Contact_FullName:

Sharon

Contact_Email:

winter@peoplepc.com

9-8-00

Bring Your Smile to Preschool

Bring your smiles everyone. 
Hope on down for some preschool fun. 
Singing, dancing, playing too; lots of fun for me and you. 
Running and jumping in the sun, exercise is so much fun. 
Bring your smiles everyone, hop on down for some preschool fun.

Contact_FullName:

Cinthia

Contact_Email:

abcpreschool@home.com

7-18-00

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability…It’s like this… When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in a says, "“Welcome to Holland.” “Holland?!” you say. “What do you mean, Holland? I signed up for Italy…All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.” But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, filthy place…It’s just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet…people you would have never met. It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flash than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while…you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…and tulips. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time the had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was going. That’s what I had planned.” But…if you spend your life mourning that fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.

Emily Perl Kingsley

Contact_FullName:

Andrea

Contact_Email:

fuoti@yahoo.com

7-10-00

You Might Be in Education If......... author unknown

1. You believe the staff room should be equipped with a Valium lick. 2. You find humor in other people's stupidity. 3. You want to slap the next person who says, "Must be nice to work from 8 to 3 and have your summers free!" 4. You believe chocolate is a food group. 5. You can tell it's a full moon without ever looking outside. 6. You believe "shallow gene pool" should have its own box on the report card. 7. You believe that unspeakable evil will befall you if anyone says, "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today." 8. When out in public you feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior. 9. You have no time for a life from August to June. 10. Marking all A's on report cards would make your life SO much simplier. 11. When you mention "vegetables" you're not talking about a food group. 12. You think people should be required to get a government permit before being allowed to reproduce. 13. You wonder how some parents ever MANAGED to reproduce. 14. You laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the "lounge". 15. You believe in aerial spraying of Prozac. 16. You encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or home schooling. 17. You believe no one should be permitted to reproduce without having taught in an elementary setting for at least 5 years. 18. You've ever had your profession slammed by someone who would never DREAM of doing your job. 19. You can't have children because there's no name you could give a child that wouldn't bring on high blood pressure the moment you heard it uttered. 20. You think caffeine should be available to staff in IV form. 21. You know you're in for a MAJOR project when a parent says, "I have a great idea I'd like to discuss." 22. You smile weakly, but want to choke a person when he/she says, "Oh, you must have such FUN every day. It must be like playtime for you." 23. Your personal life comes to a screeching halt at report card time. 24.Meeting a child's parents instantly answers the question, "Why is this kid like this.?"

Contact_FullName:

Cindi

Contact_Email:

laydeesno@yahoo.com

7-10-00

Toddler's Creed

If I want it, it's mine. If I give it to you and change my mind later, it's mine. If I can take it away from you, it's mine. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine. If we are building something together, all of the pieces are mine. If it looks like mine, it's mine. If it's mine it will never belong to anyone else, no matter what.

Contact_FullName:

Christa

Contact_Email:

24william2@midohio.net

6-1-00

I know letters, I know shapes. Know that purple stands for grapes. I know red and white and blue. I know green and yellow, too. I've made friends and know how to share. What is wrong and what is fair. Know what policemen and mailmen do. Firemen and nurses too. I'm an artist, I can paint. I try hard not say ain't. I have rhythm, I know sounds. I've had ups and I've downs. I've been quiet, I have wiggled. .....worked all year as you can see. There now , aren't you proud of me.

Contact_FullName:

Jennifer

Contact_Email:

Jen711228@aol.com

5-31-00

We give you back your child, the same child you entrusted to our care last fall. We give her back pounds heavier, inches taller, months wiser, more responsible and more mature than she was then. Although she would have attained this in spite of us, it has been our happy privilege to watch her personality unfold day by day and marvel at each new achievement, each new success, each new expansion of self. We give her back reluctantly; for having spent nine months together in the narrow confines of a crowded classroom, we have grown close, have become a part of each other and shall always retain a little part of each other. We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched our lives together this year. We wish it could go on indefinitely, but give her back we must. Take care of her for she is precious and only one of a kind. Remember that we shall always be interested in your child and her destiny, wherever she goes, whatever she does, whoever she becomes. Her joys and sorrows we will be happy to share. Please call on us if there is anything further we can ever do for her.

Contact_FullName:

Tiffany

Contact_Email:

tiggr000@aol.com

idea

Dear Teacher I am a toddler. I am a super snooper. I search and check everything within my reach and often beyond. I am curious, too curious at times. I declare my independence, often quite loudly. I know I can do it, all by myself.

But, Please stay close.

I need you there, to help keep me from hurting myself when I am too curious. I need you to encourage me, and allow me to try to do it by myself, and to help when I can't, or when I get frustrated.

I need you to hug and cuddle with me. I if do something you don't like, Tell me. Show me a better way. Please don't reject me. Please be patient. I have really only been in this world a short while.

The world and its ways are still so very, very new to me.

-author unknown

It seems to me this poem, even though it says toddler, can be used with any age group.

Name:  la_gata@juno.com
Date:  7-25-99

Just Playing

 When I'm building in the block room,

Please don't say I'm "Just Playing."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play;

About balance and shapes.

When I'm getting all dressed up,

Setting the table, caring for the babies,

Don't get the idea I'm "Just Playing."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play;

I may be a mother or a father someday.

 When you see me up to my elbows in paint,

Or standing at an easel, or molding and shaping clay,

Please don't let me hear you say, "He is Just Playing."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I'm expressing myself and being creative.

I may be an artist or an inventor someday.

 When you see me sitting in a chair

"Reading" to an imaginary audience,

Please don't laugh and think I'm "Just Playing."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I may be a teacher someday.

 When you see me combing the bushes for bugs,

Or packing my pockets with choice things I find,

Don't pass it off as "Just Play."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I may be a scientist someday.

 When you see me engrossed in a puzzle,

Or some 'plaything' at my school,

Please don't feel the time is wasted in "Play."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I'm learning to solve problems and concentrate.

I may be in business someday.

 When you see me cooking or tasting foods,

Please don't think that because I enjoy it, it is "Just Play."

I'm learning to follow directions and see differences.

I may be a chef someday.

 When you see me learning to skip, hop, run, and move my body,

Please don't say I'm "Just Playing."

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I'm learning how my body works.

I may be a doctor, nurse or athlete someday.

 When you ask me what I've done at school today,

And I say, "I Just Played."

Please don't misunderstand me.

For, you see, I'm learning as I play.

I'm learning to enjoy and be successful in my work.

I'm preparing for tomorrow.

Today, I'm a child and my work is play.

For You From Daylene

"Beauty of a Woman"

The beauty of a woman
Is not in what she wears,
The figure that she carries,
Or the way she styles her hair.

The beauty of a woman
must be looked at in her eyes,
The doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman
is not in a chosen goal,
For true beauty in a woman
Is reflected from her soul.

It is the caring that she offers,
the passion that she shows,
That make her inner beauty
As stunning as the rose!

Kids on the topic of Marriage

----------

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?

"You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff.

Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like

sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming."

Alan, age 10

"No person really decides before they grow up who

they're going to marry.God decides it all way before,

and you get to find out later who you're stuck with."

Kirsten, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

"Twenty-three is the best age because you know the

person FOREVER by then."

Camille, age 10

"No age is good to get married at. You got to be a

fool to get married."

Freddie, age 6

 HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

"Married people usually look happy to talk to other people."

