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Roses are Red Ribbon Week Poetry Sometimes the best thing to do for Red Ribbon Week is to have the students make their own poetry. Using the old Roses are red, violets are blue poem is easy for the students to make up their own rhyme. Below are some examples. Celebrate Thanksgiving With a Program Many times Thanksgiving is over looked as a time to do a program because Christmas seems so much more exciting. That is not so, a Thanksgiving program can be used to teach students the history of the beginning of this country and can encourage the students to learn to be thankful for the things that are around them. Why Do I Need to Learn to Read Every year teachers all over the country encounter a student that will say something like this. “When I grow up I’m never going to read a book. I hate books. I hate to read. When I graduate I will never read again so why do I need to learn to read?” Here is a letter you may want to give to those students. Money Design Recently I read an article in the newspaper about a robber who was upset when the bank would not cash his million dollar bill for smaller denominations that he could spend. Of course, he was not too bright when it comes to money because the United States Treasury has never issued a million dollar bill. PE Performance Programs Using PE Activities Most of the time when you have a program for parents in the elementary school it is comprised of speaking some lines and then singing a song. Or it might be speaking some liens and say a poem. Or it just might even be speak a few lines and sing a song and do a dance. It has been done over and over for many years and they are very enjoyable. It is fun and rewarding to all parents to see their child perform and shine in the spot light Red Ribbon Week is Almost Here, Again Some people think that Red Ribbon Week is no longer important, but I disagree. I believe that the earlier we reach children the better. One of the best ways to reach school aged children with a message about saying no to drugs is through the use of plays or programs. Red Ribbon Week Time to Celebrate Freedom So many times when we celebrate Red Ribbon Week we only think about not taking drugs. Students get tired of the no, don’t do that message. They want to hear something else. Well, if you think about it this should be a week to celebrate freedom. If we don’t take drugs then we have a lot of freedoms that we can cherish. Animal Offsprings “Grandma what is baby cat called?” This is a question that often comes up and it is easy when it is a baby cat, but what about those other animals. Some of them can make you head for the dictionary or encyclopedia to try to find the answer. Fly Your Flag Proudly It is so reassuring to drive down the street and see our national flag flying proudly in the wind. The problem is most people only do it occasionally. So what are those days that are appropriate to fly the flag? It’s a Jungle Back There Have you noticed that organization is in vogue now? Organization is a verb not a noun. Most people wished that it were a noun so that they could purchase it, but that is not the case. Organization takes action and that is a verb. You can buy products to organize your life in most stores. The more things you have the more things you need to organize those things. It is a vicious circle. So You Want To Teach Elementary School So you want to teach. Let me give you a preview of what your life will be like if you succeed in becoming an elementary school teacher. If you become an elementary school teacher this is what you might expect. To Buy or Not to Buy, That is the Question So you just purchased a new X-Box. You have probably been able to find one that is quite reasonable on the internet. You have probably been able to even find the newer version X-Box 360 and your children have never been happier. Well, maybe they could be happier because now they have the X-Box of their dreams and you have not decided just how much you are going to shell out for games. 5 Important MP3 Player Questions MP3 or a digital audio player to those in the know. For those people that are just catching up to technology or are a step or two behind technology, it is a listening device. You can down load music and take it with you instead of taking your tape deck and box or cassettes, or taking along your CD player and carting the pouch with your collection of CDs in it. These little devices can be taken wherever you go, the gym, the park, or sitting on the bus. PE Performance Programs For thirty seven years I have3 seen students perform in musical programs and plays. I have written most of the ones that my students participated in. They are always fun because students like to show off. PE PARENT PROGRAMS PE or in the school setting Physical Education has sometimes got a bad deal in the elementary setting. Many people including parents feel that students go to PE just to play games. Many feel that it is just a time out or another recess for the students. Maybe that is true in some schools, but the schools that I have been associated with are not among them. Ways to Get Shy Students to Participate in Programs Some times getting a shy student to participate is very difficult. You can beg or demand, but to those students it will not be a fun experience and they may start to not like you for making them do it. School programs should be fun and memorable experiences for those that participate. They should be a time to shine and display talents. For a shy student it is even more important that they participate and feel like they are part of the program. Teachers Over the many years that I have taught I have seen one fact that is always constant. TEACHERS When the lights go out for the day they move into the halls or to the nearest window and TEACH. Art Ideas for Students that Think They are Artless Some students in school feel that