QUOTES ~ "The Power of Love..."

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will finally know peace."
                                                                           ~ Jimi Hendrix
                                                                             (1942 - 1970) 

QUOTES ~ A Definition of Family Literacy...

Family Literacy

"Family Literacy refers to how families use reading, writing and communicating to work, learn and play together - both at home and in their community.  It's about families taking time to develop relationships.  Everyday activities that parents share with their children are not only learning opportunities for the child, but the parents as well.  When families take time to read, explore a city or countryside, visit a museum or park, bake or cook, share stories or celebrate traditions together, they are preacticing family literacy."  [Emphasis mine]

To learn more about literacy, check out the Saskatchewan Literacy Network website.

BOOK REVIEWS ~ "Election Day" ~ By: Margaret McNamara

It's a thin (32-page) "Ready-to-Read" book, but I think every politican should take a moment or two to read this childrens' book!  It's called "Election Day" and was written by Margaret McNamara, as part of the "Robin Hill School" series.

There is a new student in Mrs. Connor's class at Robin Hill School.  Becky has arrived on the day voting was to take place for the position of class president.  Who will lead the students in the room?

"After lunch, the children gave speeches.  'I promise to get us a candy machine!' said Nick.  'Hooray!' said the class.

" 'I promise no homework!' said Emma.  'Hooray!  Hooray!' said the class.

" 'I promise summer vacation will last for six months!' said Nia.  'Hooray!  Hooray!  Hooray!' said the class."

At this point, Mrs. Connor asks if there are any other students who would like to give a speech.

"Becky thought she could be a good class president.  But she was new.  She did not have any friends.  She did not have a speech."

" 'Anyone?' asked Mrs. Connor.  She was looking right at Becky."

"Becky took a deep breath.  She got up from her chair.  'I cannot promise candy machines, or less homework, or more vacation,' she said.  'I can only promise to do my best.'  Becky sat down.  No one else said a word.  Especially not 'Hooray.' "

" 'Now,' said Mrs. Connor.  'It is time to vote.'  The children put their heads on their desks and their hands in the air.  Mrs. Connor counted all the votes.  'Becky is the winner!' she said.  The new class president was happy."

" 'You made a good promise,' Hannah said.  'It is a promise I will keep,' said Becky."

***

That message seems particularly appropriate as Monday, May 2 was "Election Day" in Canada. The results were somewhat surprising ~ with the Liberals losing most of their seats, the New Democratic Party becoming the official opposition, and Harper's Conservatives gaining a majority for the first time ever.

It's true ~ we DON'T need empty promises or charismatic, flamboyant individuals to represent us. But we DO need honest, dedicated, hard-working politicians at all levels of governance ~ local, provincial and federal. Are you willing to run for office and to serve your country in that way? Perhaps YOU could make a difference next time the call for nominations goes forth.

*** 

 

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.
                                                                                                                          ~  John Quincy Adams

POETRY ~ "And Spring arose on the garden fair..." ~ By: Percy Bysshe Shelley

"And Spring arose on the garden fair,

Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast

rose from the dreams of its wintry rest."

~Percy Bysshe Shelley

QUOTES ~ "Education Is An Atmosphere..." ~ Charlotte Mason

 

Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason
January 1, 1842 to January 16, 1923

Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.

                                                                                                                                 ~ Charlotte Mason

Until I attended my first "homeschooling meeting," I'd never even heard of Charlotte Mason!

Now I'd like to do more research into the life and philosphies of this interesting woman.  As a British educator who invested her life in improving the quality of children's education, she had some very interesting ideas.  I'm personally drawn to some of her educational methods and would like to learn more about this woman and her insights.

POEM ~ Martin Luther King ~ By: Myra Cohn Livingston



Image from timmilburn.com

 Reorganizing the "library box" today, I took a moment to leaf through "The Random House Book of Poetry for Children:  A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today's Child."   A poem titled "Martin Luther King" caught my eye:

Martin Luther King

Got me a special place

For Martin Luther King,

His picture on the wall

Makes me sing.

I look at it for a long time

And think of some

Real good ways

We will overcome.

   ~ Myra Colin Livingston

For many thought provoking quotes by Dr. King, check out Tim Milburn's website and his post titled "Martin Luther King Jr. Said...."  It was originally posted for Martin Luther King Day in 2010.

QUOTE ~ Confucius says ...

Confucius once said, "I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand."

(Confucius was a Chinese philosopher.  He was born in 551 BC and died in 479 BC.)

QUOTES: Benjamin Franklin ~ Involve Me...

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Benjamin Franklin, (1706-1790), once said, "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Perhaps, he also made the involvement (and the subsequent learning) fun!

QUOTE - Thomas A. Edison's Outlook on Work...

Edison with his phonograph

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.

-Thomas A. Edison

REFLECTIONS - New "Sanitized" Edition of Huckleberry Finn to be Published

Earlier this week, while delivering papers, I noticed a headline announcing a new "sanitized" edition of the classic "Huckleberry Finn" was in the works.  Then today, when we were driving to Lloydminster (the semi had to be taken to the repair shop and after dropping it off, John needed a ride home), I was listening to Cross Country Check-Up on CBC with Rex Murphy.  The topic for discussion was this new book and what people thought about it.  Murphy talked to Suzanne La Rosa, the publisher of the new edition, as well as various teachers, English professors, young people currently studying the book -- the whole gamut.