Eddie, age 6

"You might have to guess, based on whether they seem

to be yelling at the same kids."

Eric, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

"Both don't want no more kids."

Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

"Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to

get to know each other. Even boys have something to say

if you listen long enough."

Lynne, age 8

"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that

usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date."

Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

"I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all

the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all

the dead columns."

Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

"When they're rich."

Pam, age 7

"The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want

to mess with that."

Curt, age 7

"The rule goes like this: if you kiss someone, then you should

marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do."

Howard, age 8

 

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

"It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them."

Anita, age 9

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

"There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?"

Kelvin, age 8

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

"Tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a truck."

Ricky, age 10

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

People are Like Potatoes:

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don't

want to soil their own hands. They are called "Dick Tatters."

Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to

watch while others do the work. They are called "Speck Tatters."

Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault

with the way others do the work. They are called "Comment Tatters."

Some people are always looking to cause problems by asking others to agree

with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet. They are

called "Agie Tatters."

There are those who say they will help, but somehow just never get around

to actually doing the promised help. They are called "Hezza Tatters."

Some people can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not.

They are called "Emma Tatters."

Then there are those who love and do what they say they will. They are

always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand.

They bring real sunshine into the lives of others. They're called "Sweet

Tatters."

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

 END OF SCHOOL GIFTS

It was the end of the school year, and a kindergarten teacher was

receiving gifts from her pupils. The florist's son handed her a gift.

She shook it, held it overhead, and said, "I bet I know what it is.

Some flowers." "That's right" the boy said, "but how did you know?"

"Oh, just a wild guess," she said.

The next pupil was the sweet shop owner's daughter. The teacher held her

gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is. A box

of sweets." "That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl. "Oh,

just a wild guess," said the teacher.

The next gift was from the son of the liquor storeowner. The teacher

held the package overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop of the

leakage with her finger and touched it to her tongue. "Is it wine?" she

asked.

"No," the boy replied, with some excitement. The teacher repeated the

process, taking a larger drop of the leakage to her tongue. "Is it

champagne?" she asked.

"No," the boy replied, with more excitement. The teacher took one more

taste before declaring, "I give up, what is it?"

With great glee, the boy replied, "It's a puppy!"

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

 THE Y2K PRAYER

The Lord is my programmer, I shall not crash.

He installed his software on the hard disk of my

heart; and all of His commands are user-friendly.

His directory guides me to the right choices for His

name's sake.

Even though I scroll through the problems of life, I

will fear no bugs,for He is my backup.

His password protects me. He prepares a menu before me in the

presence of my enemies.

His help is only a keystroke away.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days

of my life, and my file will be merged with His and saved forever.

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

 If Dr. Seuss did Technical Books

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,

and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,

and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,

then the socket packet pocket has an error to report.

If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash,

and the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash,

and your data is corrupted 'cause the index doesn't hash,

then your situation's hopeless and your system's gonna crash!

If the label on the cable on the table at your house,

says the network is connected to the button on your mouse,

but your packets want to tunnel on another protocol,

that's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall,

and your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss,

so your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse,

then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang,

'cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang!

When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk,

and the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risk,

then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM.

Quickly turn off the computer and be sure to tell your mom.

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

Ok........I know that this is not preschool humor........HOWEVER :)  Remember, sometimes we need to act like kids to keep us young.  Take it from me, #2, #3, #10 and #16 are quite fun <LOL>!  Beware of wild  Daylene's  in an elevator :)

THINGS TO DO ON AN ELEVATOR

1. Walk on with a cooler that's labeled "HUMAN HEAD" on the side.

2. Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and

muttering "Shut up, all of you, just shut up!"

3. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering

inside, ask," Got enough air in there?"

4. Stand silently and motionlessly in the corner, facing the

wall, without getting off.

5. When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.

6. Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.

7. Meow occasionally.

8. Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.

9. Stare at another passenger for awhile, then announce in horror, "You're one of THEM" and back away slowly.

10. Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.

11. Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.

12. Announce in a demonic voice, "I must find a more suitable host body."

13. Say "Ding" at each floor.

14. Say "I wonder what all these do?" and push all the buttons.

15. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.

16. Stare, grinning at another passenger for awhile, and then announce,"I have new socks on."

17. When the elevator is silent, look around and ask, "Is that your beeper?"

18. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, "This is my personal space."

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

Eeeekkk....... this is true confession time!!!!   I have done some of these, too!!  #3, #11, and #19 are especially fun.

Ways to Have an Extra-Specially Fun Time At Wal-Mart!

1. Take shopping carts for the express purpose of filling them and stranding them at strategic locations.

2. Get boxes of condoms and randomly put them in peoples carts when they don't realize it.

3. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at ten minute intervals throughout the day.

4. Try on bras over top of your clothes.

5. Make a trail of orange juice on the ground, leading to the restrooms.

6. Walk up to an employee and tell him in an official tone," I think we've got a Code 3 in house wares," and see what happens.

7. Tune all the radios to a polka station; then turn them all on and turn the volumes to "10."

8. Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift wrap.

9. Re-dress the mannequins as you see fit.

10. Test the fishing rods and see what you can "catch" from the other aisles.

11. Put M&M's on layaway.

12. Move "Caution: Wet Floor" signs to carpeted areas.

13 . Set up a tent in the camping department; tell others you'll only invite them in if they bring pillows from Bed and Bath

15. Contaminate the entire auto department by sampling all the spray air fresheners.

16. Nonchalantly "test" the brushes and combs in Cosmetics.

17. When someone asks if you need help, begin to cry and ask, "Why won't you people just leave me alone?"

19. Look right into the security camera, and use it as a mirror while you pick your nose.

20. Take up an entire aisle in Toys by setting up a full scale battlefield with G.I. Joe's vs. the X-Men.

21. Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon.

23. Switch the men's and women's signs on the doors of the restrooms.

24. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from "Mission Impossible."

25. Set up a "Valet Parking" sign in front of the store.

26. In the auto department, practice your Madonna" look with various funnels.

27. Hide in the clothing racks and when people browse through, say things like "pick me !! pick me!!" and scare them into believing that the clothes are talking to them.

27. When an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, assume the fetal position and scream, "No, no! It's those voices again!"

28. Go to an empty checkout stand and try to check people out.

29. Drag a lounge chair on display over to the magazines and relax. If the store has a food court, buy a soft drink; explain that you don't get out much, and ask if they can put a little umbrella in it.

30. Go into the dressing room and yell real loud...Hey, we're out of toilet paper in here!

 Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

List of 13 signs that you have had too much of the 90's:

1.) You tried to enter your password on the microwave.

2.) You now think of three espressos as "getting wasted."

3.) You haven't played solitaire with a real deck of cards in years.

4.) You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

5.) You e-mail your son in his room to tell him that dinner is ready, and

he e-mails you back "What's for dinner?

"6.) Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.

7.) You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa,

but you haven't spoken to your next door neighbor yet this year.

8.) You didn't give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one

for your e-mail buddies via a web page.

9.) Your daughter just bought a C.D. of all the records your college

roommate used to play.

10.) You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.

11.) You check your blow dryer to see if it's Y2K compliant.

12.) Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail In box, asking you to send her JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

13.) You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

 From the Mouths of Babes

A physician told this story about her then four-year-old daughter. On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. Be still my heart, thought my friend, daughter wants to follow in my footsteps! Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald's. - May I take your order?"

 Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

List of 13 signs that you have had too much of the 90's:

1.) You tried to enter your password on the microwave.

