The End is the Beginning..

I recently had the son of a friend graduate from high school as the valdicorian

The End is the Beginning..

I recently had a friend graduate from high school as the valedictorian. We always knew he was very intelligent and would do well. I would take Tom to the library when he was young and he would check out 20-25 books. This made me a bit nervous until his dad assured me that he would get through them all during the three-week checkout time. I remember watching a program with him on the History Channel about how thimbles were made. That is the last thing I wanted to know, but I watched it with him as he was so engrossed in the program. I also remember a discussion with him about nuclear fusion and what it will eventually be able to do (something I still don't understand!). Tom was intelligent beyond my abilities years ago. It didn't surprise me that he was first in his class. What I relish is the fact that everyone around him encouraged and allowed him intellectual freedom. He now starts on a new beginning with the help of a full scholarship to a great university. I wish all children had this great support for development.

New Crop

I was excited to run into some of my former students this past month. Most of them were graduating in early childhood and interviewing for teaching jobs. I was excited because last fall I worked with this wonderful group of early childhood teachers. I am encouraged because they know how to be developmentally appropriate in early childhood settings. My hope is that in their new classrooms they can hold onto those important objectives and not buckle under to peer pressure to become ditto factories and assembly lines. It can sometimes be a balancing act, but well worth it if you persevere. Children always learn more in appropriate settings. Research tells us the number one factor for a child learning to read is the attitude of the teacher. I think it works on more than just reading...