they have no ability in the art area. They stop drawing as young as second grade because they do not draw as well as the pictures that teachers have handed them out to color since they were young. So what! Who can draw that well? What Should I Draw? One of the hardest subjects to get students to participate in is art. Most of them by the age of eight or nine have already decided whether they are good at it or not. If they feel that they are not good they will stop unless encouraged to participate in art. These students will participate in art history lessons. They will read the text book, but when it comes to putting pencil to paper they hesitate, big time. Not One Chance in a Centillion Students often use numbers that they really cannot visualize what they are talking about. One day in class I heard a child tell another that he did not have one chance in a centillion to get a 100%. Where did that come from? Where did they ever even hear this word? Many children have heard the word googol because of the internet, but not centillion. Red Ribbon Week Origin When Red Ribbon Week started back in 1988 it was to honor a young DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Agent by the name of Enrique Camarena. His friends knew him by the name of “Kiki” . He was kidnapped and killed in Mexico back in 1985. He had uncovered a multi-billion dollar drug scam which might have involved the Mexican Army, police force and government. When he left his office one day, five men kidnapped him. He was found about a month later buried in a shallow grave. He had been tortured and beaten. Getting in Touch With TV Networks Have you ever been watching a TV program and you liked it so much that you wanted to contact the network and thank them for the splendid program. Or, maybe you have seen something that you find particularly offensive and you would like to complain to the network and tell them to clean up their act. If you want to make changes in the programs that you see on TV then you need to make your voice heard. If you don’t try then you really have no room to complain. Now many people do not do the email route and they are used to the old snail mail. So those snail mail users here are some addresses for you to use to voice those opinions. Electricity and Grandkids So it’s holiday time and who is showing up at your house raring to go? The Grandkids. They are such a joy and you can hardly wait til they get here, but you must childproof the house first. You put all the breakables up high, lock or tie all the cabinets shut, put the cat and dog food out of sight because it is eatable and some of those little ones don’t know the difference. You will need to hide all the remotes or they will hide them from you. Let’s see now they can come and all will be safe. Right? The Bald Eagle, National Symbol of the United States of America For many years I taught my fifth grade students about the symbols of the United States of America. Over the years I have grown to love our national symbol, the American Bald Eagle. Many students are shocked to learn that our national symbol is not the flag, but the Bald Eagle. Teaching Patriotism is a Growing Concern Patriotism is a growing concern in our nation today. One of the ways to teach children patriotism is to have them be in an informative play or program. Many schools and teachers are looking for programs to fit this description that are easy to put on and take very little practice time to present. With all the teaching and testing that teachers are required to do for the “No Child Left Behind” idea has left them with little time to do the creative programs for their students. Portables for Senior Citizens love music and I often reminisce with my kids and grandkids about sitting around the table at night, when I was young and listening to the radio. The Lone Ranger and The Shadow always kept us spell bound. I used to listen to music just like the youngsters today, but my mobility was limited by the length of the electrical cord. The Similarities Between iPods and Pea Pods My personal research and experience suggests that there is a direct correlation between iPods and pea pods. Let me take you on the journey that I took to get to this conclusion. For an old 20th century person that is living in the 21st century I feel somewhat perplexed when it comes to dealing with the modern electrical equipment of this society. I am living in a time when you hear of things that were not even dreamed of when I was a child. For example: Xboxes, CDs, DVDs, Mini Media Players, MP3 Players, HDTV, etc. So many initials that you wonder what they all stand for Curing Art Idea Droughts in Elementary Students Art in children encourages them to develop the creative part of their brain. Many students as they progress through elementary school stop drawing for a variety of reasons. Maybe they think their picture isn't as good as the student next to them, maybe they feel inadequate because of some excellent artist friends, but most of all it is because they are in an "idea drought". They just need some help coming up with the initial idea and then their minds can take off. Philo T. Farnsworth—TV Inventor Recently I was reading a list of inventors of important inventions that affect our lives every day. I glanced down the list quickly looking for the inventor I knew most about because he once lived in this area. To my astonishment he was not on the list, in fact, the item he invented was not on the list. This really surprised me because most everyone now days has at least one or two of these in their homes. The Dreaded Word Thong Being a teacher I have to be very careful with my vocabulary. Even when I am pronouncing words I must be careful so that the students do not misinterpret what I say. If I do not do this then there can be some very embarrassing moments because the student has misheard or misunderstood what I said. I want to be a