It’s been a week with lots of kids out with illness. Miss Kelly came down with “hoof and mouth.” She ended the week taking a sick day. We hope she’s better. Four of our children have had tonsillectomies in the past month. We hope that’s the end of that. Fevers abound, but there have been few nasty colds. We are glad to see that keeping the heat down at the GS has helped to keep colds at bay.

In Miss Kelly’s absence today, we started to get to work on the play which is Miss Judy’s baby this year. I’m excited about some great new lines. Some of these new lines were made for the children. It will be so cute. Most of the children have at least one speaking line. The main characters have pages of lines to learn, but they will do this with vigor and fun.

We tried artichokes this week, and the children really loved them. I’m always thrilled to see them eat something new and enjoy it. The top food this week was cheesy potatoes.

Top toy this week was Rescue Heroes. Scotty’s mom brought some new addtions to us, and the kids have really enjoyed them. We are always delighted to receive new toys, used toys, or toys that parents have found at garage sales. Often, toys sit at home unused, and when they become part of our little school, children re-discover them as they play with their friends. Toys are much more fun shared.

Candy money is still coming in. We thank our parents who have continued to sell this for us. We will be ordering our fence in April. We are excited to have this new safety feature for the playground. The other fence is in tatters. We could not do this without our parents help.

Our field trip was fun this week. Next Friday, we will be taking another field trip to the dentist’s office and then to lunch out. We are trying to arrange a pizza making lunch at Pizza Chef in Newburgh. Either way, we will eat pizza out in a restaurant next Friday for sure.

The children loved the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. We wanted to show The King and I but couldn’t find it. In some ways it worked out better because the children LOVED B and B. It was filled with fun, cute scenes, and things the children just laughed out loud at. This is what we want. Before leaving the “theatre” Mrs. St. Louis asked every child to tell her something they remembered about the movie. Every child but two could do it.

We will search for the King and I this week. As long as the weather is cold and dreary, we will continue watching the movies during PM recess.

Our egg lady is looking for new clients. If you are interested in purchasing free range eggs, please let Miss Judy know. We have brown, speckled, blue and green eggs. They are all chicken eggs and taste exactly the same. They are $2.00 a dozen.

Please remember to send children in long sleeves until the weather turns warmer. Every child needs a coat. Some children are arriving to school in light sweaters. The weather is just not warm enough for that yet. Short sleeves are chilly in our building. We have lots of kids arrive in summer clothes and then complain they are cold all day.

Have a great weekend.

We had a splendid day today. We loaded the bus about 9:00 and headed for Boonville and the the little nursing home there. We sang several songs, hugged the residents and then boarded the bus for one of the seven Benedictine Archabbeys in the world. The Benedicitines are a Catholic order that was begun in 480 by St. Benedict. There are Benedictine brothers and priests all over the world. They are monks which means they live in a monastery and dedicate their lives to work and prayer.

The children were absolutely wonderful on the bus. We had a few squirrels, but all in all it was a nice ride.

We unloaded and headed out for the Big Church. This is a lovely building inside and out. The children loved running up the big church steps and walking into what can only be described as a tradition deep in the Middle Ages. We looked at the beautiful stained glass windows which are from Germany. We looked at the Black Madona from Switzerland, and we went into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Then it was upstairs to the Chapter Room where the kids got ashes. Brother Maurus was delighted to put a sooty cross on each child’s forhead and say, “Remember thou art dust and into dust thou shall return.” The kids loved it. They loved the beautiful paintings along the ceiling of this very special room. Then it was off to lunch. We ate at the Guest House and then went off across the way to the Big Church again for Noon Prayers. Every monastic order prays every three hours every day. These prayers are called the Litany of the Hours. We attended a fifteen minute Noon Prayer and at the end the children were able to participate in saying the Our Father right down to the youngest. Each child said his prayer with great knowlege and wisdom. And at the end the children added the sign of the cross. It might have been a bit of a disruption to the regular order of things, but the look on the faces of these two nuns was enough to say that they were enchanted with such a well behaved and beautifully knowledgable group. Our children participated perfectly. They sat quietly and added their little prayer like pros. We were sooooooo proud of them. After prayers, we let them roll, slide, run, jump, and tumble down the big hill in front of the big church. Then it was home.

