Predicaments and Perceptions

Greetings Y'all ;

Well it's been a couple of days since we chatted. So what's new with ? How's the weather in your neck of the woods ? Read any good books lately ? Listened to any good music lately ? More importantly have you hugged your kids today? Your parents ? Your significant other? Your pet ? Yourself ? 

As for us I thought we were traded to smooth waters. Sure I knew we had some squalls in the area but the horizon seemed to he clearing. However the universe has it's own plans. It has dumped the perfect storm on us. Frankly considering our predicament we could be angry, sad, overwhelmed, etc... 

I'll confess I'm confused and concerned. I'm not a quitter though . I adapt . I will realign my perspective to push through. 

This week has been filled with waiting and disappointment , adapting and accepting. I am struggling to vanquish the anguish. I've been struggling with an injury I got at work and the extended drives to the dr only to have looooong fruitless waits. We've hit our hardest times financially which is stretching our emotional well being. All the hoops I jumped through lately  took its toll fiscally and physically. 

Fortunately we are resilient . We still laugh and read and listen to our happy  music. Good ol music therapy. But still we ars looking at losing our humble abode  and just about everything else. We still have each other though. I feel so bad for junior mint , his amygdala does not anymore stress.  

I don't know, I just don't know. We may have hit our tipping point. This will be a very telling time. I just wonder how do many things out of my control lead me here? I see much meditation & purging in my near future. 

Sorry this wasn't more positive folks. I promised to bs honest , no matter how painful it is. 

Thanks for reading again today folks. 

Pre Mother's Day Adventure

Greetings y'all ;

Mowgli gave his mom an early Mother's Day Adventure today. We'd planned on returning to ORNC for " Music in the Woods" but much to his mother's glee he opted for one of our old go to adventures. Since it was Mother's Day weekend I gave him money to buy her something. 

We enjoyed a trip to the Waverly Farmers Market. That's always a good trip. We visited the Curry Shack . They've known Mowgli since he was a bump and were surprised to see all three of us. We wandered around and little man walked up to the greens table and stated I'd like one half pound of spinach please. He's a creature of habit. At one point he said " mom you wear beautiful ear rings I'd like you to look at this table" . They browsed and she found two lovely pairs. He was hilarious explaining the price points and the designs to her. My little man . 

We wrapped up there and headed to Bookthing , another one of our favorite haunts. We scored some awesome reads including Kon Tiki, Shackleton's Boat Journey and a biography of the Wright Brothers that Orville Wright helped write. We wandered back to drop the books off and grab a little nosh.

Refueled we started walking to the Baltimore Museum of Art ( BMA ). I love that walk and museum. As we strolled along his mother commented on our witty repartee and banter. She suggested we take it on the road.I realized it's true. Countless times we've had passers by laugh at our dialogue . We aren't trying to entertain we just have bouncy banter filled with multiple meaning words, the lovely and alluring alliteration and absurdity. Even I forget I'm talking to a lad who just turned nine years old. His vocabulary is amazing.

We walked through the BMA garden before finally going inside. You gotta love a world class museum with no admittance fee. I could spend hours immersed in the collection of Matisse and the incredible mosaics. On the way out Mowgli took his mom to the gift shop to finish off the the money he had. They chose a very nice mug. He picked out a wind up balsam wood plane . Naturally we went to the field across from the museum to test it. Yay more science !!!

We ended up at Maxie's for a few slices and to rest our weary bones. 

You know I feel pretty lucky to gave such a experiential and inquisitive lad. He even dressed up for Mother's  Day . He was a perfect gentleman and so polite.  Such a humble and respectful young man. I am so proud of him. He sure does take a shine to responsibility. 

Now back to his verbal and language skills , which are not his lagging skills. He is seriously funny and witty. I have to  remember he's just nine years old but is deep and well rounded. He's a natural leader. I feel extraordinarily lucky to be a part of his life and witness his amazing growth. 

On a final note we stopped at Trader Joes where Junior Mint bought me Sunflowers. He asked to stop at Goodwill. Seems he wanted to get a vase for the the flowers . He chose a blue vase, came home set it up and proclaimed "Happy Mother's Day pa" Shucks ! Early today he said " I love you pa and I love you mom.  In fact I love you the same and that's ok " 

Thanks again for reading our daily letter to the world .  

