Assignment: Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 3

          Once again I chose the alternative assignment as I still haven't had the privilege of having anyone respond to my communications. The alternative I chose was UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/. I reviewed an article Solutions on Early Childhood Development in the Asia-Pacific region discussed. The article footnotes what occurred at A Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development which was held in Singapore in November 2011. The goal of the gathering was to discuss the importance of Early Childhood Learning experiences for children from birth to age three. The reports from 2010 showed that some policy development showed some progress but there is still great concern to find ways to prevent and decrease the under five mortality rates,  reduce malnutrition and increase access to services for children under three. During this conference EDC called for "the launch of the ["Resource Package for 0-3"] The package aims to equip policy makers, practitioners and parents with a range of information on ECD for the under 3 period." (UNESCO, 2011) Many of the countries in attendance agreed that is necessary to document EDC practices and create culturally appropriate policies.

            I found the article interesting and relative to current issues we are examining in our professions we all can agree across the world the importance of providing strong foundations and supports for our birth to three year olds. We all tend to be in the same situation trying to come up with meet their needs. I was surprised and saddened that many of the countries who attended this meeting have troubles with high mortality rates for the children five and under. I have to admit it is refreshing to see around the world early educators are getting on the same page to advance our profession.

Resources:

UNESCO’s “Early Childhood Care and Education” webpage (http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/early-childhood/)

SHARING WEB RESOURCES:

For this weeks sharing web resource I went to the http://www.naeyc.org. While searching articles on the site I came across an article found on a related link from teaching young children http://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/V5N2/Good%20Guidance.pdf. The article is titled The Problem Solver Job Peer- Mediated Conflict Resolution. I found the authors approach to conflict management very interesting and it is a technique I may find myself using next school year. She developed five laminated solution cards and introduces the job of the problem solver. Then as children interact with each other and a conflict a rises the problem solver choose a solution to the problem that both children can agree on this way the teachers solution isn’t always the only solution. Through having children find solutions to a problem it builds on their social emotional development. I found this article interesting as I am always open for classroom management suggestions regarding conflicts.

Resources:

Whitchurch, Sharma. and Sprague, Jackie. The Problem Solver Job Peer- Mediated Conflict Resolution. Teaching Young Children Vol.5 No.2 http://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/V5N2/Good%20Guidance.pdf.

Getting to Know Your International Contacts—Part 2

      I have not heard from anybody that I have tried to make contact with so I once again have chosen to explore the alternative assignment Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative.” I found the website to be very informative and as it is one that I had not seen before I think I clicked on every link they had posted. The goal of the Global Children’s Initiative is to globally concentrate strategically on three domains which are early child development, early mental health, and children in conflict and crisis situations. According to the article the early child development piece is to get policy makers to invest in early learners. Secondly, they want to bring attention to an area that is neglected by many which is the early mental health. Third, are the conflict and crisis situations which are exploring approaches to help post earth quake children of Chili and Haiti and create strategies which address’s acute malnutrition. They are taking concepts from areas practiced and researched from the United States and taking them to other countries. I found an interesting video link which discussed the importance of a strong healthy foundation for children as when they experience crisis or conflict it interferes with the brains development. The Initiative also discusses the importance of policy and how it is import for them to advocate for policy changes for them to be successful. I found the website to be very interesting and I have placed it in my favorites as I will visit again in the future.

Resources:

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website (http://developingchild.harvard.edu/initiatives/global_initiative/)

Sharing Web Resources:

Teaching Tolerance a Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center found at:  http://tolerance.org. Has an article that goes along with this week’s discussion I found at http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-38-fall-2010/tapping-power-place, this article examines many American school problems that both rural and urban schools encounter. The article points out a few myths such as “In American popular culture, the word “rural” invokes images of sunny farms and little red schoolhouses—while “urban” means drugs, poverty and crime. But those who know the reality of both worlds will tell you that rural schools face many of the same challenges as their urban counterparts.” (Number 38, 2010) Some of the poorest schools serving children with many needs are rural. From a business perspective, urban schools have the ability to cut costs through consolidating schools and rerouting buses to adjust costs. Another area in the article that I found particularly interesting is Federal policy makers are shifting Title I funding away from rural school districts as policy makers feel the larger schools have a greater need than the smaller school. My question is who is really getting short changed in the end? I feel these policy makers need to consider the children and the benefits they gain rather than viewing them as monetary value. The article suggests that community needs to work hand in hand to produce a successful school in both the rural and urban communities. The new insight I gained was the information regarding the Title I funding as my children attend small rural schools that also rely on that funding in their budgets. Community members really need to speak to policy makers and advocate for out children regardless of the environment to which they live.

Getting to Know International Contacts-Part 1

            I find myself still waiting to here from anyone both emails I have sent and my colleague’s international friend. I have chosen the alternative option for this blog. The world forum is pretty awesome. I have never done a pod cast before so that was a learning experience in itself and I was intrigued by the different people that contributed from a variety of different areas in the Early Childhood field. I listened to two podcast one with Susan Lyon the Director of the Innovative Project in California and Maysoun Chehab she works for Arab Resource Collective she is the Director of Early Childhood program and practices in the Middle East. I sent their site an email requesting correspondence also.

            I reviewed the article posted on the Childhood Poverty Research and Policy Center page http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/ . The country I chose to examine was Kyrgyzstan. I chose them as I had never heard of this place before. This country up to 1991 was apart of the Soviet Union and with new found Independence they are striving for a rapid transformation and thriving market economy. According to the article “Kyrgyzstan is now starting to recover from the economic shocks associated with transition and independence, and in 2001 GDP grew by 5.3 per cent. The majority of the population - approximately 60 per cent - makes their living from agriculture.”(CHIP) 41 percent of the urban population and 51 percent of the rural population live below the government poverty line with 18 percent unable to afford their basic food needs. Although at Independence Kyrgyzstan people had much higher levels of education and health since Independence they have began notice a decline in kindergarten, school enrollment and graduations. The poverty is forcing these children to go to work in a variety of jobs including agricultural but sadly trafficking and child prostitution. Tuberculosis is on the rise and affecting their teenagers. The government is in the processes of developing a Comprehensive Developmental Framework which has a 15 year goal to reduce poverty, promote growth create a good government, a fairer society and a commitment to childhood poverty. I found the goals to be pretty realistic and would like to see how well this plan works in five years from now. I found this to be interesting as I can’t imagine what a society must go through when they are breaking a way from a country that feeds them and claiming independence so that they can go on their own.       

Resources:

CHIP Child Poverty Research and Policy Center http://www.childhoodpoverty.org/

Sharing Web Resources

The websites I am reviewing to share are the National Association for the Education of Young Children found at:  http://www.naeyc.org and Teaching Tolerance a Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center found at:  http://tolerance.org  .  The NAEYC is a resource for teachers which cover a variety of topics related to the early childhood field including policy, national and international trends and issues, classroom ideas, conferences, resource tools and research topics.  The website provides a mass amount of resources for early childhood professionals from publications to accreditation, past issues, and leadership opportunity programs to name a few.    

           Teaching Tolerance website contains information related to discrimination.  The website has tabs for their magazine, professional development, classroom activities, teaching kit, and a mix it up publications.  The current issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine features an article that caught my attention is entitled, “Bully at the Blackboard”.  The article discusses a veteran teacher of 38 years that lost her patience with a kindergartner and called him, “Piggy, piggy!  Oink, Oink”.  The other children in the class followed suit (Koenig, D., Daniels, R. H., fall, 2010).  This article is fascinating and shows the affects that we as teachers have on the children we teach in both a positive and negative fashion.

According to Dr. Twemlow children as well as teachers bring their own background and experience to the classroom.   “What teachers need to know is that our brains are hard-wired to obey those in charge,” says Twemlow.   Dr. Stuart Twemlow is well-known for his research on teacher bullying, including a 2005 study in which 45 percent of sampled teachers said they had bullied a student at some point in their careers.  If bullying was seen as a process, not a person anti-bullying programs would be more successful (Koenig, D., Daniels, R. H., fall, 2010). 

