooks with pages that have no pictures — especially if you have little kids with a shorter attention span. However, if you do have a page with long text, you need to distract your audience from the fact that there are no pictures (or maybe there's one at the end of it). How do you do this? First you pull the book down from the open by-your-shoulder position. Face it towards yourself. Remember to keep your face showing above your book. Then move your excitement level up one notch, like this. Get the audience's attention by looking them in the eye, taking a breath, and adding intensity to your voice. As you read the long page, give special expression to the words to hold their attention. Use more inflections than usual, charging interest into your voice. If there is a picture at the end of this page, show it at an appropriate time, when the words on the page go with it. If in doubt, save it to the end of the page. As an alternative you can prompt your listeners, “What would a picture look like for this page?” If you feel you really need to, you can tell your audience (especially a young one) that you're about to read a page with lots of words. If you do the above technique well, though, you won't have to tell them. And of course, as with all your oral interpretation, practice your reading many, many times before your performance. Remember to have fun. People love storybooks! Choosing a picture storybook If you would like a resource for choosing a picture story book, let me recommend you look for a Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. You can find a comprehensive list for Caldecott Medal books on the Internet or you could consult the children's librarian at your local library. To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 3: This Is Definitely Me definitelyme May 16, 2024 This is the third and final installment of the grouping To Thine Own Self Be True . If you have been following this grouping, you know that we have talked about making truthful gracious excuses following an invitation or request; setting boundaries with people who might attempt to maneuver you to do what you don't want to do. Even the name of the grouping points us to the need to be true to ourselves: our values, our preferences, our opinions, our needs, our personalities, and much more. In this remaining article I will attempt to describe what it means to be yourself. I say I will attempt, because this is the most elusive of the facets of being true to yourself. Let's see how this will go; Please have patience with me as I try. In the fields of psychology, sociology, business, sports management, education, and many others there are ample resources, tools, programs, self-help, measures, questionnaires, and the like to help us learn more. Some are very helpful, others are not in asking or answering the question Who am I ? Trying to answer Who Am I ? I'll tell you about a questionnaire I once took; I am fond of wine and enjoy learning about which wines go best with which foods. I have tasted lovely local wines in Italy, Spain, and France and in the Finger Lakes of New York State. So, when I came across a questionnaire on the Internet to investigate my wine preferences, I was game. I was surprised to be asked questions that had nothing to do with wine or food but rather preferences about activities and many elements in my life. After I submitted the questionnaire I was greeted by the line you like full-bodied Reds. Well, I had known that for years. So instead of being grateful that my taste was confirmed, I was instead ticked off that I didn't learn any secrets of the universe. I guess that's what you get when you use a tool for the wrong purpose. Operator trouble on my part, for sure. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences diagnostic When I was earning my master's degree in ESL education I had the opportunity to learn about Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. In case you're not familiar with the term multiple intelligences it can be put simply the skills and aptitudes you have from a variety of fields. Some examples are music, athletics, mechanics, writing, performing, etc. The subject taking the diagnostic responds to a bunch of statements from many fields of study. For example: I can play a musical instrument; I can make up stories; I find budgeting and managing my money easy and so on. The diagnostic sorts the given answers and summarizes in which field or fields you excel or would find challenging. Me: writing, music, performing arts, Not me: science, athletics, mechanics. Yeah, I knew that, too. But this time, unlike my encounter with the wine preference quiz, I was not resentful but rather intrigued and felt comfortable with myself regarding the results. Besides, diagnosis is one of my intelligences. I admit that I have several little-known character and personality traits. So when people meet me for the first time, they're not sure what they're looking at. So the first day of getting to know me they just watch and maybe ask one or two questions and leave it at that. Then if we meet again, they'll start describing what they've seen so far. Then the next time they say statements that they want to confirm as true about me. Like ‘Oh you are the one who sings in the choir at church’. Or ‘You are married to that nice elder’. Or ‘Oh you run that website’. See what I mean? Three traits. I know that I have a lot more than three traits, but on days that I am feeling insecure, even I can only think of three. People are not their categories Here I was trying to figure out how to finish this article. And so I consulted my husband (You know, that nice Elder) for a satisfactory ending. He said that God did not make categories of people. He made individuals. Unique, Precious, Special. Earlier we talked about some different measures that we can take to find out what we are like and Who We Are. Questionnaires, rubrics, diagnostics, wine tests… as I look at that list I see how meaningless they are to help answer the question Who Am I ? I consider myself a rather complex person with many characteristics, interests, and qualities. I don't want to be boiled down to my favorite wine, or the three things that people know about me, and I don't want to do the same to you. boundaries To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 2: Setting Boundaries May 7, 2024 In Part 1 of this article, To Thine Own Self Be True: Making Truthful Excuses, we sympathize with Michael as he grapples with the dynamic of attending a neighborhood barbecue with his ill-mannered neighbor, Bud. Michael learns to give a truthful answer that is also gracious. He finds himself needing to set boundaries with Bud. We are now going to talk about the tricky, but necessary dynamic of setting boundaries with other people. A resource that I found indispensable in my life was Boundaries , a book by two acclaimed Christian psychologists and prolific authors, Dr.Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. I'm going to talk about a principle of setting boundaries that I have found to be quite helpful: This is ME; This is NOT me. This is ME; This is NOT me This is ME; This is NOT me is an invisible yet solid line of division between what is my property and another's property to make sure the other person is fully aware that I am protecting My property just as she must protect hers. By the way, property may be material, such as a house or car, or immaterial such as a value or an idea. This is ME; This is NOT me goes something like this: This is my yard, that is your yard. The This is NOT me part refers to when someone is requiring you to do something that he has no right to require from you. For example, someone tries to rope you into a large time commitment for a large project that has nothing to do with you. Setting a boundary in this case needs to include clear terms of the request, or perhaps even a firm no . Let's continue with some more examples of This is ME; This is NOT me. This is my airspace; yours is over there, so please turn down your radio a bit. This is my idea, and that is yours. I'll share my idea with you, but it's still mine. Your idea is different from my idea, but let's appreciate the difference. These are my political and ideological beliefs, and those are yours. Even if they're different from yours, let's be okay with the difference. And please don't assume that I share the same beliefs as you even if the majority of our neighbors do. This is my time, that is your time; don't expect me to use my time for something you should have planned for yourself. These are my kids and I choose how to raise them. Those are your kids and you can choose to raise them the way you see is best. If my kids are making a racket or are trampling your flowers and I don't notice it, I apologize; please let me know so I can make it right. Setting boundaries Setting boundaries does not limit itself to real estate boundaries but refers much more so to my values, perspectives, desires, limitations, permissions, and the like. So just as a fence separates two suburban houses from one another, virtual boundaries set a limit between two people (or groups) and the immaterial things that they possess within themselves as well as the material. Watch over your heart and guard your resources In Boundaries, Cloud and Townsend point out the essential premise from a proverb found in the Bible Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Using this one proverb, Cloud and Townsend warn and encourage us to guard the resources within us so that they will not be defiled or be squandered. For example: when we let someone monopolize our time that we had set aside for something important, we are not guarding our resources. When we allow someone to entice us to buy something with the money we were planning on using for something else, we are not guarding our resources. Older but wiser Diana Unfortunately in my life I spent too much time giving away the proverbial store because I did not know that I was not required by God to do so. (There were some very persuasive influences that talked me into believing that I was supposed to do all of the giving and none of the receiving; talk about squandering your resources!) I am grateful that I now have more insight and wisdom and courage to guard my resources as I guard my heart. I first learned the necessity and benefit of setting boundaries just a few years ago when I watched a video talk about boundaries given by Dr. Cloud. It comes down to this: When I find myself at odds with another person trespassing on what God has entrusted to me, I remember firstly that I must be true to mine own self, namely, Diana. That’s it. I advise you that if anyone, whether individual or a group, tries to take over your free will, that you carefully consider what boundaries you may need to set with that influence. Truthfulexcuses To Thine Own Self Be True, Part 1: Making Truthful Excuses May 2, 2024 Michael was approached by his neighbor, Tony, to come to his backyard barbecue. Uh-oh , thought Michael, I wonder if Tony's brother-in-law , Bud will be there as usual. The last time I went to one of Tony's barbecues Bud was the most obnoxious guest there. Michael