" I feel like going surfing in a hurricane"

Greetings y'all :

I'd like to thank Jimmy Buffet for the title if today's daily letter to the works. It happened to be the song we listened to last night as we drove with the top down through the fierce storms that swept over us on the way home from our Friday night adventure . 

By now y'all know our favorite spot is ORNC. And one of our fave spots at ORNC is the lake. Last night was the spring moonlight canoe adventure . Ok so it was cloudy and sans  moonlight. Somehow it was still beautiful and magical. Quite an interesting perspective and adventure.   First I must commend the staff for being outstanding hosts. Melissa an Dave were stellar. Very congenial, flexible and knowledgable. Well done! 

We first had to dodge the tadpoles at the lakes edge. FYI they are really getting big now . We've watched them develop since they were eggs. The woods are becoming more dense each day. Kinda reminds us that time marches on or as John Lennon sang " life is what happens when you're busy making other plans"

Junior Mint was a strong paddler and and excellent look out. He kept us away from the alligators* . When we turned to admire the lake God flipped the light  switch on and started playing on his timpani. Time to evacuate the lake. Shortly there after , while we portaged the canoes back to the canoe rack it started to drizzle. End of story ? No ! there is s'more !

Some folks left but those who remained and endured a brief light rain got to watch Junior Mint and his pa dig a fire pit in the sand . The staff then lit the camp fire and we all commiserated over s'mores. The end .... or not ??

Well since we weren't camping there we did have to drive home. Top down, singing our hearts our to Jimmy Buffet and enjoying life but mostly enjoying each other. The thunder and lightening in the distant was amazing . We finally realized we were closing the gap and the light rain felt good. The medium rain felt good. The heavy rain was a bit dodgy, considering the road was dark and twisty all we saw was lightening flash across the sky an thunder rolling . Right on cue "Hurricane" came on and we sang louder than ever . Yes once we found a safe place we stopped and closed up the roof. We arrived home wet and happy. 

I admit through the time at ORNC I would stop and just look at Junior Mint. Just absorb the contours of his face, his posture,  who he is. Love that kid. He stepped back and let other kids go first, be right and decided he and the other kids should all help extinguish the campfire together. He wanted them all to learn from and experience it. That's big because it was a job they gave to him as a solo project. Teamwork  my lad , teamwork.

I'd say it was an excellent day. We got exercise. Learned about  biology,physics and chemistry. Even helped a stray black Lab. If y'all know anything about a missing lab in that area please let me know . 

Thanks for reading again today folks. 

* The last time we went canoeing was in Florida on a river with several alligators. 

The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree

Greetings Y'all ;

"How pleasant it is for a father to sit at his child's board. It is like an aged man reclining under the shadow of an oak which he has planted." Voltaire 

I stumbled upon this quote and obviously struck a chord . Y'all know I am also fond of the quote by Gallileo " I never met a man so ignorant I couldn't learn something from him " In my humble opinion Violtaire is speaking directly of a father - son relationship  whilst Gallileo is speaking in generalities. Both are good quotes and speak the truth. I believe I can learn from everyone and everyone has a message for me. I just need to pay attention and remain open. 

Now back to Voltaire. I wake up each day and ponder why the boy wonder will teach me. I am not ready to fully recline under the prodigal oak , he is still a sapling. But I am amazed how far he's come since being a tiny acorn. Still he teaches me everyday. 

His thirst for knowledge and strong , I'd dare say uncontrollable , desire to share that knowledge is gratifying. I was that lad, some might posit I still am. He has a broad range of interests but manages to find threads that bind those various interests into a commonality. Currently he in the vetting process of his PBL ( project based learning) project. He has several interests he wishes to expand on an is weeding through the core commonalities to discover his primary focus. He gets and loves the fluidity of the PBL work. 

This is a system filled with who, what why, and then , what if etc... There is no singular goal but rather the enjoyment of the expanding journey. I guide when need be but this is student driven. We've no end of unit exam because the research and the project show information processing and knowledge acquisition. The end result is deeper comprehension and cross curriculum integration. 

For those of you interested www.edutopia.com has some great info on PBL.  To be honest I took the premise from there. It is how I've alway taught but they have it name. I also expanded it to work with our unschooling system. 