Teachers bullying students interested me because the bullying is usually thought to occur between students when it happens in the classroom.  I am reminded again of the importance of self-evaluation and daily reflection. We must always be aware of our limitations and appropriate steps to take to alleviate built-up stress. I found the article informative and thought provoking as our patience gets tested in the classroom daily and I never thought about the teacher doing the bullying as it is our job as educators to prevent this type of occurrence.

Reference

Koenig, D., Daniels, R. H., fall, 2010.  Bullying at the Blackboard.  Teaching Tolerance.

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-40-fall-2011/bully-blackboard

Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

For the class 'Issues and Trends in the Early Childhood Field', we have been asked to contact two Early Childhood professionals outside of the United States. The purpose is to learn the trends and issues from other professions and exchange experiences. I am excited about this assignment as I love to learn about new cultures and places that I am unfamiliar with. I find this to also be a challenge as I am at a loss for resources and I am a shy person which doesn’t help very much when it comes to networking. I have used the links provided http://www.naeyc.org/resources/partnership/globalalliance, I used the Global Alliance link and selected a few different emails which I introduced myself and explained my reason for wanting to establish communication and I am still waiting for a response from someone. I have also spoke with a colleague at work who is trying to help me get introduced to her friend who is in Europe teaching Early Childhood.

 I chose the site NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATORS http://www.naecte.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 ) to study during this class. I am thankful for this opportunity because it will give me first hand information and a new understanding of Early Childhood Education around the world. I am also joining http://acei.org and http://naeyc.org to engage closely in the organization to broaden my understanding and deepen my contacts. 

MY SUPPORTS

MY SUPPORTS 

I have to consider myself very fortunate when it comes to support systems. As I reflect on my life for this assignment, I have come to realize my supports systems consist primarily of the people around me. The people who have been the biggest supports in my life are immediate family, extended family, my friends and my many coworkers. These supports consist of my immediate family which is made up of my husband, my children, my extended family which includes parents and in-laws and friends. 

 My husband and children are my biggest fan club. My husband and I communicate constantly and when I want honest feed back I know I can trust his response. My children I find to be much like their father as they engage in conversations and share their opinions. When an issue arises thanks to my supports I am able to evaluate with a variety of perspectives and then make a decision. I am very grateful for these supports primarily as they support me as their house manager and my personal educational endeavors and everything in the middle. 

My extended family which is made up of my mom, brother and mother in law is very valued relationships. I find myself talking to them on just about a daily basis. I value the feed back which I receive and the wisdom and experience which they share. I am grateful that when I need an ear to listen or I want to bounce a crazy idea off of one of them they are available in an instance. 

My friends that I have continued relationships with throughout the years are also another supportive asset. Amazingly we all have made different lifestyle choices and offer each other the ability to live vicariously through each other. I value their ideas as they can offer a perspective that is foreign to me. I have chosen to have many children and love the noise that fills my house a few of my friends have no children and enjoy the quiet yet they are world travelers and can share wonderful stories.  

I couldn’t begin to imagine life without my supports. I value each relationship and rely heavily on my supporters. I am a positive can do person I feel my social and emotional well being has a significant influence on the lives surround me. If I did not have everyone around me to talk to and enjoy life with I would struggle to maintain my positive outlook on life and everything in my life. 

A challenge I chose to experience that I do not currently has is if I were to relocate to another country such as Mexico. If I lived in Mexico, I would experience a culture shock on many levels starting with the weather, geography, culture of people and language. I would be a stranger in a strange land and would have to find someone (a support) I could trust just so that I could begin to acclimate. The language would pose a problem as I do not speak, read or write fluent Spanish. I would need this person to translate for me, help me find shelter and help me understand the culture and the way of living so I don’t offend anyone.

Without a support person to befriend me and help me get established. I will be miserable and not likely to have a pleasant experience in this country.  I am unsure of my ability to survive in a different cultural environment. I wouldn’t know if I can drink the water and I wouldn’t have the ability to ask someone. I wouldn’t be ability to navigate geographically and get to where I need to be due to the language barrier which will constantly hinder this experience. Without appropriate supports available this would be a horrible experience for me.

