Lessons Learned from the Bunny Teacher: November 2016

Sunday, November 27, 2016

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, . . . " William Arthur Ward

How I wish the spirit of Thanksgiving Day would permeate our lives every day of the year! Facebook posts are uplifting, people are not afraid to show their love and concern for others, the general manners of the populace are improved, and the spirit of caring and happiness are in the air - even in the grocery store!

Why can't we have gratitude every day- and not just Thanksgiving Day? I think we can! We all simply need to adjust our attitudes a bit. Let's take a look at that, and a few scenes I have imagined for us to consider.

Scene: You have a flat tire. You are going to be late for work.
Normal reaction: ^%$*&@#$%%
Grateful reaction: Thank goodness that I did not get hurt or that my flat tire did not pull and force the car over the cliff. And I have cell service, so I can call AAA and also let work know that I will be late. This could have been so much worse in the rain or the snow.

Scene: Someone with 40 items is in front of you in the express self-checkout line. You are in a hurry. The shopper does not seem to know how the system works, and her English is not very good.
Normal reaction: ^%$*&@#$%%
Grateful (and helpful) reaction: Gesture that you will help this person. Smile - and mean it. Show her how to scan- in fact, pantomime for her to bag while YOU scan! Help her to get through the transaction, and you will get through the line faster, and you will have done something nice for someone who really needed your help. You are a pleasant American. Smile and wave when she leaves. Be grateful for your expertise at body language and a toothy grin- it just saved you 15 minutes.

Scene: You are on the phone with a company regarding a bill. You have been on hold for 10 minutes, and you finally got a person in customer service.
Normal reaction: ^%$*&@#$%%
Grateful reaction: Be kind. This person is a victim of anger and yelling all day long. Show some empathy. "Thank you for taking my call. I really hope you can help me. I appreciate that your job is so challenging, and I would really like it if we could both be patient and good listeners so that work together to solve this issue." (Trust me- being kind works every time.) Say this - and mean it - "I am so grateful that the queue connected me to you!" Be grateful that you have empathy for others, which helps them to have empathy for you.

I am sure you see what I mean! In any given situation, you have a choice- to complain and be angry, or to make the best of what is put before you. I suggest a little attitude adjustment, which will in the end, make YOU a happier person

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Rittman Publishing, LLC ®

GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 from The Authors' Zone. For more information about The Authors' Zone, please visit http://www.theauthorszone.com/submissions/

Visit Dede's webpage for complete details on her award-winning book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. Many colleges have made the book required reading. Signed copies are available www.dederittman.com Dede is also a national speaker on The Three C's for Classroom success: Confidence, communication, and Creativity; Avoiding Teacher burnout; and many other inspirational topics.

I LOVE writing. And I love writing children's books- my newest passion. Although it will be a ton of work, I am looking forward to selling my books. Since I was a secondary teacher, I know that I have much to learn about elementary students, and I will have to follow my own advice and be my genuine self. However, I also know that I am passionate about helping kids who have to wear glasses, and that GRADY GETS GLASSES sends a positive message. I am willing to work hard and do all the things that also made me a successful teacher for 37 years. I remain inspired!

Elementary teachers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond - I am willing to come into your classroom in person or as a virtual field trip through a group called Field Trip Zoom. Check them out! http://www.fieldtripzoom.com/

Teacher friends- let me know if you want me to read GRADY GETS GLASSES at your school. I am willing to come in to discuss the creative writing process, why writing is important, and personal fulfillment through writing, along with reading my book. I would appreciate the exposure, and I would make signed copies available for purchase in your classrooms following the reading. Please email me at dederittman@gmail.com The website www.gradygetsglasses.com now has plush Grady bunnies for sale!

Please like Dede's new page Grady Gets Glasses for updates about her children's book. https://www.facebook.com/gradygetsglasses?ref=hl

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Sunday, November 20, 2016

"Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" Paul McCartney

I am 64 years old today, November 20. The Beatles song "When I'm 64" came out in 1967 when I was 15, and just like Paul McCartney, I never thought I would actually BE 64! The number was just too big to comprehend at the time!

The magic milestone age of 64 brings an entire list of reflections and revelations I would like to share with you.

