Shouldn't Everyone Be Accountable for Student Performance?

I just read a New York Times article that indicated Mayor Bloomberg of New York City was considering having teacher's tenure be pegged to students' performance. My initial reaction is that that is a good idea if at the same time parents and guardians will be cited and fined for sending students to school unfed, improperly clothed, and ill-prepared to learned because of behavior issues.

Toy Hazard List

As the gift giving season approaches and many people are considering toys to purchase for children, take note of the list of toys on the recall list at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

BPA (Bisphenol-A) Research Makes a Link to Sex

Now that BPA research has moved into the realm of male sexual function, I'm predicting that more attention will be given to the problem. Initially, I thought the research was being highlighted by the "green industry," which is not a bad tactic. The research, however, was funded by the U.S. Institue of Occupational Safety and Health. Science Daily has an article that provides detail about the research.

The renewed concern did cause me to refresh my memory about products that contain BPA. Last year I searched the Web for information about plastics and BPA because I was working on some projects for children that used watter bottle plastic caps. My fear was that the caps may containd BPA. While we still don't seem to have an inexpensive test that the public can use at home, I did find comfort in the April 22, 2008 NY Times article written by Tara Parker-Pope, titled A Hard Plastic is Raising Hard Questions. Her article provides good information from a common sense approach.

Up to now the media had focused on hard, clear plastics, but not on the lining of can goods. Now the foucs is on food can lining and some companies have started to scramble. I noticed already that some can soups have been discounted, particularly from one company that was cited earlier this week by ABC News as having high levels of BPA in its products' can lining.

Well, now that there is sexual dimension to BPA, the discussion should heat up.

Digital Graffiti Wall Art

Digital Graffiti Wall + Stencils from Alex Beim on Vimeo.

Remember the Toy Safety Act Last Year?

While watching CSPAN today, I caught an interview of Dr. Temple Grandin, who has autism and has been "schooling" the world about autism and other disabilities. Dr. Grandin mentioned that the New York Times recently had an article that dealt with small-time toy makers being affected by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008.

Since I make learning objects out of wood and other materials to support early childhood activities, I thought I would locate and read the Times article. I found the article: Burden of Safety Law Imperils Small Toy Makers. It highlights how CPSIA, if left unchanged, will impact not only toy makers, but also thrift resale shops and other business. That small-time toy makers will have to pay for testing of each toy at $300 or more is practically a death knell for them. Moreover, that large toy companies as Mattel can do their own testing and submit a report seems unfair and harkens back to the "too big to fail" premise.

One organization leading the reform of the CPSIA is the Handmade Toy Alliance, a non-profit organization. All of this has left me with the need to this situation out; however, I thought the intent of CPSIA was to address lead in toys and restrict the use of small loose components that children can swallow. I guess I'll do some more researching.

Florida Association for the Education of Children 54th Annual Conference

I attended the conference in Orlando, FL from September 25-27, 2009. The first impression I had was that the traffic from NW Florida to Orlando was much lighter this year than two years ago. Moreover, the traffic along International Drive in Orlando was significantly lighter. I'm certain all of this is a reflection of the depressed economy.

I was selected to lead a round-table discussion on September 27 with the subject: Creating Arts and Science Foundations in Early Childhood Education.






To highlight points in my presentation, I took samples of my handmade learning support pieces to show how original wood-crafted products can be used within the curriculum to help satisfy state and national requirements in educating 3-5 year olds. I hid objects in boxes and requested attendees guess what was in each box. Among the topics I touched on were geometry (general and fractal), numerals and the alphabet on different shapes (cubes, disks, etc.) and of different textures. One of my objects showed how preschool and kindergarten students can be exposed to physics concepts--in this case Newton's Laws of Motion in a fun and inviting way. Also, I included a nesting box, which demonstrated how it can be used to have students guess what is inside the final small size in the series while at the same time allowing students reveal their knowledge of plants, animals, the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and colors though their guesses. I was delighted to see everyone engaged and excited about the possibility of trying to replicate some of the strategies I used in designing the activities.