My Connections to Play

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.”

Elizabeth Lawrence quotes

“We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected.”

Ben Okri quotes (Nigerian author who uses magic realism to convey the social and political chaos in his country, 1959)

My Connections to Play

As I try to think of myself as a young child with no responsibilities and a relaxing atmosphere of my choice I catch myself going back to a place from my childhood it was an old lot with ( as I grew up in the city). This lot had a dirt mound, old big tree, broken glass from the winos’ across the street, some shrubs, lots of weeds and some grass. As I look at words this is no paradise, but I will spend hours from sun up t sun down here. My mom and grandma will give me old plastic margarine tubs. I will use glass carefully as my knives and I will cook and bake mud pies from sun up to sun down. My cousin penny will join me in our play. I spent many summer days picking ingredients, mixing my materials and pretending to be a baker.

My self guided play was encouraged by my mother and grandmother as they would encourage my imagination by providing me water and dishes to support my mud pie bakery. Even though they were supportive from time to time I would get in trouble for getting to dirty.

A short reflection on I feel play today is a little different from play I engaged in as a child. As a child I felt it was necessary to mix mud, cut weeds and use imagination. Disposal diapers once came in a large box and I would use that box as a Barbie house and I would sew scrap material together to make Barbie cloths. Children’s play today is different in regards to the materials they use are very realistic and readily available and imagination is slightly taken out of their play. We don’t have to pretend this is a camera here is a plastic camera.

My thoughts regarding the role of play throughout my life and in into adulthood as a reflection I can say my self guided play has shaped many of my adult interests. I love to bake in the fall and really all year I find it therapeutic. There is so much more to play than children dwindling away a day.

RELATIONSHIP REFLECTION

      I personally hold family relationships at a high value. I am grateful for the many different relationships I have had up to this point in my life. I have had both positive and negative experiences which have helped shape my ideals about relationships. My first relationship I am compelled to talk about is with my mother. We have always had a great relationship; she developed a relationship with me that she never had with her parents. I am thankful she taught me to be “firm but friendly.” She was both mother and father for many years. I learned independence early in life.

     Next, I have always wanted a large family. While growing up it was my brother and I. I wanted children and a lot of them. I really should be more mindful of what I wish for as I got seven. My husband is my best friend; we enjoy each others company, conversation, planning our future goals and our family time with the kids. He to had a single parent upbringing and we decided for our children they would have the childhood experience we had desired. Our relationship works because we work as a unit and we work together as a whole family to accomplish goals.

     My relationship with my children there are seven and as each child has a different personality each relationship is different. The older three are young adults living independently, working or attending college. I find our relationships are stronger now than ever before. They call me for guidance, wisdom, advice and the occasional cash. I feel they value the relationship they share with me and it is mutually respected.

     My younger children still at home fall under the parental umbrella. I find we develop good relationship with them through supporting their endeavors what ever it may be. Through my husband and I being actively involved in their interests it provides us opportunities to talk.

     I feel the special characteristics that surround each of these relationships is “good communication,” even when at first the conversation was confrontational everyone has the ability to walk away be objective consider the other persons point of view and then re-approach the subject. I learned good communication from my husband early on and I am grateful now. Through our modeling a good positive relationship our children reflect our ideas.

      I feel what I have learned through interacting with my friends and family having to be flexible and objective when dealing with different situations has better prepared me for when I am working with children and parents in the early childhood profession.

Childhood- It's what it's all about......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wIEihDAcpU&feature=player_embedded

"The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him."
-- Pablo Casals

* Childhood is not only the childhood we really had but also the impressions we formed of it in our adolescence and maturity. That is why childhood seems so long. Probably every period of life is multiplied by our reflections upon the next.
- Cesare Pavese

“Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. "            -John F. Kennedy

Children need love, especially when they do not deserve it.

 ~Harold Hulbert

You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again.

 ~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762


A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.