1. I am really glad I chose teaching as a profession. I am discovering as an entrepreneur that the business world is brutal, and I appreciate the fact that I spent 37 years in the cocoon of Education.

2. "You're not getting older- you're getting better" is actually true. I think many of us become "Rhodes Scholars" of life after our decades of experiences, improving our knowledge, our intellects, and our "Who cares? I'm 64" attitude.

3. I appreciate the exponential growth of technology in my lifetime! Just thinking about technology in music - we went from 78's to LP's to 8 tracks to cassettes to CD's! And I have a Sonos system in my house that fills the rooms with beautiful music- and the speakers are tiny- not like the giant speakers from not too long ago. And what about computers? The gigantic boards and hardware that made computers fill large rooms of air conditioned space are now so compact that all of those important electronic pieces fit into a phone. Just think -the IPhone has more technology in a handheld device than it took to launch the first rocket to the moon! And we even have self-driving cars! The Jetsons TV show ideas from my childhood have at least partially come true in today's world!

4. The advancement of medicine in my 64 years of life is astounding. When I was a child, the word CANCER meant a death sentence. Although not completely curable, huge strides have been made to control many forms of cancer and to give the patient a good quality of life. Maybe in the next 64 years, cancer will be completed curable. Surgeries like appendectomies and others are done through a laparoscopy- cutting healing time to a minimum. Laser vision correction can save and improve sight, and lasers, in general, are a typical tool of the surgery center!

5. Diseases like polio and smallpox have been completely eradicated from the United States. Polio was a major threat when I was a child, and some of my friends contracted polio. Medicine has grown in leaps and bounds!

6. Communication has changed completely, with cell phones and texting and Instagram and Periscope and Facebook Live. I am not sure that all of this is for the better, but gone are the days of the home telephone and the snail mail letter as the sole means of communication.

I am so appreciative of my age, as I reflect on my many friends (and my late husband) who died too young and who would have liked to have seen 64. I am grateful for lifelong friends who continue to enrich my life every single day. I am thankful for the mistakes I made in the past, which helped to guide me to my future. I value the many life lessons I have learned, so that when I am asked for advice, I have guidance to offer. I realize that the difficulty and problems of my lifetime have made me into a stronger person. I appreciate life, time, good weather, food, driving in a convertible with the wind in my hair, cashmere sweaters, good books, wine, laughter, family, and a good night's sleep. I try to find the good in everyone I meet.

When I was a little girl, 64 was VERY OLD! I'm glad that has changed, because I only feel about 29! So here's to a milestone birthday that the Beatles and I never thought we would reach, because 64 was going to be so far away from 15.

Here is a nice little history of the song, and you can click on the tab to listen to it!
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-beatles-love-songs-when-im-sixty-four/

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Rittman Publishing, LLC ®

GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 from The Authors' Zone. For more information about The Authors' Zone, please visit http://www.theauthorszone.com/submissions/

Sunday, November 13, 2016

"The ballot is stronger than the bullet." Abraham Lincoln

America has just voted in the most decisive election in decades.Whether your candidate won or lost, the most important lessons from the election for America's students and children are about the election process, the peaceful passing of the torch and the power, and the willingness of all Americans to accept the results and work together for the good of the country. Many parents took their children into the voting booth on that monumental election day - when people waited in lines blocks long, wrapped around buildings, for an hour or longer - all to exercise their right to vote. What a great example for parents to share with their children! Being an American means participating in the democratic process.

Although both candidates ran ugly campaigns, the acceptance and concession speeches were classy, sincere, honest, and touching. Both Mr. Trump and Secretary Clinton thanked their supporters, spoke about their love for the nation, and stressed the significance of healing the country and coming together as one nation, as one truly "united" America.
President Obama also spoke about the smooth transition of power, and he, too, talked about the importance of the two parties working together for the good of the country. The meeting between President Obama and President-Elect Trump generated goodwill and a smooth transition of power, and both set a conciliatory tone for the rest of the country to follow.