This is our first field trip of the year. If it is any symbol of how the rest of our field trips will be, we are in for a great field trip year!

We have a delightful new President of the Garden School — Miss Emma Kirk. And because of close voting, we have aVice President – Jayeln Bockelman. Congratulations on a race well won.

As we begin to see the school year reach its middle and begin to climb into what teachers hope are the “less formative more do” days, we see the children begin to act on an independence they have learned. But they haven’t learned this by being shoved into it. They have learned this by doing in a long train of events that start in the beginning…

In the beginning, back in August, lining up was a whole other ball game – a game the new kids had never played. Being still, quiet, and even roughly listening to directions was an iffy promise for a lot of them. Listening for the bell, standing quietly and listening for a teacher’s directions was a concept so strange and foreign to some, we wondered if compliance would ever come to be.

Teachers know that actual listening and beginning to learn only begins about the end of October. August and September are mostly false starts and wind ups. Getting the kids out at field trips helps with directions, lining up and being still at least a little part of the day.

By the first play most of them have made the space jump from prattling play to the wake up call of listening. They are ready for learning and ready to “do” something with what they have begun to learn. They are not so sure of what they are supposed to do, but they are delighted to show what they’ve learned helter skelter. The play gives the school a cohesiveness that makes the Christmas Season a group activity.

But Christmas always reeks havoc with a school agenda, so the first couple of weeks of January are a kind of review in the classroom. Then it’s on to new stuff – stuff they’ve never heard of. Most of the children are listening intently by this time and it’s time for the big guns.

This is why we introduced the film fest in January. The kids are ALL listening and enjoying new ideas, and these older movies are filled with all kinds of new concepts. Almost every child can answer questions about each film. It’s a remarkable achievement for a three year old.

Next step is to get the kids all talking about their ideas and what they know, learned and think. This kind of real discussion is the key to independence. If you consider that some of the kids did not know how to come when they were called, sit at a table, line up or raise their hand, this is another planet of being. It’s the difference between a child handing you his coat and one who you can explain the physics of putting his own coat on his own body and he listens well enough to do it.

Yesterday we had speeches for elections. This is another huge jump because it’s not about something he can hold on to or see – it’s about self. This means that the child must collect his own thoughts, climb up on the podium in front of the whole student body and convince the other children — who are listening — that he is the best candidate – and why.

Today the children will elect their president. There will be some excitement, some disappointment and some tears. It’s all part of life. Only one child will be elected. But every child was able to give his best effort yesterday and did a champion job.

Next it’s the spring play. There is a huge difference between the fall play and the spring play. Acting with this new self appreciation means a lot on stage. There is more sophistocation, more humor, more laughter.

Then it’s on to a spring sing and graduation. And we turn another year over. When graduates leave the GS they know how to conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen. They can answer a question in a complete sentence; appraise a question for a great answer; listen; repeat; judge a situation; take care of their own needs; present themselves well on stage and address a group or an adult with poise. Yes that’s what it means to be independent.

Good Morning! It’s Election Week at school and today is the day for speeches and for talking about what good citizens we are and how much we would work for the student body. It might be the first time a child actually realizes that he is an important part of his school and can contribute to the body of the people. It’s an amazing concept and only one that is part of a free society. This is also a good lesson.

This week is also the beginning of Lent. Lent is a time of waiting and a time when we begin to look inward for a little emotional an perhaps spiritual spring cleaning. We ask ourselves about ourselves and how we are in or out with the Big Guy. It’s a time for thought and redirection. We will be doing Bona Operas this week. A Bona Opera is Latin for a good work. We will all decide what we would like to do to help out. Lent is not so much a time of giving up as a time of doing something positive in order to improve the self. These Bona Operas will come home so parents can be involved.