2.) You now think of three espressos as "getting wasted."

3.) You haven't played solitaire with a real deck of cards in years.

4.) You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of 3.

5.) You e-mail your son in his room to tell him that dinner is ready, and

he e-mails you back "What's for dinner?

"6.) Your daughter sells Girl Scout Cookies via her web site.

7.) You chat several times a day with a stranger from South Africa,

but you haven't spoken to your next door neighbor yet this year.

8.) You didn't give your valentine a card this year, but you posted one

for your e-mail buddies via a web page.

9.) Your daughter just bought a C.D. of all the records your college

roommate used to play.

10.) You check the ingredients on a can of chicken noodle soup to see if it contains Echinacea.

11.) You check your blow dryer to see if it's Y2K compliant.

12.) Your grandmother clogs up your e-mail In box, asking you to send her JPEG file of your newborn so she can create a screen saver.

13.) You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home.

Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
7-12-99

 From the Mouths of Babes

A physician told this story about her then four-year-old daughter. On the way to preschool, the doctor had left her stethoscope on the car seat, and her little girl picked it up and began playing with it. Be still my heart, thought my friend, daughter wants to follow in my footsteps! Then the child spoke into the instrument: "Welcome to McDonald's. - May I take your order?"

Name:

Michelle

E-Mail:

capemich@emporia.edu

 

Date: 4-18-99

Poem

Title and author unknown (to me at least)

I dreamed I stood in a studio and watched two sculptors there, The clay they used was a young child's mind, and they fashioned it with care One was a teacher, the tools he used were books, music, and art; One was a parent, who worked with a guiding hand, and a gentle, loving heart. Day after day the teacher toiled, with a touch that was deft and sure While the parent labored by her side and polished and smoothed it o'er. And then at last their task was done, They were proud of what they had wrought, for the things they had molded into the child could never be sold or bought. And each agreed they would have failed if he had worked alone, For behind the teacher stood the school and behind the parent, the home.

Name:

Rachel

E-Mail:

alexa_rp@hotmail.com

 

Date: 4-18-99

A CHILD

A child is not bad, He's just a good kid who sometimes does bad things.
A child is not a loser, He's just a winner who sometimes doesn't win.
A child is not an idiot, He's just a smart kid who sometimes gets stumped.
A child is not a mistake, He's just a blessing in disguise
The children are our future BELIEVE RECEIVE ACHIEVE.

12-29-98

The following stories were circulated on the Daycare-L list.  Thank you, Rosanne for sharing these stories!

The Painting
Author:  Unknown

Bobby was in his first week of nursery school. Each day when he came home his mother asked, "What did you do today?" Then one day he brought home a painting he had made. He had enjoyed dipping the long handed brush into the can of creamy
red paint. He had enjoyed smearing it back and forth and back and forth over the sheet of paper his teacher had given him. He
discovered that if he pressed very hard and rubbed the brush in one little area, he could rub a hole right through his paper. He didn't understand why the teacher gave him the paper to take home. He had already made the hole. Besides, the paint was dry. Dry paint wasn't fun.

But Bobby's mother was excited when she saw it. So was his father. And even the lady who lived next door. BUT, oh especially his mother.  She told the teacher glowingly how much everyone liked Bobby's picture. Sensing that she had pleased Bobby's mother, the teacher had the child paint another picture the very next day. She soon began to give him more and more art projects to do and they became more and more complicated. Sometimes the teacher had to do much of the
work herself, with only a little help from Bobby. Bobby's mother told everyone about the wonderful teacher Bobby had and about the wonderful school he attended and about the wonderful things he made there.

The teacher was really very capable and understanding, but she literally got carried away with her attempt to please bobby's mother. Bobby's mother was also a very capable and understanding person - but Bobby was always restless and he had been slow in his early growth. His mother had worried about his ability to do well in school. She was delighted and impressed when she saw the wonderful art projects he was bringing home, even though she really knew he couldn't do them by himself. And so, somewhere between the interweaving of adult dreams and adult anxieties, a little boy's needs were being forgotten.

And what about the little boy? Was he learinging anything through doing one complicated art project after another? Well, he was learning how to please adults. He learned that blue at the top of the picture means sky. Circles have to contain
eyes, noses and mouths. When the teacher cuts out something for you to paste, you do it exactly the way she shows you to - after all, she knows what she wants you to make. He learned not to let the paint drip. AND he learned that above all - oh, above all, he mustn't ever rub a real HOLE in the paper.

12-29-98

Painting
By Helen E. Buckly

Once a little boy was going to paint a picture. He put the paper on the easel , and he looked at all the jars of color in front of him. "What are you going to paint?" asked the teacher. "The sky," said the little boy, "I'm going to paint the sky." "Good" said the teacher, "do you have enough blue paint?" "Yes," said the little boy, and he took up the blue brush and made a wide band across the top of his paper. "There," he said, "There is the blue sky," And he looked around for the teacher. But she had gone.

Then the little boy looked out the window to see if his sky looked like the real one. And it did. But was the sky always blue? The little boy put down the blue brush and thought about the sky. "Sometimes," he thought, "Just before night, the sky is pink and a little purple." So he took up the pink brush and then the purple, and pretty soon there was a sunset on his paper.
Then the little boy remembered winter. And how the sky looks when the snow comes down. So he took up the white brush and made soft snowflakes over all. The blue and the pink and the purple sky. And some of the snowflakes melted. To make more colors, and the little boy felt happy like he always did when the snow came down in the winter

Name:

Nina

Email:

Ptunk@aol.com

Date: 12-1-98

"Here is my hand so tiny and small 
to hang somewhere upon a wall 
to watch as the years go flying by 
how we grew my hand and I."

11-21-98

Name:  Sandy

E-Mail: tchrsan@aol.com

 

ROCK REMOVAL

Author:  Unknown

A little boy was spending his Saturday
morning playing in his sandbox. He had with
him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic
pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the
process of creating roads and tunnels in the
soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the
middle of the sandbox.

The lad dug around the rock, managing to
dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit
of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock
across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was
a very small boy and the rock was very huge.)
When the boy got the rock to the edge of the
sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't
roll it up and over the little wall.

Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed,
and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock
tipped and then
fell back into the sandbox.

The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed,
shoved-but his only reward was to have the
rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers.

Finally he burst into tears of frustration.
All this time the boy's father watched from
his living room window as the drama unfolded.
At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow
fell across the boy and the sandbox.
It was the boy's father.

Gently but firmly he said,
"Son, why didn't you use all the strength
that you had available?

Defeated, the boy sobbed back,
"But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the
strength that I had!

"No, son," corrected the father kindly.
"You didn't use all the strength you had.
You didn't ask me."

With that the father reached down,
picked up the rock,
and removed it from the sandbox.

Sound familiar???
We all have rocks to move,
we need to go directly to our Father
to get the job done!!

10-27-98

Name:    Diana

E-Mail:  frinyfrog@aol.com

About School
Author Unknown

He always wanted to say things, but no one understood.
He always wanted to explain things, but no one cared.
So he drew.

Sometimes he would just draw, and it wasn’t anything. He wanted to carve it
in stone or write it in the sky.
He would lie out in the grass and look up in the sky, and it would be only him
and the sky and the things inside him that needed saying.

And it was after that, that he drew the picture. It was a beautiful picture.
He kept it under the pillow and would let no one see it.
And he would look at it every night and think about it. And when it was dark,
and his eyes were closed, he could still see it.
And it was all of him, and he loved it.

