Saturday, February 27, 2010

What's in a Name?

Shouldn't children learn about what they're eating even before reaching school age? I think so, but in an upcoming TV food show, a chef finds out that some West Virginia young children couldn't identify common fruit and vegetables.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Dr. Seuss on eBook

I'm a huge Dr. Seuss fan. I think using his material in any form is good as long as children are exposed to different forms. Allowing children to use new technologies for learning is good, but not at the expense of deleting older methods as books.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Talking About Race With Children

I had white friends who told me that they were colorblind in regard to race. That idea has always irked me since to me the problem isn't acknowledging differences among people, which include skin color. Instead the problem is pretending that people have no color or that their racial identity is insignificant.

So what can we do about this? For many adults I think the situation is hopeless--sorry to be so pessimistic; for children I'm exceedingly hopeful. In fact there are many teachable moments for children regarding the topic race. Selecting an African-American to be president is just one moment.

Some of my thoughts about race for this blog post were driven by an article at Wired.com titled How to Raise Racist Children Kids by Jonathan Liu. The article highlights parental patterns that fosters racism in children. Also, the article presents information from the book NurtureShock as: A child’s attitudes toward race are much harder to alter after third grade, but a lot of parents wait until then (or later) before they feel it’s “safe” to talk frankly about race.

I must remember that I'm one of the fortunate people who has had the opportunity to travel and appreciate cultures in many locations around the world. I think this exposure has helped me develop a wider view of people in one respect from noticing their differences from me and my culture, and at the same time I've been able to see a commonality between people from different cultures. Kindness is one of the commonalities.

My most memorable examples of cross-cultural kindness were in Germany and Egypt. Those moments of people going out of their way to make me feel comfortable and understand me as a person often fuel my soul when I have periods of annoyance stemming from racial discrimination.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

How Sweet It Is!

The title of this blog post is stolen from Jackie Gleason, a comic from yesteryear. In a way he is a nice lead in, physically at least--a chubby fellow he was, for a few words concerning my journey to find healthy apple juice today . I indicate health because not all apple juice is healthy since many apple juice producers bump up the sugar level per serving. The recommended sugar level is 4 grams per serving. Finding that level is very difficult. In the case of apple juice in small containers suitable for children, I found the sugar level per serving to be extremely high: 17, 23, 25 grams. A woman with a child was also shopping for apple juice when I was today. I commented to her that the recommended healthy sugar level was 4 grams per serving, but all the choices on the shelves were well over that level. I was happy to see her check containers for sugar after our conversation and hoped it becomes a practice for the sake of her child. The best choice I found was Apple & Eve's 4.23 fl. oz. containers, which reflected 11 grams per serving.

The sugar level in yogurt is similar to that of apple juice. I suspect sugar levels are high in many everyday products. Since high sugar use correlates with obesity, I wondering whether Michelle Obama will focus on sugar levels in food as she spearheads projects addressing childhood obesity.

Monday, February 15, 2010

A Poem

The Modest Little Wish
from Selected Poems
of
Carl Spitteler
(Carl Spitteler is winner of the 1919 Nobel Prize for Literature)

In the days when I was little
had they asked me what I wanted,
What I'd wish for first, if wishes
ever could be really granted,
At the thought of such abundance
I should long have hesitated,
Picture-books, painted-boxes, soldiers--
between these have vacillated.
But grown older, plans were bolder;
I had made my proud election
--Fame as hero, fame as victor,
worlds o'erthrown for resurrection;
Or as artist crowned with laurel,
lord of some domain entrancing,
Magic trees around me blossoming,
and lovely ladies glancing.
Nowadays, if hope grown weary
in the wishing-game persisted,
Though I blushed to think the childish,
foolish longing still existed,
I would ask to hear the old way
bells would sound when lying lonely
Half-asleep, a little fellow...
I would ask to hear that only.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

More About Parents Behaving Badly Than A Child Behaving Badly

One idea that has me thinking recently is that emotional intelligence development is important for young children because they don't have the vocabulary to express themselves like adults, particularly regarding feelings. Such is the case, I think, within the story below, which links to more detail at The Smoking Gun Web site.

FEBRUARY 12--A Florida first grade student was briefly committed to a mental health institution after police were twice called to her school this week after she threw violent tantrums, which included the six-year-old striking the school's principal, who is eight months pregnant, in the stomach. According to the below St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office reports, officers were first summoned to Parkway Elementary School last Monday when Haley Franklin became out of control. During an hour-long tantrum--which was apparently triggered when the girl's teacher asked her to do something--the child kicked walls and threw items (a calculator, electric pencil sharpener, telephone, etc.) across the principal's office. The 37-pound offender, pictured at right, was briefly handcuffed as a sheriff's deputy sought to get her under control. The following day, when the child again caused a disruption, which included throwing things and striking the principal, a sheriff's deputy responded to the school and transported Haley to the New Horizons mental health facility. A Florida state law (known as the Baker Act) allows law enforcement personnel to involuntarily commit individuals. Along with threatening to punch a deputy, the girl called a school administrator "an old bat" and told the woman, "I am going to go home and make a kick me sign and put it on your back." While Haley's parents acknowledge that their child has a temper problem, they said she has no history of mental illness, and blasted school officials and sheriff's deputies for overreacting. The sheriff's report notes that, prior to last week's incidents, school officials repeatedly sought to discuss Haley's behavior with her mother and father. But the parents never showed up for the scheduled meetings. Additionally, both parents were arrested last year for failing to appear for a court-ordered truancy hearing about "their children not attending school on a normal basis."

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Great Idea!


A school district in Arizona came up with a creative solution that led to students using their time more productively while traveling by school bus. The details are reported in the New York Times. I find it heartwarming to see teachers and administrators working to give students educational choices. I have great hope for our youths.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance

Koyaanisqatsi translates to "life out of balance or crazy life" in the Hopi language. Also it was used as part of the title of a film (Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance) directed by Godfrey Reggio with music by Philip Glass. I saw the film many years ago and bought a DVD of it. The images and music are perfectly in sync and create a feast for the brain to show that the modern world is out of balance with nature. The life out of balance theme comes to mind every now and then when I notice something in the news that is grossly out of kilter, particular with children. This morning the theme came to while reading the story about a junior high student who was arrested in NYC for doodling on her desk. Immediately, I had questions: What happened to the days when children committing the same offense was required to clean the desk, if not all the desks in the classroom as punishment? Why are we so quick to criminalize children? Is the process used in this situation not a waste of public time and resources?