He was shortish. And oldish. And brownish. And mossy. And he spoke with a voice that was sharpish and bossy.

My absolute favorite children's book of all time is being made into a full-length animated film.  Its plot and message were almost singlehandedly the basis for my curriculum as a science teacher.  It contains powerful and insightful lessons for not only children, but all of us.

The Lorax will be out sometime in 2012 and will feature the voice of none other than Danny Devito.  I couldn't have dreamed up a better fit myself.

Counting the days until I can introduce MY LITTLE BOY to this gift from Dr. Seuss.

What Kids Remember

A former student of mine found me on Facebook recently, and I am still beaming thinking about the wonderful young woman she has become.  Over the past few years, I've gotten the sad news that two of my former elementary students became pregnant in middle school (and I was their sex ed teacher), one student became a homeless/runaway drug addict at age 12, and two of my students essentially became orphans after their dad murdered their mom.  These updates deeply saddened me because they reminded me that it takes more than a village to raise a child, and some of these kids unfortunately have an unreasonable amount of challenges bombarding them in their early lives.  So when I heard from E that she is a junior in high school and concurrently enrolled in college classes at UT Pan American, I exploded with happiness.  Given she was great student back then and seemed to have a solid family life, this news just makes me so happy.

E also shared with me some memories of  her time as my student.  She didn't mention any specific skills or knowledge that she learned in fifth grade.  Instead, she talked about something I did that was not academic, and could have been considered to me a waste of valuable class time by some teachers.  I took portraits of all of the kids on the first day of school and used them throughout the year as I selected one each week as the Star.  They thought they were picked for being a good student/doing their homework/helping out, but in reality, I picked kids who I knew were going through tough times/had been recently picked on/failed to master a concept.  That Star had his or her portrait front and center all week, along with artwork and writing they did about his or her self the first week.  They got to help me with anything and everything, and they got to eat lunch with me on Friday.  And most importantly, all of the other students wrote something nice about the Star, and at the end of the week I gave them a compilation of things the other students had written about them.  In the world of fifth grade, it meant instant popularity...or at least respect.  Other kids wanted to emulate the Star so maybe they would be picked the following week.

E reminded me that teaching self-confidence and boosting others' self-esteem is not something only teachers should aim for with their students.  It's something we can all do as human beings.  It's something I can be doing at my job every day, at home with my husband and other family members, and with friends and people I meet during chance encounters.

I've been reflecting a lot this year about how my husband and I will be parents and teachers to our son, and reconnecting with E reminded me that confidence-building goes a long way with children.  I came across this blog entry that is common sense, but a good reminder.  I think it really applies to all loved ones, not just children.  :)

What Parents Need to Know (source)

That our children need more of us.  Our children don’t need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 mph pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them. 

Cool Down

Day trip to San Antonio!  Loved these girls chatting in the fountain.

You Burned My Feelings

From a child who wanted to go to the beach, as her dad watched football.  Haha!!

(from Passive Agressive notes)

Adorable x 10

I got to hang out with two of my favorite kiddos last night.

It just might be a long-distance love match. :)

Viva le lego!

It will soon be socially acceptable for me to play with Legos again.  And Lincoln Logs too - whoohoo!

Babies on the Brain * Babies on the Brain * Babies on the Brain

I guess I haven't officially said this on my blog, but Chris and I have begun a new adventure.  I'm pregnant!  Our little one will be here right around Christmas. 

In honor of the best thing in the whole world (and because pregnancy brain is in full effect and I can't concentrate on work for longer than 8 minutes), here are a few cute babies!

Make a Lonely Glove Happy Again

This is so adorable, and it looks easy enough that even I could make it.

Instructions are here (12M pdf file).

Rethinking the Lemonade Stand

On the way to the park yesterday, we passed some elementary-aged kiddos who had baked various desserts to raise money for Haitians.


Charlie, a British seven-year-old, has raised 130,000 pounds for Haiti.

Wow, the future rocks.

Kids - Gotta Love Em

My wedding photographer's ten year-old son created this adorable blog. It

1) Cracks me up
2) Amazes me that ten year olds are growing up blogging!

Cute Captioned Cats

Simple Pleasures

I get the impression that that some children today have difficulty entertaining themselves. Today I watched my cousin's children have a blast with none other than a mop bucket on wheels.






