Just read a little Facebook and noticed that some the the pillars of the church are denigrating Sarah Palin to the point that is uncomfortable and unreasonable. What they are doing is taking her humanity away and condemning her. No matter what you think of Sarah Palin or for that matter any public figure, the idea of destroying someone’s humanity is a bad example to adults and an even greater wrong to children.

The ability to separate what is important from what is inane is the job of the truly adult person. Politics are important, but in no way are they the new religion. Is Sarah Palin’s humanity more important than her politics? I vote YES.

Discrediting “the other side” of any argument is popular play. It always has been. But today, it’s lethal. We not only want to discredit someone’s position, we want to eviscerate the person, tear them apart, crucify them. Is this what we want to teach our children to do to one another? As evil as it sounds, the ability to tear a politician down at home translates into tearing a disliked teacher down at school, and then the unpopular children as well. Children model their behavior after their parents. So if parents are venomous toward other people, children will learn that behavior and be venomous toward the only audience they have – other children.

Parents who engage in personality and humanity bashing send a chilling call to their children. To teach hate and revenge is against peace and harmony no matter the supposed enemy. This call to indecency was expoused by the wife of the Bishop’s right hand man. What does that lead me to believe about the bishop and his message?

When children take hate to school, it only teaches hate. When children take peace and thoughtfulness to school, it teaches peace and thoughtfulness. People are either usually and predictably hateful and vengeful or they are peace loving and hopeful. These personality traits are learned by adults and by children because it is not a natural thing to hate. It is a natural thing to be curious.

Loving one another means trying to see the other person’s point of view. This openness breeds openness in children. To see a parent struggle with what he does not understand and apply reason to either supporting another or taking support away is a legitimate and intelligent way of going about one’s life. Children are watching.

We live in a very divided world. We live in a world that bespeaks a lot of hate and a lot of ridicule. We live in a world of suspicion and contempt, and isn’t that a shame because hate makes people smaller and less as people, and hateful people make the world smaller and darker so that good parents who want their children to embrace that which is good, have trouble seeing it. Hateful people always make the news.

Life is a wonderful walk. It’s filled with things we learn to love and things we turn away from. This is a very human kind of behavior. Two of the eleven passions are love and hate. These are legitimate passions, and both are neutral. It is for us to take up these passions which will lead us to either good or bad. It is up to us and well worth thinking about.

It’s a beautiful morning. Miss Judy likes the dark cool mornings. It’s a new adventure into a new season, and it’s ripe for teaching and exploring with the kids.

Lots going on this week. We’re doing fire safety. We’ve already had a visit from the fire guys, and on Friday, we will be going to the Stay Alive House out at Vanderburgh County 4H fair grounds. This is an important experience for little kids. It makes them aware of fire safety in the house. It’s time for parents to gather up the whole family and explain how YOU get out of your house should a fire start, God forbid.

Your child will learn to slip out of bed and crawl to the door should he smell smoke. He will be taught to touch the door with the back of his hand so that he doesn’t burn his crawling paw. Then he will be taught to go to his meeting place depending on his circumstances. He will tell you all about it this week.

The field trip will be $10.00 and we will leave school about 9:30 on Friday and return at 1:00.

This week on Wednesday, we will be dressing up as our favorite hero. It’s OK for the kids to wear their hero pajamas. It’s a fun day.

Thanks again for making Grandparents’ Tea a great treat.

Please keep in your prayers a little girl named Shelby who was one of our first little students. She had leukemia back then and came to the GS to boost her immune system. She is fourteen now and in stage four cancer. They cannot find a bone marrow match for her.

Science: Backing the claims of brain foods

By Stephen Daniells, 24-Sep-2009

From Foodnavigator-usa.com

In this fifth part of our series on brain health, we look at which ingredients have the science to back up their hype as edible brain enhancers.

On the topic of phosphatidylserine, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows a ‘qualified health claim’ status, stating that “Consumption of phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction in the elderly” and “Consumption of phosphatidylserine may reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly”.

Size does matter

B vitamins, most notably folate and B12, have long been linked to dementia, based on their ability to lower levels of the amino acid homocysteine. Epidemiological studies have reported that high levels of homocysteine are associated with suspected or confirmed dementia. Indeed, the Framingham study reported that people with homocysteine levels above 14 micromoles per liter of serum had twice the risk of dementia.

Higher blood levels of B12 have also been linked to brain size. University of Oxford scientists reported in 2008 that B12 may protect against brain volume loss in older people, and ultimately reduce the risk of developing dementia (Neurology, Vol. 71, pp. 826-832).

B6, B12, and folic acid were also said to help against migraines (Pharmacogenetics and Genomics).

Vitamin D is gaining increasing attention for a wide range of health conditions, including cognitive function.

Boston-based researchers reported in mid-2008 that flavanol-rich chocolate may boost blood flow in the brain and reduce the risk of dementia and stroke. The research was supported by confectionary giant Mars and said to be the first study to directly investigate the effect of flavanol-rich cocoa consumption on blood flow in the brain (Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, Vol. 4, pp. 433-440).