~Bill Vaughan

The past eight weeks have come and gone so quickly. I have had an over abundant amount of life getting in the way for me and thankfully I have had all of you to keep me focused. I have chosen these quotes and they speak of the innocence of childhood and how important our children are to the future. I have learned so much about the different developmental stages children transform through and have enjoyed the different discussions and perspectives.

Assessments for All

When using standardized tests to assess all children the individual child is not taken into consideration. Standardize test measure the student’s ability to read, write and complete math problems. Through these tests several areas get over looked when considering the holistic child such as physical, social/emotional, language, cognitive development and environmental conditions which all need to be considered. As a parent I have a child who has an individualized education plan which requires someone to read a test out loud for her, as she reads things twist around and get jumbled. I have another who gets test anxiety regardless of the material. In the same home there are other children who have no issues what so ever. Each child is different and responds to teachers differently, as a teacher I am on the fence with Standardized testing I can see why a baseline is beneficial but when you start to base funding and progression of a school the water gets muddy as the bottom line is each child is an individual.  

I chose to look at Japan to find out how they monitor the progression of their students. I found that from kindergarten through the age of twelve, education is free, fun, creative and an overall exciting learning environment. When students turn twelve, the assessments are very rigorous. Students become fixated on passing the required tests. They throw fun and creativity out the window and become a nation of order takers incapable of making a simple decision. 

Resources:

Burns, Kevin., Japan and its standardized test-based education system. Japan Today

http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/japan-and-its-standardized-test-based-education-system

Consequences of Stress of Children’s Development

Consequences of Stress of Children’s Development

Poverty is a stressor that is ever increasing in India. The above picture shows a little girl whose growth has been stunted by malnutrition and poverty. Although the countries growth begins to prosper small children are still neglected. According to the article posted by the NY times (2009) In India, by contrast, despite robust growth and good government intentions, the comparable number is 42.5 percent. Malnutrition makes children more prone to illness and stunts physical and intellectual growth for a lifetime.

There are no simple explanations. Economists and public health experts say stubborn malnutrition rates point to a central failing in this democracy of the poor. Amartya Sen, the Nobel prize-winning economist, lamented that hunger was not enough of a political priority here. India’s public expenditure on health remains low, and in some places, financing for child nutrition programs remains unspent. I am shocked that politics takes precedents over the needs of humans. This problem effects these children bio socially, cognitively, and there psychosocial development.         

As a child I had the experience of living in poverty. There were times when I would go to bed hungry or eat uncooked ramen noodles just picking at them throughout the day. I can recall being on the free lunch program and an embarrassing stigma that went with it. I guess this is where the resiliency of a child comes into play because honestly I didn’t know there was anything wrong. As I got older and I began to learn I knew I didn’t want to put my own children through the problems I encountered. During school I was a hoarder I would put the food in my pocket and save it to feed myself and my brother. As a teacher from time to time I have come across a few like myself then. I think I am more aware as a teacher and more sympathetic to the situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/world/asia/13malnutrition.html?ref=world

Child Development and Public Health

Child Development and Public Health

Immunizations

As a mom getting ready to send her son off to college, I found myself pulling out his immunization record. Apparently immunizations aren’t just for infants and babies they are for all ages. My son needs a vaccination for Meningitis which is a common illness that happens to freshmen in college which can be deadly.  The most commonly asked question by parents is why immunize? The purpose of immunization is to build the persons immune system against harmful diseases in hopes to eradicate the disease. According to the Center for Disease Control Diseases are becoming rare due to vaccinations. It's true; some diseases (like polio and diphtheria) are becoming very rare in the U.S. Of course, they are becoming rare largely because we have been vaccinating against them. It recommended continuing vaccinating for future generations.

I turned my attentions to Canada and looked at their public health practices and thoughts on vaccinations and I found they share the same views and us Americans. In Canada, vaccines to prevent the following diseases are considered routine, and are given free of charge to children in all provinces and territories:

       diphtheria;

       tetanus (lockjaw);

       pertussis (whooping cough);

       polio;

       rubella (German measles);

       measles (red measles);

       mumps;

       hepatitis B; and

       Haemophilus influenza type b disease.

