Reading to Children — A Delight For Them and You

I have been reading to children — preschool through middle school — for over 40 years. I began with my own children, and I made my way through my entire education career and into retirement. United Way's Ready Readers program got me up and running in my retirement years.  I now read to two preschool classes in two different schools on a weekly basis. I am also working on publishing a children's book.

New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof's article (11/24/24) "Gift Ideas That Push Back the Darkness" is special. One of his recommended gift ideas is "Help a child learn to read!" It is spot-on regarding reading to children . . . "Reach Out and Read operates across the United States. It now reaches one-fifth of children 5 and under in America and aims to reach half by 2030."

Nexus - Stone Age to AI - A Lesson for all to Learn

Nexus is a special book for educators and parents and the children they serve. They will all get a clear, outstanding picture of the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Yuval Noah Harari is one of my favorite authors. He is so thoughtful and brilliant in how he takes the reader from the beginning of humanity to AI, making sure he explains democracy, wars, evolution of communication via newspapers, radio, television, phones, computers, and the many aspects of algorithms. 

If you don't have the time to read the book, go to the BIG THINK website to listen to Harari's Nexus 75-minute interview; he is such a good speaker.

How to Stop Languishing and Start Finding Flow

My introduction to FLOW was when I read Finding Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and subsequently introduced him at a conference.

I love how Adam Grant begins his TED Talk on how to stop languishing and start finding flow . . . 

"I know you all have long to-do lists, 

but I hate wasting time so much that I have a to-don't list. 

Don't scroll on social media, 

don't check my phone in bed 

and don't turn on the TV 

unless I already know what I want to watch."

8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness

"Here are 8 ways to help children cultivate happiness:

• Foster strong social connections.

• Model grace and courtesy.

• Introduce and practice mindfulness.

• Lead an appreciation practice.

• Set goals.

• Provide opportunities for movement.

• Have a sense of humor.

• Help children identify and pursue their interests."

Article "8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness" and picture are from American Montessori Society Montessori Life magazine (8/7/24) and blog by author Heather White.

The Power of Words

The power of words can make a huge difference in our lives — especially when children are learning how to use words well. 

This video is amazing the way it helps one understand the power words have when used correctly . . . particularly when we are in the midst of elections.

Optical Illusions for Children & Adults

Check out this video that takes you through 11 different optical illusions. Teachers and parents sitting with young people can have lots of fun learning more about optical illusions AND personality traits.

Happiness v. Meaning in Your Life?

Emily Esfahani Smith's TED Talk "There's more to life than being happy" gives great insight on the differences in happiness in life and having meaning in life. 

Smith goes on to say "Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but I came to see that seeking meaning is the more fulfilling path. And the studies show that people who have meaning in life, they're more resilient, they do better in school and at work, and they even live longer."

She goes on to talk clearly about . . . 

. . . THE FOUR PILLARS OF MEANING

1) Belonging   2) Purpose   3) Transcendence   4) Storytelling

Here is here beautiful TED Talk that has over 13M views — 

Helping Parents, Children, and Educators With AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Since the beginning of April, the book The Anxious Generation has been on the New York Times bestsellers list. 

Below is an interview with the author, Jonathan Haidt. It captures the essence of the book, and both the book and the video are so helpful if you want to know where we are and where we are going with children, parents, education, and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Here is the interview:

Journey With a School Janitor

Fifty-five year old Richard Goodall has been serving as a janitor at a local school for 23 years. He loves to sing and make people happy. He had the opportunity to be on stage at America's Got Talent TV show on May 28. As of June 14, his YouTube performance below has over 13.4M views! His story, wrapped around a popular song, moves everyone when he sings. 

Such a Great Read Aloud Book For Children . . . and Adults

I read to preschool classes twice a week, and for the first time in six years, a class requested — almost demanded — one morning that I read for a second time Pretty Ugly. I easily understood why. This is a must-read book for children AND adults. It has such a clever story and is so beautifully illustrated.

