If I Were A Teacher
July 24th, 2010 | 
Author: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” From as early as I can remember and without hesitation, I always answered, “I want to be a teacher.” I suspect that unequivocal decision resulted from a combination of factors. I loved books, learning and school. A few family friends whom I looked up to were teachers. I loved children and planned on getting married and having kids, so a teaching job, perceived by me to be an 8 to 3 job, was the ideal choice since my schedule and theirs would match. And, I must confess, I liked the idea of having the summer off!
A wise high school guidance counselor strongly encouraged me to think about other career paths as a back up plan “just in case the teaching choice doesn’t work out.” I never followed his advice because there was no doubt in my mind that I would ever be anything but a teacher!
A few years later, I learned the lesson of life taking unexpected paths. I never became a teacher as a twist of fate placed me in a corporate library setting where I was happily surrounded by books and people for over 30 years, sneaking in a few teaching opportunities through seminar/workshop presentations and Junior Achievement.
But, if I were a teacher, I would:
1. teach the youngest among us, learning from the naturally honest, freely creative thoughts flowing from fresh minds not yet tainted by fear of expression, prejudice or indoctrination.
2. teach students to respect themselves so they would in turn respect others.
3. teach students to be flexible because life doesn’t always go according to YOUR plan and those that survive constant change are those that know how to go with the flow and adapt to new environments.
4. teach students to always hold on to their natural curiosity and let their minds dare to imagine because life’s greatest inventions and societal improvements do not come from stagnant brains.
5. teach students to always set aside time for themselves so they might be healthy and strong to devote time to others.
6. teach students to LAUGH so they might more easily deal with the tears.
And, I would send them off into the world with prayers that they may laugh more than they cry over a lifetime and always be surrounded by family and friends willing to share both.
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— Kathy
First published at www.kathysporch.com
Will Your Kid Write About You When She Is 60?
There are no empty spaces on my bookshelves. My bookcases are not the neat ones you see in furniture showrooms – a perfectly coordinated blend of designer sculpture pieces, flowers in vases, photo frames and just a few books precisely placed and coordinated with empty space to show off each individual component of the picture. Piled, stacked, bunched, overloaded and topsy-turvy would more likely describe the design theme for my bookshelves and the overflowing stacks of books on the floor below. No tolerance for empty space here!
A professional organizer would most likely call it clutter. A psychologist might call it an addiction. I call it “love.” Love for books. Oh, ok, so I have an addiction. But, this is one addiction I’m not going to seek a cure for! Why should I? Books are friends, teachers, motivators, inspirers, dream makers, entertainers… and, best of all, memory makers — which brings me to the reason for writing this blurb.
I’ve been surrounded by books all of my life as I think my parents read to me from the day I came out of the womb. Among my fondest childhood memories are the still vivid pictures of favorite books that I read over and over and over again. Books were special in our house and I was taught to treasure them, with favorite ones kept to be handed down for posterity. You could find me curled up just about anywhere with my nose and 100% of my attention buried in a book. Books taught me the fine art of writing; stimulated my imagination; educated me on more subjects than I can remember; transported me to other worlds, cultures and times; enhanced my communications skills and built friendships through sharing of favorite tomes.
But, THE most important legacy of those books is the legacy of memories created by family story times. Pre-bedtime ritual included reading even before I could speak. Bless my parents with hoarse voices accommodating my seemingly never ending requests to “Read it again.” The gift of speech enabled me to chime in, interject my own interpretation of the tale or ask a gazillion questions about the characters, etc. The gift of reading enabled me to take my turn reading to them. With my parents’ encouragement and attentiveness, books inspired me to turn on my creative juices and make up new stories or formulate new dreams.
Yes, all of this is good – developing literacy, communication skills, imagination, creativity, dreams and goals. But, the special family bonding time – the feeling of safety and contentment curled up in the lap of a parent with a book and your favorite stuffed animal – listening to the comfortable and reassuring ebb and flow of a parent’s voice – creates a picture in the mind that lasts a lifetime.
Are you creating that kind of memory legacy for your children? In this hectic, over-scheduled, everything has to be done NOW world, it is even more important to take the time to connect, utilizing “family only” times. It doesn’t have to be done with books and family story times, but it’s not a bad way to start. If, at the age of 60, your “child” still vividly recalls and treasures those memories, waxes nostalgic and even writes about them, then you have surely done your job as a parent.
— Kathy
First published as “Shelves of Memories” at Dinker and Giggles.
Books Are Friends
— Kathy
Encouraging Reading in a High-Tech World
I hope to get some discussion going about the all-important topic of literacy, especially what can be done in the early years to encourage and foster reading among children who are born into a world where they are surrounded by high energy, fast-paced schedules and high-tech tools. Computers are great and I couldn’t live without mine, but it’s rather hard to “cuddle up” with a good computer as opposed to a good book!
Growing up in the 1950′s/60′s, believe it or not, we didn’t have personal computers to play with or teach us. We cuddled up with our parents and siblings at bedtime and read (or told) stories and learned to use our imagination. We CREATED with our minds — we were not programmed by a piece of technology! We were taught by actually doing, experimenting, talking face-to-face with parents, peers and teachers (not texting on a cell phone which hadn’t been invented back then). While I’d scream with panic if I lost my computer or email capability, I just think we need a happy medium between the mediums so to speak.
They can work so well together if one doesn’t overwhelmingly dominate the other.
What do you think? How do you balance your child’s technology life?
—— Kathy
Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: books, hectic schedules, literacy, reading, technology | 
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Get Caught Reading!
When was the last time you caught the favorite kids in your life reading? I mean REALLY reading — on their own, “just because” they WANTED to — NOT because they HAVE to? Maybe a better question is, When was the last time your kids caught YOU reading, just for the fun of it? Kids learn by example, so go out and get yourself some good reading material — and don’t forget to let the kids pick out a book or two for themselves.
May is National “Get Caught Reading Month.” Now is the time to think about what you as a teacher, parent, grandparent, babysitter, etc. can do in May to introduce the favorite kids in your life to the pleasures and benefits of reading. Do you have a family reading time — maybe at bedtime? NO?! It’s a great time to start one!
Let YOUR family get caught reading — ALL of you!
Share your ideas by commenting on this post.
—– Kathy
