Great Stories to Read to Middle Schoolers

I have always enjoyed reading to children. Here is an article — "The Joy of Reading to Children" — I wrote for "Montessori Life" magazine with the American Montessori Society back in 2017. It can give you some important information and thoughts. 

Also, High Marks - Stories That Make Good Reading compiled by Annette Sloan & Albert Capaccio is a book I have used over the years to read to middle school students. Here is a sample of the stories students enjoy:

"The Lion Roared" by Virginia Eiseman
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
"How Much Land Does a Man Need" by Leo Tolstoy
"The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassant
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs

Also, the book includes thoughtful questions at the end of each story.

A Joy — Reading To Children

It is so good to have libraries all around. Our local Greenland, NH library has such beautiful and well stocked books for children and teens. AND it's all FREE! 

As I have mentioned earlier, I read to preschoolers at two different schools, and many of my books-to-read come from their school and town libraries AND my own books that have accumulated over the years. Here is a children's favorite, Boffo The Great Motorcycle Race.

What a joy it is to be with them watching their faces as I read stories, especially when I change voices of characters in the readings. Here is a Boffo read I implemented during COVID when I could not be with the children . . . 

PALINDROME PAL

Here is a book I just wrote and is now published with Amazon: Forward backwards THE SAME. The book is available through Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link. 

The illustrations that Karina Taylor provided are thoughtfully beautiful. 

Forty years ago as a 5th grade math teacher, I was fascinated by palindromes and as expected and when presented, so were my students.  

Feel free to pass on a comment after you read the book. Many thanks!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Amazing

Ever since my seven-year-old grandson recommended a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, — AND my granddaughter has 14 books in the series — I am on my second book. Wow! How did I miss this in my readings? Above is a picture of author Jeff Kinney's collection that is now 15 years old.

Speaking of author Kinney, check out this great PBS interview where he talks about his Wimpy Kid and the 250 million copies out worldwide that have come in for his work. 

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.

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.

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."

Can Children Appreciate Classical Music?

Of course they can. Here are some fabulous resources.

The book, The Carnival of the Animals is a beautiful rendition of the classical piece with the same name as the book. The book I received from Amazon is precious and is accompanied by a CD with a reading of the story and the classical piece by composer Camille Saint-Saens.

The book, Wild Symphony written by the popular author, Dan Brown, is beautifully illustrated and comes with an app that plays classical-like music that is composed by Dan Brown. It is spectacular.

Benjamin Zander helps us appreciate classical music, AND what makes his talk so inviting is how he weaves in classical music and children.

Why Great Leaders Take Humor Seriously

Whether you are a teacher, a principal, a president of a board of directors, a corporate CEO, or . . . you will get a perfect understanding of why great leaders take humor seriously by watching this powerful TED Talk. In just 10 minutes, you will learn and laugh. 

This is the TED intro to the August 2021 video: "There's a mistaken belief in today's working world that leaders need to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. The research tells a  different story. Based on the course they teach at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker and corporate strategist Naomi Bagdonas delve into the surprising power of humor: why it's a secret weapon to build bonds, power, creativity and resilience -- and how we can all have more of it."

Here are two other humor resources I have previously posted on this blog:

"The Importance of Using Humor in Our Work & Lives" (April 9, 2021) and "Humor in Our Work as Educators and Leaders" (August 31, 2019).

Alternative Math: 2 + 2 = 22 ?

 

WSJ - May 18, 2021

I happened upon this Wall Street Journal article the other day: "California Leftists Try to Cancel Math Class" by Williamson M. Evers. You might read the article after viewing the video. . . 

Simultaneously, I happened upon this YouTube video, Alternative Math, that has over 10 million views. See what you make of the article and the video.

The Importance of Using Humor in Our Work & Lives

 I have always found humor to be essential in fostering relations with friends, teachers, children, and parents. It makes building relationships a joy and fun, especially during these very trying times.

Humor, Seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas is a treat to read. I love how they look at humor from the perspective of those who use humor in their work, e.g. stand-up comedians. Their perspective and talent are inserted throughout the book, which makes it easy reading, entertaining, and most helpful.