Two of my goals in making handcrafted learning objects are (1) to have each piece look inviting and (2) to have each piece feel smooth and warm to the touch. The feedback from the attendees reflected these goals were met with the pieces I brought to the conference. I particularly appreciated the feedback toward one object that would allow me make a change to add a new dimension to the learning experience of students.

I would like to thank members of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (a recent name change from the Early Childhood Association of Florida) for selecting me to share my ideas with attendees. Also, I must show appreciation to the educators who attended my presentation and provided insightful comments.

It's About Control

I'm just returning from the 54th Conference of the Florida Association for Education of Young Children in Orlando, FL where I lead a round table discussion. I'll have much more detailed information about the conference in another posting. In any case, I'm feeling pretty good about some of my comments from the conference since some of it is supported by an article (Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self Control) in the New York Time Magazine (September 27, 2009). For example, earlier today I remarked, while referring to young children activities, to table mates at the conference that I thought young children need to feel as if they are controlling something. The Times Magazine article expands on the idea of students exhibiting self control.

Interesting...Very...Interesting

Each weekend I check in with CSPAN Book TV to listen and view authors of nonfiction talking about their books. Today I caught an interview of Jonathan Kozol--identified as an education activist-- who among other books wrote Death at an Early Age (1967), a National Book Award winner. Thinking that it would be interesting to read the book, I searched Google Book Search to find the nearest library that had a copy of the book. To my surprise only three locations were indicated:

1. Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC

2. Blackfoot Public Library in Blackfoot, ID

3. City of Cape Town Library in Cape Town, South Africa

How Britian Is Attempting to Protect Its Children...

From BBC News: "Parents who regularly drive children for sports or social clubs will have to undergo criminal record checks or face fines of up to £5,000 under new rules."

This thinking is in line with that of Marci Hamilton’s, the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children (2008). I watched Marci Hamilton give a talk on CSPAN’s BookNotes months ago wherein she indicated that as much as 80 percent of abuse on children are carried out by people the children know.

The BBC article goes on to indicate that critics of the measure are indicating that volunteers will be driven away from helping. My reaction is that maybe those volunteers who are driven away are the ones who should not be around children in the first place.

End of the Rainbow

NPR is announcing that Reading Rainbow will air its last show next Friday, September 4. This is sad. A while back I watched the show daily and took notes for prek projects, but the local PBS station started changing the schedule so often that it became difficult to catch the show. For years I have been impressed with the show's design, content, and range. I was alerted to many children books by the show. I guess even rainbows have to go away at some point.

Prevent Lead Poisoning

Diets rich in calcium and iron help resist the damage from lead. We've matched the superfoods packed with calcium, iron and Vitamin C with healthy recipes so you can protect your children's health.

Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/lead-poisoning-prevention-diet-47041702#ixzz0PR69DwRB

Checklist for School from TheDailyGreen

Here is a back-to-school checklist from thedailygreen, a green-focus Web site.

Tech News, Reviews, Interviews, Tips,and More

This is the headline of the OmniTechNews Web site. Big deal, right? Well, it is a big deal since the site is run by youths out of the bedroom of a 12 year old. NPR lead me to OmniTechNews. I'm so delight to see youths voicing their views since so often told to sit in the corner and be quiet.

Cornbread

I just like this song by Beau Jocque and the High Rollers:

Game for Preschoolers

The game Aquarius is being tooled to allow preschoolers to play. Release date is late August.

Depression Among Pre-Schoolers

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting on a study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, that reveals that children as young as three-years old suffer from depression. I find this determination incredible as well as distressing.

Let's Get Those Kids to Run Around During the Day!

BBC News is report results of a study that indicates that children who are sedentary during the day have more trouble falling asleep than children who are active during the day.

More About Toxic Toys

I followed a link from Digg.com to TheDailyGreen.com for an article concerning companies paying as little as a penny per toy for violation of rules about lead paint on toys. In reading that article I followed the link to the latest toxic toy recall: Mini-sports balls. Months ago I purchased these mini-sports balls and only by coincidence found out that it was deemed toxic. I follow many news outlets and saw no reporting on this.