I hope the phrase unschooling doesn't frightened anyone. It's basically a term that implies a Montesori style student led learning environment but take further down the student driven system. It's a paradigm shift from traditional classroom. Neither one is inherently better or worse on a whole because education is a personal journey for each individual. What works for one person may not work the next person. As Ross W.Greene, Ph. D states "children do well if they can"  I'd say people do well if they can. We are a world of seven billion sentient beings all deserving to find happiness and to be free of suffering. All striving to live, laugh, love and learn. 

Yesterday we studied algebra for two hours , geography for an hour and read for over six hours . I'd call that a love ofearni g and thirst of knowledge. It also made for a quiet and calm humble abode. It's a great joy to watch him read for pleasure , because one idea expanded to another and then teach what he learned to me. To let me ask questions. Some he readily knew the answer to others meant continued research. Research he devoured. I remember I used to sit for hours getting lost in encyclopedias. I guess the acorn don't fall far from the tree.

Science Day Rules!!!

Greetings y'all ,

Yes the title of today's blog , or as Junior Mint says our daily letter to the world, is an homage to Bill Nye the Science Guy. Ok that and Wednesday is our science day. Gotta love science day. 

Yesterday we started the day with doing experiments with flapjacks. Huh ? We experimented with density, heat, duration, etc... Best breakfast ever. We followed that with building a weather station terrarium. By we I mean he made by following directions and learning what did and did not work. Awesome work little man. He built his own hydrological cycle and can explain the various components of the weather station. He understands the greenhouse effect. Good start . Next we will study some scientists. He is partial to Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison and Leonardo DaVinci . Those are three homeschooled fellows who knew the value of learning through failure and the benefit of daydreaming.

But wait there's more! We studied physics. Velocity in equals velocity out. Angle in equals angle out. The affect on the change of mass. Oh sure it may have appeared we were playing baseball. But consider we figured out batting average and the mean ( where he hit the ball the the most ). I'm comfortable calling it a good science lesson. 

I should we walked through the woods to the library as well. Wow the woods are really changing with summer approaching. We observed flora and fauna. We explored the light variations in the woods and the effect on undergrowth. At the library he choose books on baseball and an Alice Walker book of poetry. Between that and the Aesops we got some good moral lessons into our language arts and character building for the day .

The day wasn't over. We needed groceries . Time to use economics. Work the budget. Stay under budget. Read labels figure cost per serving, price per unit,ensure maximum bang for our limited bucks. Don't get me started on the chemistry of cooking. 

The evening was spent watching science on PBS. I'd call that a good day. It's interesting that a typical day for us is and has been a form of homeschooling. I guess it's my innate project based learning teaching style ( you learn more from animals than books about animals ) and his innate learning style. It works for us. I confess I enjoy this and always have. Watching him do his Math this morning I saw how much his frustration level has stopped but how much he learned in the old brick and mortar school . Yes we also do worksheets . He struggled with certain lagging skills but he was stellar with the academics. I give credit to the staff in his old classroom for helping him grow academically . 

Thanks for reading again today folks. 

Plan B is for me

Greetings y'all ,

I once heard perspective is reality. I take that to mean ones perspective of a situation is ones reality. With that premise then how one views a situation plus ones reaction equals ones adaptability and is indicative of ones adaptive behavior. This is when I warn you to grab your coffee before proceeding. Go ahead I can wait ........welcome back.

Today I will be discussing concepts gleaned from the Ross W. Greene, Ph.D book titled " The Explosive Child" (Harper Collins NY 2010) Stop, the ideas apply to all human interactions not just a child with problematic behaviors . I recently read this book because it offered help with classroom management and help with my progeny. Fortunately it reinforced what I've been doing with great success on both fronts. I've seen many educators who follow these concepts intuitively and reduce disruptive behavior. I've seen parents diffuse and de-escalate potential explosive situations by using CPS ( collaborative problem solving)

It starts with the premise " kids do well if they can" . Ok that's easy enough but the need consequences and must follow each direction to succeed or keep peace in the home/ classroom right? Wrong. If consequences are not natural or ineffective then the child's growth is retarded. Constantly giving consequences can be counter-productive. So lets throw in good intentions with addressing lagging skills.

What is the lagging skill that is impeding the child's ability to grow and calmly navigate through their frustration? It's easy to identify the behavior we desire . We can establish plans to target that behavior. I posit progress will not occur until the lagging skills required to accomplish that behavior is met and addressed as a team. This is where CPS comes in to help build a foundation.