This election and its aftermath offer endless opportunities for classroom lessons- whether they be mini-lessons about an item of interest in the voting process, or a week long lesson about the electoral college. I think students would be interested to know that Secretary Clinton and her group wore purple for her concession speech, a symbolic color of unity, which is the result of mixing blue with red. Math teachers have a plethora of opportunities to hook students with numbers from the election, showing the importance of math, numbers, polls, and percentages in real life. The two-day fall and subsequent ongoing surge of the stock market offers a chance for history/government teachers to present the workings of the stock market- and the way world events influence the market and our lives. English teachers could have students examine some of the rhetoric and speeches, looking for the precise words that were spoken to convey an exact meaning. Theater teachers could have students examine body language and facial expressions of the candidates and their supporters, noting that body language sometimes shouts out what words are not saying. Every teacher of every subject can emphasize the importance of being involved in our American democracy; and the importance of being educated about our choices for leaders, as well as the importance of the privilege of voting in every election.

Addendum: I wrote this post before all of the riots and violence of the protesters was occurring. Discussing and examining their behavior provides the basis for another valuable lesson, since it appears that many of these adult protestors were the children that all received "participation" trophies. Experiencing disappointment, as in losing a T ball game, at a young age is an important life lesson. As for the college professors who are coddling the students who are "too upset" with the election to go to class or to take a test, I have no words. I hope that people can learn that one group's vote is not more important than the other, and that they can realize that every time their is an election, one group is disappointed. Losing should not equal rioting and violence. I hope our country can come together.

Indeed, "The ballot is stronger than the bullet." Abraham Lincoln

Everyone can learn from the quote below from Franklin D. Roosevelt. As teachers, it is our job to make the best and most educated citizens possible; citizens who understand the election process and learn acceptance and graciousness in victory and defeat.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

"The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day." Todd Whitaker

I have been back in the classroom again- from K to college, presenting about both of my books, STUDENT TEACHING; THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER and GRADY GETS GLASSES.

I continue to be amazed by all of the planning and juggling that every single teacher and administrator has to do to make the school day work! Most schools "live and die by the bell." That stringent time period between the bells is when ALL must get done! I was at Peebles Elementary School on November 4, and because of a schedule adjustment, I would only have 25 minutes to present my introductory PowerPoint about being an author/all about glasses and vision before reading GRADY GETS GLASSES aloud, also on a PowerPoint. I usually need 30-35 minutes, as I am a teacher who likes all learners to be engaged, and I like to promote discussions. For a few moments, I panicked! But the 37 years in classroom kicked in- and I monitored and adjusted! By using signaling instead of discussions, students were engaged, and every group received the entire presentation.

People who have never been classroom teachers cannot fully appreciate the true definition of "multitasking." One or more (and usually more!) students is always in need of attention; teachers can speak to a student while writing a note for another while typing an email. Teachers can collect forms and money while teaching math to he group while telling the students who just came in late the page number and what they missed, as well as asking them for their forms and money. Wow, that was a long and exhausting sentence- just as it was meant to be! Teacher days are just like that sentence- one task running into the next and the next - and making decision after decision, keeping the students' best interests in mind, and the day is filled with constant activity, making 8 hours seem like 20 minutes. Years ago, I took a class in Staff Development, and this question was posed to the group of teachers: "How many decisions does the average teacher make per day?" Take a minute to think about it; this questions means ALL decisions, even the YES or NO required for "May I go to the bathroom?" I took a wild guess - and guessed a big number, but it turns out I was not even close. My guess was 300. The answer was . . . 1500! PER DAY! Teachers=decision makers.

Many people criticize teachers; in fact, I have often had this remark said to me: "Teachers only work 9 months a year, and it's not like they are working hard." These kinds of comments make my blood boil. First, I want to point out that I don't know any teachers who do not work through the summers to make their classes better for the next year. Second, teachers have to all things to all students: teacher, money collector, parent, nurse, psychologist, referee, mentor, disciplinarian, advisor, confidante, and more. Teaching is not only a calling, it is a wonderful and exhausting profession, and one that requires all of one's attention and energy every minute, every class, every day, for every student.

I applaud all of the teachers who are making a difference every single day, and those who have the extraordinary ability to multitask and to wear so many hats. YOU ROCK!!

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Rittman Publishing, LLC ®

GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 from The Authors' Zone. For more information about The Authors' Zone, please visit http://www.theauthorszone.com/submissions/