As many of you know, David Sedaris is pretty darn funny and clever, and the illustrations by Ian Falconer are so terrific. Here is a neat interview with David via Seth Meyers.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Written in 1998 by Spencer Johnson, M.D., this book is a fantastic read that you can read in an hour.  The quote on the cover says it all — "An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life." Also, "Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life—whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind."

If you don't have an hour to read the book or you want to share the story with a child, you can click over to this three minute YouTube graphic version.

What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Here is a very special TED Talk. See below for the 8-minute Talk by Adora Svitak — "What Adults Can Learn From Kids." As of this blog post it has 7M views. 

"How every child can thrive by five"

This 7 minute TED Talk by seven-year-old Molly Wright is fantastic! Here is the introduction to this 11M viewed Talk:

"What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?" asks seven-year-old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. . . "

"How AI could save (not destroy) education"

Here is a 5-star TED Talk for educators from the popular Sal Khan. He has such a good message—on the positive side—for AI. 

If you have not met up with Sal Khan, click over to his Khan Academy. 

Laugh at Yourself

Some great advice from the weekly JAM (Just A Minute to read). If you have not done so already, go to the JAM website when you have a chance.

Here are two quotes from the January 26, 2024 JAM – "Laugh at Yourself":

"It is so important to not take yourself too seriously. Laughing at yourself shows humility and brings us closer together."

"When you can laugh at yourself it displays a softened ego. It shows that you do not think you are better than others. Learn to laugh at yourself."

How to Know a Person

Author and NYTimes columnist, David Brooks's, newest book is so helpful in understanding and building relations with others, especially for parents and teachers working with each other in support of child education and role modeling.

Here are a couple of quotes about how to know a person:

 

Chapter 11: The Art of Empathy 

"Empathy consists of at least three related skills. First there is the skill of mirroring." 

The second empathy skill is mentalizing.

The third empathy skill is caring. 

Chapter 17: What is Wisdom? 

"Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life."

These two chapters alone make this such an important book to read.

Here is a PBS seven-minute interview with David.

Click here for a wonderful hour-long video of David presenting the book at the Free Library of Philadelphia AUTHOR EVENTS; you will get an in-depth view that has been viewed by over 1M people.

Does AI Actually Understand Us?

 "Is AI [Artificial Intelligence] as smart as it seems? Exploring the 'brain' behind machine learning, neural networker Alona Fyshe delves into the language processing abilities of talkative tech (like the groundbreaking chatbot and internet obsession ChatGPT) and explains how different it is from your own brain - even though it can sound convincingly human." (From TED Talk caption)

Here is her TED Talk on the subject. It is well done and helps in building a better understanding of AI.

Momentum – Dr. Maria Montessori Caring for Children

      Momentum Montessori, a Life in Motion, an historical novel by Elizabeth Slade, is not only captivating, it gives significant insights into Dr. Maria Montessori's life in motion. Included are insight and determination into becoming one of the first women doctors in Italy, her care for her son and mother, and her accomplishments caring for children throughout the world are beautifully told throughout the book. Dr. Montessori was a determined woman.

      Here is a quote from "Chapter 8 • 1906" (pg. 134) that captures her insights into caring for children: "It seemed what they [children] most desired was a prepared environment with real activities to occupy their hands. It seemed the most effective way was to offer them the instruction individually, with few words."

Helping Children - 7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life

I discovered GoodRx from a friend and physician and how it supports ongoing health information.

"7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life" is one of the great articles passed on to subscribers. These "7 Ways" certainly serve as role models for children. Here are the "7 Ways," and do click over to the article to get a nice fill-in for each way.

1.  Find your passion

2.  Embody your values

3.  Give back

4.  Reflect on your gifts

5.  Look for role models

6.  Practice gratitude

7.  Think about your legacy

Teaching Our Children Humanity

With all that is going in in our world today . . .

"We should teach humanity in school. Our children need to be taught how to be compassionate to themselves, to others and to our world. Education is universal. We are missing the greatest opportunity to teach our children what is most important: kindness, compassion, self-love, and equanimity. They were born with it but life has buried it."