The jury is still out on some of the better known herbals, however. A study in with 3,000 elderly people published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no differences in the rate of total dementia and the rate of Alzheimer’s disease were observed between groups receiving ginkgo biloba or placebo for 6.1 years.

The study was dismissed as “irrelevant”, however, by Daniel Fabricant, PhD, acting CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).

“This study is also in direct contrast to other research,” said Fabricant. “Unfortunately, there is still no proven treatment to prevent Alzheimer’s, but reputable research has shown that Ginkgo biloba can play a constructive role in improving the symptoms related to this debilitating disease and possibly delaying its onset.”

Looking to the future, eyes turned recently to stevia, already making waves in a sea of sweeteners. DSM recently applied for a patent for as a natural ingredient for cognitive health.

We have a winner!!!!!

As usual, Miss Judy is running late. We had a terrific week last week. It was filled with learning and fun things even though the rain kept us in several days.

Lots of art projects for Grandparents’ Tea. The children made place mats for grandparents which Miss Elise had laminated. What a fun thing to do!

Miss Leigh made a wonderful poster with the kids in Spanish that announced a welcome to our Grandparents.

The children seemed very keen on doing a bang up job until Friday, when most of them were stir crazy from not playing outside. Then it was all we could do to keep the lid down.

On Thursday, we talked about nutrition and meals. The children got to pick out four components which make a good meal. Most of them picked the desserts and added pancakes or a fun food. Some picked fruits and vegetables and meat, but all in all it was fun.

On Wednesday, Dr. Rege came to talk to the children about what it means to be a vet. He is a great vet and told us all about taking care of cats and dogs. Dr. Rege owns All Breed Pet Care. He is leaving for a trip to India where he is from. His son, Rajid is a student at the Garden School when he is in town.

Friday morning, Mrs. St. Louis taught a class on Abraham and Isaac. The kids were restless, but managed to draw sheep in the next class which is Directed Drawing.

We practiced our poem and our music for our show on Friday, and the kids did a nice job. We have a lot of very young children, and their ability to sit and to listen is always a matter of minutes, but they did very well. The party went well, and we thank all our parents and grandparents for coming and bringing such wonderful treats. All grandparents are invited any time they can come to lunch or a field trip.

We thank the parents and Grandparents for making the Beautiful Baby Contest such a great success this year. We made $450.00 towards our new piece of playground equipment. Thank you all so much.

This week will be packed with things to do. Read Monday’s Tattler for more information.

I just finished re-reading a commencement address given by my husband, Mr. Terry, in 1994. It was a brilliant address, and one of three brilliant addresses he gave at St. Meinrad College where he taught for 28 years. I am sure Terry was one of the most devoted teachers who ever lived. He taught history from beginning to end – from all over the world. Give him a date – he’ll tell you what was going on with great style and great enthusiasm.

What impressed me about the commencement address – and for a writer of some experience, I can say that re- reads can be as dull as wall paper paste – was the speech was more alive to me now than it was when I listened in the audience fifteen years ago.

Terry spoke of obedience and all its connections to the human life and condition. He spoke of it lovingly and with the kind of understanding that makes us thrill at being human and able to choose this beloved behavior for ourselves and for our children.

When I was a girl, I lived for a year in a cloistered convent. There was a safety there that was so embracing and so all consuming, it was difficult for me at times to leave the grounds of the convent. I almost stayed. I’m glad I didn’t, but in the year I spent there, I also felt the same attraction to the way of life that obedience offers that Terry talked about in his address.

What is obedience? Obedience is the willful act of compliance to some authority that is larger than self. In his address, Terry talks about the authority of God. He goes on to say that obedience is not something that is easily maintained or easily acquired. It is learned. It is loved. It is truly human because only we, as humans, can fully and rightfully choose that which is good and form those who learn from us.

With children, the object is to form them. To teach a child what it means to be in the world and comply with what is good in the world is the duty of a good parent. But the world isn’t helping with a strong politically correct notion that everything is relative and relevant, and nothing is really true or false, and therefore everything is choice because there is really no such thing as absolute truth or good or bad… This is utterly confusing to most adults, and you can imagine what this ridiculous idea is doing to our children.

And to make matters worse, too often the latest trends in “parenting” tell us that we must allow the child his choice in almost every matter, to never say no to a child. Right, and then the parent spends the next twenty five years with an unruly emotional disaster simply because the child has no formation – nothing to stand on. He has not experienced obedience or the will formed to be obedient. He has nothing higher than himself to give his life to.

Obedience is a loathsome word to some – a cold, heartless, hateful word that is crushing to the child and puts a witch hat on the parent. But in an afternoon of play watching two distinctively different women preside over their children – and seeing one family focus on obedience and the other on self centered choice, it was easy to see that the obedient children had much more fun because they knew their limits and complied with something larger than themselves – their mom. The choice children spent the whole afternoon arguing with their mother and bursting into tears when they didn’t get their way. Needless to say, the obedience bearing adult took home happy contented children, and the other mother needed a stiff drink and wore the witch hat home.