good example to my students and use words appropriately and avoid embarrassing moments. Using less familiar words help the students build vocabulary and some of them enjoy looking up words they do not know or trying to figure out what I said.. Showcase PE Skills Instead of Music Skills Students in Elementary Schools love to share their talents and to basically ‘show off’. Teachers have found a multitude of ways to let them share their talents and knowledge through Science Fairs, History Days, Plays, Musicals, Programs, Spelling Bees and many other things, but rarely have they done anything with PE Skills other than to play sports Positive and Negatives of DVD Car Systems Car video systems are really catching on and many families are purchasing them to install in their present vehicles. The positives of having one in your car would probably include the following reasons, especially if you have children. AN ARTICLE FOR RETIRING TEACHERS--What time is it Anyways? Well ladies I hate to be the one to inform you, but Father Time has caught up with you. The first time you set foot in this school you found out real fast that you would not just be killing time and you would have plenty of time to do all the things you wanted. At the time you thought that it would be a long time before it would be time to go. Any One Can Teach Any one can teach. How many of you have heard this? Well, I’m here to tell you that this is false. Everyone can teach, but not in a classroom. Some yea5rs ago the newspaper reported of a very successful lawyer who had always dreamed of being a teacher. He had made a lot of money as a lawyer and decided to follow his dream and become a teacher. He became a teacher and because he was a very successful lawyer he felt that he could be a very successful teacher. He started in September and las All Car DVDs are Not Equal Imagine my surprise when I went looking for a DVD for my car. We were to take our grandkids for an extended road trip and I thought it would help it to a DVD player. The trouble is “monitor”. I saw all these good priced monitors and thought that is real great to get the monitor and the DVD for that price. Then I discovered that they really did mean just the monitor. Not the DVD in a monitor, but a monitor. Kids Ideas are Winners One of the best ideas for making a fun school program is to listen to the kids. Children have very active imaginations and they are not shy about expressing their ideas. If you are open to their ideas you can give your programs zip and humor. It also gives the children ownership to the program. Here are a few ideas that the students have come up with in some of my programs. Computer Phobias Years ago around the end of January I would develop Chinophobia (fear of snow). Maybe it was because we had 3-5 feet of snow and I was ready for spring. Over the years I have developed “temporary phobias” for a number of good reasons. 10 Qualities You Find in Good Students and Good Citizens Over the years I have found 10 qualities in students that make them good students. To me a good student is not always the student that gets an A. Some students can get an A without even trying and they will take any path they need to, to get that A. Then there are those students that work their little hearts out and get a B or even sometimes a C and they are much better students that the A student talked about above. A student is someone that wants to learn and study to make himself better. USE OF POWER POINTS IN PROGRAMS If you have the equipment for displaying power points in auditoriums or gymnasiums then the use of Power Point Programs during a program can be very effective. They can use them to emphasis a point or usually to bring about an emotional impact on those that are watching. One caution should be don’t over do them. One power point per program is enough. Creating a Successful School Christmas Program School Christmas Programs or Plays can be difficult to say the least. Children are hyper because of the thoughts of the holidays. Teachers are anxious and do not want to have an added burden. Parents have so many other appointments on their calendar that this because just another “thing” that I have to do. All in all, with the negative vibrations given out by all the stress, Christmas programs need to be something special to be a success. Here are some suggestions to make for a “stress les Rhyming and School Plays/Programs Rhyming makes learning easier for everyone. If you want a child to learn something quickly there are two things that will make the process much easier and less painful for everyone involved. One is to put it to music and the other is to make it into a rhyme. Making a Long Road Trip with Children Tolerable So this is the year that you are going to take a thousand mile road trip. It would be fun and enjoyable with just your spouse, but now your family includes others. Those others include a preteen ten year old that is already developing a teen attitude. Also included is an over energetic eight year old son that thinks his purpose in life is to tease both of his sisters. Last of all there is that sweet four year old ball of fire that has determined that she is in charge. Teacher Friendly Programs/Plays Thirty seven years spent in an ordinary average classroom has given me a lot of insight into what is a teacher friendly program. Teacher friendly programs realize that teachers are always under the gun when it comes to time. Their time for putting on a program is very limited with all the other things that require their time. Remote Controls Galore--Replacement Remotes The other day we lost our remote control. Being of the older generation I told my grandkids to not panic and just go push the button on the television. They thought grandma was crazy. The buttons are on the remote they are not on the TV, those are just decorations.

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