Make Schools More Human

 "Make Schools More Human" by Jal Mehta appeared in the NYTimes Sunday Review section on December 27, 2020. It cites Casco Bay High School in Maine, a school where students had the idea of writing a song that would celebrate community and social isolation. Well, look at what these students came up with for a virtual orchestra . . . 

When I viewed it on the morning of Dec. 27th it had 8,300 views. As of this posting there are now 24,000! Enjoy.

Children Are Quick

These came from a recent friendly email . . . 

TEACHER: Why are you late?

STUDENT: Class started before I got here.

____________________________________

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?

JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.

__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'

GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'

TEACHER: No, that's wrong

GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.

(I Love this child)

____________________________________________

TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?

DONALD: H I J K L M N O..

TEACHER: What are you talking about?

DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

__________________________________

TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't have ten years ago.

WINNIE: Me!

__________________________________________

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?

GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.

_______________________________________

TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with ' I. '

MILLIE: I is..

TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'

MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'

________________________________

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it.

Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?

LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand...

______________________________________

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?

SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mum is a good cook.

______________________________

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's.

Did you copy his?

CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

___________________________________

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?

HAROLD: A teacher

__________________________________

Video Conferencing Tips

The more I work with schools and nonprofits, I see bylaws that contain information about electronic communication be it emails, texting, phone conferencing, or video conferencing. Here is a link to a helpful set of short videos you will find helpful and funny.

And, take a minute to share the below video at your next board meeting. It's hilarious and so informative.

It's a Palindrome Week

In case you are not familiar with palindromes — a number, word, phrase, or sentence that is the same forward and backward — check out this other blog post: "Is That Really a Palindrome." And, this video . . .

Humor in Our Work as Educators and Leaders

Humor used in the right way is essential in our schools. Be it in the classroom, at a faculty/board/parent meeting, humor can make all the difference in the world in building trust, friendship, and getting a message across.

A must read: “Leadership Lessons: Why Laughing Matters in Leadership” Independent School, Spring 2019 by Olaf Jorgenson and Duncan Lyon. There are so many great quotes and points made throughout the article. Without getting soaking wet, here are a few to whet your curiosity. : )

“The writer Russell Baker notes, ‘When hoping to bag a piece of humor with your net, nothing seems funny. The thing works the other way around. Humor is funny when it sneaks up on you and takes you by surprise.’ ” 

"Further, “if you are able to land a joke in a professional setting, your colleagues are more likely to view you as competent and attribute higher status to you,” according to “Humor is Serious Business,” a July 2017 Stanford Business Journal article by Joel Stein.”

“Research suggests that after age 23, Americans tend to laugh much less and begin to perceive themselves as less funny. To some extent, we all struggle with our 'humor IQ.' How can school leaders move the needle on their humor skill set?”  (Click to the article to read more.)

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Here is the most viewed TED Talk ever. If you have not viewed it, it is a must to see; if you have viewed it, watch it again. It is inspiring, wise, and Sir Ken Robinson uses humor in so many great ways to get his points across.

First Grader Blues

My granddaughter introduced me to a short video where talk-show host Conan O'Brien works with a group of Chicago first graders on learning about the blues. Just sit back and enjoy this wonderful kid-friendly video . . .

History - A Special Glance Into the Past

If you want to give your children/students—and yourself—a sample of what radio used to be like, click over to Heirloom Radio.  John Lovering has captured over 50,000 radio plays. Personally, I am always impressed at the evolution of audio and video production over the years.

Generational Child Care Differences

Yesterday's NYTimes article "The New 30-Something" by Hannah Seligson gives excellent perspective on generational (Boomers, GenXers, Millennials and iGens) differences on child rearing.

A quote from the article: “More than half (53 percent) of Americans ages 21 to 37 have received some form of financial assistance from a parent, guardian or family member since turning 21, according to a 2018 report by Country Financial, a financial services firm in Bloomington, Ill. This may include paying bills for a cellphone (41 percent), groceries and gas (32 percent), rent (40 percent) or health insurance (32 percent).”

Here is my True Tales Live 10-minute story about generational child care differences I told a week ago. I hope it gives you a chuckle.