scrambled for a reply. “Oh, sorry Tony, I'm busy that day. Maybe next time. ” Note to the Reader: you and I both know that Michael was not busy that day. He only said that he was because he didn't want to go to a barbecue with Tony's brother-in-law wrecking everything. So Michael gave the most common excuse, I'm busy. And you know what, Tony likely knows that Michael was not busy on the day of the barbecue, just as you and I know that. Okay, so if you and I, and maybe Tony know that Michael was not busy on the day of the barbecue, why did Michael say he was? Let's think of some possibilities. Michael is counting on Tony not asking him what he's doing that day. In our culture where our free time is sacrosanct, the person making the invitation isn't going to make a fuss if Michael says he's busy. And contradictorily Michael, like most of us, doesn't believe he can always choose to do what he likes with his own time and so has to make a false excuse of why he can't come. Why do we think we don't have authority to refuse an invitation or a request? Perhaps we believe that we will be perceived as antisocial or selfish. Perhaps we fear that declining too many invitations might make us lose friends. We feel we owe the person a reason if we are declining an invitation. And we also think our reason needs to meet with the other person's approval. (It doesn't.) Let's take a look at some excuses that are both truthful and gracious. Graciously telling the truth So what might Michael say to Tony instead of I'm busy ? Let's take a look at some other excuses that are both gracious and truthful. Oh, thank you, Tony I'm sorry but I won't be coming to your barbecue. Please give my best to your wife. This response is both truthful and puts the onus on Tony to ask for a reason. Most times it will end right there. If Tony does ask for a reason, reply that it’s personal, which it is. Oh, thanks, Tony. I want to stay home that day, I hope you have a great time. Notice that Michael didn't backpedal with an explanation of what he was going to do while he was home. He just says that he wants to be home that day and doesn't feel obligated to justify himself.( I think perhaps He learned that he wasn't required to give full disclosure.) So it looks like this neighborhood barbecue is a regular occurrence in the lives of Michael, Tony, and Bud and Tony's wife. Eventually it may be necessary at some point for Michael to tell Tony about his discomfort around Bud. But a couple of days before the barbecue Bud notices Michael watering his lawn and calls across the street to him. Bud: Hey Mike. Michael: Michael Bud: Whatever- Mike - Tony tells me you aren’t coming to the barbecue. What gives? Michael: Yeah, that's right, I'm not. Bud: How come, Mike? Michael: Personal reasons. Bud: You're kidding, what could be so important that you miss the neighborhood barbecue? Michael: Listen, Bud. I am trying to be gracious here, but the fact is some of your manner with me makes me uncomfortable. Bud: What’s up with that? Michael: Well, as an example you insist on calling me Mike when I have made it clear I prefer Micheal. It’s things like that make it hard to be around you at the barbecue. I’d really like to get to know you better but I am having a very tough time. Like I told you it’s personal. Bud: Wow, Mike, I mean Michael, I guess it is kind of personal. You don’t get much more personal than your own name. Tell you what - come on over to the barbecue and I’ll try to keep in mind what you’ve said. Micheal: Thanks Bud, that means a lot. You know I think I will join you after all. Now Michael won't have to have that hard talk with Tony. :) To wrap up the story let me tell you that the barbecue with Tony and Bud and Michael went well. and Bud learned a few things too. However, two weeks after the success of the barbecue, Tony called Michael on the phone and invited him to a barbecue he was having the following week, but Michael told him that he wanted to stay home that day and wouldn't be attending, but thanked him for the invitation just the same. It may interest you to know that Michael didn't give Tony a description of what he would be doing at home that day. Perhaps Michael has learned he is not obligated to volunteer that information. oralskills How You Can Practice the Basics of English: Oral Skills April 24, 2024 Communication is one of the most important functions people have in society. So, English skills never lose their value in a person's education. Practice, practice in the basics of English both formal and informal, need to be honed throughout life. How can you practice oral skills? Here are some tips: Oral Skills. To be a good oral communicator – formally or informally – you should continually practice public speaking in its various forms. Good communication will always be necessary to obtain a job, perform it, and succeed in social life. Your school or clubs can provide formal opportunities for you to present your work to others. But informal, everyday communication skills can still be practiced. You can also look for opportunities to practice speaking in daily life. You can read books aloud to younger children in your family, your neighborhood, or even the local library story hour. Or, you may want to read aloud to elderly people in a nursing home, hospital, or community center. It may be done as part of a formal commitment to an organization, or you may just find opportunities to do it as they come up. You may find it useful to teach religious instruction, be a panel leader or member of a civic group. School speeches, debate clubs, and oral interpretation workshops of course, will provide lots of practice, although that may not be your cup of tea. Getting involved in school or community plays will do wonders for oral skills – never to be lost in later years. At home on a family game night, you may be the one to read the rules and coordinate the game. In the car or at the store, you can encourage younger children to read road signs or packages and help them with their pronunciation. Good diction The word diction comes from the Latin word meaning to proclaim. Speakers use this word to refer to how clearly and expressively words are pronounced. If you have a message to “proclaim”, it is worthwhile to express it so that it is clear to the listeners. For this reason, you need to focus on pronunciation. (Two other words people use are enunciation and articulation.) Have you ever watched someone read a report or a speech and noticed that he barely opened his mouth? Or did he mumble? Did you have to work pretty hard to understand what he said? Or, if not, was it at least a little boring? Didn't it look like he wasn't very interested in the topic himself or didn't really want to be there? If you ever have, then you can use it as a reminder to open your mouth sufficiently. You may feel a bit uncomfortable because you're not used to it. But, if you can remember what it's like when a speaker doesn't do it, it may help you to open your mouth more than you would in everyday life. Most importantly: be confident. You are or will be a professional and you have a good product to deliver. Furthermore, you have been working hard and you know what you're doing. Believing that will go a long way toward pronouncing your words well. Clearly pronounce both consonants and vowels; don't slur them together if you can help it. These are all things you can do to improve your oral skills – and you may be able to think of other ideas, too! And again, relax, be in control of your voice and body, and enjoy yourself! Bonus word study note Sometimes people choose the wrong words to express what they mean. Here is a common mistake people make. The verb we use to talk about saying words is pronounce . The noun that corresponds to this is pronunciation. But, instead of saying pronun ciation , they often say pronoun ciation . This is not a word. They are taking the verb and adding the noun suffix -iation, but this is incorrect. If it helps you to remember, pronunciation is very similar to the near-synonym enunciation. Study-for the Test Tips -Updated updatedstudy April 11, 2024 These study tips are great for a test that has multiple choice/true-false/matching questions, short-answer, and long-answer questions. If your course has a textbook that has readings broken up into sections with headings followed by comprehension or homework questions, these suggestions are ideal for you. “Test Announcement Day” Tip When your teacher or professor announces a test is coming up, Job One is to put it on your calendar. After that, it's a good idea to find out what format the test comes in: objective questions, long answer, essay, or special equations, scenarios – whatever. If your teacher doesn't tell you the format, ask. It will help you prepare better, and the tips below will help. How can you prepare for your test? Well, the best place to prepare is by scanning your chapter sections and re-answering the review questions at the end of the sections. If you took lecture or reading notes, or your teacher gave you study guides or outlines, use them too. If you can identify from your reading all the people, places, dates, properties, shapes, and other factual items and can answer the review questions, you will probably do well. Most tests have large objective parts (that is, have factual answers that are right or wrong – not application or opinion). If you know the meanings and/or uses of all the boldface words and italicized words throughout the chapter, and can knowledgeably talk about them, you will probably be able to answer all the questions on the test, no matter what form they take — even long- answer. If you can apply the principles from your lessons, not only identify each item, you will be able to answer the longer questions. For example, you know what the word distortion means as it applies to maps. You can talk about different kinds of distortions and which maps tend to have which distortions. Great — then you can answer any multiple choice, true/false, etc. question that may come up. But, if you can explain why flat maps have distortion, then you can answer a long-answer question. That's called application because you are applying facts to situations. That's higher level thinking! When you answer long-answer or essay questions , you will succeed if you make sure you answer every part of the question. Sometimes they will ask you one thing, sometimes multiple things. Don't skip any parts. Also, if you have to explain something, see if you can give a detail or example from your coursework that will help you be complete. That, too, is higher level thinking! If your test will include a long essay, you will need to prepare in more depth by reviewing your chapter and taking notes using an outline format or one with bullets. As you do your review questions from chapter readings, jot down anything you know you don't completely have a handle on. Professor's office hours Maybe, for example, you can answer the what, but not the why. That's what you should ask in class before the test date. If the teacher doesn't automatically cover it, bring it up yourself. If there is no class scheduled between the time you discover a misconception and the