I was impressed by the fact that they make these free for all children which is an area Americans are still struggling with. I linked the cdc frequently asked questions page in the word Immunizations listed above.

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/default.htm

Health Canada- http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/med/immuniz-eng.php

CHILDBIRTH

My Childbirth Experience:

I am a mother of seven children. I have a blended family where I received two bonus daughters with my marriage. I have had the honor and privilege of experiencing childbirth on five different occasions. I have two sons (19 and 15) and three daughters (16, 14 and 9). I found each pregnancy and delivery to be completely different from each other as their individual personalities to this day. I have a fairly high pain tolerance so all five deliveries were medication free by the time I ask for relief they tell me I am to late. The delivery I will share with you is of my 19 year old son only because I was so young eighteen years old. The pregnancy went well I went from 92 pounds to182 pounds at delivery I really thought I had to eat for two. I went into labor in March and every time I visited the emergency room they would check for dilation and give me a shot to stop the contractions because I was due in April and nobody wanted to be responsible for a preemie based of the ultrasound measurements. April 18^th came around and during a trip to the emergency room while the nurse was checking for dilation and monitoring contractions my son was miss-positioned and grabbed her finger needless to say it scared her and the doctor was in there getting him turned around for a regular delivery. Thirty four hours later we had a healthy baby boy who was 43 weeks gestation. Childbirth is a miraculous experience I will always be grateful I was able to have.

Giving birth in the Netherlands:

The region of the world I chose to look at was the Netherlands. I found that the majority of births are actually done in the home with midwives. If an expectant mother has chosen to deliver in a hospital setting pain relief during childbirth is managed through the use of breathing and relaxation techniques. The use of medication during the delivery process is strongly discouraged in the hospital unlike here in the United States where something to assist in pain relief is suggested.

http://pregnancy.families.com/blog/lets-talk-about-the-cultures-of-childbearing

http://www.expatica.com/nl/essentials_moving_to/essentials/childbirth-in-holland-38191_9489.html

My Heart Felt Thank You

This is a thank you to everyone I have had the opportunity to interact and work with in our MS Early  Education course. I have really had a wonderful time getting to know all of my colleagues and I would like to say thank you. I am very excited to move forward in our journey and I am hopeful that we can progress together in our programs. Good Luck to everyone in the future and wishes of many successes for everyone in their chosen professions.

CODE OF ETHICS DEC

I found a large variety of ethics that I felt were important from both the Code of Ethics and the NAEYC. I chose the three below as they reflect my thought regarding how important it is to maintain high standards for ourselves so that we can help our children and families we work with. I also feel it is important to remain upto date on current issues that effect our field in both positve and negative ways.

We shall demonstrate the highest standards of personal integrity, truthfulness, and honesty in all

our professional activities in order to inspire the trust and confidence of the children and families

and of those with whom we work.

We shall continually be aware of issues challenging the field of early childhood special education and advocate for changes in laws, regulations, and policies leading to improved outcomes and services for young children with disabilities and their families.

 We shall be responsible for maintaining the appropriate national, state, or other credential or

licensure requirements for the services we provide while maintaining our competence in practice

and research by ongoing participation in professional development and education activities.

• Article: The Division for Early Childhood. (2000, August). Code of ethics. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from
  http://www.dec-sped.org/

WHICH TEACHER ARE YOU? I stumbled across a poem I would like to share

FLOWERS ARE RED

The little boy went to the first day of school

He got some crayons and started to draw

He put colors all over the paper

For colors is what he saw

And the teacher said….. What are you doing young man?

I’m painting flowers, he said

She said… It’s not 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 morning 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 to the rainbow

So many colors in the morning sun

So many colors in a flower

And I see every one

The teacher put him in the 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 smiling’

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 have always have been seen

By Harry Chapin, “Living Room Suit” Album Contributed by Judy Van Voorhis

A little side humor When it comes to children we never know what we are going to get.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/04/06/wits-sweeney/