When he started school he brought it with him. Not to show anyone, but just
to have with him like a friend.

It was funny about school.
He sat in a square, brown desk like all the other square, brown desks and he
thought it should be red.
And his room was a square, brown room. Like all the other rooms. And it was
tight and close, and stiff.

He hated to hold the pencil and the chalk, with his arm stiff and his feet
flat on the floor, stiff, with the teacher watching and watching.
And then he had to write numbers. And they weren’t anything. They were worse
then the letters that could be something if you put them together.
And the numbers were tight and square and he hated the whole thing.

The teacher came and spoke to him. She told him to wear a tie like all the
other boys. He said he didn’t like them, and she said it didn’t matter.
After that he drew. And he drew all yellow and it was the way he felt about
the morning. And it was beautiful.

The teacher came and smiled at him. "What’s this?" she said. "Why don’t you
draw something like Ken’s drawing? Isn’t that beautiful?"
It was all questions.

After that his mother bought him a tie and he always drew airplanes and rocket
ships, like everyone else. And he threw the old picture away.
And when he lay out alone looking at the sky, it was big and blue and all of
everything, but he wasn’t anymore.

He was square inside and brown, and his hands were stiff, and he was like
everyone else. And the thing inside him that needed saying didn’t need saying
anymore.

It had stopped pushing. It was crushed. Stiff.
Like everything else.

10-27-98

Name:    Diana

E-Mail:  frinyfrog@aol.com

Flowers Are Red
by Harry Chapin

The little boy went first day of school
He got some crayons and started to draw
He put colors all over the paper
For colors was what he saw
And the teacher said...what you doin' young man
I'm paintin' flowers he said
She said...its not the time for art young man
And anyway flowers are green and red
There's a time for everything young man
And a way it should be done
You've got to show concern for everyone else
For you're not the only one

And she said...Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen

But the little boy said
There are so many colors in the rainbow
so many colors in the mornin' sun
So many colors in a flower and I see every one


Well the teacher said...you're sassy
There's ways that things should be
And you'll paint flowers the way they are
So repeat after me

And she said...
Flowers are red young man
Green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

But the little boy said...
There are so many colors in the rainbow
so many colors in the mornin' sun
So many colors in a flower and I see every one

The teacher put him in a corner
she said...It's for your own good
And you won't come out 'til you get it right
And all responding like you should
Well finally he got lonely
Frightened thoughts filled his head
And he went up to the teacher
And this is what he said...And he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

Time went by like it always does
And they moved to another town
And the little boy went to another school
And this is what he found
The teacher there was smilin'
She said...Painting should be fun
And there are so many colors in a flower
So let's use every one

But that little boy painted flowers
In neat rows of green and red
And when the teacher asked him why
this is what he said...And he said

Flowers are red, green leaves are green
There's no need to see flowers any other way
Than the way they always have been seen.

10-27-98

Name:    Diana

E-Mail:  frinyfrog@aol.com

The Twelve Houses Of Halloween
Author Unknown

At the first house on

10-4-98

A Prayer For The Children


We pray for the children:
Who sneak

9-24-98

Grandparents   Author Unknown

Few can bring the warmth
We can find in their embrace,
And little more is needed to bring love
Than the smile on their face.
They've a supply of precious stories,
Yet they've time to wipe a tear,
Or give us reasons to make us laugh,
They grow more precious through the years.
I believe that God sent us Grandparents
As our legacy from above,
To share the moments of our life,
As extra measures of His love.

9-24-98

Twas the night before school started,
When all through the town,
The parents were cheering.
It was a riotous sound!
By eight, kids were washed
And tucked into bed...
When memories of homework...filled them with dread!

New pencils, new folders, new notebooks, too!
New teachers, new friends...their anxiety grew!
The parents just giggled when they learned of this fright
And shouted upstairs-...
GO TO BED-IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT!

Author Unknown

9-2-98

Name: Trish

E-Mail: btbower@frontiernet.net

I wrote this poem for an intergenerational program (preschool students and nursing home residents get together once a week)

Dear Senior Citizen,

In your lifetime you have had

Many experiences, good and bad.

You've seen things that I've never seen,

Been places that I've never been.

Help me, teach me all you know,

Show me where you like to go.

And together, in the end

Each of us has made a friend.

Dear Young Child,

I'd like to spend some time with you,

Because in your eyes the world is new.

Share a little time with me,

Show old eyes new things to see.

Help me, teach me all you know.

Show me where you like to go.

And, together, in the end

Each of us has made a friend.

Patricia M. Bower         Copyright donated to Park Ridge Child Care Center, 1990

9-2-98

Name: Chrystal

E-Mail: LouieandChrystal@worldnet.att.net

Here is a

I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom.

It is MY person approach that creates the climate.

It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

As a teacher I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.

I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.

I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.

Author:  Hiam Ginott

8-18-98

Author Unknown

The Most Beautiful Flower

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read

Beneath the long straggly branches of an old willow tree.

Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown

For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day

A young boy out of breath approached me all tired from play.

He stood right before with his head tilted down

And said with great excitement, "look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower and what a pitiful sight

With its petals all torn - not enough rain or too little light

Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off and play

I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side

And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,

"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful too.

That's why I picked it; Here it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead

Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.

But I knew I must take it or he might never leave

So I reached for the flower and replied "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand

He held it mid-air without reason or plan.

It was then that I noticed for the very first time

That weed-toting boy could not see - he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; Tears shone in the sun

As I thanked him for picking the very best one.

"You're welcome", he smiled and then ran off to play

Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see

A self-pitying man beneath an old willow tree.

How did he know of my self-indulged plight?

Perhaps from his heart he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see

The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all those times I myself had been blind

I vowed to see the beauty in life and appreciate every second that's mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose

And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose

And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand,

About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

8-18-98

Name: shelby

E-Mail: scjangels

My three's were learning about outer space. I kept it simple, sun is to hot, no air. The moon is to cold, no air, no water. Later in the week I was asking the why's.  I had a little boy tell me, why we don't live on the moon." There's no air an NO CARWASHES!" I still laugh about this.

8-8-98

THE TWELVE WEEKS OF SUMMER

(sung to the twelve days of Christmas)

12 Kids-a-screeming

11 Weeks of "I'm bored"

10 headaches pounding

9 Million mosquitoes

8 Boxes of Band-Aids

7 Calamine bottles

6 Skateboard stitches

5 Ringing phones

4 Soccer tournaments

3 Fried kids

2 Tired parents

.....and A room at the SANITARIUM

8-8-98

Karen

gnccs@inmotion.net

I made these for the ENTIRE Kindergarten last year when DD started. They were easy to put together - I got the larger, individually wrapped lifesavers that come in a bag.

Kindergarten Survival Kit

The penny is to remind you that you are valuable

The star is to remind you to always try your best

The eraser is to remind you that it's okay to make mistakes

The life saver is to let you know that you can always talk to me

The tissue is for drying your tears and those of others

The band-aid is to let you know that together we can make things better

The chocolate hug is to remind you that you are cared for

The sticker is to remind you that we always stick together

8-8-98

Author:  Unknown

Daycare Provider Poem

Although you’re not their mother,

You care for them each day

You cuddle, sing, and read to them

And watch them as they play.

You see each new accomplishment

You help them grow and learn

You understand their language

And you listen with concern.

They come to you for comfort

And you kiss away their tears

They proudly show their work to you

You give the loudest cheers!

