Happy Easter!

Belief

I have heard that the brilliant scholar, author and lecturer Joseph Campbell was a devout Catholic despite the fact that he constantly questioned religious dogma.  

Joe was an expert in comparative mythologies.  The origins of belief, the impetus that drove mankind to figure it all out and the similar threads that seemed to underlie our need to give meaning to the unknown.

It is my understanding that although his research was academic and seemingly at odds with the mysteries of faith he did not let his intellect rule his heart. 

I thought of this on Holy Thursday as I found myself unexpectedly and thoroughly moved while accepting 'the body and blood of Christ' during our communion service. Here I am with my healthy disdain & outright sarcasm for certain aspects of organized religion but when these moments arise, I feel. 

Something. A peace. A reassurance. A connection. A power. Even as I question the whole process I can be moved to tears and awe.

And it pleases me. 

How To Have Fun

Inspired by the words & illustrations of children's book creator Nancy Carlson (especially How to Lose All Your Friends and Life is Fun) our first grade students decided to create their own book. 

Below is a sample of their suggestions...

Can you think of any others?

Eggs

Eggs are seldom ever scrambled and gobbled up by the main characters in children's books. 

They are either the precious treasure(s) of an adoring parent or caregiver who is entrusted with ensuring that no harm befalls the living creature developing inside or they serve as the transitory dwelling place of a charming critter who is either a) lost b) in danger c) looking for its real parents or d) all of the above.

It is a formula that works, especially when the illustrator adds subtle nuances and ticks to the new born babe.  Consider for instance the lost little chick in Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman. With his spindly legs and inquisitive manner we quickly fall in love and hope against hope that this darling will find his real mom (he does).  

This was one of the first books I had to sign to a preschool class when I was student teaching 14 years ago and boy was I nervous. I kept signing "Are you my father" instead of mother.  

Eggs can also be found in the Caldecott winning children's book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey.  In it Mr. and Mrs. Mallard go from hatching eggs to tending chicks all the while exploring Boston Public Garden.  Classic, amazing book.

Then there is the young adult literature of Eragon by the precocious young author Christopher Paolini that begins when the young hero finds a dragon egg for which he sacrifices much and cherishes beyond all things (I never made it past page 289 and I really wanted to like it).

Of course this time of year egg books abound as the Easter Bunny hippity hops his way to the baskets of some boys and girls.

There is Bunny Trouble by Hans Wilhelm about a soccer obsessed hare named Ralph who finds his place in the egg painting/decorating business after a rough start.

And Easter Mice! by Bethany Roberts.  An Easter egg hunt that finds the most, the biggest and the BEST eggs hidden in the grass.

Sample text: "CRACK! Surprise!  An Easter Friend!"  The last egg hatched a baby turtle.  The 5 and 6-year-olds loved this!

Thinking back, I may have to amend my previous statement. Maybe eggs do get fried in children's books every so often.

Consider Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. But then again, they are green and perhaps not the kind that would spring to life adorable little offspring. I guess we'll never know.

The top picture is taken from The Peace Book by Todd Parr.  The caption that accompanies it reads "Peace is keeping someone warm". 

Teaching

Darling Reya of The Gold Puppy wrote a post entitled Gratitude for My Teachers last month that touched upon the fact that teaching is indeed a choice folks make rather than a last resort to fall back on when all else fails.

Her post, which I am grateful for, also stated that some teachers are more effective than others. 

In the Dynamics and Dimensions of Teaching class I took several years ago at Fordham University we examined three approaches to teaching; Executive, Facilitator and Artist.

We then were given an assignment that required us to examine our teaching style by transcribing videos of ourselves teaching and coding each utterance and behavior.

In my final handout I likened the Executive and Facilitator approaches to a Greek God and Goddess.  I couldn't resist. (I also had a great graphic that I can't seem to transfer to this post.)

I wrote: 

The owl is the symbol of the goddess of wisdom, Athena. She is a patron and ally and representative of the Facilitator approach.

The thunderbolt is the symbol of the Greek God Zeus, ruler of the Olympian Gods.  He wields enormous power and absolute authority.  This represents the Executive approach to teaching.

The teacher as Artist orchestrates both approaches.

According to my analysis I am an artist. A little bit of the Facilitator and a little bit of the Executive.  
Whew!  I was hoping for that one.

I wonder if a quiz like this will show up on Facebook one of these days.

The Thank You and Feed Me signs are taken from the children's book The Hungry Thing (top picture) by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler.  This is a wonderful book to share with young children who are developing phonemic awareness. For more on this read the Yopp & Yopp article.