Back from the Dead...or Sick Bed

So for the past week I have had the experience of cleaning my car because of my three year old getting sick, getting a phone call right before I was supposed to teach to pick up my 7 year old from school "immediately" because he was vomiting, having my 8 year old come down with the same thing, and coming down with it myself on Sunday. Needless to say, I have had my fill and am ready to get back into a semblance of normalcy. All of that to say (and I hope it wasn't too much information) that the power of words once again rose to the top. How? I will share...

On Saturday night I spent a restless, tossing and turning night because I was coming down with the stomach bug that had made its way through my family (except my husband, not sure how he avoided it). It was awful. I have not been that sick for at least three years and it was absolutely miserable. All of Sunday I basically spent in bed thankful for a husband who easily managed everything even the laundry! In the midst of a long Sunday my wonderful 8 year old, who shares my absolute love for books and words and poetry, climbed up beside me in bed with a stack of our favorite poems and simply read to me. It was a special time and a great reminder of how soothing words, especially well-thought out words, and poems can be.

She read Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life" - "Tell me not, in mournful numbers, life is but an empty dream. For the soul is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem." and my favorite stanza, "Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul."

She read Wallace's "Thirteen ways of looking at a Blackbird" - "I do not know which to prefer, the beauty of inflections or the beauty of innuendoes, the blackbird whistling or just after."

She read Whitman's "Song of Myself" - "Trippers and askers surround me, people I meet, the effect upon me of my early life or the ward and city I live in, or the nation. The latest dates, discoveries, inventions, societies, authors, old and new; My dinner, dress, associates, looks, compliments, cures, the real or fancied indifference of some man or woman I love; The sickness of one of my folks, or of myself, or ill-doing or loss or lack of money, or depressions or exaltations; Battles, the horrors of fratricidal war, the fever of doubtful news, the fitful events; These come to me days and nights and go from me again; But they are not the Me myself."

She read and she read and she read and I was lulled into sleep and reminded again and again that my sickness was momentary, it was not the end, it was all about perspective, and it was not the Me myself. So in the midst of something not so great I was able to see great. So, I hope you too find solace in a well written word - what are some of your favorites?

A Little Positivity...

The government shutdown has, if nothing else, garnered a lot of opinions so I will not add mine to the mix. Regardless, if I did add an opinion (which I promise I won't) it would not be the opinion of SLFL in any way. So, in the midst of strong opinions and sometimes even stronger tempers, I want to add a bit of positivity to the mix.

Remember this book:

The main character Winston Smith is dealing with a government that doesn't even allow for independent thinking! The Party and its omniscient leader Big Brother are always watching and ever ready to "correct" a mishap. The Party controls everything and is even in the process of implementing a new language Newspeak that attempts to stamp out political rebellion by removing any words that are associated with it. Winston's job is to alter historical records to satisfy the Party. Winston begins on a journey of independent thought and a love affair only to eventually...(wait I won't tell you, I don't want to spoil it for anyone).

Or how about this book:

In this book we encounter a fireman who doesn't stop fires but rather starts them. Guy Montag's great mission in life is to burn books. The society in which he lives does not read books or appreciate nature or think independently, rather the people spend their time in front of screens and in superficial conversations. Guy has a few interactions and book pilfering experiences that cause him to question the status quo and seek more information. He is eventually betrayed and hunted and...(once again I won't tell).

What's the positivity in all of that? Well, for starters, we lived in a society that allows books and fights censorship. We are allowed independent thought. We are provided with access to all kinds of books and information through our public library system. We are not "being watched" and subjected to fear for having a personal opinion. We are allowed to become better and an education that continues to expand our minds and our hearts. I hope in the midst of our current situation you are able to keep a sense of the positive! Happy Reading!

A Good Read Aloud

I read a book about a year ago entitled The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma. The book was based on a promise Alice and her father made - to read for at least 15 minutes together everyday. So up until college and distance made the promise too difficult to keep, Alice and her father made time for him to read aloud to her every single day (You can read more about here story here: http://makeareadingpromise.com). Reading aloud is an important and beneficial activity that sometimes is pushed aside in favor of other activities or simply because of busyness. Reading aloud is even beneficial for older children and even teens!

According to the American Library Association (ALA) website (http://www.ala.org/aasl/aboutaasl/aaslcommunity/quicklinks/el/elread), reading aloud to children includes these many benefits:

1. Children's self esteem grows as they experience the security of having a parent or other caring person read aloud with them.
2. Children experience increased communication with parents and other family members.
3. Children are introduced to new concepts such as colors, shapes, numbers, and alphabet, in a fun, age appropriate way.
4. Children build listening skills, vocabulary, memory, and language skills.
5. Children develop imagination and creativity.
6. Children learn information about the world around them.
7. Children develop individual interests in special subjects like dinosaurs, cats, or cars.
8. Children learn positive behavior patterns and social values.
9. Children learn positive attitudes towards themselves and others.
10. CHILDREN LEARN THE JOY OF READING!

A huge benefit of reading aloud according to Jim Trelease, author of Read Aloud Handbooks, is the impact that reading books has on a child's vocabulary. According to Jim, "It's long established in science and research: the child who comes to school with a large vocabulary does better than the child who comes to school with little familiarity with words and a low vocabulary" (http://www.greatschools.org/students/7104-read-aloud-to-children.gs). In his interview, Trelease is specifically referring to younger children and readying them for school, but as a professor working with college students I can verify that those who are readers are those who do better overall. Reading and reading aloud is beneficial to all ages and a large vocabulary is helpful for college students as well as those just starting out. Reading also increases attention span, encourages a child to "experience" difficult situations, and broadens knowledge of the world and people. Every day I begin my classes (college students, mind you) by reading a selection from a novel, a poem, or a great speech. I find that if I can whet their appetite for reading and books, then I can whet their appetite for learning in general. If I can create life-long learners - readers - I have done my job.

I also read aloud with my kids at home and even my husband! Right now my husband and I are reading through The Great Gatsby in anticipation of getting the recently released movie. Through the years I have found some read aloud favorites, books that seem to have been written for reading aloud. The language is mesmerizing and the characters memorial. Poems are also great for read aloud because of their structure and language. So, that being said, I am going to leave you with a few of my favorite read alouds, what books would you add to the list?

1. The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
3. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
4.  Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
5. The Wizard of Oz (and all of the other Oz books!) by L. Frank Baum
6.  Poems of Robert Frost
7. Poems of Emily Dickinson