A Visit With Todd Parr

YIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

Life is good and it just keeps getting better.

For many, many years I have had a intense love for the creations of children's book author and illustrator Todd Parr. His artwork is bright, colorful, happy, childlike and totally engaging. His words convey a message of peace, acceptance, honesty, fun and love.

The work seems to be the creation of someone who has a passion for what he does and follows his bliss.

I first discovered Todd Parr through the book It's Okay To Be Different and after that first reading I was hopelessly hooked. At the time it seemed to me as though Todd Parr was my little secret, not well known but deserving of attention on a grand scale. It became my mission to get the word out.

And I did in small ways. All the children in my life got Todd Parr books as gifts, I encouraged friends to follow suit and purchase his books for the little ones in their families, I read his books to my elementary students who subsequently fell in love with the adventures of Otto and Underwear Do's and Don'ts and our school librarian ordered his entire catalog for the children's library AND my classroom library.

Through the years his popularity has certainly taken off. He has a successful children's television program entitled Todd's World and merchandising ranging from children's clothing to toys for your pet.

But since the beginning I thought that it would be AMAZING if I could have an opportunity to meet him and share with him the impact of his work. Here is a children's book author/illustrator who I greatly admire that I could actually meet (unlike the creators of a certain little monkey).

And on Thursday, March 24, 2010 after a book reading at the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue I finally did!

Todd signed a few books for this (hopefully) outwardly composed individual (inside I was screaming "I AM TALKING TO TODD PARR!!) and by the end of our short conversation he expressed an interest in visiting my school. Everything after that was a blur but I know that I floated out of the library feeling elated and hopeful.

It is not often that we meet public figures we greatly admire. It is even less often that they admire your work as well and offer to visit. A date in early June was mentioned as a possibility so I remain hopeful that the details will all get worked out and this happens.

In the meanwhile I FINALLY MET TODD PARR!!

Mustache

Have you ever noticed that bakers and chefs are often depicted with mustaches?

I don't think I ever really gave it much thought until my kindergarten students began investigating the topic.

From their immersion in both fiction and nonfiction texts they concluded that a mustache is part of the uniform.

Chef hat, apron, mustache...

Then I began to realize that they were right. The chefs in Disney movies (The Little Mermaid, Lady and the Tramp) have mustaches, Chef Boyardee has a mustache, bakers in children's books have mustaches, even our own Kindergarten Cafe chef sports a rather large mustache.

When they came to this realization they were already deep into their play in our classroom bakery (renamed "The Cakery" by popular vote) and without the mustaches it seemed as though something was missing.

We wondered how to find those little plastic clip-on mustaches or should we simply let the kids draw them on somehow? The dilemma was solved at the $1 store quite by accident.

There I was standing in line with my hands full of gift wrap and tissue paper when to my left I spotted a gumball machine brimming with mustaches in a variety of styles and colors! Each with a self adhesive backing good for hours of enjoyment.

I drove home, collected a bunch of quarters and headed back to the store so excited I could burst. I couldn't wait to share them with the kids and when they saw them the next day their reaction was fantastic.

Some even got creative.

We are having a bake sale on Friday and I am looking forward to seeing mustached bakers busily helping customers and serving up tasty delights.

Be our guest!

Unexpected

When I created "Follow Your Bliss" my purpose was to share my passion for teaching and chronicle my journey as an educator. I hoped that it would be a place for my students' parents to gain deeper insight into what happens in our classroom, a forum for feedback from other teachers and an online journal that my family could read to keep up with those smaller moments in my life that are not always touched upon in a phone conversation.

These things have happened.

The other day a parent interested in sending her daughter to my kindergarten class next year sent me an email about the blog. I have built a relationship with several passionate educators who share their ideas and comments and my mom (an avid reader) inspired some of my favorite posts entitled "Tips From My Mom".

These were my expectations.

But there are also things that were unexpected.

Like...