No, you are not their mother

But your role is just as strong

You nurture them and keep them safe

Though maybe not for long --

You know someday the time will come

When you will have to part

But you know each child you’ve cared for

Is forever in your heart!

8-8-98

SKWorthy@aol.com

Parent Poem

Thank you for entrusting your child to me. I promise to do my best everyday to be your child's companion in learning. After you have wiped your tears, make yourself a nice warm cup of tea. Put your feet up and relax. Then hold the

Sincerely,

With the poem you include a travel pack of tissues, a cotton ball, and a tea bag.

8-8-98

Author:  Unknown

1 Corinthians 13 For Mothers

If I keep my house immaculately clean, and am envied by all for my interior decorating, but do not show love in my family I'm just another housewife.

If I'm always producing lovely things -- sewing, art; if I always look attractive, and speak intelligently, but am not loving to my family

I

am

nothing.

Love changes diapers, cleans up messes, and ties shoes -- over and over again.

Love is kind, though tired and frazzled.

Love doesn't envy another woman -- one whose children are "spaced" better, or in school so she has time to pursue her own interests.

Love doesn't try to impress others with my abilities or knowledge as a mother.

Love doesn't scream at the kids.

Love doesn't feel cheated because I didn't get to do what I wanted to do today -- sew, read, soak in a hot tub.

Love doesn't lose my temper easily.

Love doesn't assume that my children are being naughty just because their noise level is irritating.

Love doesn't rejoice when other people's children misbehave and make mine look good.

Love is genuinely happy when others are honored by their children.

7-30-98

When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

Author:  Unknown

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake just for me, and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is God I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night, and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked ... and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking.

7-9-98

Name: Alison

E-Mail: cooter697@aol.com

A cute poem that we use for our alamater!

I know numbers,

I know shapes,

I knows that purple stands for grapes.

I know red and white and blue,

I know green and yellow too

.I know what police officers and mayors do,

firefighters and nurses, too.

I'm an artist, I can paint.

I try hard not to say ain't.

I have rhythm,

I know sounds.

I've had ups and I've had downs.

I've been quiet, I have

at times I've wiggled.

I've worked all year for this degree,

there now aren't you proud of me!!

We use this poem in our yearly preschool

7-3-98

Name: Angie

E-Mail: Ang2511@aol.com

I use this poem at the end of the year, and then add a personal note to it thanking the parents for allowing me to be their partner.

Partnership

They bring their child to me

And hope I'll come to know

How much the offspring means to them,

Their trust in me bestowed.

They bring their child to me

With love and hope and pride,

Looking for a helping hand,

A teacher who will guide.

They bring their child to me,

And our partnership is clear:

To nurture and allow to bloom

A life we both hold dear.

They bring their child to me,

A step toward letting go

And trusting in our special plan

To help the child grow.

by Gloria Weber Henbesst

6-17-98

Name: Shari

E-Mail: thorns@uthscsa.edu

Sometimes I might upset you

Just because I'm small

By leaving fingerprints of mine

On a table, chair or wall.

But everyday I grow a bit

And I'll be big one day

When all my tiny fingerprints

Have long been cleaned away.

So keep this print of my hand

To help you to recall

Just how big my fingers were

That time when I was small.

5-12-98

Name: Tina

E-Mail: tlco5@txcyber.com

I know you wipe some away,

But these handprints were made to stay.

One a month I made for you,

Some on white, some on blue.

So, keep them forever a treasure they'll be,

A special, "I Love You" for you from me.

4-28-98

The Parable of the Rose    Author:  Unknown

A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully

and before it blossomed, he examined it.

He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but

noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought...

"How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp

thorns?"

Saddened by this thought, he neglected to water the rose, and before it was

ready to bloom, it died.

So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose;

the God like qualities planted in us at birth growing amid the thorns of our faults.

Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the defects.

We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from us.

We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies.

We never realize our potential.

Some people do not see the rose within themselves;

someone else must show it to them.

One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be able to

reach past the thorns and find the rose within others.

This is the characteristic of love ....

to look at a person and know their true faults,

Accepting that person into your life,

while recognizing the nobility in their soul.

Helping them to realize that they can overcome their faults.

If we show them the rose, they will conquer their thorns.

Only then will they blossom many times over.

3-17-98

Name: Lucie                   E-Mail: mmelucie@pbrane.mv.com

When children come home at the end of the day,

The question they're asked as they scurry to play

is, "Tell me what you did today?"

And the answer they give makes you sigh with dismay.

"Nothing, I did nothing today!"

Perhaps nothing means that I played with blocks,

Or counted to ten, or sorted some rocks.

Maybe I painted a picture of red and blue

Or heard a story of a mouse that flew.

Maybe I watched the gerbils eat today,

Or went outside on the swings to play.

Maybe today was the very first time

That my scissors follwed a very straight line

Maybe I lead a song from beginning to end,

Or played with a special brand new friend.

When you're in pre-school

And your heart has wings,

"Nothing" can mean so many things!!

3-11-98

Madonna

real madonnas

are not bullet breasted singers

making videos and imitating

Marilyn Monroe

they are women who take care

of other women's children

women who

wipe noses

change diapers

make meals

help children learn

to climb the jungle gym

while their mothers

climb corporate ladders

in stockings and three piece suits

argue court cases

or make minimum wage

which pays rent

and daycare

if I could

I would paint a fresco

of a woman with a rope

around her waist

a rag-taggle of children

following her through the park

her nose would be smudged

with finger paint

her jeans splattered

with playdough

in one hand

I would paint one half of the university diploma

I studied for

in her other hand

would be the hand

of my child

there would be a halo

around her head

if I sold this painting

I would take her to

a Greek island

where someone could take care of her

where there are no children saying

can I could you I want my Mommie

I would call the painting

Shirley in the Park with the children

- Sheree Fitch

3-8-98

Name: Leanne                  E-Mail: lmsmith@rogers.wave.ca

Forever In Your Heart

Although you're not their mother

You care for them each day.

You cuddle, sing and read to them

And watch them as they play

You see each new accomplishment

You help them grow and learn,

You understand their language,

You listen with concern

They come to you for comfort,

And you kiss away their tears.

They proudly show their work to you

You give the loudest cheers!

No, you are not their mothers,

But your role is just as strong.

You nurture them and keep them safe

Though maybe not for long-

You know someday the time may come

When you will have to part,

But you know each child you cared for

Is forever in your heart!

Author unknown

3-6-98

The ABC's Of Friendship         Source:  Unknown

A Friend....

(A)ccepts you as you are

(B)elieves in "you"

(C)alls you just to say "HI"

(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)

(F)orgives your mistakes

(G)ives unconditionally

(H)elps you

(I)nvites you over

(J)ust "be" with you

(K)eeps you close at heart

(L)oves you for who you are

(M)akes a difference in your life

(N)ever Judges

(O)ffers support

(P)icks you up

(Q)uiets your fears

(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you

(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it

(U)nderstands you

(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you

(X)-plain things you don't understand

(Y)ells when you won't listen and

(Z)aps you back to reality

3-4-98

Name: Rhonda                              E-Mail: thanasi@xnet.com.