Wednesday we will be going to St. Meinrad Archabbey. It’s one of only seven Benedictine Archabbeys in the world. We will tour, eat our lunch and go to Noon Prayer with the monks. It is a neat thing because it’s done in the big church and the kids really enjoy the castle like atmosphere. The children will wear their new red sweatshirts. Please make sure your children have one. It will be in the 50s on Wednesday, and the kids won’t need coats with the new sweatshirts.

March is almost with us, and this Friday we will begin to work on the St. Patrick’s Day Play. Please help your child learn his lines. It’s a long play. Calendars will go out this week for March.

Have a great day!

It’s been a crazy week. Lots of kids out with various illnesses. Please keep a check on two things to keep illnesses down – lots of water and lots of rest. We are trying to get the kids outside every chance we have and that fresh air will do more for keeping kids well than many things I can think of. We will air out the school today as well.

Miss Elise is Miss Amy’s daughter. She has been working with the preschool doing wonderful things with art. She’s a a delightful young lady and works well with the kids and with the teachers. She is married to Ely and they presently live with Miss Amy. We are very very glad to have her at the Garden School.

Miss Leigh is another new young lady. She has been a friend of mine since she was born. Her mom and I are great friends and her family have been neighbors for thirty years. Leigh is a student at UE and is getting her degree in Elementary Education. She is a great friend of my Anne. Leigh is an artist and loves music and works part time at Starbucks.

When we bring on new people at the Garden School it’s always a joy when it works out well. I could not be more delighted with these young people.

The children have been watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and their attention skills are remarkable. Every child is watching intently and understands the story and can respond quite brilliantly about who is who and what is happening. It’s been a wonderful experience. I am amazed that they are not bored with these older movies. The ability to sit and listen – even for short times – is often difficult for young children, and the kids are eager to sit and listen.

Many thanks to Mrs. St. Louis who has gone out to find these movies.

Don’t forget to get your child’s sweatshirt. He will need it for next week’s field trip and all subsequent spring fieldtrips. It’s part of the uniform. It’s a great intermediate cover for any occasion.

I have a few copies of Porkchops if anyone is interested. I will be having a book signing in late March at Boarders. Everyone is welcome.

Have a great weekend!

This is from a teacher in Florida. It’s interesting. My heart has always gone to immigrants because my husband’s family came over. But no one ever handed them anything. My own children have hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans and all of them pay for their own expenses. I wonder where it will all end.

Here’s her letter:

Letter by a Florida teacher:

This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school?

One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn’t want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money leftover.

She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program (check it out – I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US Citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she ‘loves HER country.’

I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn’t bother her, because that is what the money is there for!

I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US Citizen, you don’t qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.

Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish – enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation — not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY.

I will never die. I am so far behind…

I saw this for Wonderful Wed and laughed out loud. I’m sure many of you have seen it, but it’s so much fun to watch… bear with me!

Here is a comment posted from a reader on a December 2 article I wrote:

Children need acknowledgment and encouragement, not praise. The type of praise that Alfie Kohn criticizes the most is the one used as a “positive reinforcement”, e.g., praising good behavior to encourage a child to behave similarly in the future. In this case, the praise becomes a manipulation tool, the interaction between the adult and the child unauthentic, and the relationship between them suffers.

It is difficult for me to respect someone who demonstrates little respect for others. It’s one thing to disagree with someone and quite another to insult them by name-calling. Perhaps, the author has not really tried to understand the theory and research behind Alfie Kohn’s works.

Here is my response. I wrote this a long time ago. It was in response to Alfie Kohn’s theory on praise:

There is a great debate among some adults about praising or rewarding children for good deeds. The early childhood classroom is supposed to be value free and reward free for the good of the child’s real self esteem.