Meeting Kimy from Mouse Medicine and having her accompany my first grade class on a trip to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2008. She took many fantastic photographs that day and was generous enough to provide me with copies.

It just so happens that I recently became involved with redesigning and organizing the new look of our school web site and when I was selecting photographs for the main banner I immediately thought of Kimy's photograph 'hands'. With her kind permission it is now front and center representing our school. Thank you Kimy!

Other Blog kin have also visited with us. Gregg (aka Junk Thief) came to talk with my students about children in other parts of the world who must forfeit an education because their families rely on them to fetch water from miles away or are put to work in the fields. This powerful conversation was followed with the gift of a collection of stories written by children.

Lettuce and Melody have both introduced me to British children's authors and have given me many books to read to my students. Mel just sent me another package this past week. Amazingly big-hearted and totally unexpected. Thank you both.

That brilliantly childlike and slightly askew artist Sebastien of Chronically Sick sent me three original pieces of art (including the one pictured here) and a t-shirt. It would be an understatement to say that I love his work. He is pure genius.

I have met folks who I consider friends and learned so much from others.

I even got to write a blurb for the back of a children's book because of this little blog.

Unexpected.

And amazing.

You have all made me smile.

Time To Make The Donuts

In my studies I have been reading about the affective factors of motivation, self-confidence and anxiety as the make or break components of second language acquisition. I'd venture that they are not so far removed from successful learning in any context.

As Mary Poppins herself states "In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun and SNAP! the job's a game. And every task you undertake, becomes a piece of cake..."

Games, fun, play, enjoyment...

These are cherished ingredients in any recipe. So, when it came to choosing a new project idea for our dramatic play area (previously a library) we asked the students. It was a tight race between a zoo and a bakery. The bakery won!

As part of the Reggio Emilia project approach to learning we listen to the ideas of our students and allow them to dictate the direction of our inquiry. This means that we cannot plan the unit in advance but rather facilitate their exploration in a joint partnership. It is a leap of faith because you never know where it'll lead exactly.

Once our topic was selected Lauren and I documented their current knowledge of a bakery. What do we need? What happens there? My favorite student response "we need bakery people".

We went on a walking trip to a local family operated bakery (established in 1935!) to gather ideas, ask questions, make observational drawings and partake of the yummy heart shaped cookies.

We also used our other available resource, the school library. Our librarian Sara pulled a bunch of helpful fiction and non-fiction titles. Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington provided us with a nice overview of the tools and procedure involved in baking. The book contains simple language and clear illustrations as well as some recipes. LOVE IT!

Armed with this knowledge we began to create our classroom bakery. A flurry of activity ensued as the rug was removed and a stove, baking table and cupboard was brought in.

Each morning another student arrives with bakery items supplied by a generous family member. We've got cupcake liners, wooden spoons, whisks, cupcake trays, sprinkles, cookie cutters, toothpicks, measuring cups, chef hats, etc.

One child even brought in handmade aprons his mom whipped up the night before! I think the parents are just as excited as their kids about the bakery. Already some have suggested we have a bake sale and have offered other ideas to help make our exploration a meaningful experience.

Until that all comes together if you are in the market for some play-doh cookies covered with sprinkles and icing you know where to go.

Goodbye Friend

Camille and Bill Cosby's son Ennis would greet those he met with the friendly salutation "Hello Friend".

After his devastating murder in January 1997 the Cosby's established the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation to continue his dream of providing an education to students who tend to fall through the cracks in our schools.

Ennis himself was dyslexic and struggled his whole life with learning differences. This challenge ignited his passion to teach children to overcome dyslexia and come out of the shadows. He wanted to cast off the shame and despair these children felt and replace it with self esteem.

In addition to creating awareness with the powerful video Ennis' Gift: A Film About Learning Differences and providing classroom libraries for under resourced classrooms, the Foundation also united in a partnership with Fordham University's Graduate School of Education in 2000 to create the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Certificate Program.