test, go see your teacher on your own to ask your question. Most teachers and professors have posted office hours to meet with students. If you wait until the start of class on test day, she likely won't have time for questions immediately before passing out the test. Visiting ahead of time is a safeguard for you and a courtesy to her. Form a study group with other students If you are in high school or college in a class with other students, consider forming a study group with your classmates. There are many ways to use each other's skills and strategies to study for an upcoming test. you might be able to distribute the sections of material that your class was responsible for and maximize everyone's strengths and contributions to the study group. You could try to schedule a cram session, that is an emergency study session, but it would be more productive and advantageous if you arranged to meet in methodically organized study sessions. Oh, and of course get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast. You don't want your mind to be empty because your stomach is. coldreading A Cold Reading March 26, 2024 If you are a public performer,eventually just might be called upon to do what is called a cold reading. But if you have trained and prepared yourself with general techniques of public performance, that shouldn't pose a big problem to you. You can handle it! What is a cold reading? A cold reading is when you are given something to read aloud in public without ever having read it before. You haven't had a chance to look it over, prepare, interpret, or practice it. You have to read it the first time you see it! If this sounds scary to you, stop for a second and think. Have you ever been in a classroom at school and the teacher asks you to take a turn reading aloud from your book? What did you do? You looked ahead through each sentence to see where your voice might go up and down. You watched for breaks and pauses. And if you mispronounced a word because it has a homonym, you just stopped and corrected yourself and went on. You made it through just fine! If you ever find yourself being asked to read something cold, it's a good idea to have a few tricks up your sleeve. How do I get ready when there's no time to get ready? Flip quickly through the story to check for length, characters, and special punctuation. As you read, try to let your eyes go just a little ahead of where your voice is reading. Check for the things that will affect your cadence: punctuation homonyms or words that have several pronunciations depending on part of speech breaks and pauses clauses and phrases changes in voice volume or inflection gaps in paragraphing showing time, place, or scene change It's okay to explain that you've never seen the reading before and that you're looking forward to hearing the story yourself. This might help the audience to feel more at ease and sympathize with you in case you stumble. It will prepare both you and the audience, so you can both relax and enjoy the story. What if I make mistakes as I read? Well, the first question to ask yourself is: Is this a big mistake or a little mistake? The answer to that determines what you should do next. If it's a big or obvious mistake... ... like skipping a paragraph, choking, getting feedback on your microphone, starting to do the wrong voice for a character, or dropping your pages You have several options: Say, “Excuse me,” then go on. (If you say a completely wrong word or something like that, you can say, “Rather...” followed by the correct word.) Silently correct your problem (like picking up your pages) or wait silently for the problem to correct itself (like getting feedback on your microphone). Make a brief, light joke as you correct the problem. Avoid too much humor. Always read your audience to see if joking is appropriate. This option is best avoided or used sparingly. If it's a little mistake... ... like mispronouncing a word, bumping into your microphone, losing your place, or pausing longer than you'd like to… The best thing is to ignore the problem. Just correct it and pretend it didn't happen and go on. Make it as painless for your audience as possible. They'd rather you go on than draw attention to it, since that may make them embarrassed for you. But if it's a really big mistake.. . ... like reading for a while then realizing you've skipped an entire page, or coming to the end of your story and finding you're missing the ending! Well, these things happen! You need to read the situation to see how to handle it. Do you want to make a big joke? Start over? Explain yourself? Ignore it and hope people won't mind? Ask your host to cover for you? You decide. The one thing you should do is say those simple, important words, “I'm sorry.” Relax and roll with the punches as you explore a new story with your audience. And you also might just find yourself having fun! Cold reading practice: The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde Here is an opportunity for you to practice giving a cold reading with The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde. Follow the principles found in the lesson as you do your reading. The Selfish Giant Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden. It was a large, lovely garden, with soft green grass. Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit. The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. “How happy we are here!” they cried to each other. One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden. “What are you doing there?” he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away. “My own garden is my own garden,” said the Giant; “any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.” So he built a high wall all around it, and put up a notice-board. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED He was a very selfish Giant. The poor children had nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it. They used to wander round the high wall when their lessons were over, and talk about the beautiful garden inside. “How happy we were there,” they said to each other. Then the Spring came, and all over the country there were little blossoms and little birds. Only in the garden of the Selfish Giant it was still winter. The birds did not care to sing in it as there were no children, and the trees forgot to blossom. Once a beautiful flower put its head out from the grass, but when it saw the notice-board it was so sorry for the children that it slipped back into the ground again, and went off to sleep. The only people who were pleased were the Snow and the Frost. “Spring has forgotten this garden,” they cried, “so we will live here all the year round.” The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. “This is a delightful spot,” he said, “we must ask the Hail on a visit.” So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice. “I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,” said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden. “I hope there will be a change in the weather.” But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant’s garden she gave none. “He is too selfish,” she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees. One morning the Giant was lying awake in bed when he heard some lovely music. It sounded so sweet to his ears that he thought it must be the King’s musicians passing by. It was really only a little linnet singing outside his window, but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. “I believe the Spring has come at last,” said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out. What did he see? He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the children’s heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely scene, only in one corner it was still winter. It was the farthest corner of the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it, crying bitterly. The poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow, and the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. “Climb up! little boy,” said the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the boy was too tiny. And the Giant’s heart melted as he looked out. “How selfish I have been!” he said; “now I know why the Spring would not come here. I will put the poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children’s playground for ever and ever.” He was really very sorry for what he had done. So he crept downstairs and opened the front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of tears that he did not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little boy stretched out his two arms and flung them around the Giant’s neck, and kissed him. And the other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. “It is your garden now, little children,” said the Giant, and he took a great axe and knocked down the wall. And when the people were going to market at twelve o’clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful garden they had ever seen. All day long they played, and in the evening they came to the Giant to bid him good-bye. “But where is your little companion?” he said: “the boy I put into the tree.” The Giant loved him the best because he had kissed him. “We don’t know,” answered the children; “he has gone away.” “You must tell him to be sure and come here to-morrow,” said the Giant. But the children said that they did not know where he lived, and had never seen him before; and the Giant felt very sad. Every afternoon, when school was over, the children came and played with the Giant. But the little boy whom the Giant loved was never seen again. The Giant was very kind to all the children, yet he longed for his first little friend, and often spoke of him. “How I would like to see him!” he used to say. Years went over, and the Giant grew very old and feeble. He could not play about any more, so he sat in a huge armchair, and watched the children at their games, and admired his garden. “I have many beautiful flowers,” he said; “but the children are the most beautiful flowers of all.” One winter morning he looked out of his window as he was dressing. He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting. Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder, and looked and looked. It certainly, was a marvellous sight. In the farthest corner of the garden was a tree quite covered with lovely white blossoms. Its branches were all golden, and silver fruit hung down from them, and underneath it stood the little boy he had loved. Downstairs ran the Giant in great joy, and out into the garden. He hastened across the grass, and came near to the child. And when he came quite close his face grew red with anger, and he said, “Who hath dared to wound thee?” For on the palms of the child’s hands were the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet. “Who hath dared to wound thee?” cried the Giant; “tell me, that I may take my big sword and slay him.” “Nay!” answered the child; “but these are the wounds of Love.” “Who art thou?” said the Giant, and a strange awe fell on him, and he knelt before the little child. And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, “You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.” And when the children ran in that afternoon, they found the Giant lying dead under the tree, all covered with white blossoms. THE END Giving and Receiving Critiques of Performances critiques March 9, 2024 In order to improve our performances, we need to find out what's good that we can keep and what's bad that we can get rid of. If you are preparing a reading for performance, you might want to find someone you trust to evaluate your performance. We can help our fellow performers grow, too. One of the best ways to do this is to give and receive critiques. What is a critique? “n . Analysis or evaluation of a subject, situation, literary work, etc.” “v. to analyze and evaluate; criticize.” — Webster's New World College Dictionary Did you notice the word criticize in the definition? In everyday language we usually use that word to mean to find fault with or disapprove . In the literary or art world it doesn't mean that. It means to evaluate a work, like a performance, to find its good and bad points and to describe it in order to give information. No one likes to be put down. But a person who desires to grow will look for ways to improve. That's the goal of a critique! A person who writes critiques is called a critic. Here's more. “A person whose profession is to write or broadcast judgments of [art forms] as for a newspaper.” — Webster's New World College Dictionary A critic wouldn't be read and respected if all he ever did was “find fault with or disapprove” the art he was critiquing. (In fact, a person like that is negatively called a criticaster. ) Instead, the critic looks at the good and bad points of the art so other people can have more information about it. What should a critique group say in their critiques? Let's look at some things that might be helpful. Notice these examples. Encouragement of things that are good: I really liked the way you did the voice for the cowboy. He sounded just like what I think a cowboy sounds like. Specific improvements for next time: It was hard to hear you because you looked down at your paper a lot. Maybe you could raise your head and speak a little louder. Encouragement of things that are okay but are insufficient: You really got my attention when you hushed your voice, but I think you could add more intensity to it to build the suspense. Things that should be left out “I found it very distracting when you were twirling your hair. I think it would work better for you to keep your hands on your music stand.” Did you notice how specific these remarks were? and how there were suggestions for improvement? And how they were kind and as positive as they could be? It's a good idea to write the critique on a standardized form so that everyone is judged by the same standards. The performer can have them to think about during practice times. What kinds of things should not be in a critique? Personal remarks There's no reason whatsoever to talk about the person's character or personality — only the interpretation itself. Personal likes and dislikes You don't have to like the selection to give a helpful critique. You're evaluating the interpretation, not the selection. Remarks that aren't clear, helpful, or specific Don't say anything vague or general, like, “It was good.” Unkind, hurtful words. Never, never, never. Thinking about how you would like to be evaluated will go a long way to help you critique another person. Giving a critique can help an artist grow! What about receiving a critique? It can be hard to hear other people comment on your performance. But if we want to improve, it's important to learn all we can. It's very helpful to remember that this kind of criticism does not mean to put down. Let that relieve some of your fears. During the critique, try not to speak unless someone asks you a question, or you can't understand what someone is referring to. If you respond to every remark, it may make you unable to process it and can also intimidate people because they're afraid they might offend you. Wait until all the critiques are finished. Receive each critique humbly and quietly, not defensively. Good manners are important in a critique group. Be gracious when someone tells you something, whether positive or negative. Always say, “Thank you.” And most importantly, try to relax when giving and receiving a critique. It's intended to help, not hurt. What if I am in a competition being critiqued by a judge? In a competition, follow good manners and etiquette. When you sit with a judge, listen patiently. Don't take suggestions as a personal attack, but rather as helpful to your performance. Ask appropriate questions and implement suggestions for a future performance. If he gives you a poor score, do your best to not show any disappointment. And remember to say, “Thank you.” Reader ___________________________ Title ___________________________ Evaluator ___________________________ Date ___________________________ Nonverbal Skills Eye contact 1 2 3 4 5 Posture/Body 1 2 3 4 5 Holding material 1 2 3 4 5 Performance management 1 2 3 4 5 Verbal Skills Diction 1 2 3 4 5 Cadence 1 2 3 4 5 Vocal Projection 1 2 3 4 5 Breathing 1 2 3 4 5 Interpretation Selection choice 1 2 3 4 5 Mood/Emotion 1 2 3 4 5 Vocal Inflections 1 2 3 4 5 Physical 1 2 3 4 5 Characters 1 2 3 4 5 Preparation 1 2 3 4 5 Comments Lay and Lie : You can learn to use them correctly, and that's no lie laylie March 4, 2024 Many people don't know the difference between lay and lie. Many people don't even use lie at all — when they should. Look at the explanations and sentences below and see if you can understand the difference — and use them correctly! lay — to place or put This word means to place or put an object down on a surface. The three principal forms — simple present, simple past, and participle (with a helping verb) and the -ing form — are lay laid (have) laid laying Tommy lays the pieces on the floor. Tommy laid the pieces on the floor yesterday, too. Tommy has laid the pieces on the floor every day for a week now. Look! Tommy is still laying the pieces on the floor! lie — to recline This word means that a person or a thing is reclining and stretched out, like on a bed, couch, or floor. The three principal forms — simple present, simple past, and participle (with a helping verb) — and the -ing form are lie lay (have)lain lying Alex lies around all day doing nothing. In fact, Alex lay in his hammock all day yesterday. Truthfully, Alex has lain in the hammock since Tuesday. Will Alex be lying in it tomorrow, too? Probably. Animals can lie down. So can things — even places! The cat likes to lie on the rug. Your things are lying all over the floor. Pick them up! Fido, lie down! Where does Chicago lie on the map? However, when you go to bed, you can lay your head down on the pillow. Why? Because you are laying an object — your head — down. I can't wait to lay my head on my soft pillow! So, if someone or something lies down, it is reclining. But people lay objects down. But... If you lie, meaning you tell an untruth, here are the forms. lie lied have lied lying Brad, did you lie to me? I never lied to you. You have lied to me for years! Are you lying to me now? Now, one more challenge — the biggest yet! Can you use them correctly in real life? Let's practice lay and lie A. Underline the correct word in each sentence. 1. Hens (lay, lie) eggs. 2. Al is (laying, lying) on the grass in the park right now. 3. Jan (laid, lay) the comb on top of the dresser a few minutes ago. 4. If you are tired, you should (lay, lie) down and take a nap. 5. San Francisco (lay, lies) to the north of Los Angeles. 6. Go (lay, lie) on your bed! 7. Where did you (lay, lie) your coat? 8. I've got to (lay, lie) down. 9. (Lay, Lie) your packages down here. 10. A thick fog (lay, laid) over the city. 11. The masons (laid, lied) the bricks. 12. He (had laid, had lain) his keys on the ledge. 13. The old papers (had laid, had lain) on the desk for months. 14. Feeling drowsy yesterday, I (lay, laid) on the couch. 15. The ketchup bottle should (lay, lie) on its side. 16. Albert Einstein's theories (lay, laid) the groundwork for more discoveries. 17. (Lying, Laying) the tip by my plate, I rose to leave the restaurant. 18. The pasture (lies, lays) in the valley. 19. Don't (lie, lay) your books in that puddle. 20. He said to his dog, “(lay down!, lie down!)”. Answers: 1) lay 2) lying 3) laid 4) lie 5) lies 6) lie 7) lay 8) lie 9) lay 10) lay 11) laid 12) had laid 13) had lain 14) lay 15) lie 16) laid 17) laying 18) lies 19) lay 20) lie down! B. Now you try it. Compose six sentences below using three forms of lay and three forms of lie. Underline your target word. Using a form of lay: 1. 2. 3. Using a form of lie: 4. 5. 6. The audio-lingual method: A good way to learn a foreign language? AL February 28, 2024 If you have been following my articles on language or general perspectives for teachers, you may have come across the term audio -lingual method. I mentioned this method previously when describing the method I encountered when I first began learning Spanish in junior high. In my articles mentioning the audio-lingual method I said that because of the way my brain was wired and because of my personality and learning style I had said that it worked for me. But it also turned out that the audio-lingual method for learning a language fell out of favor as a viable method. I also said that despite my success in using the audio-lingual method, I only truly began acquiring the Spanish language (I said acquiring not learning ) once I began speaking Spanish with native speakers either through relationships or through my travels, and that I never would have acquired the Spanish language by means of the audio-lingual method alone. I affirm that statement again today. So today I want to describe a little bit about the audio-lingual method, and its principles and perhaps some history, and then I will leave you to conjecture whether the method has merits for learning a language. Learning a language versus acquiring a language It is difficult in this short space to talk about the difference between learning a language and acquiring the language (perhaps another time), but until we have the opportunity to discuss it in more depth let me just make a quick rudimentary explanation off-book. Learning a language is kind of in the realm of artificiality. You may know a number of vocabulary sets, grammar sets and patterns, conjugations, and so on, but when you are speaking the language using all of the above mentioned features, there's something about the language that is not on the inside in your heart. Instead, it's just on the top of your head ready to be retrieved by rehearsing the patterns that you know somewhere in the filing cabinet of your head. (just made that up– sorry) In short, you are just translating, albeit quicky. Based on my fake explanation of language learning, perhaps you can conjecture that language acquisition is far more natural and complete than language learning. Because it is in the inside of you, perhaps even in your heart, and by extension more real and internal. Permanent. Authentic. Natural. Yours. Description of the audio-lingual method The four language skills: reading, speaking , listening, and writing are taught separately. The four skills are taught with patterns and expected outcomes. For example, I have a pen . I have a book. I have a desk . In this particular case the student is mimicking in writing or in speaking, one specific pattern. There is also a great deal of ‘repeat after me’, which I employed with my students until I learned in my graduate work that it was a very ineffectual method. One disadvantage of that method may be a disconnect with comprehension. Likewise there are also patterns of substitution. For example, I want to buy a car . I want to buy a house . By the way, the audio-lingual method is also called the Army method due to the repetitions of patterned drills. The principles forming the basis of the audio-lingual method Even though this is a language principle, it is based on the behaviorist theory of stimulus and response. A main emphasis in this method is audio exercises. Students will mimic either a teacher or a recording, reading to practice the pattern of the sentence. Perhaps from Psychology class you recall Pavlov's dog salivating at the sound of a bell. Beyond that you may be familiar with BF Skinner’s studies using behavioral modification with reinforcement stimulus to achieve a particular response. Without looking it up, I think that these two scientists mentioned had nothing to do with linguistics or the audio-lingual method. The linguist who was the pioneer in this particular topic was Noam Chomsky, who believed that linguistic structures are already present in the mind, and likewise that we also possess a universal grammar. (I find his concept very intriguing.) Can you perceive the disadvantages of the audio-lingual method? Perhaps there is a lack of meaning. Perhaps there is a lack of transfer of the skill. Perhaps it is boring. Perhaps it is ineffectual, whose only use is for language learning, not language acquisition (see above). Do you know the classic 1963 film Lilies of the Field starring Sidney Poitier? Homer Smith (Poitier) is driving his car through the Southwest looking for work when he falls in with a convent of nuns who had escaped Nazi Germany during the war. He ends up living with them for a little while, hoping to get paid for the work he is doing for them. In one fun scene it is time for the nuns to do their English lessons with the phonograph and records they had brought from Germany. Homer sits and watches the English lesson, amused. The record first says a sentence in German followed by the English translation which the nuns repeat. the English translation which the nuns Repeat : Please send the valet up to my room . The sentence is ridiculous because they live in an adobe mission house that has no upstairs room nor valet. Then the next sentence: Here is my laundry list . Also ridiculous because the nuns wash their laundry in a tub in the yard next to the chicken coop. Finally, Homer ends these ridiculous proceedings and begins to teach them some practical English which they joyously mimic and repeat with motions and gestures: I stand up. I sit down. The takeaway from this story is that the German/English records were using the audio-lingual method. There was no context in which the nuns were learning English. Not only that, the nuns did not benefit from the sentences in the record because it did not apply in any way to real life for them. Although Homer's version of an English lesson was a little ludicrous too and a bit raucous, his pedagogy was actually superior to that of the phonograph record. His method was also a little along the lines of the audio-lingual method, but because he used a real context and meaningful gestures, feedback, inflections plus camaraderie and humor, he and the nuns had a great time with the lesson and the women benefited from it a lot, if only that they were no longer threatened by the English language. Although he got a little carried away with his version of an English lesson, it actually was more effective than what the records were leading them through, and a lot more fun, which actually is a sound pedagogical principle in acquiring a language. betterteachingperspec I'm a better teacher now from thinking about my own language learning Let me tell you about me learning English, my first language, and Spanish, my additional language. I want to tell you how my experiences made me a better ESL teacher in particular. (But I can testify that it changed everything about how I taught, regardless of the subject matter.) I think I was quick to learn to speak, and was rather articulate at a young age. I also learned to read early, starting at age three. I remember playing with words and sentences even as a small child, making puns and asking adults for clarification. I used to assign words to the objects I saw around me, manipulating them for fun. When I began to learn the alphabet and sounds, I found great delight at finding similarities and differences in words and word families. Later, as I began to read aloud and do oral presentations in public, I soon learned how to do so with fluency, cadence, and expression because I enjoyed it and also knew it was important. To this day, it is one of the most important things in my life, and one of the things I’m best at. (Allow me to briefly insert here that I am totally incompetent in science. I can do math, but I must work hard at it. My handwriting is terrible, and I cannot play sports. My strong points are with language and the Performing Arts, and also with the ability to help people make connections from concept to concept.) [Hence creating this website]) I began learning Spanish officially at age eleven when I was in junior high, using a grammar-based textbook, which I enjoyed at the time. I was delighted by the fact that I was learning a new language. I was also thrilled about it because I enjoyed grammar and vocabulary patterns. Most of my formal language learning after that point revolved around explicit instruction in grammar and vocabulary structure. I became adept at it. (It is really important to pause here to point out, however, that this method is not appropriate for most second language learners. As a result, I’ve committed myself as a teacher not to use that method with ELLs!) Eventually, for me, it was not until I began interacting with native Spanish speakers that verbal fluency really began. True, my grammatical knowledge kicked in, including complex conjugation patterns, because of how I’m wired (again, not typical for most people). This was fortunate for me. It was a combination of formal patterns and informal spoken exchange that gave me the boost I needed to grow exponentially in Spanish. There's an article on the audio lingual method forthcoming. But now I keep in mind the reality that people learn languages in very different ways. I will never assume that my learning style will be my students’. In fact, it’s pretty likely that it isn’t. In any case, my experiences in first and second language learning informed my teaching methods considerably. Although the specifics of my learning Spanish have equipped me substantially to teach English to Spanish speakers. I am able to use my perspective to teach ELLS of other languages. At various points in my teaching career I taught English to speakers of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean and many other languages, too. I do not speak Japanese, Chinese, or Korean-- all languages which have little similarity to English, but nevertheless I know how to apply second language principles to teach these ELLs effectively. Many learners have a strong accent when speaking English, or struggle with incorrect subject-verb agreement, the inappropriate use of prepositional phrases (is the dog on the bed or in the bed?) or idioms, or inverted word order in sentences. I myself can usually tell when native speakers of one language translate directly from it to English but do not choose the correct word appropriate for the context. I am able to spot mistakes and identify the cause. This insight allows me to know how to help a student overcome the error, which I have found to be helpful. Learning a new language is not easy, especially under certain conditions. It's not uncommon for native English speakers to think that learning English is easy because it comes easily to them. I always need to remember that things that come easily to one person because of natural gifting, life experience, or environment may not come easily to another person because of the same reasons. I also need to take into account how each student is affected by his home and school life, his confidence level, how much of his first language he has learned and whether he has learned to read in it, and how much of the second language he already knows (and whether I must simplify wording or use visual cues and so on). Even when I know the basics of a person's background and current situation, I still can't always know what's going on inside. Why is he struggling? Why is he quiet? Is he scared? Embarrassed? Have an issue at home or work? Feel intimidated by the teacher or classmates? Can’t understand my directions? Have a particular learning style? Am I talking too fast?!? I can't know all that affects his learning, but I can press on patiently, helping him develop and grow. One major turning point in my own learning was when I unexpectedly fell into the role as principal translator and mediator for a group of 44 Americans doing mission work in Mexico. My prior knowledge and foundation – with my dictionary constantly by my side –forced me to grow more quickly than I ever expected! When I began traveling to Spanish-speaking countries or hosting visitors, I found that that was when I began to grow exponentially in my fluency. I used the grammatical and vocabulary structures that were so important and foundational in my early years (and which I still add to as I can). But I also gained fluency in idioms, synonyms, cultural variations, and nuances never to be found in formal classroom training. For me, in large part due to my personality and learning style, the formal, methodical, direct instruction of Spanish vocabulary and grammatical structures were absolutely necessary for my foundation, but my growth in becoming now truly bilingual could never have occurred without real world experiences. So, I would say for me, even the contrived audio-lingual method was effective for me as my foundation, but my real world immersion was more powerful than my classroom experience ever could be. Giving an insult by paying a compliment using the adverb actually Actually January 27, 2024 I am exploring the dubious usage of a very commonly used adverb, actually . When I looked up the word actually in the Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/actually I found a short definition: in fact or really, as in So what actually happened? or Did you actually witness the crime? Did you truly, in fact, witness the crime? Are we good so far? That actually means truly or in fact. I'm sure you can perceive that the two example sentences above are not figures of speech, but are straight literal sentences. So where does “giving an insult by paying a compliment” come in? Actually as