A boogie board also became a great Florida-style sled.



Of course the boys had some modern-day diversions as well...



...followed by nap time with Daddy.

Thank you, President Obama

Today is a great day for our nation's students, yet political divisions are distracting. President Obama is addressing American students at 11:00am today to tell them directly how important their education is, not only for their own futures but also for the future of our country. Only two Presidents (Reagan and Bush 1) have ever addressed students directly in this way. From what I've read, Bush's student speech proposal was also met with significant opposition from parents whose views differed from his own politically.

My last year in the classroom (before beginning graduate school) was 2007, when Obama and Clinton were beginning their runs for presidency. My class that year was made of 100% minority children, about 85 to 90% of whose families relied on government assistance for food and other necessities. Almost every child was from a broken home, and at least 3 of my 26 students that year had fathers who were currently in prison. In the past two years, one of the fathers of one of those students murdered the child's mother, and one of my female students is now pregnant. So many of the students were victims of abuse and had unbelievably low self-worth.

I realize that these facts may seem extreme for people who haven't worked in the education system or with government or nonprofit services that benefit those at need in our country. But my classroom was not an anomaly. Every other classroom at my school had similar issues and continues to. Austin is not an aberration either. These challenges are plaguing our country's children, and it is definitely impacting our overall level of education and our country's workforce. Our dropout rate remains around 30% (thirty percent!), and our children continue to lag behind children in other developed nations, especially in math and science. Teenage pregnancy is a problem now more than ever, and the percentages of young minority males in our correctional system greatly outweighs the similar percentage for white males. These are deep, complex problems in our society.

I applaud President Obama for speaking directly to students today. He has spoken to teachers, to parents, and now he is working on motivating the students. He's asking them to take responsibility for their education, their future. And I think it's unfortunate that many children will miss out on his speech today because their parent(s) disagree with the President's stance on health care, the economy, or the Middle East. I would have felt the same way if I was a teacher during Bush 1's speech. Our young people are capable of listening and having discussions within their classes following the speech, just as we adults watch televised debates and later discuss. In fact, I hosted classroom debates in 2007 with my fifth graders regarding presidential candidate agendas. These children were not only extremely motivated and excited about the presidential candidates, but also eager to discuss what they liked and disliked about their platforms. And the icing on the cake was to hear one student explain to the others in an "I Told You So" moment that yes, Black people and women were in fact allowed to be president in our country.

President Obama is a role model to millions of children. He was a role model well before he became president. And he is doing the right thing by drawing on his own experiences as a child to create a commonality with many of our kids today and give them hope for their own futures. If little Barack Hussein Obama can do it, so can they. And believe me, they are listening.

Read Obama's speech to students here (pdf file).

Fathers

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with my dad in Dallas. We also got to catch up with old friends, and I took a photograph that to me is a perfect illustration of fatherhood.

Jason with his son Dominic

Hike for Greens

My awesome pal Priya is hiking all 2,175 miles (Georgia to Maine) of the Appalacian Trail this year. Not only am I infinitely jealous, I'm also proud of her for for supporting a great cause along the way.

Priya and I both just completed the LBJ School graduate program in public affairs and also both taught with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley. There is a small family of charter schools in the Valley called IDEA, which was started by other former Teach For America teachers. IDEA schools have implemented Outdoor Classrooms in the Valley where children are raise and harvesting their own food. Priya is supporting this effort on her walkabout.

This is a cause that is dear to my heart as I also started an Outdoor Classroom of my own while teaching in the Valley. I received my Master Gardener certification, started a Gardening Club, and implemented the gardening process into the fifth grade science curriculum. While the actual food production process was definitely challenging, the program was a success. In the years that I taught at Trevino Elementary, the fifth grade science TAKS (state assessment) passing rate jumped from 33% when I started to 87% when I left. And of course, the students also gained a more valuable understanding of the connectedness of living things, importance of resource conservation and patience, and sheer enjoyment of harvesting something they contributed to the Earth. I am a firm believer in Outdoor Classrooms and know from experience that they work.

One of my former students with a new friend from the garden
(this is one of most favorite pictures ever)

So if you also share a love of outdoor education, take a look at Priya's Hike for Greens blog. She's got information about how to contribute to IDEA through her site. Hike on, lady!

Please help if you are able...

