Our team of volunteers went back to school today to begin the SIT STAY READ program. Each of us takes a dog or puppy from the shelter. Once there we spend an hour having 4th graders read to us. We change readers every 12 minutes.
And, we love it.
The students get to interact with a critter. They work on reading skills; the dogs never critter-cize them! The dogs get some socialization.
Our school has many students who have unfortunate home settings. This is one chance for them to have two breathing souls focus only on them.
I mean in a positive way.
One of my readers today is in a foster home because her biological mother beat the crap out of her. She came to school this year and told her teacher, "This year I'm going to be normal."
Let's hope so.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label school. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label school. Tampilkan semua postingan
Senin, 08 September 2008
Senin, 25 Februari 2008
Tripp takes a trip!
Our only male dog works for his biscuits. He is a "donation" dog for Animal Protective League and he makes trips to schools to visit students in classrooms. Most recently he went to be with about 50 students during two periods of history.
Although he's not up to speed on world or even local history, Tripp helps demonstrate the importance of pet care. Together we talk with students about pets' needs. It turns out we can conclude pets and people need a lot of the same things - food, water, shelter, warmth (clothing for us), and love.
The basics give us all a better sense of worth, of well-being. When we have these we can provide them for others. We can pass it forward or return a favor. We can become ambassadors for better living right in our own neighborhoods.
The students we visit come from very broken homes. If they have pets often they are treated as things not living beings. Already that creates a similarity for them; as children in these homes they are not much different from the other "things" there. Respect, gratitude, kindness, gentleness, love - those characteristics, those human skills are not learned at home. The children rarely know these qualities exist let alone that they can be recipients and givers of them.
Sometimes it takes a dumb animal to teach what we need to know most.
Although he's not up to speed on world or even local history, Tripp helps demonstrate the importance of pet care. Together we talk with students about pets' needs. It turns out we can conclude pets and people need a lot of the same things - food, water, shelter, warmth (clothing for us), and love.
The basics give us all a better sense of worth, of well-being. When we have these we can provide them for others. We can pass it forward or return a favor. We can become ambassadors for better living right in our own neighborhoods.
The students we visit come from very broken homes. If they have pets often they are treated as things not living beings. Already that creates a similarity for them; as children in these homes they are not much different from the other "things" there. Respect, gratitude, kindness, gentleness, love - those characteristics, those human skills are not learned at home. The children rarely know these qualities exist let alone that they can be recipients and givers of them.
Sometimes it takes a dumb animal to teach what we need to know most.
Yet Another Good Book
Assuming you already know the BIBLE is the good book and you have already read that MERLE'S DOOR is an excellent choice if you value good writing, I have another suggestion.
Try THREE CUPS OF TEA. You'll learn how one man is doing the work of hundreds, building schools in mountain villages in Pakistan. It matters not whether these children are Muslim or Christian. What makes a difference is that they are learning. And, the "they" is everyone who has a piece of the action - all ages, all nationalities. In being taught they find there is less room for misunderstanding and more room for all humanity. The world hasn't changed in size, just in how it is seen. Perhaps we all need to put down guns and bombs and pick up books.
Could it be our wars are fought on the wrong battlefields?
Try THREE CUPS OF TEA. You'll learn how one man is doing the work of hundreds, building schools in mountain villages in Pakistan. It matters not whether these children are Muslim or Christian. What makes a difference is that they are learning. And, the "they" is everyone who has a piece of the action - all ages, all nationalities. In being taught they find there is less room for misunderstanding and more room for all humanity. The world hasn't changed in size, just in how it is seen. Perhaps we all need to put down guns and bombs and pick up books.
Could it be our wars are fought on the wrong battlefields?
Sabtu, 02 Februari 2008
Back In The Day - School Daze
First day of school was a proud moment and isn't it amazing what family members hold on to only to have someone find them buried beneath other memorable treasures some -- years later? Here we are, our own version of the Three Musketeers, ready to turn around and walk away from the familiarity of home and family.Does it happen much anymore that three neighborhood kids grow up and go through all the grades together, remaining friends? Oh, we lost touch for far too long but are back, connecting again, even though none of us live in our Ozzie and Harriet town any longer.Nothing compares to the re-kindling of the past. On days when the temperature is barely double digit the fondness and recall of days such as that first trek to Kindergarten can warm a heart.
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