Great Animated Video: Blip

Here is a great video by Sean Mullen (other director: Ben Harper; producers: Eddie Hallahan and Miriam Gelderen:

Blip from Sean Mullen on Vimeo.

Affectionate Pre-school Director

Here is an interesting situation from Slate.com:

My Vote as Best Rendition of Star Spangled Banner

All Hands on Deck

Initially, I was to write on the subject of working with one's hands weeks ago. I had two reason to do so. The first reason is that working with one's hands and vocational skills in general are devalued in the U.S. , I think. Each time I hear someone promoting the idea that everyone should go to college I become annoyed. The truth is everyone shouldn't go to college. The reason everyone shouldn't go is not due to lack of brain power as some authors are making a living out of promoting. I attempt to read a book by one of these authors recently and couldn't get pass the introduction because of the veiled class and race bias arguments. I think for many people college is not the best learning environment.

Also, just because someone doesn't to college, but does gain valuable skills in other venues, that person shouldn't be devalued. Hence, I much rather a plumber who received on-the-job training fix my drain than someone who graduated college with a degree in water management.

Somewhere along the line we started placing more value on thinking than doing, in my opinion. With all the schooling I have, none of it gives me as much pleasure as designing and construction learning toys, particularly out of wood, even though I also work in metal, textile, and plastic. Mind you my skill level in woodworking is nothing to brag about, but I get the job done--at least to my satisfaction.

This brings me to the second reason for wanting to write about working with one's hands. Weeks ago I read a New York Times Magazine essay titled The Case for Working With One's Hand by Matthew B. Crawford. Crawford wrote about finding joy in working with his hands and managing a motorcycle shop while having a Ph.D. He also had expanded these ideas in his book Shop Class as Soulcraft. The essay was great, but I procrastinated writing about his essay and my views about working with one's hands. Then this morning watched Crawford on the Steven Colbert show. And later in the day I stumbled upon an article about Crawford's book on the Financial Times website after reading a Tom Friedman's article concerning America's need to invent its way to a better future--note the previous post.

So, I finally felt compelled to write this post. I'm sure I'll have more to say about our cultural view that graduating college is evidence of intelligence.

How to Get to There From Here

When people indicate that education is the key to success, would those same people buy into the idea of not allowing kids to having driving license if they didn't complete high school? Well, that the idea of tying receipt of a driver's license to completion of high school is that of Craig Barrett, former head of Intel according to New York Times' Tom Friedman in an Op-ed titled Invent, Invent, Invent.

Disappearing Newspapers

I'm working on a project with newspapers for 3-6 year olds, so I started collecting newspapers available in NW Florida. This idea eas developed from a ritual I started in NY when I live there years ago, on Sundays I purchase the NY Times along with the local papers for a quiet day of reading. I wanted to include papers in addition to those papers for the project: the Atlantic Constitution, the Tallahassee Democrat, and the Financial Times, etc.

Therefore, I went to Books-a-Million and Barnes and Noble, and supermarkets for these papers. To my surprise none of these other papers are available. Years ago I realized that the Tallahassee Democrat from the state capitol would be difficult to find in NW Florida. Now many other non-local papers have been curtailed. A worker at Barnes and Noble informed me that the person who used to manage out-of-town papers for the area died several months ago, and no one has replaced him. Could the death of one person cause the demise of sale of some out-of-town papers in my region of the state?

In any case, I'm not on the bandwagon with other people who are ready for the demise of print papers for on-line news. I'm finding the difference to be stark. Daily I read many national papers on line as well as a wide range of blogs. I'm finding that those sources are extremely similar to each other in what is reported. What is missing to me is the visceral effect of having a printed paper with stories that are below the radar of the wire services.

Moreover, there is my personal history with newspapers that is in jeopardy of being lost. Part of my reason for developing the newspaper project for kids was to share stories about newspapers in my life. Although neither of my parents completed high school--my father only completed the 2nd grade before being forced to work on a farm; and my mother completed the 11th grade before being forced to get a job to help the family--we always had a newspaper subscription. I want to show the children how we made transfers of the "funny papers" on Saturdays using soap and a clean sheet of paper. Also, I want to explain to kids how selling the Grit paper proved to be a poor idea for me when I was 13. Of course, I want to tell the students about my travails in trying to outsmarting bullies when I had a paper route.