Dr. Greene discusses Plan B. Not as we typically think of it as oops plan A didn't work , next option. He suggests plan A is teacher/ parent giving hard fast rules with hard fast consequences. Has this been effective for explosive children? Probably not . Ok then there's plan C. Which is akin to acquiescing to the child. Occasional capitulation may be the correct course of action only rarely. So back to planB.

Plan B involves reflective listening and the ability to compromise. It's not giving in or giving up its teaching problem solving in a real life , life long learning style. It validates all parties with empathy and respect. It leaves the door open for further discussion, commiseration, communication and collaboration. I've been innately doing this in the classroom for years with all age groups and with great success. To me it's the difference between a willow flowing and bending in the wind as opposed to a stoic oak stand firm and rigid until something breaks.

So yes everyone's perspective is his or her reality. What can we do to help learn the perspective of a challenged child and improve their lagging skills thus modifying their adaptive behavior in a positive way? Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Between Dr Greene's books and Susan Stiffleman's " Parenting without Power Struggles" I've learned some great techniques for helping students learn and for the home and even personal relationships . The key is to build relationships. That is done by listening more than talking.

www.explosivechild.com



Thanks for reading again today folks.

Pride and Humility

Greetings y'all:

As is my ilk I've been reflecting on the past day and week and month etc... It would seem to me I've been a prideful. Humility ought to outweigh pride but I've had it backwards.

That doesn't mean I'm not proud of defending the underdog , because I am proud to speak for the voiceless. It's doesn't mean I'm not proud of all the growth my son has shown because I am pleased and proud to have my son back. It doesn't mean I'm not proud of my work ethic because I am proud to know I strive to see each person as an individual and remain flexible and professional.

Ok so what does it mean ? Well thanks for asking . In my humble opinion those things are just what ought to be done . Pride should be internal and humility opens more chances to learn and grow. Is it possible my self reflection and constant research of and application of theories is driven by pride ? Yes - pride in my work ethic and also the humility that I can learn from all sentient beings and experiences.

I will continue to be proud of and humbled by the growth and growing pains my child experiences. I've made mistakes and I've done some things right. I'm accustomed to the universe amplifying the former and burying the latter.

I've no idea what today will bring us, other than new memories. Time to remember what Jimmy Buffet sang " breathe in , breathe out, move on"

No axe to grind

Greetings y'all :

Well the Robinson Boys had a splendid day exploring the wonderful world of primitive technology. What a thrill to learn survival skills. We learned how to make blow guns and blow darts. We learned how to make a fishing spear out of river cane. We learned how grind and carve stone. We learned how to make a stone axe. We even learned a little flint knapping. We learned to survive with primitive tools and technology. We didn't get an axe so therefore we've no axe to grind. ( yes that was a horrible pun) We even took a little dip in the lake. Then came to watch the O's game and Kentucky Derby.

Mostly we bonded and he learned how much I trust him. I learned how much he trusts me as well. We had a minor hiccup when he was tired and hungry but it was quick and my technique of reflective listening and giving him ownership of problem solving worked like a charm. It's a win-win system where he states his needs and gets to offer solutions. We end with if this doesn't work instead of ( whatever the behavior was ) we can sit and find a new solution. It's kinda cool watching him go through the steps without me too . It means he's learning to calmly problem solve and choose his priorities . I've been trying this one my kids at school with slow to moderate success. Those kids are amazing with so much to offer. They , like my son and all sentient beings, seek validation . The key is trying to learn how and what they are communicating.

It's time to snuggle up and spend more time with my son. I think a little ice cream and Svengoolie , who is showing The Raven should do the trick.

Thanks again for reading folks.

86,400

Greetings Y'all ;

86,400 seconds in a day, 86,400 new moments. 86,400 seconds to spend with my little man cub.

My coffee is hot, the air is cool , the birds are chirping and my young progeny is slumbering next to me. We have yet another fun and educational day ahead of us.

On another note I still reflect nightly (using a successful technique i learned whilst reading Ben Franklin's autobiography ) meditate and read various books geared toward child rearing , education and mindfulness . My tumultuous past led me to reading the Dalai Lama and those readings and experiences reinforced my ability to appear calm and in many incidences to slow down my brain train and breath. It's helped me separate moments and remain calm. To be fully present for each moment ( still working on that one ) Monday -Friday from 8:50-4 I'm present for every child I encounter. The rest of those seconds belong to me and my son.