Forming a child means allowing the parent the freedom to say “yes” and “no.” Formation means to put ideas into categories – good, bad, neutral – for the child – as a gift. Telling a child what is good, what is not so good, what he should believe and how he should behave everywhere is a gift as well. Love, after all, comes not from self indulgence or self aggrandizement; it comes from meekness and selflessness. Obedience allows the human to defer to another, to open the hearts to another, to allow another.

Obedience to what? That’s for the parent to discover and bring to his child. This is where the word “parent” comes into play for real. In my nearly forty years of marriage to Mr. Terry, I have to admit that what we wanted for our children was always obvious to each other and to our children. We not only wanted, we expected children who had manners, were respectful, were truthful, conscientious, took the higher road at all costs and understood what that meant.

Children look up to parents. They want formation. They want to know what their parents think is true and false. They want to know. In the commencement speech fifteen years ago, Mr. Terry told the young graduates the truth and reminded them that this is what they had been hearing from childhood, and to continue listening for it as adults.

In reading those words again, I am reminded what makes love so active. I thank my husband for those words all over again. It rejuvenates my desire to do my best at school, to offer our little children a larger picture of goodness, and a reason to see that obedience is the ticket to a life well lived.

The commencement address can be found by typing Terence Lyden into the Internet.

Harvard advises on foods to help prevent diabetes

By David Visick, 21-Sep-2009

From Foodnavigator-usa.com

Comment: When a doctor told me I had diabetes, it scared me to death. It could certainly mean death for me because I respond so negatively to any medications. I researched everything I could find on diabetes and I learned that by changing my diet, I could manage my high blood sugar. The diet I was given in the doctor’s office was wrong for diabetes, and that scared me even more. Fortunately, it was a mistake, and my high blood sugar was a symptom of menopause, and in my case, crazypause. I don’t have diabetes, but you can bet that for the rest of my life, I will strive never to have it. Eating right and exploring the healthy sides of food has become a way of life for me. What scares me these days is what children are eating. When you read this article you will see that many ordinary take-for-granted foods can be a detriment to their health. What we benignly think of as ordinary food could be killing our children. Read on McDuff!

New guidelines from Harvard advises US consumers on the the types of food, beverages or ingredients that can help ward off diabetes, with recommendations including moderate coffee and alcohol alongside fiber and nuts.

Good morning! It’s the last week of September and it’s time for Grandparents’ Tea.

Last week our invitations went out to our grandparents. And this week we will spend the week getting ready for our big tea party on Friday. We will talk about manners, about what an invitation is, how we greet people who come to “our house.” We will discuss how we take our grandparents to the treat table and how we entertain them with songs and things we have learned. We will practice all these things. Having a party is an important part of being civilized and learning how to conduct ourselves in public.

We ask our parents and grandparents to arrive on time. Singing begins at 3:00. We ask that everyone park in our lot or the lot closer to Green River Road.

Please bring a plate of cookies or your child’s or grandchild’s favorite afterschool treat to share.

Please notice our word wall at the front of the school. These words are vocabulary words you child is learning. The Kindergartners will be learning to read and spell some of them as well as what they mean. The younger children will be learning what they mean.

Please notice our Beautiful Baby Contest. We are having the contest to add to a wonderful donation made by a former student’s family. We are hoping to raise enough for a new piece of playground equipment.

Have a great week!

Few Americans eat enough grains: Survey

By staff reporter, 15-Sep-2009

From Foodnavigator-usa.com

Only four percent of Americans are getting their recommended six servings of grains a day, according to a survey from Harris Interactive commissioned by the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF).

It aims to explain how people can incorporate grains into their diets in “an easy and stress-free way”.

“Grain foods are healthy, convenient and affordable,” said president of the Grain Foods Foundation Judi Adams. “Many of us are eating grains throughout the day and not realizing it – pretzels, snack mix, bagels, rice and tortillas all count toward our Daily 6.”

GFF pointed out that getting six portions of grain each day is “as easy as having cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch and a cup of pasta with dinner.”

In addition, the Harris Interactive survey looked at consumer preferences for different ways to consume grains. More than half of respondents (53 percent) said they “love eating bread” and 45 percent said they eat bread “almost every day.”

I got this from Edith and thought it was very funny, and also so childlike. This is how children see friendship;

1. When you are sad, I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey
jacked up on Mountain Dew!!!

2. When you are blue, I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile, I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you’re scared, we will high tail it out of here.

5. When you are worried, I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining, ya big baby!!!!

6. When you are confused, I will use little words.

7. When you are sick, stay away from me until you are well again.
I don’t want whatever you have…

8. When you fall, I’ll pick you up and dust you off– After I laugh my rear off!!

9. This is my oath… I pledge it to the end. ‘Why?’ you may ask; — because you are my FRIEND!