From the September 8 Daily JAM

There's more to life than being happy

In Emily Esfahani Smith's TED Talk, she builds "there's more to life than being happy" with 4 pillars of a meaningful life: 

1)  Belonging

2)  Purpose

3)  Transcendence — stepping beyond yourself

4)  Storytelling

Learn more by watching her 12-minute TED Talk video.

Contact

Humankind A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman is powerful and gives a comprehensive look at the history of humanity. It crosses paths with Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens.

There is one chapter — "The Best Remedy For Hate, Injustice and Prejudice" — that is excellent on presenting the best remedy for these humanity issues, and the remedy is "CONTACT." Here is an excerpt (page 358) from that chapter: 

"Contact engenders more trust, more solidarity and more mutual kindness. It helps you see the world through other people's eyes. Moreover, it changes you as a person, because individuals with a diverse group of friends are more tolerant towards strangers. And contact is contagious: when you see a neighbor getting along with others, it makes you rethink your own biases."

Teaching Children

 A beautiful JAM (Inspiration for all in Just A Minute) lesson for parents, teachers, and adults who care for children.

Volunteering — Its Value to Others and Life

Throughout my career and life, volunteering has been so important, especially once I retired. Helping children, schools, older folks, nonprofit organizations, and those in need have become a goal for my wife and me. I had the opportunity to share my experiences with volunteering via an interview for the Granite Senior Journal, a New Hampshire quarterly publication. The picture you see (with some others) in the article appears in this 2023 spring issue. Here is the link to the interview article:  "A 'consultering' life — Staying Active Through Work, Volunteering and Leisure." Give it a read and see what you think.

A Follow-up to - The Body Keeps the Score Book

 

"How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime" by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, is a very important follow-up to my April 28, 2023 blogpost "The Body Keeps the Score." 

Take 15 minutes to hear what Dr. Harris has to say in her TED Talk. What she has to say and her presentation are so good!

Nutrition, Exercise, Socialize

Three important practices in life: Nutrition, Exercise, and Socialize . . .

The Good Life by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schultz is such a good resource for helping us with socializing and building relationships that are so critical to happiness in our lives. "Technologies like the smartphone and social media now play a role in shaping some of the most intimate parts of our lives. Quite often, when we connect with another person, there is a device and a piece of software between us." (page 126)

AND, give some thought to AI (Artificial Intelligence) and what it is doing to humanity at this point!

Watch Waldinger's TED Talk — one of the top ten TED Talks of all time (44.7 M views) . . .               

A Look at AI (Artificial Intelligence) via Dr. Montessori's Great Lessons

 "Cosmic Education And The Seven Great Lessons For 2023?" is an article I wrote and is published in the latest issue of Montessori Leadership from the International Montessori Council. 

With the advent and persistence of AI and its impact on humanity, and with much more to come, I reviewed Dr. Montessori's Five Great Lessons — that are a part of the article — to see how they might be reviewed and used to prepare us for the unanticipated realities of AI and to  make sure that love never goes away from our lives.

We have so much to do for ourselves AND our children to help all of us manage the rise in AI.

When Should You Reach Out to an Old Friend or Colleague?

Here is a 96-second podcast by author Daniel Pink. Short as they always are, Daniel gives excellent advice. Watch and listen to what he has to say about reaching out to an old friend or colleague. 

The Body Keeps the Score

The Body Keeps the Score a phenomenal book by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., explains so much of why we are struggling with so much trauma over the past few years. The book has been on the NYTimes Paperback Nonfiction Book List 231 weeks. This past week it was number four on the Combined Print and E-Book Best Sellers list, which it has been on for 135 weeks. AND, the book has a copyright of 2015! Not an easy book to read, Kolk has so much insight based on his experience and research over so many years. The last two sentences in the last chapter say so much — "Trauma is now our most urgent public health issue, and we have the knowledge necessary to respond effectively. The choice is ours to act on what we know."

I will let Lara Hammock at Marble Jar Channel give you her excellent summary of the book. Invest the 10 minutes to view this excellent video.

The True Way Children Teach

Here is a beautiful story about Teddy, Mrs. Thompson—his elementary teacher—and how she adjusted her teaching based on what Teddy taught her. This video is 5:47 long, well worth investing the time, and it may bring tears to your eyes.