a figure of speech in casual conversation Let's take a look at a cringey hypothetical conversation. Imagine you are a teacher in a school and you overhear another teacher pay a student this so-called compliment: You actually did good work today. Yikes! You may say to yourself, is the student's success such a rare occurrence that he shocked her that day? Perhaps you can perceive in this instance that her use of the word actually in fact means surprisingly. I do not think that the teacher meant the literal meaning of actually as given above in the examples. I really don't think she meant You in fact did a good job today. Why is this? It is because in the modern vernacular, using actually as an adverb modifying a phrase 99% of the time means surprisingly, or unexpectedly or uncharacteristically. In this scenario the teacher was saying to him, "'You unexpectedly did good work today.” I think that she believed she was indeed paying him a compliment. However, I am concerned about the student who can feel the implied message by the use of that sneaky word actually. How about these? You actually didn't make any mistakes. Or this one: You actually look nice today. (What a miracle.) I actually enjoyed my visit with you. (I certainly didn't expect to.) You actually figured that out! (Whoa!) The dinner was actually good (It usually isn't.) Using actually to report a change of plans Here's an example of using actually which means surprisingly, rather than being an insult, by merely providing a correction or new information. Andrew : Are you still going to work with your father in his flower shop? Lindsay: Actually, not anymore. We decided that I'd be better off taking some time to get some more courses finished first. Andrew: Great. That sounds like a perfect plan for you. In this case Andrew had assumed that Lindsay was still going to work with her father in the flower shop because that was the last he had heard. Lindsay corrected Andrew because her plans had changed. In this case there are no insults meant or taken; it was simply a clarification using new information. In fact, we see that he's happy for her change in plans. There may have been some surprise for Andrew to hear about the change in the plans for Lindsay, but it is merely on a factual level, not a value judgment as I felt the teacher's compliment to be. I doubt that the teacher intended any malice in her remark. Everybody has his or her own lens through which to see the world and process it. Some people have difficulty sorting through nuances of meaning with their wording. The takeaway English has evolved exponentially with phrases, interjections, words with shortened meanings, sound effects, tropes, slang and the like. It would be a good idea for us to evaluate some of the phrases and sayings that we use with one another in casual speech which by its nature deemphasizes etiquette. As I said earlier, 99% of the time the word actually has come to mean surprisingly, unexpectedly and uncharacteristically. The exception is in the case of a change in plans or when you actually mean actually as in in fact, truly, or really. It’s so important to be mindful that others don’t automatically detect your intention in conversation. They hear and react to the words you say. The best safeguard in handling actually and all other interactions we have is to keep the Golden Rule* close at hand. It actually works. *The Golden Rule Is a famous saying from Jesus: Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you (Matthew 7:12) Bonus insult adverb: even I recently came across another adverb that can be used to give a compliment resulting in an insult: even. How would you like to receive this compliment? Everyone made a nice project. Even you. (Gee, thanks.) (See previous explanation re: The Golden Rule) bolivia ¡Ay, Bolivia! We hosted a group of college students from Puerto Rico who were studying English for the summer at the university. Their teachers encouraged us to use as much everyday English as possible, including slang and familiar language. While we were hanging out with them one day, sharing viewpoints, we kept joshing each other and saying, “I believe ya!” followed by a soft, affectionate punch in the arm. After a while of this, one of them, who had shown up late, finally asked, “Why do you keep saying “ ¡ Ay, Bolivia!'? learningforeignlanguage My personal experience with learning a foreign language and what helped me January 25, 2024 “Playing school” with foreign language workbooks on the living room floor As a very small child in first grade I enjoyed doing children's foreign language workbooks as I “played school” by myself. My mother had bought me three children's language workbooks: one in Spanish, one in French, and one in Italian. I did not perceive the difference among my French, Spanish, and Italian workbooks, but I picked it up quickly and had a lot of fun. Early on, my aptitude and interest in language surfaced. Interestingly, at the time I was living in an Italian neighborhood. A neighbor had taught me the word bambino which means baby . We had a tiny rose bush in our yard and the neighbor said the buds looked like little baby faces, so I learned to call them bambinos . Funny what things stick with you. “Do you think you are going to learn it by osmosis?” I began officially studying Spanish at eleven years old in seventh grade. Mrs. Allen was a semi-old-school but elegant teacher. I liked her a lot. I especially appreciated that you could not pull anything on her. I remember her motto, which she said to the boys who did not study, “Do you think you are going to learn it by osmosis?” Learning by the Audio-lingual Method Our textbook was in the AL-M curriculum, that is, the Audio-lingual Method, which has now fallen out of pedagogical fashion and for good reason. Oversimplified, this is basically a formulaic, fill-in-the-blank method of using given sentence structures, replacing key words with the same part of speech to continue to write sentences with an unvarying pattern. We also had to do “repeat-after-me” for all our new vocabulary with little or no real world context. If you are familiar with the principles of second language acquisition, you will perceive that AL-M is not supported, (although it can conceivably be said that it does pertain to a limited degree to foreign language learning, which is not the same thing as second language acquisition. but there is no room to further develop that point in this article.) Then I became a Spanish teacher Later as an inexperienced Spanish teacher, I employed AL-M, for the most part. I noticed after a while that that method wasn't helping my young students as much as it seemed to have helped me. It partially worked for middleschoolers, but I had also included other activities, like readings, skits, games, and stories. But they did not do as well as I hoped, because I assumed that they would respond to the rote rhythms of AL-M as easily as I had at their age. I have a strong aptitude for grammatical structures and word families, so this had been very effective for me in learning Spanish structures. I gained a very broad base of grammar and vocabulary. But – I did not acquire idiomatic proficiency to talk with real people until I started talking with real people! When I really began using Spanish When I began traveling to Spanish-speaking countries or hosting visitors, I found that it was then that I began to grow exponentially in my fluency. I used the grammatical and vocabulary structures that were so important and foundational in my early years (and which I still add to as I can). But I also gained fluency in idioms, synonyms, cultural variations, and nuances never to be found in formal training. How I reconcile the Audio-lingual method and learning Spanish in the real world For me, in large part due to my personality and learning style, the formal, methodical, direct instruction of Spanish vocabulary and grammatical structures were absolutely necessary for my foundation, but my growth in becoming now truly bilingual could never have occurred without real world experiences. I wouldn't really recommend the Audio-lingual Method to either students or teachers. But, I would say for me, even AL-M, contrived as it was, was relatively effective for me as my foundation, but my real world experiences were the most effective for my personal bilingual growth. I believe I would not be where I am today without both. And Mrs. Allen would be happy to know that I did not learn Spanish by osmosis. Practical tips for Foreign Language Learning, Native English Speakers Edition NativeSpeakers You can use many resources and techniques in learning another language. Taking advantage of all the tools — written and mental — that are available, as well as keeping in mind your own learning style, will help you learn more quickly and thoroughly. Here are some suggestions to try. You can probably think of others as you learn. A big key to learning is knowing what works for you. Know English well Being familiar with your own language's grammatical structure, peculiarities, idioms, situations, vocabulary, and word origins can bring you a long way in learning another language, particularly when the two languages have the same roots, as is the case with Spanish and English or German and English, for example. Take advantage of cognates. When a word looks or sounds similar in your target language to one you know in English, find out if it is a cognate, that is a word that is similar in both languages and have similar meanings. For example, car in Spanish is carro, and they look and sound similar. Can you see how cognates might help you learn another language? It may very well have the same exact meaning as its English counterpart, or it may have a concept that is similar but not exact. Even then, the concept may help you learn the meaning or use of the word. The worst that can happen is that there are no similarities to the English word you thought it was! You still learned something from the experience! See how a word is used in context. When you are reading a passage or story in your own language, often find a word that you do not know. Do you automatically look it up in the dictionary?No, you don't. You attempt to figure it out by the words surrounding it, or by the setting or situation of the passage or story. This is called context. Use this same skill as you learn your target language. As you come to an unfamiliar word, see if you can figure it out by the context. Practice in various situations. When we practice unfamiliar things, we get good at it. When we don’t, we may lose ground in the subject. This is especially true in learning a language. Feel free to practice in many situations, even in unlikely or unexpected ones! This will help round out your knowledge of appropriateness of word or idiom use. Try out your new language with native speakers. Native speakers of some languages enjoy hearing other people try to speak their language. They may be encouraging and willing to help you and even to correct your mistakes if you want! Make mistakes. Except in situations where mistakes are dangerous, mistakes are a normal part of learning and are healthy for our growth — if we’re willing