Serendipity

“Parenting” on Flickr.

“Parenting”


According to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the word, parenting first showed up in writing, back when I was a child. What does it mean to parent? Parenting is a serious committment and takes time. Time spent on a child is worthwhile time. Time spent raising a child will pass in a blink of an eye. Parenting means never saying, “I don’t have time to help you.” Thank you to my own parents; you have been great parents for many, many decades!

Sometimes, parenting brings great pride and joy. Other times, parenting will cause a parent to shake a head, cry, become upset, and even say, “Help!”

I am in the teaching profession. We had “parent, advisor, student” conferences last night! Thanks to the parents that came. The student lead the conference! The student practiced introductions, handshaking, and eye contact. Always, there was plenty of praise by advisor and parent! Nevertheless, the parent-advisor-student also talked about ways the student could do even better in school! The student was encouraged to plan and think beyond the 2-4 years left in high school.

Attending this conference showed GOOD parenting! Giving this time to the student was time well spent! Three cheers for these families! So sad, for those families that didn’t show or bother to let someone know they couldn’t come.

Parenting….to love, to shelter, to listen, to guide and support, to prepare, and to let go… Take time parents to be a good parent. It’s worthwhile…

Ain’t Life Great! on Flickr.

Ain’t Life Great!

Don’t tell me animals don’t watch and learn from their owners! (January 20, 2012)

Do Not Sit Here! on Flickr.

Do Not Sit Here!

Nature’s beauty…do not disturb!!!

This Genre in Middle School on Flickr.

The young lady requested a good historical fiction today in the school library. How good it is to see children looking for fiction based on the history of our past in a world so often focused on vampires and werewolves.

What historical fiction would you recommend to this sixth grade reader? I suggested any one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books! She walked away with a tattered and torn copy but seemed pretty content for a good weekend read!

This excerpt is from a bibliographic book worth having as a reference tool called: Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt. (Jan. 13, 2012)

Treasured Reading Materials on Flickr.

Reading to Children

We had the pleasure in our high school library of sharing with our Teacher Academy Class how to read good children’s literature to children. These are a few books that were shared in the session. The students were so attentive. They will go forth this semester, reading and sharing with the elementary school children. Hopefully, they gathered some good tips and ideas today! They were given a good starter Bibliography! Stay tuned….that handout will be posted HERE tomorrow!


Via Flickr:
We had the pleasure in our high school library of sharing with our Teacher Academy Class how to read good children’s literature to children. These are a few books that were shared in the session. The students were so attentive. They will go forth this semester, reading and sharing with the elementary school children. Hopefully, they gathered some good tips and ideas today! They were given a good starter Bibliography! Stay tuned….that handout will be posted HERE tomorrow!

The Looking Glass on Flickr.

The Looking Glass

Memories sparkle in this picture. A little handmade bunny that went to competition for one little toddler, around 1978, crystal hand-me-downs, a perfume bottle, and more! Always a fun photographic moment to satisfy the creative juices. (January 9, 2012)

City Rule…on or off? on Flickr.

What a joy to be included in the Des Moines Flick Group. It was fun to stroll around the city this Saturday afternoon. The weather was pretty good, mid 40s…could have been 5 below. The sun was in and out. It was fun to see this nice city at work and play on a quiet Saturday afternoon.

I had the pleasure of bringing along an exchange student from Bangledesh, giving him a walking tour of our city! His pictures were great and hopefully his memories will be even greater.

Probably, the best part of this journey was having the opportunity to meet a super nice group of people in Des Moines that share an interest in photography. After everyone walked the city, we all met back for food and fellowship at Java Joes. It was a delightful event. I look forward to participating in more of these events!

Bringing back the popular watch! on Flickr.

Bringing back the popular watch!

Thanks Apple! Introducing the iPod Nano. This one holds16G of stuff! It makes a watch; it has a simple stopwatch; and you can sync all your music on it…equipped with earplugs. What a toy! Now forty years ago, who would have dreamed of hooking your earphones to you watch! Ha! Science fiction…….what is the next reality (toy), forty years down the line? (Jan. 6, 2012)

The Stars in the Iowa Caucuses on Flickr.

The Stars in the Iowa Caucuses


Of course, the political candidates were the stars of the evening, but American patriotism was also on stage at the Iowa Caucus 2012. Those that came out to support the candidates and to place their vote took a leading role in the evening’s event! But in my view, our youth in attendance at the caucuses were the real stars. Working in a high school, I talked with several in attendance at last night’s event. One girl was proud to announce she became a junior delegate during the evening! Our youth will carry on what decades have supported for so long! On to New Hampshire’s caucuses, but first, I say, three cheers for our Iowan youth in attendance

Looking Up in 2012 on Flickr.

Today…I saw the warmth of Florida as well as a fresh cover of snow at the Minneapolis Airport. My final destination: Des Moines, Iowa - Life is good! It is always great to travel and see loved ones during the holiday break. Here’s hoping that I can do this more often in 2012! Or that loved ones, family and friends, can come this way!!!