Top Ten Reasons to Become a Preschool Teacher

1. Cute little children. . .Cute little paycheck.

2. Confidence that you will never, ever forget to count to 10.

3. Attention span. . .Do they have one?

4. Shoes that untie themselves.

5. Get to sing your favorite songs over and over and over.

6. With all this bending, who needs aerobics?

7. Play, play, play.

8. Classroom art proudly

9. Small hands. . .LARGE crayons.

10. You alone make little ones count.

2-12-98

1915 Actual Rules For Teachers

1.  You will not marry during your contract.

2.  You are not to keep company with men.

3.  You must be home between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.

4.  You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores.

5.  You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have the permission of the chairman of the board.

6.  You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.

7.  You may not smoke cigarettes.

8.  You may not dress in bright colors.

9.  You may not, under no circumstances, dye your hair.

10.  You must wear at least two petticoats.

11.  Your dresses must not be shorter than two inches above the ankle.

12.  To keep the school room clean, you must:  sweep the floor at least once daily, scrub the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water, clean the blackboards at least once a day, and start the fire at 6:00 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8:00 a.m.

Boy!  Aren't you glad that teachers duties have changed!

2-12-98

Name: Heather              E-Mail: htehuia@xtra.co.nz

Spirited Children are like the roses in my garden.

They need more attention.

Throw a little water on other flowers and they grow.

Not the rose, it needs special treatment.

It has to be pruned and guided in its growth.

Other flowers can be plucked, pulled and mauled

By a preschooler and still last for weeks on your dining room table

If you treat a rose roughly it will wilt in your hands or stab you and make you bleed.

But there is not another flower like the rose in my garden.

Its rich perfume titillates my senses.

Its satin soft petals tickle my fingers.

Its blooms are so vibrant they stir my soul.

Spirited kids are like roses- they need special care.

And sometimes you have to get past the thorns to truly enjoy their beauty.

2-12-98

Name: Heather                E-Mail: htehuia@xtra.co.nz

If I had it all over again

If I had my child to raise all over again....

I'd build self esteem first, and the house later.

I'd finger-paint more and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more field and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd model less about love and power, and more about the power of love.

Dianne Looman-

"Chicken soup for the soul #2"

2-2-98

14 Ways to Be a Champion in Life!

~ anonymous ~

Compliment three people everyday.

Watch a sunrise at least once a year.

Be the first to say hello.

Live beneath your means.

Treat everyone like you would want to be treated.

Never give up on anybody; miracles happen.

Never deprive someone of hope; it may be all they have.

Pray not for things, but for wisdom and courage.

Be tough-minded, but tenderhearted.

Be kinder than necessary.

Keep your promises.

Learn to show cheerfulness, even when you don't feel like it.

Remember that overnight success usually takes about 15 years.

Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

1-28-98

Name: Beverly                  E-Mail: alexan9@yahoo.com

URL: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/1353/Alexanspage.html

Please, Mom and Dad...

My hands are small - I don't mean to spill my milk

My legs are short - Please slow down so I can keep up with you

Don't slap my hand when I touch something bright and pretty - I don't understand

Please look at me when I talk to you - It lets me know you're really listening

My feelings are tender - Don't nag me all day - Let me make mistakes without feeling stupid

Don't expect the bed I made or the picture I draw to be perfect - Just love me for trying

Remember I am a child not a small adult - Sometimes I don't understand what you are saying

I love you so much - Please love me just for being me - Not for the things I can do

© J.L. Richardson

1-27-98

Practice Your ABC's

Act silly

Believe in Magic

Create adventures

Daydream every chance you get

Enjoy life as much as possible

Find time for fun

Goof off

Hang upside down from trees

Imagine...

Join clubs

Keep it simple

Love all creatures

Make time for friends

Nap when you can

Open you mind to new ideas!!!

Play when you feel like it

Question the answers

Run with the wind

Sing favorite songs

Take days off

Uncover your talents

Venture out

Walk on the wild side

X-pect the best

Yield to the moment

Zzzz peacefully at night

1-26-98

I'VE LEARNED.......

I've learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night." Age 6

I've learned that you can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. Age 7

I've learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back. Age 9

I've learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up. Age 13

I've learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up. Age 14

I've learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me. Age 15

I've learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.  Age 24

I've learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.  Age 26

I've learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.  Age 29

I've learned...that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it. Age 39

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it. Age 41

I've learned that you can make someone's day by simply sending them a little card. Age 44

I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his need to cast blame on others. Age 46

I've learned that children and grandparents are natural allies. Age 47

I've learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours. Age 49

I've learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone. Age 50

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. Age 52

I've learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills. Age 52

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die. Age 53

I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life. Age 58

I've learned that if you want to do something positive for your children, try to improve your marriage. Age 61

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. Age 62

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back. Age 64

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you. Age 65

I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision. Age 66

I've learned that everyone can use a prayer. Age 72

I've learned that it pays to believe in miracles. And to tell the truth, I've seen several. Age 73

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. Age 82

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. Age 85

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. Age 92

Please pass this on to someone you care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile....

1-26-98

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the houselights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running

Whatever our situation in life and history--however outrageous, however desperate, whatever dry spell of the spirit, whatever dark night of the soul - - God is whispering deep within our beings, "Don't quit. Keep playing. You are not alone, Together we will transform the broken patterns into a masterwork of my creative art. Together, we will mesmerize the world with our song of peace.

A Christmas Story

Author--- Unknown

It was only five days before Christmas. The spirit of the season hadn't yet caught up with me, even though cars packed the parking lot of our Houston area Target Shopping Center. Inside the store, it was worse. Shopping carts and last minute shoppers jammed the aisles. Why did I come today? I wondered. My feet ached almost as much as my head. My list contained names of several people who claimed they wanted nothing but I knew their feelings would be hurt if I didn't buy them anything. Buying for someone who had everything and deploring the high cost of items, I considered gift-buying anything but fun.

Hurriedly, I filled my shopping cart with last minute items and proceeded to the long checkout lines. I picked the shortest but it looked as if it would mean at least a 20 minute wait. In front of me were two small children - a boy of about 10 and a younger girl about 5. The boy wore a ragged coat. Enormously large, tattered tennis shoes jutted far out in front of his much too short jeans. He clutched several crumpled dollar bills in his grimy

When we finally approached the checkout register, the girl carefully placed the shoes on the counter. She treated them as though they were a treasure. The clerk rang up the bill. "That will be $6.09," she said.The boy laid his crumpled dollars atop the stand while he searched his pockets. He finally came up with $3.12. "I guess we will have to put them back, " he bravely said. "We will come back some other time, maybe tomorrow. "With that statement, a soft sob broke from the little girl. "But Jesus would have loved these shoes, " she cried. "Well, we'll go home and work some more. Don't cry. We'll come back," he said.

Quickly I handed $3.00 to the cashier. These children had waited in line for a long time. And, after all, it was Christmas. Suddenly a pair of arms came around me and a small voice said, "Thank you Sir." "What did you mean when you said Jesus would like the shoes?" I asked. The small boy answered, "Our mommy is sick and going to heaven. Daddy said she might go before Christmas to be with Jesus." The girl spoke, "My Sunday school teacher said the streets in heaven are shiny gold, just like these shoes. Won't mommy be beautiful walking on those streets to match these shoes?" My eyes flooded as I looked into her tear streaked face. "Yes" I answered, "I am sure she will."

Silently I thanked God for using these children to remind me of the true spirit of giving. Christmas is not about the amount of money paid, nor the amount of gifts purchased, nor trying to impress friends and relatives. Christmas is about the love in your heart to share with those as Jesus Christ has shared with each of us. Christmas is about the Birth of Jesus whom God sent to show the world how much he really loves us.

Please show this love as we think of the upcoming season.