So with out further adieu 'tis time for me to bid adieu , meditate and start my day with that little boy who has gentle hold of my heart. Thanks for reading again today folks .

If by Rudyard Kipling

This is one of my favorite poems. It reminds my progeny and I to remain calm in crisis. It's helped shape me. I've posted it before but this seemed like a good time to repost. Enjoy ..

If
by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!



Poets » Rudyard Kipling » If
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Fruitful Friday

Greetings y'all ;

Wow , simply wow. What a week we've had. Got kicked around ( literally and figuratively) was reminded how little control I have and how small I am. Was also reminded how right I've been. As I oft times say - we are the Robinson Boys, we got this.

Yesterday ? What happened yesterday ? Gosh thanks for asking. Besides me getting kicked by a student so hard mg shin swelled up and turned black and blue and having assorted furniture and expletives thrown at me and getting spit on and threatened ? Quite a lot actually. I also had some of the same students push through the angst and anxiety and complete their work. The teacher and staff did a good job keeping them in class and getting through to them as best as possible. I also heard positive feedback about my progeny and his situation. Seems I was right in my assessment and also information was not passed on to his staff but misinformation was which lead to further issues for the poor little guy. I was also told by several people it's wise to have him in a safe place since he was targeted and is too bright to allow negative forces retard his growth. It's funny how his old class is still having the same issues as when he was there. It's a tough class with good staff though.

So here we sit on Friday morn, birds chirping, cool air, gorgeous sunrise, and the coffee is warm. It reminds me the past is written but the future is not. It must wait for the present to unfold.

Yesterday afternoon was free play for my lad. Watching the interactions I realized I've got a great kid. I like my neighborhood for the diversity and proximity to work . Still I'd be remiss if I didn't confess the vibe at the other playground on Wednesday evening was completely different than the vibe in this neighborhood. Night and day . I never thought I'd ever even consider that county but that town has a feeling of community and home. Plus I always say we are country mice.

We followed free play, which is actually problem solving and cooperative learning and social skills the old school way. With science/ geography night. I think we are starting to find a good pattern of themed nights. Saturday , if all goes well , will be more History & Science as we explore primitive technology weekend at the local park. Education is much more than brick and mortar buildings and worksheets. I remember sitting in a team meeting for him when he five or six and being told he's doing too many cultural events because it puts him too far ahead of the other students. Stop taking him museums and parks. Ok I had to laugh because , well just because. If he asks a question I try to make him figure out the answer or if his schema is limited on it I guide guide. I confess to imparting my knowledge and encourage him to surpass me intellectually . Ok so that bar is pretty low but still ...The bottom line is schema gives a connection to learning and helping him explore and research merely branches off the base background knowledge while strengthening the foundation. Connections help with information processing.

Ok I've wasted enough of your time today. Tis time to prepare for our day. I wonder what my students will learn and what they will teach me today? I'm pretty lucky to be able to work with all grades and therefore learn from all ages.

Have fruitful Friday and thanks for reading again today.

A Tale of Two Kids

Greetings y'all :

He was the best of kids , he was the worse of kids.

So I've repeatedly commented that Junior Mint is sensitive to his environment. I've seen him act the worse of the worse . I've seen him act the best of the best. He's strives to be a leader and tries to rise to the top. He was surrounded by negative influences. I've seen those same influences create havoc when he's not around. Obviously my lad was not the catalyst. He reacted anxiously and was told to ignore. Ah the old "just" ignore , hard for many adults, but what was the replacement behavior ? Its easy to see his mind is quieter now that he feels safe , but I digress ...

Yesterday we, man cub and I, played ball for about three hours and squeezed in , his lessons and rehearsal as well ( insert shameless plug for latest show we are in - " Annie"). I confess playing ball was a blast! My little guy is becoming quite coachable . He listened to my suggestions and took advice from new friends. We started with having the fields to ourselves . We discussed what to do if a team showed up for practice or a game. Well four boys showed , about Mowgli's age. They wanted to play kick ball. Now we are at a crossroads. I chose not to intervene but observe. Here is what I overheard...