The argument is: if we reward children for goodness, won’t that actually deprive them of the natural pleasure of knowing that they did something of value? Isn’t the knowledge that they did something good enough?

The argument continues to gain speed with the idea that adults who reward children are trying to manipulate the child and that adults are looking out more for their own convenience and material good than the child’s. I think the opposite is true, and I have good reason to believe it.

Having grown up in a house that never praised, never rewarded and counted all compliments and positives as emotional bullets, I can say from experience that the lack of appreciation, approval and praise from the adults who are supposed to rear and guide you was crippling and demoralizing. Growing up in the dark of support was about as painful as growing up diseased.

When other children received hugs and congratulations and even small presents and rewards for half or a fraction of my own achievements, and I received nothing, not a word, not a smile, not even a moment to treasure, not even on my birthday, my sense of fairness and loss taught me that I was not likable and therefore a social outcast doomed to loneliness and rejection for the rest of my life and it was my fault.

If those who are closest to me could not say, “Good job” then, as I reasoned, I must be a terrible person – certainly not worth fighting for, and certainly not missed if suddenly I should die – even by my own hand.

So what saved the child with pernicious thoughts of death? There were adults in my small life who did compliment me, teachers, neighbors and an occasional relative who secretly winked well enough that I began to believe that perhaps through the keyhole of my dark room there was some way out of believing that I should spend my life alone with visions of a cottage in a deep wood where the friendship of animals and plants became my haunting refuge filling my imaginary future.

As a child, I brought letters home from teachers who praised me to the skies, and the letters were scorned and I was scorned, humiliated and punished for being praised. But still the truth of the letters existed, and in the mind of a child, choosing between those who are supposed to love you and a stranger’s momentary praise was too involved. It was confusing at best.

As a young adult, the lack of praise contributed to a perception that most other adults simply did not like me and would never like me. As a social outcast, I would rear my children alone and even suffer the humiliation that my husband really didn’t like me, and really was sorry he had married me.

As an older adult, those thoughts still trigger unbelievable pain and suffering. Through the love and support of the children I spend hours praising and rewarding, I have come to realize that life is too short not to express the love and affection in one’s heart, that life is a beautiful and wonderful adventure and each day should be filled with lots of praise and joy that is communicated from one person to another freely and spiritedly. Thoughts of manipulation are as far from my scope as China.

So when I am reminded that today there is a whole early childhood theory that wants to pull praise and rewards from children’s hands based on the idea that a child will intrinsically understand his own goodness and enjoy his untainted reward, I cringe.

Good morning! It’s another Monday and we’re ready for another new week at school. This week it’s campaign week, and we will run for the office of Garden School President. All the children can participate and run for the office. Campaigning will include a time when children can speak out about their issues and talk about how they hope to benefit the school and the lives of their classmates.

Our last year’s officer was outstanding. He met incoming students, shook visitors’ hands and helped out in lots of projects. David was a fine officer.

Campaign stickers, notes, signs and giveaways (like suckers) are all within bounds. Let your child be the inventor of his campaign.

Voting will be on Tuesday, February 24.

We will be going out as much as we can in these temperature up and temperature down days. According to the weather, we should have a couple of 50s days. Snow one day, but it’s only a chance.

Your child should be wearing long sleeves on cold days. We’ve had a lot of summer clothes lately, and we want you to know that the school is about 66 degrees. A lower temperature in the building actually reduces illness. I hope you have noticed how few colds there have been this year.

The faculty would like to thank the parents for an absolutely wonderful party last Friday. It was one of our best. The children were adorable and seemed to enjoy learning to dance. They certainly learned well enough to enjoy themselves at the dance. I will be posting pictures all week.

Congratulations go to Vonda and Joe for being our first dancing couple. They got the box of candy!

Copies of my book Porkchops are available if anyone would like one.