This history is important, I think. Children want to hear these stories as well. Weaving the value of newspapers to the public and establishing the foundation for reading, e.g., reading left to right, top to bottom, letters form words, words form sentences; as an overview for future learning are also important.

Well, my project may take longer than I anticipated, but I'll find the papers I need to show show variety in format. The good part is that the rush of dopamine in my brain when I have all the parts for the project completed will probably knock me down.

What is the purpose of education?

For quite a while, I've had the view that we spend a huge amount of time educating students primarily toward high-paying jobs with little emphasis on creating quality citizens with jobs. I guess an argument can be made that the push toward high career jobs is necessary to help students repay a mountain of college loans. In any case, I'm glad that I'm not alone in my view of how we educate our children. Today I read an article that shared some of my views about how we educate. Below is an except from an article titled Selling Education, Manufacturing Technocrats, Torturing Souls: The Tyranny of Being Practical by William Astore:

Based on a decidedly non-bohemian life - 20 years' service
in the military and 10 years teaching at the college level - I'm convinced
that American education, even in the worst of times, even recognizing
the desperate need of most college students to land jobs, is far too
utilitarian, vocational, and narrow. It's simply not enough to prepare
students for a job: We need to prepare them for life, while challenging
them to think beyond the confines of their often parochial and
provincial upbringings. (As a child of the working class from a
provincial background, I speak from experience.)

Would You Drug Your Child for Control?

On SlashDot.org I found an article that references a device that delivers drugs to a child to keep the child sedated in home settings. Here is the link to the device. I find this device scary.

As I'm writing this, I just remembered a situation from around 1971 when I worked a summer job as an Allied mover in NY. I overheard a medical doctor, while I helped move his family in Connecticut, remark that he had given his infant a sleeping drug to allow the baby to be quiet during the family's upcoming driving trip. I found that situation incredulous at the time as well as now.

What I'm Reading

I'm currently reading Iconoclast by Gregory Berns. I made the choice to read this book by happenstance in that I saw it on display at a library and thought I remembered something about it from a program at BookTV on C-SPAN.

Although I'm only about halfway through, one idea that sticks out is Berns's view about the pressure we feel to conform to the wishes of the group: "for most people the will to stand alone for one's opinion does not come easily. (p. 87)

What is striking about this idea is that it brought to mind a March 15, 2009 report at Science Daily concerning a research study that indicates that children as young as 3 and 4 years feel the need to conform to the wishes of the group. I now wonder whether the need to conform is innate? Moreover, can we encourage children to risk being different and standing up for their ideas without creating more pressure on them?

An Interesting Way to Ensure Children Study

Here is a British article that highlights how parents ensure their children study.

Boosting Your Creativity

New Scientist is featuring an article titled Eight Ways to Boost Your Creativity. The idea that piqued my interest most was the one that indicated that the color blue helps a person to be more creative.

In thinking about colors, I'm reminded of a study years ago that suggested that a pink environment made boys less aggressive. The report indicated that when boys, who were acting out, were placed in a pink room, the boys immediately calmed down.

Free Stories for Children

I found the link for this site, that has stories for children, at Freakonomics.com.

Earth Day 2009

Today I planted an onion from the root and stem of an onion I bought last Saturday--I'm not sure which end the growth would occur, if at all. Since last Earth Day, I've become more ecology conscious. For example, Instead of purchasing African Violets annually, as I have for years, last year I started developing new plants from the leaves of my older African Violet plants.

Another positive ecological change I've made is with using vinegar for cleaning instead of using commercial cleaning products. I add a small amount when washing dishes by hand. Outside the house, I'm using recipes from Jerry Baker books to care for my lawn and outside plants. His ingredients avoids chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

In activities I've developed for 3-6 year olds, I have reduce my reliance on plastic and products from China. Instead, I make products out of wood, textile, and recycled metal to support activities.