to make them! Guess! You never know when you’ll be right! Keep accumulating knowledge and build on it as you go. Most language concepts are built on ones previously learned. Listen and read. Listening to your target language being spoken and reading written material adds to your dimension of learning, rather than just repeating the phrases a teacher or CD gives you. One technique is to read something in your target language which you are already familiar with in English. Or, read bilingual posters at the clinic or labels on packages. Examine punctuation and sentence structure. These are clues to the meaning of a sentence and sometimes help with the framework of the meaning. Acquire a collection of helpful reference books and materials. Here are just a few useful books that you can keep by your side as you learn your target language: language dictionary, verb book, grammar book, traveler's phrase book. And keep a notebook to write down things that you learn. Ask, ask, ask questions! In some situations, this is the only way you will find out something. Try to ask them according to your learning style. For example, if you are good at grammar, ask for an explanation of a word or sentence structure as it applies to grammar. Or, if you manage better at turning a phrase without knowing why it works, ask if an idiom will be appropriate in a new situation. Don’t give up. Language is orderly and you have a good mind to learn. Keep trying as you find yourself in new and challenging situations in your language learning. Last but not least, have fun! It is fun to learn a new language, despite the hard work. It opens up new experiences for you and helps you to build bridges of friendship with people you’d never get to know otherwise. Practical tips for English Language Learning, ESL Edition ESL You can use many resources and techniques in learning another language, including English. Taking advantage of all the tools — written and mental — that are available, as well as keeping in mind your own learning style, will help you learn more quickly and thoroughly. Here are some suggestions to try. You can probably think of others as you learn. A big key to learning is knowing what works for you. Know your own language well . Being familiar with your own language's grammatical structure, peculiarities, idioms, situations, vocabulary, and word origins can bring you a long way in learning another language, particularly when the two languages have the same roots, as is the case with Spanish and English or Italian and English, for example. Take advantage of cognates . When a word looks or sounds similar in English to one you know in your native language, find out if it is a cognate, that is a word that is similar in both languages and have similar meanings. For example, car in Spanish is carro, and they look and sound similar. Can you see how cognates might help you learn another language? It may very well have the same exact meaning as its English counterpart, or it may have a concept that is similar but not exact. Even then, the concept may help you learn the meaning or use of the word. The worst that can happen is that there are no similarities to the English word you thought it was! You still learned something from the experience! See how a word is used in context. When you are reading a passage or story in your own Language you often find a word that you do not know. Do you automatically look it up in the dictionary? No, you don't. You try to figure it out by the words near it, or by the setting or situation of the passage or story. This is called context. Use this same skill as you learn English. As you come to an unfamiliar word, see if you can figure it out by the context. Practice in many situations . When we practice unfamiliar things, we get good at it. When we don’t, we may lose ground in the subject. This is especially true in learning a language. Feel free to practice in many situations, even in unlikely or unexpected ones! This will help round out your knowledge of appropriateness of word or idiom use. Try out your new language with native English speakers . Native speakers of some languages enjoy hearing other people try to speak their language. They may be encouraging and willing to help you and even to correct your mistakes if you want! Make mistakes. Except in situations where mistakes are life-threatening, mistakes are a normal part of learning and are healthy to our growth — if we’re willing to make them! Guess! You never know when you’ll be right! Keep gaining knowledge and build on it as you go . Most language concepts are built on ones previously learned. Listen and read. Listening to English being spoken and reading written material adds to your dimension of learning, rather than just repeating the phrases a teacher or recording gives you. One tip is to read something in English which you are already familiar with in your own language. Or, read bilingual posters at the clinic or labels on packages. Examine punctuation and sentence structure. These are clues to the meaning of a sentence and sometimes help with the framework of the meaning. Get a collection of helpful reference books and materials. Here are just a few useful books that you can keep by your side as you learn English: language dictionary, verb book, grammar book, traveler's phrase book. Ask, ask, ask questions! In some situations, this is the only way you will find out something. Try to ask them according to your learning style. For example, if you are good at grammar, ask for an explanation of a word or sentence structure as it applies to grammar. Or, if you manage better at turning a phrase without knowing why it works, ask if an idiom will be appropriate in a new situation. Don’t give up. Language is orderly and you have a good mind to learn. Keep trying as you find yourself in new and challenging situations in your language learning. Last but not least, have fun! It is fun to learn a new language, despite the hard work. It opens up new experiences for you and helps you to build bridges of friendship with people you’d never get to know otherwise. A missionary’s perspective on learning a foreign language Anchor 1 December 27, 2023 My friend Tom and his family lived in Europe as missionaries. They worked in a ministry house. While Tom was home on furlough, I was teaching Spanish in a Christian school. Since my teaching assignment coincided with Tom's furlough, I had the opportunity to interview Tom during Spanish class time about his experiences as they relate to language learning, culture learning, and how those things affected his missionary work. Tom gave some perspective specifically to Spanish learning,though his remarks can be applied to learning any language. Tom’s foreign languages were German and Russian . 🙙🙙🙙 Q: What are the benefits of learning a foreign language in the mission field? What are the obstacles when a common language is missing? A: You can cross so many barriers. You can share ideas, rather than just actions. Otherwise, you can’t communicate in depth, especially spiritual issues. Gestures only go so far. Learning a foreign language opens the door and says, "Come in." Q: How are studies of other cultures useful? A: You learn what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable. You learn what kinds of gestures or mannerisms are important to the people and what ones are offensive. To some cultures, for example, eye contact is very important. Language is only a small part of a culture. Having the attitude of a “learner” is very important in a culture. If someone sees you are willing to take the time to learn what is important to him, a door is opened. The "learner" attitude is critical. It’s important, as a missionary, not to have the attitude of going to a foreign culture “imparting great ideas” and appearing superior. Q: Is there any fast way of learning a language? A: It’s a lot like walking. You fall down a lot, but you keep doing it. It doesn’t come right away — perseverance. You can try to say little things to people that you have learned. Even "hello" crosses a barrier and opens the door to understanding. Learning a third language is much easier after learning a second. For example, German is much more difficult than Spanish, but becomes easier to learn if you have learned Spanish. There can be frustrations over communicating in the things of daily life, such as whether you need to give a store clerk more change than you had thought. Q: What other communications skills besides spoken language can be used in missions? Do you have any communication tricks when you find yourself without the necessary language? A: Just like in English, you can find many ways to say the same thing. The trick is simplify, simplify, simplify. We also use mime, cutouts, pictures, and tracts. It also helps when there is a translator. We show the Jesus film in different languages. When we give someone a tract in his own language and we can’t follow it up with any other conversation, just inviting him to Coffee Bar and showing him love makes the connection of the message of the gospel. You just have to offer it in faith. What’s important is acceptance, to communicate openness. Q: Do you make use of music? A: We do use music tapes, but it mainly helps if they’re in their native language. Music definitely opens doors. Q: In our Spanish class, we use the term bridge-building to describe one of the purposes in studying Spanish. Do you have any examples of putting that principle into practice? A: In bridge-building, you move from survival to a deeper relationship. In the United States, networking is important. But networking is utilitarian, for what I can get out of the relationship. The Spanish culture is not based on networking. Friendship has a much higher value. In language learning in missions, you need to have two things: a good attitude and a sense of humor. Be willing to make mistakes. Leave behind the perfectionist attitude. One family we visited just burst out laughing at something we had said. We asked what it was and they said, "We can’t tell you!” Q: What if a foreign language student isn’t planning on becoming a missionary? Is there still a way he can use our new language to serve God? A: Foreigners come here to the United States. Nothing we learn is ever wasted. Down the road there may be opportunities. Spanish is fast becoming the second language. You may help someone on the side of the road who speaks nothing but Spanish. Q: Is there anything a student can do with our new language to help a missionary? A: You can identify with a missionary’s struggle to learn a new language. A missionary needs tools, like language. You can pray for the missionary to learn a language, to not be discouraged while learning, to persevere in learning the language, that God would provide a good language assistant. Q: What about learning grammar? A: Language is not like math. You want to communicate. Grammar is like the oil that makes the machine work. Study-for-the-Test Tips studyfortest November 29, 2023 You are going to have a test soon. How can you prepare for it? Well, the first and best place to prepare is by using your chapter review questions at the end of the chapter readings. If