Junior Mint (JM)- hey that's a nice soccer ball you guys wanna play baseball with us?
Boy #1 - no we're gonna play kickball
JM- oh ok we've been here awhile , we can give you the field .
Boy #1- no that's ok finish up with your dad, we're not in a hurry.
JM- it's ok we don't mind letting you play
Boy# 2- you've got a nice swing, what team are you on?
Boy# 3 I like your bat.
JM- I'm not on a team and thanks. We're giving you guys the field .
Boy# 1- no we just got here and it's still your turn.
JM - that means we've been here awhile and it's your turn
Boy#1 - you're really nice , wanna play kick ball with us?
JM- really ? I love kick ball ! Thanks

Then I witnessed five boys play kickball without a fuss or incident but with laughter and sportsmanship. After the others left we played more baseball until rehearsal time . Twas a smooth transition , went according to plan. Baseball, rest in car & rehydrate , then rehearsal. Oh boy rehearsal . Ok so I actually feel like I can sing and again I saw my lad being a perfect gentleman as the only boy in a gaggle of girls.

Rehearsal ended and we had time for more baseball and some basketball before I said those magic words " you earned ice cream" Seriously what else could we do? He chose a McFlurry then home for a cleaning up and good snuggle and conversation as we drifted off to dreamland. I feel pretty lucky that my progeny is still comfortable talking to me about anything on his mind. It's important for everyone to have a non-judgmental sounding board especially in these formidable years. He is responsive to guidance, not just giving him answers but gentle guidance .

As he stated "Best May Day ever"!

Thanks for reading again today. Spread the word please .

Mindful May Day Meanderings...

Greetings y'all :

Looks to be a beautiful day in my neck of the woods. Sun is showing it's face again and the air is pleasant. I'd be hard pressed to relocate from this region. I love having seasons. Personally I like the myriad of weather we get here. The weather , like so many other things , is out of our control.

By now most of know the mantra " one can only control oneself" . Not to get all meta-physical on ya but that is one life's little truisms. You already know I firmly believe life is impermanent therefore even our reactions are impermanent. If we change the way we perceive or react , if we change our habits and know it will require multiple attempts to work then through perseverance we will replace our habits.

Perhaps the key word is replace. Remember if we always do what we always did we'll always get what we always got. But wait! The brain is magnificent machine full of neurons and growing dendrites and popping synapses! The brain/mind is malleable. The mind falls into our locust of control. We can change what we've always done or how we've always thought and create new habits. Neural plasticity gives us the ability to adapt and modify. Remember insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Habits and thought that we choose to alter must be replaced. Children don't have the skills and experience or wisdom to draw from to help themselves change or replace. The onus of that falls on the adult.

Imagine a thought or habit being a tiny stream of water. Keep in mind water takes the path of least resistance. If that stream follows the same path then over time erosion occurs and we can create chasms such as the Grand Canyon. But if the path is modified then we prevent chasms.

While the mind is a glorious machine it is unique in many ways to each individual. Therefore each sentient being seeks control over oneself and a certain level of autonomy. This sense of control or lack thereof is a personal journey. Acceptance of that which we can not control and responsibility for that which we can is an oft time arduous trek.

We have very little control in life. We cannot control the weather, the outcome of our favorite sporting events, the traffic, the cost of living , the way others act/ react/ feel. We can control our reaction and how we adapt to certain scenarios. Personally I find how I react affects how others react. As an example yesterday a student got frustrated during Math, granted that's not shocking news. He walked away from the table. Now I have options on how to react. I could ignore him and see what he does. I could demand he return to the table and complete his work or loss points an get negative consequences. I could talk to the you g lad and listen to what is frustrating him. Yep I went with plan C . He was frustrated , he expressed his concern while playing with a ball. Again I have choices to ignore the ball, demand he stop or once again option C. I asked him to sit on the floor and we rolled the ball back and forth while orally doing the Math problems. Crisis averted, student felt validated and heard, and student learned. All parties achieve their goal with out incident but with adaptability.

I'm not perfect , far from it. I have learned that every sentient being deserves to be free o suffering and to find happiness.. Every person is a unique individual seeking validation and a sense of control. It's hard for the wee ones to express to this. We have to listen to everything they say and do. We have to help them establish their personal locust of control. One thing these starter humans seek is knowing they have a strong, consistent , loving leader. They want to sense control but want and need to know the grown folk at the helm are the captains of the ship.

Ok so now back to the land of pleasant living. It's May Day!!! This day has always been a day jubilant and special. Last night junior mint reminded me of when he was in pre-K he made a very special May Day wreath out willow branches and pansies for his teacher. He said he missed her and his K teacher. The last teachers he felt believed in him. So today we celebrate new beginnings. We celebrate May Day!!