I have been teaching martial arts to children for years. At one time, I felt compelled to write an article titled, “Girls do Ballet and Boys do Karate” because of my frustration with the stereotype pervading children’s activities. Both girls and boys need self-defense skills. The reality is, however, that martial arts and self-defense are still not given enough credence by the general population. Martial arts schools continually lose students to other sports (or video games).

Then there are those that believe you can take a one night workshop and learn to defend yourself. All those quickie courses do is give people a false sense of security. It takes practice and repetition to learn self-defense well enough to use it in an attack.

Both my children took martial arts from Kindergarten through High School. They weren’t given another option. I realize that they could still get attacked, but I know that as their mother, I did the best that I could to make sure they had self-defense skills, understood what message body language sends to others and know all that you say in the video above. I pray they never need to use those skills, but I know they have them just in case.

A colleague of mine, Robert Siciliano, speaks with passion about a
topic I, also, am passionate about.

–

Copyright (c) 2009 Brandon Yusuf Toropov // Permission to circulate free of charge is hereby granted to those who a) retain this copyright notice, signature, and contact information verbatim, and b) agree not to alter the body of this article in any way. All other rights reserved. “60 Second Master Class” and “The Garbled Grammarian” are registered trademarks of iWordSmith.com.

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During a recent seminar, Brenda expressed a need for an on-screen timer; something that she could put on the desktop to “signal students that their time is up.” We did a little research and found a solution that help you too!

TimeLeft is a free desktop utility that can be used for a variety of clock and timer applications. The main feature of TimeLeft includes a powerful customizable reminder, which can show a message, play a sound file (many formats, including mp3), open a link or program, or even turn off your monitor or shutdown your pc.

Starting a new school year is scary enough for veteran educators, but it can be terrifying for new teachers. Julia G. Thompson’s book, The First Year Teacher’s Survival Guide, “gives new teachers a wide variety of tested strategies, activities, and tools for creating a positive and dynamic learning environment while meeting the challenges of each school day.” This book is currently getting rave reviews at Amazon.com and is full of useful strategies for everything from connecting with students to classroom management. Check it out today!

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years, from 6.5% in 1980 to 17.0% in 2006. The rate among adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled, increasing from 5% to 17.6%. Helping children understand the importance of diet and exercise now can reduce their risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis as adults.

Some fun ways for teachers to help reinforce good eating habits include:

• Introduce the Food Guide Pyramid, explaining the number of servings suggested for each food group.
• Ask students to record what they eat and drink for a specified amount of time, preferably a week or more.
• After each day, have students place foods they’ve consumed into the proper food groups.
• Have students check their food records for balance. Are their diets out of balance?
• Have students write about what they would do to change their diets to come up with a better balance.

Team Nutrition, at the USDA has a variety of information about the food guide pyramid, including sample lesson plans, available online at MyPyramid.gov.

Duringe a recent round of seminars, a couple of participants left me with some ideas for keeping things organized in their classrooms. Olivia Valencic uses a small tackle box to store markers, highlighters, sticky notes, etc. Just put it on the table and everything is right where students can find it and keep it organized.

Nancy Gallaher uses Wikki Stix in her classroom and recommends toothbrush holders as great storage devices.

Another creative double-duty solution is to use children’s sox for white board erasers. They put the sock on their hand to erase the board! After students are done using the marker, put the marker in the sock and then put the board and sock in a zipper lock bag.

How do you keep things organized in your classroom?

As we continue to face issues with today’s economy, school’s and teachers in some parts of the country are feeling the crunch. I’ve recommended Teachers.net before, and even published articles in their gazette. Now its time to point you to some other important resources.

• This March’s gazette has an article on Economic Relief for Teachers.
• The Job Center offers a current listing of job openings sorted by state.
• The Tutors Chatboard offers information and ideas about how to increase your income by tutoring in your spare time.

4 Day Storytelling Course with Judith Blackin the seaport town of Marblehead, MA 01945 June 22, 24, 25,  2009

Every year, since 1988, people who love storytelling have gathered from all over this country and arrived in Marblehead MA for an in depth exploration of the art of telling, themselves as tellers, and the possibilities of how they might use this ancient and resonant art form to transform their lives and those of the people they work with. Morning workshops, afternoon coaching, tellings to authentic children, good food (home made pastries every morning!) and informal gatherings shape these days.

Massachusetts PDP’s offered.
Fee: ($375) For more information contact:

Judith Black E-mail : jb@storiesalive.com phone: 781-631-4417
www.tellingstoriestochildren.com
To reserve a spot send $100 to:
Judith Black
33 prospect St.
Marblehead, MA 01945

Some quotes from a few of last year’s participants:

On the east coast of the United States, in the small village of Marblehead, MA, I found the true meaning of storytelling.  This experience has invited me to find the storyteller within myself, to move forward in my world, and to do it from my heart.  Thank you Judith Black for teaching me the true meaning of STORYTELLING.
 Mary Jo Huff
Award Winning Author, Storyteller, and Lecturer

A marvelous and intense week where Judith welcomes you into her home and her heart. She is phenomenal in how she creates confidence, skill, and laughter in novice and experienced storyteller alike. I came away with tools, stories, and memories of good times. Who knew so much could happen in four days.”
Sam Kane
Elementary School Library Teacher

This workshop changes lives, not only of the children who will hear our stories, but especially of the workshop participants.  I am not just a better storyteller now; I am a better person!
Gwendolyn Rosemond, Educator (Salem State University)

Our students, even those as young as elementary age, are aware that our country’s economy is facing some important issues. The Federal Reserve is offering free comics to teachers (up to 35
copies per teacher) to help students understand economics, money and banking, and the importance of saving.

There are 12 different titles covering such topics as the history of money, foreign trade, and economic events such as inflation. These comics are a great way to reach children of all ages and reading abilities.