you can identify all the people and items and can answer the review questions, you will probably do well. If you know the meanings and/or uses of all the boldface words and italicized words throughout the chapter, and can knowledgeably talk about them, you will probably be able to answer all the questions on the test, no matter what form they take — even long-answer. If you can not only identify each item but talk about how to apply the information, you will be able to answer the longer questions. For example, you know what the word distortion means as it applies to maps. You can talk about different kinds of distortions and which maps tend to have which distortions. Great — then you can answer any multiple choice, true/false, etc. question that may come up. But, if you can explain why flat maps have distortion, then you can answer a long-answer question. That's called application because you are applying facts to situations. That's higher level thinking! When you answer “long answer questions,” you will succeed if you make sure you answer every part of the question. Sometimes they will ask you one thing, sometimes multiple things. Don't skip any parts. Also, if you have to explain something, see if you can give a detail or example from your coursework that will help you be complete. That, too, is higher level thinking! As you do your review questions, jot down anything you know you don't completely have a handle on. Maybe, for example, you can answer the what, but not the why. That's what you should ask in class. If the teacher doesn't cover it together, bring it up. readingcriticalqustions Critical thinking questions you can ask yourself about what you're reading November 24, 2023 Learning to read literature critically takes effort – no doubt about that. It requires that we do much more than just read to find out what happens to the characters, as if we were watching a soap opera or movie. Readers can develop the skill of reading to enrich their knowledge, vocabulary, experience, thinking skills, and much more. If you want to improve your English skills using literature, there are questions you can ask yourself as you read. First of all, you should always be in a good book. A key tool to increase your thinking skills is to find proof of your viewpoint. Whenever you express a viewpoint about a work, try to prove your point with details and examples from the work. Begin with the plot, but don't stay there! Here are some questions you can ask yourself about the book you are reading. “What was the book about?” After you have given a brief summary of the book, move on to more advanced thinking. If you stay in the realm of the plot and what you think about the characters, you may not mature past the "movie" stage. But, understanding what happened in the book is important, and gives you a chance to express your initial feelings about it. “What do I think is the message the author is trying to send? In other words, what does the author want to say about my life? Is that a good message for me? What is the author's view on life?” All writers have a message to send, whether obvious or concealed. Inexperienced readers may not see what the message is or may even think there is none. They may just think there is only a plot. Or, if they do see the message, they may assume the message is good and true. Discerning students do not want to automatically absorb all thoughts from all quarters, but rather to examine all messages for their truth value and their usefulness. If you don't see the message at all or quickly accept it, you may want to stop and think what message there really is and what in the story proves it. “Are there any changes in the character throughout the book? Is the character different in the end from what he was in the beginning? Is there anything I can learn from it?” Some people (in life and well as literature) are wonderful role models for us; others are perfect examples of how not to behave. In many books, the central character undergoes a significant change throughout the book in a noticeable progression. So do we. We can learn much from others' examples of what to imitate and what to avoid. It is even possible in some cases to avert failures based on our observations of others. We can examine literary characters for our own enlightenment. From a scholastic point of view, we should also see how the character's changes are tracked through and supported by the story. As you see the character change or remain the same, try to prove it to you by examples throughout the story. This is a part of critical thinking. “Are there any other books that are like this one? How are they alike? Is there one with something in common to your book but very different from it in most ways?” It's good to compare literary works to exercise thinking. Students can name details that are useful for comparison. If you remember your early childhood, the same thinking skill is Which one doesn't belong? or What do these things have in common? Comparing is also useful for students to see that books are very human and no one human book has the perfect viewpoint or the last say on life. There are so many elements to literary criticism and analysis, but even beginning with these basic questions will help you begin thinking about what you have read. Again, the best thing you can do to increase your critical thinking in literature is to require yourself to prove your point by citing examples from the work you are reading. If you notice that you are simply maintaining your opinion without evidence from the book, you may want to consider that your point is not truly well-founded until you find the evidence. Give two or three specific reasons from the book for your opinion. If your ideas seem contradictory to each other, a reason you may be mixing up your proofs is that you don't understand the vocabulary or meaning of a sentence. This may result in having an opposite understanding of the word, thus giving you a mistaken impression. If this happens, look for the passage that you are using as an incongruent proof. As you examine it, try to follow the flow of the sentence, and look up any words you don't know. This method may shed light on the problem of the moment. There are other methods you can probably discover on your own as you read and learn. Try to remember any methods that work for you. Overall the better you get at proving, the better a critical thinker you will become. One more point. Once in a while, read something just for pleasure, without trying to learn great truths or stretch the mind. Everyone needs rest from time to time. Reading light material, even at a lower reading level, can be useful to rejuvenate him for the next step. Englishacrosssujects How you can use English across all your school subjects November 22, 2023 In my view, English as a subject in school really should not be an end in itself, but rather should be a tool to further learning in all of life. Even from an academic perspective, that is, keeping the time frame limited to your school years, the study of English is also meant to be an instrument used in order to learn and perform in your other subjects. When we view our subjects only as requirements we need to fulfill or to check off as done, we are compartmentalizing them and making them artificial goals to achieve. (Believe me, though – not all subjects seem to have much more purpose than just getting credit.) The solution to this lies partly in using the skills and information learned in all our studies as integral parts of a whole education. The idea here is to try to incorporate the various things you learn into all your subjects. Instead of just closing the grammar or vocabulary book and moving on to science, you can pay attention to wording of information as you read the science material. Sometimes, for example, knowledge of word structures, such as prefixes, suffixes, meanings of roots, and other things, can help in studying biological classification. If you see the words bilateral symmetry, and you know that bi means two, lateral means side, syn means same, and metry means measure, you can begin to understand that this term talks about the two sides of an organism measuring the same! This kind of knowledge helps you learn words you have never seen before through word attack skills and has the additional benefit of reducing the number of memorized terms! It also helps you to continue to "learn to learn" – a lifetime process. Making connections. Different people have different learning styles, of course. For example, we may not see how certain inventors or scientists were at work at the same time as a particular war or world crisis, at the same time as a famous book was written, at the same time as a significant family event took place, and so on. Timelines can be useful to help you make connections of history and other significant discoveries or events. There are some good books and computer games on the market that can help with this, and you can always look on the Internet. Try to make connections across all your content areas. Ask yourself questions to get a realization that there even is a connection among your studies. Have a little conversation with yourself. When you ask yourself a question, ask another one back. This will cause you to use critical thinking skills as you tie together seemingly separate things you have learned. When you read a historical novel, tie it to something that occurred that time in history or, possibly, to one from a previous or subsequent event in history. By the way, there's a fancy word called metacognition. This means “thinking about thinking,” and it will help you learn how to learn! Good form in all subject areas and in the working world. Try to use excellent expression and usage when studying all your school subjects. When answering science or history questions, you should still pay some attention to correct spelling, grammar, expression, and organization. If you are studying a foreign language, you multiply your language learning skills by knowing English well – and vice versa! A math lesson, too, should be organized and carefully handwritten, especially in geometry proofs. If you think good spelling and grammar in another subject is pointless, you may be compartmentalizing the study of English as an isolated subject. Try to stay on task in studies other than your favorite. If possible, try to consider the purpose of a potentially tedious exercise as part of your training, since you may not want to do something in which you see no purpose. The fun part of such a process will depend entirely on your imagination! Although we do not select our lessons in life based on their entertainment factor, we can still take up the challenge to make boring lessons fun for us! In today's working world, bosses can tell the difference between people that are teachable and have good expression and those who don't want to learn nor can effectively express themselves. Employers and prospective clients do pay attention to those who have good communication skills. It does not change the value of the individual, of course, but it does affect one's usefulness as an employee.

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