Times Are Changing

Come together 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you'd better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

The Times They Are A-Changin'
Bob Dylan


In the 1960s when I was 12, I was selected to represent my church at a convention for several days. I no longer can recall how this all came about. I lived in Charleston, SC, and the convention was 100 miles away in Columbia, the state capital. I think my father, who was an official in the church, had a hand in the decision to select me. I received a point of contact, instructions, a bus ticket, and was on my way. I can't remember the point of contact doing much, but that was OK. Anyway, I shared a room with three older guys from other churches and did my convention thing. I had no problem, except dealing with being away from home alone for the first time. I returned home and gave my report on the conference. I've been on the road ever since.

This story came to mind over the weekend after I read an Associated Press story titled "Public doesn't believe woman raped, killed girl." In addition to the dismay of learning about another attack on a child, what struck me was the disbelief of the public. Even though the evidence led the police to the conclusion that the woman raped the girl, the public seemed to be locked onto a paradigm that certain people don't do certain things. If the suspect were male, the person would have been adjudicated by the public prior to evidence. Moreover, if the person were a minority male, a photograph of the questioning would be all it takes for the public to render guilt. That child abusers being caught are married is another thought-pattern breaker.

We're living in a time when old thought patterns may not fit, and we need to accept where we are and adjust our thinking and laws to fit new patterns. Even as I'm writing this entry and listening to the news out of Mobile, AL, the newscaster is reporting a story of a soccer coach (male) being arrested for abusing a child. The newscaster even remarks that the arrestee was a popular person in the community.

Indeed, we are living in changing times and must find more efficient methods to protect children. I hope no one asks me about deterrence methods. I must prove a warning that my opinions about such methods are draconian.

Here is a Poem for a Slow Sunday

Not of School Age (1932)
Robert Frost

Around bend after bend,
It was blown woods and no end.
I came to but one house
I made but the one friend.

At the one house a child was out
Who drew back at first in doubt,
But spoke to me in a gale
That blew so he had to shout.

His cheek smeared with apple sand,
A part apple in his hand,
He pointed on up the road
As one having war-command.

A parent, his gentler one,
Looked forth on her small son,
And wondered with me there
What now was being done.

His accent was not good.
But I slowly understood.
Something where I could go--
He couldn't but I could.

He was too young to go,
Not over four or so.
Well, would I please go to school,
And the big flag they had--you know

The big flag, the red-white-
and blue flag, the great sight--
He bet it was out today,
And would I see if he was right?

Stress May Hinder Children's Brain Development

Economist.com has an article that reports on a study with claims that poverty from generation to generation may be the result of children growing up under stress. These children's brain do not develop normal working memory and their chance for upward mobility is reduced.

I Swear That Toddler is Not Listening to Me!

Here is one possible reason found at Science Digest:

"For parents who have found themselves repeating the same warnings or directions to their toddler over and over to no avail, new research from the University of Colorado at Boulder offers them an answer as to why their toddlers don't listen to their advice: they're just storing it away for later."

The WebKinz Party

Last Friday I was part of a Webkinz Party at a library. My role was to manage the
"Paint the Fence" game. Prior to participating in the event, I had a vague understanding of the Webkinz "movement" and had to search the Web for information to prepare for the party.

In all my planning, I still wasn't prepared for the high-energy level of the kids at the party. The kids repeated roamed through the seven activities. I found it difficult to understand why "glorified-beany babies" were receiving such attention.

There was one comical moment for me when a little guy related how happy he was to receive the prize for painting the fence, and I noticed that he was missing two front teeth. I'm not sure what it says about me that I find kids with missing teeth hilarious.

I found it interesting watching whether a parent chose to help or not help a child playing games. In some instances I found it sad to see some parents not giving children time to work through missteps and instead playing the game for the children.

Changing Times

Today I went to see the movie Watchmen. The picturesque quality of the movie was complimented by the music, which lprompted me to research the lyrics of one of Bob Dylan's songs used in the movie. Here is the part of the lyrics that highlights ideas that I often ponder:

The Times They Are A-Changin'

...Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

Film Festival

New York International Children's Film Festival

When Computing Becomes Child's Play

Follow this link to a cool article about a new form of computing at NewScientist.com.