The Gift

Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow. Bobby didn't wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any. The thin sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. And, try as he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with an idea, I don't have any money to spend."

Ever since his father had passed away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn't because his mother didn't care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough. She worked nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be stretched so far.

What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for in love and family unity. Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran the household in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and stores were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, especially when he needed a man to talk to. Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach. It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of thesetting sun's rays reflecting off of something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment. As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw. His excitement quickly turned cold when salesperson after salesperson told him that he could not buy anything with only a dime.

He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."

As Bobby waited, he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy, he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers. The sound of the door closing as the last customer left, jolted Bobby back to reality. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner came out and moved to the counter. There, before Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.

"That will be ten cents young man." the shop owner said reaching out his hand for thedime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime! Sensing the boy's reluctance, theshop owner added, "I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents adozen. Would you like them?"

This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son." As he returned inside, the shop keepers wife walked out. "Who were you talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?" Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied, "A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his mother with one small dime. When I looked at him, I saw myself, many years ago. I too was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift. A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he wanted to give me ten dollars. When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew who that voice was, and I put together

a dozen of my very best roses." The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.

- Thomas Pucci

Twas the Night Before Christmas For Teachers

By Joyce Luke

'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the school

Not a pupil was silent, no matter what rule.

The children were busy with paper and paste;

The mess that they made with it couldn't be faced.

The teacher half frantic and almost in tears,

Had just settled down to work with her dears,

When out in the hall there arose such a clatter

Up sprang the kids to see what was the matter!

Away to the door they all flew like a flash;

The one who was leading went down with a crash.

Then what to their wondering eyes did appear

But a green Christmas tree! (To decorate I fear!)

When the teacher saw this, she almost grew sick.

She knew in a moment it must be Old Nick!

She ran to the door (all her efforts were vain)

But she shouted, and stamped, and she called them by name;

"Now Tommy! Now Sandy, Now Judy and Harry!

Stop Billy! Stop Robert! Stop Donny and Sherry!

Now get to your places get away from the hall

Now get away! Get away! Get away all!

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly

The pupils, pell mell, started scurrying by.

They ran to the blackboard and skipped down the aisle;

Their faces were shining and each had a smile.

First came a basket of popcorn to string

Then came the Christmas tree (menacing thing).

As the tree was brought in there arose a great shout;

The pupils were merrily romping about.

The state they were in could lead to a riot;

The teacher was sure, if allowed, they would try it.

Her nerves how they jangled! Her temples were throbbing!

The rush of her breath sounded almost like sobbing!

The lines of her face were as fixed as a mask;

It was plain that she didn't feel up to her task.

The look in her eye would have tamed a wild steer,

But the children ignored it; they did every year.

A tear from her eye and a shake of her head

Soon led me to think that she wished she were dead.

She spoke not a word but went straight to her work,

Strung all the popcorn which broke with a jerk.

But at last it was finished and placed on the tree;

Then came the bell and the children were free.

Their shrill little voices soon faded away

And peace was restored at the end of the day.

As she looked at the Christmas tree glistening and tall,

She smiled as she whispered,

"Merry Christmas to all"

T'was The Night Before Christmas For Moms

Author:  Unknown

T' was the night before Christmas, when all thru the abode

Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.

The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,

while visions of Nintendo 64 and Barbie, flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,

With a half-constructed bicycle on his knee.

So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,

Which made her sigh, 'Now what's the matter?'

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,

She descended the stairs, and saw the old man.

He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug.

'Oh great,' muttered the mom, 'Now I have to clean the rug.'

'Ho-ho-ho!' cried Santa, 'I'm glad you're awake.'

'Your gift was especially difficult to make.'

'Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone.'

'Exactly!' he chuckled, 'I've made you a clone.'

'A clone?' she asked, 'What good is that?

Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat.'

And there she stood.

The mother's twin.

Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

'She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.

You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young & the Restless.'

'Fantastic!' the mom cheered. 'My dream come true!

I'll shop. I'll read. I'll sleep a whole night through!'

From the room above, the youngest began to fret.

'Mommy?! I scared... and I 'm wet.'

The clone replied, 'I'm coming, sweetheart.'

'Hey,' the mom smiled, 'She knows her part.'

The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune,

As she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon.

'You the best mommy ever. I really love you.'

The clone smiled and sighed, 'I love you, too.'

The mom frowned and said, 'Sorry, Santa, no deal. '

That's my child's love, she's trying to steal.'

Smiling wisely Santa said, 'To me it is clear,

Only one loving mother, is needed here.'

The mom kissed her child, and tucked her into bed.

'Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.

I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,

when they'll be too old, for my cradle-song.'

The clock on the mantle began to chime.

Santa whispered to the clone, 'It works every time.'

With the clone by his side Santa said,

'Goodnight.

Merry Christmas, Mom, You'll be all right.'

YOU MUST BE IN EDUCATION IF..........

Author Unknown

You believe the staff room should be equipped with a valium salt lick

You want to slap the next person who

You believe chocolate is a food group

You can tell it's a full moon without looking outside

You believe that unspeakable evil will befall you if anyone says" Boy the kids sure are mellow today."

When out in public you feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior

You have no time for a life from August to June

You laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the "lounge"

You believe in aerial spraying of Prozac

You've ever had your profession slammed by someone who would never dream of doing your job

You think caffeine should be available in IV form

You know you're in for a major project when a parent says "I have a great idea I'd like to discuss. I think it would be such fun!"

You smile weakly, but want to choke the next person when he or she says, "Oh, You must have such FUN everyday. It must be like playtime for you"

Meeting a child's parents instantly answers the question, "Why is this child like this?"

Name: Laura                   E-Mail: LRaeM123@aol.com

THERE'S NOTHING IN MY BAG TODAY

Today I did my math and science,

I toasted bread.

I halved and quartered.

I counted, measured, used my eyes,

and ears and head.

I added and subtracted on the way,

I used a magnet, blocks and memory tray.

I learnt about a rainbow and how to weigh.

So please don't say, anything in your bag today?

You see I'm sharing as I play.

I learned to listen and

speak clearly when I talk,

to wait my turn, and when inside to walk.

To put my thoughts into a phrase,

to guide a crayon through a maze.

To find my name and write it down,

to do it with a smile and not a frown.

To put my pasting brush away,

So please don't say, what, nothing in your bag today?

I've learnt about a snail and a worm,

remembering how to take my turn.

Helped a friend when he was stuck,

learnt that water runs off a duck.

I looked at words from left to right,

agreed to differ, not to fight.

So please don't say, did you only play today?

Independant Strategies by Jill Marie Warner

When I get stuck on a word in a book,

There are lots of things to do.

I can do them all, please, by myself;

I don't need help from you.

I can look at the picture to get a hint,

Or think what the story's about.

I can "get my mouth ready" to say the first letter,

A kind of "sounding out".

I can chop the word into smaller parts,

Like on and ing and ly,

Or find smaller words in compound words

Like raincoat and bumblebee.

I can

Guess or say "blank" and read on

Until the sentence has

Then go back and try these on:

"Does it make sense?"

"Can we say it that way?"

"Does it look right to me?"

Chances are the word will pop out like the sun

In my own mind, can't you see?

If I've thought of and tried out most of the these things

And still do not know what to do,

Then I may turn around and ask

For some help to get me through.

Risks          Author Unknown

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.

To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair.