A few years ago, for my Father's birthday, we went to the Barn Playhouse near Saskatoon to watch a dramatic performance of "Huckleberry Finn."  As it was family-type entertainment, I hadn't really thought about the book as controversial.  At any rate, the latest media coverage makes me think I should order a copy from the local library and read this book, so I can better decide for myself whether the publication of this new volume is a good thing (as Martha Stewart would say) or a negative form of censorship.  Despite my Bachelor's degree in English, there are so many good books that I haven't actually read.  Maybe, once we have finished the trilogy of E. Nesbit books,  Alisdair and I should read "Huckleberry Finn" as one of our "read alouds." I might have read it years ago, but I honestly can't recall if I have actually done so.

What do you think? Is taking the n-word and other slurs out of Mark Twain censorship, or a step in the right direction in terms of getting younger people better acquainted with literature of the U.S. Civil War era? If you wish to do so, leave your thought in the comments.

I have copied (below) an article about the new edition of "Huckleberry Finn" from "The National Post":

New edition of Huckleberry Finn to replace ‘n-word’ with ‘slave’

Mark Twain, left, with his friend John Lewis in 1903.

Jason Rehel  January 4, 2011 – 12:16 pm

Publishers Weekly reported on Monday that a soon to be released edition of Mark Twain’s classic of American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, will replace all instances of the ‘n-word,’ “the singularly offensive word” used to refer to African Americans throughout the late 19th-century text. Editors have also decided to do away with the word “injun,” replacing it as well with “slave.”

NewSouth Books, who’ve been working with Twain scholar and Auburn University at Montgomery professor Alan Gribben, say they are taking the unprecedented measure as a means of reviving 21st century interest in the book, not as “an effort to render Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn colorblind,” Gribben says. He also notes:

“Race matters in these books. It’s a matter of how you express that in the 21st century …

And after discussing his mother’s use of the slur during his youth, and his subsequent move to the U.S. South to raise a family, Gribben went on to say:

“My daughter went to a magnet school and one of her best friends was an African-American girl. She loathed the book, could barely read it.”

The Publishers Weekly article went on to remark that the slur appears 219 times in the original Twain text, and that NewSouth’s publisher, Suzanne La Rosa, knew that the charge of censorship would crop up:

“We recognized that some people would say that this was censorship of a kind, but our feeling is that there are plenty of other books out there — all of them, in fact — that faithfully replicate the text, and that this was simply an option for those who were increasingly uncomfortable, as he put it, insisting students read a text which was so incredibly hurtful.”

Mark Twain’s Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn: The NewSouth Edition will be a US$24.95 hardcover, with the publisher aiming to have the book on on U.S. shelves by February.

QUOTATION - "... And No Rabbits Caught" ~ From "Five Children and It"

Alisdair is enjoying the stories from "Five Children and It" and we have now finished Chapter 6, with five more to go... We finish one chapter and he begs for more.  I suppose that's a good thing! 

In Chapter 6 - "A Castle and No Dinner" we came upon an interesting expression.  Martha, one of the servants is talking to another and says:  "Now, Eliza, come, get on with them beds.  Here's ten o'clock nearly and no rabbits caught" (Page 113). The next sentence goes on to explain:  "People say that in Kent when they mean 'and no work done'."


I stopped reading and told Alisdair we would have to remember that saying, as often I feel like the day is getting away on us and we haven't accomplished as much as we should have done.  Getting the newspapers delivered is a good example of this!  So, next time the clock is waxing onward and we haven't gotten as much done as we would have liked, I'll have to say "... and no rabbits caught!"

Quote to Ponder: Noah Webster's Definition of Eduction

"Noah Webster," painted by Samuel Finley Breese Morse, undated, oil on canvas

Noah Webster's Definition of Education:
The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.
Source:  Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

An Inspirational Quote To Remember

"We can sum up very quickly what people need to teach their own children. First of all, they have to like them, enjoy their company, their physical presence, their energy, foolishness, and passion. They have to enjoy all their questions, and enjoy equally trying to answer those questions. They have to think of their children as friends, indeed very close friends, have to feel happier when near and miss them when they are away. They have to trust them as people, respect their fragile dignity, treat them with courtesy, take them seriously. They have to feel in their own hearts some of their children's wonder, curiousity, and excitement about the world. And they have to have enough confidence in themselves, skepticism about experts, and willingness to be different from most people, to take on themselves the responsibility for their children's learning. But that is about all the parents need. Perhaps only a minority of parents has these qualities. Certainly some have more than others. Many will gain more as they know their children better; most of the people who have been teaching their children at home say that it has made them like them more, not less. In any case, these are not qualities that can be taught or learned in school, or measured with a test, or certified with a piece of paper."

~ JOHN HOLT, in "TEACH YOUR OWN"
Quoted in "The First Year of Homeschooling Your Child ~ Your Complete Guide to Getting Off to the Right Start" by Linda Dobson on Page 62