This is an 18 credit, intensive series of teacher training classes in language development, beginning reading instruction and early childhood literacy. The core of which involves a year long, twice weekly, hour long session of one to one supervised tutoring. Each 'Cosby Scholar' works with a struggling first grade student to develop their literacy skills.

I was fortunate enough to graduate from this program in 2004 as a member of Cohort 3. What I learned during that time changed my teaching for the better. I continued to stay involved, first as a mentor and then as an instructor. I taught the incoming cohorts during the annual summer literacy institutes as well co-teaching the tutoring practicum.

Sadly, this past week the final cohort of Cosby Scholars joined together to celebrate the completion of the professional development program for "Young Readers at Risk". Due to financial woes the program has (hopefully only temporarily) folded.

During the ceremony, which was attended by Camille and Bill Cosby's daughters Erika and Erinn, I delivered a short speech with a fellow Cosby graduate (from Cohort 1) and my co-teacher in the program Cayne. Cayne wrote the following speech for us...

We open with a quote from Alexander Graham Bell "Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open".

Early last year Dr. Uhry told Gary and I that the Foundation may not be able to fund another cohort of Cosby Scholars. We were stunned and saddened by the news and to the possible end of what we believed was a unique and profound experience that has forever influenced how we teach and those we teach.

We found ourselves continuing with our responsibilities of teaching the cohort and supervising the practicum but continued to stare at this door that was slowly closing. As ten incredible years of the Fordham University Ennis William Cosby Program come to an end it is within this quote we find the hope to continue the legacy that has been established. So we look to the open door.... whether that door manifest itself as a leadership position within your school, continuing your studies in education, providing tutoring to a struggling student or sharing what you have learned with a colleague.

With the end of the Scholar program also came the end of the immensely resourceful Hello Friend Website. For those of you that do not know the website once offered resources for teachers and parents in regard to literacy. Information about the foundation, and other great offerings like the Ennis' Gift video. However, as you know in this digital age nothing is temporary on the Internet (for better or for worse). With the help of the wayback machine (it is really called that) one can easily access old or discontinued web pages. So it is with the help of the wayback machine that we bring you a short essay written by Ennis posted to the Hello Friend website back in 1997.

Goals and Criteria for Learning

By Ennis William Cosby

When I work with students who learn differently, my goals may be slightly different than the goals of the regular education teacher. My principles and goals are the following:

I should be a teacher who can motivate students toward increasing their self-esteem and confidence. Most students who are diagnosed have very little confidence or self-esteem.

I must come to class well prepared and I also must be prepared for change. Students may have personalities that will alter the whole lesson plan of the day. My preparation motto is, "Try to be ready for the best and the worst."


"Quitters never win and winners never quit." I have always tried to listen to positive feedback from other special education teachers. Most of them have warned me about how students can damage a teacher's pride and ego to the point where a teacher contemplates quitting. "Never take things personally," one teacher recommended to me. This is probably the hardest theory to live by. I have promised myself that I will never quit. Instead, I will try to create the best solution for every problem I face. 


The students' overall performance and behavior will be my tools for measurement. There must be gradual improvement.

With the closing of an era may today’s final cohort 9 go forward having benefited from the program, incorporate Ennis' Words and principles in their teaching, may those at the Hello Friend Foundation look back upon the program knowing how revolutionary it was in professional development and literacy instruction, may the Cosby family look back upon the program and know how many lives Ennis touched and continues to influence, may Fordham look back upon the program as a successful collaboration that was the catalyst for so many scholars to strive for advanced degrees in literacy. And may we all look back open the door that opened all other doors.

With much gratitude to the Cosby Family, the Foundation, and Fordham University Cayne and I thank you and to Cohort 9 Congratulations and Good Luck!

Photo taken from the children's book Friends of a Feather: One of Life's Little Fables by Bill and Erika Cosby.