Korean Intern Gift

Our school is hosting Korean Interns and Miss Emma, the young lady assigned to Mrs. B's Kindergarten class, surprised me with a gift today. When she introduced herself to our class, Emma told us her Korean name, but asked that we call her Miss Emma. I suppose she thought it would be easier for five and six year old American students to pronounce and she's probably right.

Emma told me this is how you write Mrs. Lancaster in Korean (Upper Left).

Here is her sweet little message on the back of the card.

I love Emma's little Post-it note best of all.  :)

Pretty cool, huh?! It made my day.

Due Process Hearings (Reposted)

Beginning a new school year can be stressful for students and parents alike, but if you have a child with special needs, you may be dealing with issues that seem overwhelming and frustrating at best.

For this reason, I decided now would be a good time to link you to my post Due Process Hearings from the 2010 archive.

Hopefully your school district will work with you to create a positive educational experience for your child. However, it is nice to know there are options and a world wide network of parents who are willing to support and help in any way they can.

Como Se Dice "Don't Break My Routine" en Espanol?

Cody loves holidays AND speaking Spanish, therefore, I think it's appropriate to air out my archives and share the following experience, originally posted October 4, 2010.

When Cody was in high school, he chose Spanish as one of his electives. He enjoyed it so much that he took it his sophomore, junior and senior year.

Every day, at the beginning of the period, the entire class would, in unison, say the alphabet in Spanish. One particular day, this important part of the routine was skipped. Cody became upset and no one could figure out why. Of course Cody would never just come out and say what was bothering him. By the end of the period, tears were streaking down his cheeks and when the bell rang, he would not budge! When the teachers and peer tutor finally figured out Cody was upset because the class didn't say the alphabet, they tried to convince him it would be okay. The class would be sure to remember to say the alphabet the next day. However, no amount of coaxing or persuading would get Cody out of that desk!

When students of the next period began to arrive, the teachers realized something needed to be done about Cody, who by this time was full on crying and causing a scene. They decided to pick Cody up, desk and all, and move him into the hall.

I don't remember what happened after that. Obviously Cody eventually calmed down and got over it, but I'm not sure his Spanish teacher ever did.

"Thank You For Being Awesome."

Remember my co-worker friend John? He's the one who went in for an Angiogram and came home with a uterus. (To read how something like that can happen, click here .)  Anyway,  it's teacher appreciation week at school and this morning John came into the classroom to show me something one of the students gave him. He was so happy about it, he had it laminated and is taking it home to frame.

And, just so you know, I wasn't completely excluded from acts of kindness. Look at what one of the Kindergarten girls and her mom brought me...



Autism Poster Contest

With help from the staff and some amazing sponsors, Amanda Broadfoot, at Life Is A Spectrum, held an Autism Awareness Month Poster Contest at her child's elementary school. These young, aspiring artists have beautiful hearts. Click here to read Amanda's post and see the top 5 winners: The kids are ALL RIGHT . I think our future is in good hands. Hurry...look. You will not be disappointed!

Are There Really Cons to Teaching Character Education in Schools?

Like everything else under the sun, teaching character education in public schools is a controversial issue. Some believe that all schools should implement some sort of character education program, saying that it can help decrease violence, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, etc. They also reason that character education in schools will teach values to children whose parents, for one reason or another, don't.


Then there are others who feel it is not the school's place to teach what is right and wrong. They feel it should be the parent’s sole responsibility to teach their children how to behave and make ethical decisions. Yet, because many children are not being taught basic morals such as the value of life and property, and the value of respect and honesty, character is being set aside and in it's place we see anger, jealousy, hatred, and selfishness.


For years, my husband and I have worked in the public school system. It is our personal feeling we should teach character education in schools. Where is the character in intentionally urinating on the bathroom floor, rubbing soap on mirrors, stealing toys out of the treat box, taking markers from the teacher's desk and purposely making black marks on the waxed floors? These are just a few of the things my husband and I have witnessed this past school year. (And I am not even beginning to touch the lack of character we, as a society, are subjected to outside of our school system.)

Parents and educators should be working together toward a functioning society of self-controlled, respectful individuals, who not only think before they act, but consider the consequences of their actions. Doing so will benefit everyone.

Are there really any cons to teaching character education? What are your thoughts?