"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions." Zig Ziglar

grat·i·tude

/ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/

Learn to pronounce

noun

1. the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. (Google)

Think about that word for a moment. 

Now think about this - have you expressed gratitude lately?

Gratitude is a word I have been thinking about quite a bit. Because I have been struggling with some serious health issues for several years, I have been forced to think of ways to spiritually lift myself, which is difficult by itself, and more difficult since I am a widow and live alone. One way I lift myself on challenging days to is express gratitude. I find this works even better if I actually speak my thoughts of thankfulness aloud several times per day. Sometimes, I share my feeling of gratitude with others. I love sharing my thankfulness aloud, whether or not anyone is there to hear me.  I hear myself, and that is enough.

Besides dealing with Sjogren's Syndrome and Fibromyalgia, I also have a shoulder impingement. One of my happy places is on the golf course.  I had not played since Labor Day of 2018 because of health issues and this shoulder problem, but yesterday, after 3 moths of physical therapy and three cortisone injections, I played 9 holes with a friend. I was so grateful that I spoke aloud several times, "Thank you for my being back on the golf course on a perfect summer day with a friend!"  I felt good just saying those words.

It is sometimes very easy to be discouraged and to allow negative thoughts and emotions to overtake our minds.  Believe me, I have been there.  Expressing gratitude does not fix every problem, but I believe that positive attracts positive in our universe.  Please give it a try and let me know how you feel. 

Bad things happen to everyone, and we can choose to react by being negative, or by focusing on the positives in our lives.

I am grateful that you are my reader, and I hope you have a positive day.  Thanks for being a part of my life and allowing me to be a part of yours. 

Gratitude definition link - https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS781US781&q=how+to+pronounce+gratitude&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMIfcRozS3w8sc9YSmjSWtOXmPU4eINKMrPK81LzkwsyczPExLlYglJLcoV4pXi5uJMLwIKlpSmpFqxKDGl5vEsYpXKyC9XKMlXKABqygfqSlWAqwEABqXKsF0AAAA&pron_lang=en&pron_country=us&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixmtHJ5c7jAhUEmeAKHSYoCRgQ3eEDMAB6BAgAEAg


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

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with a group called Field Trip Zoom. www.Fieldtripzoom.com  GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone.Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.

               

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 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Periscope   @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   dede_rittman  and Gradygetsglasses

Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 

"No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship." James Comer

Teaching is all about relationships. Students simply will not learn from a teacher they don't like.  Teachers who know this cultivate good relationships by learning about their students, sharing some daily small talk, and truly connecting with their students. When I was in the classroom, I received many notes and comments every day that let me know that I was making a meaningful connection with students.  It was wonderful to exchange ideas and conversations with students on a daily basis, reinforcing the relationship for each of us. I loved being a classroom teacher.

Making connections with students is much more difficult as a guest speaker, presenting to an entire school in just three presentations - K and 1; 2 and 3; 4 and 5. Just 40 minutes per presentation does not promote personal connections.

I presented at the Downingtown School District  at the end of April. Mrs. North's class attended one of my online presentations about my book GRADY GETS GLASSES, and then I was invited to present to the entire school. After the presentations, I was invited to Mrs. North's class for a Q and A, so I did have a bit more time to spend with one group of students, and I felt the connection between us!

Imagine my delight when I received a letter from one of Mrs. North's students in the mail!  What a wonderful surprise, as well as a reinforcement of what I have always believed - teaching is all about relationships. This little girl loves her GRADY GETS GLASSES book and the Grady bunny, and she wanted to share that with me. I am so touched to receive this beautiful letter with drawings of Grady! She wanted to share her love for Grady with me!  As an author, this is so flattering, but as a teacher, this is so thrilling.  Connecting with the kids is my goal, and this beautiful letter certifies that I reached that goal.  Thank you, B, for thinking of me and sharing your thoughts. Thanks to Mrs. North for the invitation to your school! 

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

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with a group called Field Trip Zoom. www.Fieldtripzoom.com  GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone.Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.

               

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 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Periscope   @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   dede_rittman  and Gradygetsglasses

Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 

"To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time." Elie Wiesel

Education is not the same as it was when I left it a few years ago.

Have you heard about a principal in Florida?  The story has not received much attention in the news.

A principal of a high school on Boca Raton, Florida, had an email exchange with a parent who asked if the Holocaust was taught in school.  You need to know that Boca Raton is a wealthy area with a large population of Jewish citizens. Principal William Latson  told the parent, " Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened." 

WHAT?????

I don't even know what to say about this.  

I know there are Holocaust deniers, and I also know that you can find lots of articles on the Internet that say the Holocaust never happened.  I am aware that when The Holocaust was happening, The New York Times refused to acknowledge and report the carnage and murder in their paper, so Americans were not informed about the atrocities as they occurred.  (Here is the link to that story. https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/10903 ) 
 But for an educator to tell a parent this statement:"Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened and you have your thoughts but we are a public school and not all of our parents have the same beliefs so they will react differently,"   I just don't know what to say.

Administrators are educational leaders and role models for students. To say that I am shocked and disappointed by his statement that "Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened"  does not describe my disbelief.

 Although the principal was reassigned after the email exchange, according to newspaper articles, he was not disciplined. 

I have had enough of the political correctness and the rewriting of history.  Saying it isn't so does not make history disappear.  I will not forget the 6 million victims.

End of rant. 

Here is a link to the story:  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/principal-removed-over-holocaust-comments_n_5d24baebe4b0583e482801a9

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

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with a group called Field Trip Zoom. www.Fieldtripzoom.com  GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone.Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.

               

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 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Periscope   @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   dede_rittman  and Gradygetsglasses

Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ® 

"Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see." Mark Twain

I am a huge fan of CBS reporter Steve Hartman and his "On the Road" segments.   I find his stories of ordinary Americans to be refreshing and uplifting, especially in the political climate of  today.  If you are a regular reader, you know that I was a teacher for 37 years, and that I enjoy practicing and sharing stories about kindness. 

Such is the story for today.  A six year old girl with a major hearing problem was set to go to a school for kindergarten. Her parents decided on a regular school, rather than a school for hearing impaired children. The bad news - no one in her neighborhood school was like Morey - everyone could hear.  Morey Belanger and her parents were wary of her mainstreaming at first, but then something wonderful happened at Dayton Consolidated Elementary School.  The kids learned basic sign language!  They wanted Morey to be included, so with books and help from Morey's aide, all the kids learned some signs to communicate with the little girl. What a beautiful gesture of kindness and inclusion from children!  Adults should take a lesson from these beautiful children.

If you have not seen this story, here is the link: 
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/students-learning-sign-language-to-support-a-classmate/ 

In our current time of turmoil and antagonism, with polarized parties and little true communication, it is so wonderful to share a story about reaching out to another for no political gain, just for friendship and kindness.

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

Please invite Grady Gets Glasses (and me) into your school.  if you are not in the Pittsburgh area, we do virtual field trips with a group called Field Trip Zoom. www.Fieldtripzoom.com  GRADY GETS GLASSES was the winner of Best New Children's Book 2016 and 2018 (new edition) from The Authors' Zone.Grady also won a 2018 prestigious Moonbeam Award for Best Children's Book with Merchandise.

               

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 

Connect with Dede!

Twitter       @dederittman
Periscope   @dederittman
Facebook   Dede Faltot Rittman or Rittman Rules
LinkedIn   Dede Rittman
Google +   Dede Rittman
Tumblr      The Bunny Teacher
Instagram   dede_rittman  and Gradygetsglasses

Pinterest   Rittman Publishing, LLC ®