Another Reason to Address Children's Bad Behavior Early

Aggressive children ins pre-k have fewer friends according to a recent study. I think it's interesting that this finding is true for boys as wells as girls. Left unchecked, aggressive children could develop far greater bad behavior.

Head Start Program

The February 8, 2009 New York Times (Sunday) had two articles that mentioned the Head Start Program. In Education is All in Your Mind, Richard E. Nisbett indicated that Head Start "have been found to have only modest effects on the children's academic achievement, and these often fade by early elementary school." In Head Start Falls Further Behind, Douglas J. Besharov and Douglas M. Call indicated that "Head Start and similar prekindergarten programs could truly help disadvantaged children, but many studies have shown that Head Star, as it is managed, is failing them."

Well, I have personal experience with a local Head Start Program. In 2001 I coordinated with the staff and was allowed to present a program to the tots during Black History Month. I read a story I created about an African chicken and had the tots provide background music using the small African drums I brought. All went well. I expected a thank you note, but none arrived. A few years I presenting an after school program at the center that hosts the same Head Start Program. While there, I stopped at the Head Start Program and offered to present a free program to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. I referenced my previous work with the the Head Start Program and left my contact information. I was alerted that the offer would be sent to the Head Start central office. I never received a reaction.

My experiences with Head Start has left me with the same impression that is supported in Richard E. Nisbett's article: the quality of Head Start depends on the management. Besharov and Call report that the U.S. House of Representative version of the stimulus bill identifies additional funds for Head Start without significant reforms even though the National Reporting System that would allow measurement of individual centers was eliminated in 2007.

I find it hard to understand why establishing accountability is difficult to achieve in Head Start. As a result the children, all to often, are the ones that suffer the most.

Newborn Infants Know How to Jam to Music

Science Daily is reporting the results of a study that indicates that newborn infants as young as three days old are able to recognize the beat in music. Jam on babies!

Lead in Children's Clothing

I was surprised to learn that lead can be found in children's clothing. In a LA Times article, the writer reports that the children clothing makers are worried about the lead content in children's clothing because of an upcoming requirement for lead content not exceed 600 parts per million effective February 10, 2009. The requirement was included in a law passed last year,. Many clothing makers, however, are indicating that they just learned of the requirement. If that complaint is true, it seem to me that someone at the industry rep level should be placed in the unemployment line.

Secretary for Education Confirmation Hearing-2009

When I turned on the TV this morning--a perk of being a retiree, I caught the end of the Senate Confirmation Hearing of the Secretary for Education (Arne Duncan) for the Obama Administration. I found later a videotape of the proceedings at CSPAN. Mr. Duncan must have done an outstanding job in the office calls and private sessions with the senators prior to the hearing because the his hearing was pretty close to being a "lovefest." I had no doubts about Mr. Duncan, as an Obama nominee. In the hearing I was more interested in the views and tones of the senators.

Senator Harkins (Iowa) lead the hearing as Education and Labor Committee Acting Chairman. He had a host of good questions and comments. Overall I liked Sen. Harkins passions for education. He made good points about the need for the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to get together to work on education programs for young children. I wholeheartedly agee. Just this morning I was review the Head Start education standards as they relate to the Florida Sunshine State Standards and wondered why Head Start wasn't under the Department of Education. Also, Sen Harkins surfaced the problem of programs for kids with disabilities being underfunded.

Other senators were noteworthy as well. Sen. MuClusky (Maryland) made points concerning providing more support to teachers. She had the most touching story about a kid who simply wanted to learn to be smart. Sen. Murray (Washington) mentioned preparation of children for careers of tomorrow. I was really happy to hear her mention that we will need mechanics as well in the future and that instead of No Child Left Behind we should reframe it to Every Child Has a Skill We Need. Sen. Roberts (Kansas) highlighted special needs and the IDEA Program being underfunded. The hallaluah remarks for me came from Sen. Alexander (Tennessee) when he indicated that towards educating a child, parents were #1 and teachers were #2. I also believe that parents/families are the primary educators for children, but for some reason their role seems to be diminished when we discuss education of children.

