Moms Inspire Learning

Are You Putting Gratitude on the Shelf?

Thanksgiving may be over, but wouldn't it be nice if we could all carry it with us into the holidays, and even into the New Year? I don't know about you, but when I redirect my attention to the good things in life, I feel so much better. A little gratitude goes a long way, especially when there seem to be so many negative vibes floating through the air.

If gratitude came in the form of a library book, then it seems to me most of us would do one of five things with it:

Fun Games for Families with Tweens and Teens

Now that my children are older, it's not as easy to find family activities everyone will enjoy. So, I thought I'd share a couple of games my 12 and 15 year old really love.

Thanksgiving: The Perfect Time to Unplug

Do you remember playing card games like Concentration? By now, I'm sure it can be played online or via cell phone. How convenient. Not.

I am extremely thankful that I didn't have a cell phone or the internet when my children were babies and preschoolers. They would have been huge distractions, and my time with my children just would not have been the same.

Books Against Bullies

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I strongly believe that exposing your child to a wide variety of reading material is essential to the development of morals, values, critical thinking skills, and cultural understanding. It's the one way children can learn about themselves, others, and the world around them without leaving their homes, other than talking about current events with their families, teachers, and peers.

Well, after half of my religion class argued that they didn't see any point in reading anything other than Facebook last year, and seeing how children interact these days, I'm pretty sure that a large percentage of students are not reading books other than the ones assigned in class. And according to a 2007 Boston.com article, even college students and grads are not reading nearly as much for pleasure either.

Is it more likely that people who don't read will become bullies? Will reading prevent people from exhibiting this kind of behavior? I have no statistics to share. It would be hard to quantify.

This teacher changed my life.

There's so much of a focus on bad teachers these days. Most people have no idea how many demands are being placed on them, and how easy it has become to blame the very people who have taken on quite possibly the hardest job there is.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving next week, can we move the spotlight away from our children's teachers and shine them on our own for a little while? Most of us had a select few teachers who somehow left a lasting impression, or even changed our whole outlook on life.

What are you grateful for?

The year is going by so quickly, isn't it? Time seems to accelerate as we get older.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, in the US at least, so have you started thinking about what you're grateful for yet? It's a great way to warm yourself up as it gets colder outside, kind of like closing your eyes and thinking about the sun.

Out of the Seat and Into the Gym

When I first read "A Home and a Heaven for Children," so many images and observations came rushing into my mind. In order to respond, I had to give myself a few days to fully digest the information.

Even now, I couldn't possibly do so with a single blog post.

And so my story begins before I even set foot in a graduate school classroom. It starts with my own children, in the nursery and elementary schools they attended. I have a lot to say about nursery schools, but must put that subject on the back burner for now.

Two Seagulls and a Crab

What could two seagulls and a crab possibly have to do with education? Well, they will help me share my big picture, which will then allow me to transition into the specific details I've held myself back from writing about for so long. I'm still hesitant, but this post is like a big deep breath of sea air for me. Here goes...

Once upon a recent time, a seagull stood at the foot of the shoreline, with a crab in its beak. Let's say it's a female seagull. As you can see, she looked quite content, having found a rather large meal for the day:

 

Seagull eating crab in Montauk ©Dawn R. Morris

Poor crab, huh? Isn't it amazing how animals just know what they have to do to survive?