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, and is nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes, they are a slave, they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

Lines    Author Unknown

The ad said; my lines would just disappear

And I would be instantly young

There was a picture of a woman whose face

Looked so blank--like her life hadn't even begun

How strange this impulse to erase

Every trace of age when it starts to appear

When you've spent all your life growing your lines

Why would you want them to just disappear?

Well, I had a friend who said: she once was an infant

A baby, everybody would hold

She said: Then went through toddler, teen and middle age

And now I've arrived here at old

I've earned it so don't use euphemisms on me

Like calling these my golden years

I'm old, that's fine, but these wonderful lines

Why would I want them to just disappear?

Was a picture in a book of an old sioux woman

With lines all over her face

And the caption said: she looks like the badlands

'cause the land is all in her face

She's come from the earth and she's now headin' home

And you can tell there's nothing to fear

She has spent all her life growing these lines

Why would she want them to just disappear?

Yes, the ad said: my lines would just disappear

Like magic, erase where I've been

Better those lotions themselves disappear and

The lines that advertise them

'Cause the lines on your face have stories to tell

Of a life full of laughter and tears

When you've spent all your life growing your lines

Why would you want them to just disappear?

Yes, when you've spent all your life growing your lines

Maybe lines then are something to cheer!

The Gift  Author Unknown

We often learn most from our children. Sometime ago, a friend of mine punished his 3 year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree. Nevertheless the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you Daddy," He was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's suppose to be something inside of it?" The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Oh, DADDY, It's not empty, I BLEW KISSES INTO THE BOX. ALL FOR YOU DADDY." The father was so crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and begged for her forgiveness. My friend told me he kept that box by his bed for years. Whenever discouraged, he would take out an imaginary KISS and remember the love of the CHILD who had put it there. IN A VERY REAL SENSE, EACH OF US AS PARENTS HAS BEEN GIVEN A GOLD CONTAINER FILLED WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND KISSES FROM OUR CHILDREN. THERE IS NO MORE PRECIOUS POSSESSION ANYONE COULD HOLD......

Emergent Reader Poem

HELP!!!

I'm trying hard to learn to read

But what's a kid to do

When there's a NO and a GO

and a SO and a HO,

And then there's a word like TO?

Reading BONE and CONE and

LONE and TONE

Can almost be kind of fun,

But I get upset when I have to believe

That D-O-N-E spells DONE!

It's plain to see a kid like me

Sure needs a helping hand.

No matter how much I really try

I just don't understand.

I'm trying hard to learn to read.

Somehow that's what I'll do,

But for now if you'll just read to me

Someday I'll read to you!

Author Unknown

Name: Jennifer                E-Mail: jenni@golden.net

I will not shout

I will not push

I will not throw things

I will not have temper tantrums

I am the teacher

Name:  Daylene           E-Mail:  aactchrday@aol.com

Author:  Anonymous

Be a kid again...

Give yourself a gold star for everything you do today.

Grow a milk mustache

Open a pack of cupcakes and give one to a friend even though you wanted both of them for yourself

Have a staring contest with your cat

Kiss a frog just in case

Make a face the next time somebody tells you "no"

Ask "Why?" a lot

Believe in fairy tales

Have someone read you a story

Wear your favorite shirt with your favorite pants even if they don't match

Do a cartwheel

Hide your vegetables under your napkin

Make a "slurpy" sound with your straw when you get to the bottom of a milkshake

Sit really still for as long as the dog is asleep in your lap

Find some pretty stones and save them

Stick your head out the car window and moo if you see a cow

Walk barefoot in wet grass

Giggle at nude statues in a museum

Make cool screeching noises every time you turn

Count the colors in a rainbow

Fuss a little, then take a nap

Take a running jump over a big puddle

Giggle a lot for no real reason

Do that tap-someone-on-the-shoulder-while-you-stand-on-their-opposite-side-and- they-turn-around-and-no-one's-there thing

Enjoy your all-time favorite candy-bar (Forget you've heard of calories!)

Throw something and when it lands make a cool exploding bomb noise

Squish some mud between your toes

Buy yourself a helium balloon

Put an orange slice in your mouth, peel side out, and smile at people.

Be a kid again today!

Name:  Daylene           E-Mail:  aactchrday@aol.com

Author:  Anonymous

A Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day,

With little time to stop and pray,

For Life's been anything but calm,

Since You called me to be a mom -

Running errands, matching socks,

Building dreams with matching blocks,

Cooking, cleaning and finding shoes

And other stuff that children lose,

Fitting lids on bottled bugs,

Wiping tears and giving hugs,

A stack of last week's mail to read -

So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord,

Just at the sink or ironing board,

To ask the blessings of Your grace,

I see then, in my small one's face,

That You have blessed me

All the while -

And I stoop to kiss

That precious smile.

Submitted by:  Jean              E-Mail:  mjg74@dfs.the-link.net

Author:  Helen E. Buckley

THE LITTLE BOY

Once a little boy went to school.

One morning,

When the little boy had been in school a while,

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make a picture."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He liked to make pictures.

He could make all kinds.

Lions and tigers, Chickens and cows, trains and boats.

And he took out his box of crayons

And began to draw.

But the teacher said: "Wait!"

"It is not time to begin!"

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

"Now," said the teacher,

"We are going to make flowers."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

He liked to make flowers,

And he began to make beautiful ones

With his pink and orange and blue crayons.

But the teacher said, "Wait!"

"And I will show you how."

And it was red, with a green stem.

"There," said the teacher,

"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the teacher's.

Then he looked at his own flower.

He liked his flower better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just turned his paper over,

And made a flower like the teacher's.

It was red, with a green stem.

On another day, when the little boy had opened

The door from the outside all by himself,

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make something with clay."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

Snakes and snowmen.

Elephants and mice, cars, and trucks.

And he began to pull and pinch

His ball of clay.

But the teacher said, "Wait!"

"And I will show you how."

And she showed everyone how to make

One deep dish.

"There," said the teacher.

"Now you may begin."

The little boy looked at the teacher's dish,

Then he looked at his own.

He liked his dishes better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just rolled his clay into a big ball again

And made a dish like the teacher's.

It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon

The little boy began to wait,

And to watch

And to make things just like the teacher.

And pretty soon

He didn't make things of his own anymore.

Then it happened

That the little boy and his family

Moved to another house, In another city,

And the little boy

Had to go to another school.

And the very first day

He was there.

The teacher said:

"Today we are going to make a picture."

"Good!" thought the little boy.

And he waited for the teacher

To tell him what to do.

But the teacher didn't say anything.

She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy,

She said, "Don't you want to make a picture?"

"Yes," said the little boy.

"How shall I make it?" asked the little boy.

"Why, anyway you like," said the teacher.

"Any color?" asked the little boy.

"Any color," said the teacher.

"If everyone made the same picture,

And used the same colors,

How would I know who made what,

And which was which?"

"I don't know," said the little boy.

And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.

Submitted by:  Jean              E-Mail:  mjg74@dfs.the-link.net

Author: Unknowm

WHY HANDS-ON?

I TRIED TO TEACH MY CHILD WITH BOOKS;

HE GAVE ME ONLY PUZZLED LOOKS.

I TRIED TO TEACH MY CHILD WITH WORDS;

THEY PASSED HIM BY OFTEN UNHEARD.

DESPAIRINGLY, I TURNED ASIDE;

"HOW SHALL I TEACH THIS CHILD," I CRIED?

INTO MY HAND HE PUT THE KEY,

"COME," HE SAID, "PLAY WITH ME."

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