Sen. Sanders (Vermont) was terrific with raising a wide range of concerns. He mentioned the need to focus on prevention of children getting in trouble, the need to invest more in childcare vs. prisons, more affordable childcare, and more after school and Saturday programs.

As an educator, it was great to see education in the spotlight with our leaders. I'm confident that Mr. Duncan will make a fine Secretary of Education. I hope the senators will be as lovable and supportive when Mr. Duncan comes a knockin' for funds.

Game Program to Treat ADHD

Here is a link to information concerning the use of gaming to reprogram the brain of people with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Researching and writing in the early childhood development field have caused me to be alert to adult behavior that seem more appropriate for children. Lately, many adults that I see on TV and daily interaction seem to be regressing to childlike behavior. In response I decided to review Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

I read All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten in 1990--since 1985 I track books/audiotapes that I read/listen to partly out of ego enhancement and partly to challenge myself to read more each year. In any case, I skimmed the book recently to reacquaint myself to what Fulghum considered the foundation of the kindergarten curriculum. I guess he is mainly addressing social skills.

I think our social skills are worse than ever before. Moreover, we accept the lack of social skills as being OK with crude and rude behavior being in vogue. More troubling is that we adults are either forgetting or don't care that we modeling behavior for children ,and we aren't doing a good job in general. That brings me to the point that children learn social behavior well before the kindergarten period, and asking schools to undo that learning is well beyond their capability.

Lunchtime!

I guess I should have suspected that daycare centers would be having a problem feeding children as the price of food escalates. Asking parents to supply lunch for children isn't something that I expected though. The result of parents supplying lunch, according to a Science Daily News article is that such lunch packs aren't as nutritious as what daycare centers provide. I noticed when I taught the nutrition block in a childcare course that childcare workers were nearly falling asleep during the lessons. Students understood, however, that nutrition would be evaluated in accordance to Florida standards for childcare centers. During my evaluations, I noticed that daycare centers did consistently provide nutritious meals.

I wonder now what will happen when centers are evaluated and non-nutritious meals from parents are cited by inspectors. Perhaps centers need to show evidence that they have made attempts to instruct parents about the types of nutritious food that are recommended and that would satisfy inspectors.

The Black Swan

Over the recent holidays, I listened to the unabridged CDs of The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb. This author surfaced because he was one of the few people to warn years ago that the U.S. was on the verge of a economic catastrophe. The Black Swan may put off readers who may not enjoy listening or reading about economics, however. In my case, I follow economics as a hobby.

In a broad sense, the book has me thinking more about how our society discounts or tosses out ideas, people, products, and more that don't fit the norm or conventional wisdom. What comes to mind is the situation in education where departments of education at state and federal levels have adopted phonics as the one-best-way approach for teaching reading. I'm among the millions of children who learned to read using the whole word method prior to the advent of phonics. Therefore, I believe both methods can be used effective.

So, I now look for black swans, statistical outliers. I'm willing to analyze them, particularly in regard to early childhood education, to make sure good ideas aren't tossed because they are outside view of the gaggle.

No Caption Needed

Bright Ideas

I was left with great sense of hope after reading profiles in the New York Times Sunday Edition section pictured above. As a society we spend so much time highlighting youths wearing drooping pants and teens committing violence and spend a lesser amount of time on encouraging and celebrating the kids who are doing some great things.

The kids profiled in the newspaper segment are worth talking about. The story by Abby Ellin titled See Me, Hear Me was most heartwarming. The story briefly profiles Eitan Glinert and his team who worked on AudiOdyssey, a video game that allows visually impaired people to play together with sighted people via a keyboard or Nintendo Wii remote. Ellin reports that Glinert said: "People with disabilities were being left out of progress in the gaming market," as the reason for development of the game. Glinert has founded Fire Hose Games as well to develop video games that have a positive impact on society.