I'm writing to support three former students of mine during a very difficult time. Their mother was very brutally murdered by their father over the weekend. Their father is now in jail, and the children are safe with family members in Corpus Christi. I will be heading to the funeral there tomorrow.

My teaching colleagues and I have been touched by this family in ways that are hard to explain. I can honestly say that out of all of the families I've worked with in Austin, I never expected such a tragedy to affect these children. They were our shining stars at Becker and we've always expected these children to accomplish great things in their lives.

Their mother was a wonderful lady. She worked long hours for the State of Texas and still ensured that she was involved in her five children's education. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the children. The two oldest boys are 14 and 16 and involved in band and magnet studies. The two younger boys entered the gifted and talented program the years I had them. Both of these boys made me laugh so hard I cried on several occasions with their great sense of humor, and they are very talented both academically and emotionally. The only girl is 10 and is such an amazing, positive, and happy child. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. All of the children are extremely bright, hard-working, and loving to all of their classmates.

I am deeply concerned for the children's future given the sudden absence of two working parents. Raising five children (and hopefully getting them to college) is a hugely expensive task. The father's brother apparently has already sold many of the family's belongings in an attempt to bail him out of jail.

An account was set up for the children this morning. I know that many of us are struggling financially right now, but if you are able to donate any amount of money for these beautiful little human beings, it would be greatly appreciated.

Capital One Bank
"Ledesma Children" account
# 3813430907

You can either visit a Capital One branch (here is a list) or transfer money into the account from your banking account online.

Feel free to pass along this information if you know others who may be willing to help. Thank you so much.

Ancient Egypt

My brother, dad, and I went to the King Tut exhibit in Dallas last weekend. The whole experince was rather frustrating because we waited in a very long line and it was very expensive. Once we got inside, the crowds were so thick I couldn't see anything. And worse, the museum workers were carting us along like cattle. One room had a short movie about the discovery of King Tut's tomb, and I wasn't allowed to watch it because I had to "keep moving". Pretty disappointing. But, as I was walking through the exhibit looking at contents of the tomb, something inside me felt like I was a kid again. I couldn't quite place it, but something was reminding me of a fear I had as a child.

Finally, I figured out what connection my brain was making. When I was very young, I saw a Sesame Street skit about Bert and Ernie visiting an ancient pyramid. In the skit, one of the mummies comes to life when Ernie is alone. Every time Bert comes back to the room, the mummy is only a mummy, but when he leaves, he comes to life and freaks Ernie out. I have memories of this skit being the scariest thing I had ever seen when I was three or four years old. I mean, for years--throughout my childhood--it haunted me. I had nightmares about it pretty frequently.

Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, guess what I found? The skit! Seems so silly now...Man, I don't know how kids today watch all of these slasher movies...this was enough for me!



Does anyone else remember this skit? Or other innocent Sesame Street sketches that freaked you out?

A Special Story from Katrina

I came across a review recently for a children's book called The Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival. I haven't read it yet, but the story behind it intrigued me.

The authors of the book heard a story about a dog, Bobbi Dog, and a cat, Bob Cat, on Anderson Cooper and had to write a kids book about it. Bobbi Dog and Bob Cat were two pets left behind in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. They both had bobbed tails (hence the nickname Bobbies) and were best friends. They were brought to a shelter after a construction worker found them:

The construction worker told us the dog and cat showed up and
started hanging out with his dog. Because they were both very
thin, the worker began feeding them. The man said he tried to
pick up the cat a couple of times but the dog would growl. He
said he also found out that if he tried to separate them, the dog
would “bark her head off.”

The shelter volunteers noticed the dog was very protective of the cat and had to keep them in the same cage in order to keep the peace. It took them a while to figure out that the cat was actually blind and the dog had been leading her through the perils of New Orleans after the hurricane!

Eventually, both animals were adopted by a woman in Oregon who operates a 50-acre ranch with a therapeutic equestrian program for kids. What a happy ending.

I'm excited to read the book. It has the potential to carry many meaningful messages to children - unlikely friendship, loyalty, cycles of change in nature, and the kindness of strangers. I like that it is based on a tragedy but illustrates an example of something positive that came out of it.

One of my cousin's family members experienced a similar "animal miracle" when he was finally able to return home to his house two weeks after Katrina and found that his dog had survived on none other than....toilet paper. Wow.

Here is a picture of the real Bobbies: