Find the treasure

There are some who seek treasures in the future. They think their lives will get better if they are married, single, have different jobs, and/or have different friends. Yes, those things can help lives get better, but there is also treasure in each moment. There is treasure to be found in being with those you love, in seeing a child smile, in watching a student catch on to something that is difficult. There is treasure to be found in the work you do making a difference for children. For many children, YOU are the treasure. You help them to be better ~ to succeed.

Have a great day and week-end.

Maryln

Give visual prompts.

Last week when I spoke at NAEYC’s annual conference on Autism and Asperger Syndrome, I gave many strategies. One of those strategies was the importance of using visual prompts. This is an effective strategy for all students, not just students with Autism and Asperger Syndrome.

Here are a few examples:

Help students line up, by placing small laminated arrows on the floor to show that clearly demonstrate where children are to stand as they line up.

When the noise level in your class becomes too loud, hold up a special sign that is a prompt to use quiet voices.

Have a wonderful day.

Maryln

Which is it?

I hear all the time that children have changed. Teachers tell me that they have more students with special needs as well as more behavior problems. I am not sure if it is that children have changed or that “childhood has changed.” There are so many differences from the time I was raising my own children. It seems that there is less time for everything now for family times because there is so much rushing and time pressure. Television and media are more violent and sexual than ever before. These are just a few of the many changes.

I would like your opinion on what has changed. Is it childhood or is it children? We have launched a new survey to get your opinion on this. Go to our web site at www.atiseminars.org to make your voice heard.

One thing has not changed, and that is teachers who care. In many cases, you are the only stable force in the lives of the children you teach. Every day that you are at work, is another opportunity to make a difference.

Have a great day.

Maryln

Veteran’s Day ~ A day to remember and honor service

Today is Veteran’s Day. It is the day that World War I formally ended. It has become a time to honor all veterans. Right now as you read this, there are soldiers fighting to preserve freedom. There are others who have returned home with physical or emotional injuries. There are some who have perished fighting for us. This is a day to set aside some time to honor these heroes and to celebrate freedom and democracy.

And as you set aside time to honor these great individuals, take time to honor yourself today too. You too fight the battle every day in a different way. You are not on the front lines of a battle zone, although it may feel like that sometimes; however, you are fighting to help children have better lives, to learn more, to be the best they can be. You make a difference.

Have a wonderful day.

Maryln

Work can also be where the heart is.

You have probably heard the saying that “Home is where the heart is.” I believe this is true, but I also believe that for those who work in the field of education, work also becomes a place “where the heart is.” There is so much “heart” involved in the day-to-day activities. Some of these activities are before students ever arrive and long after they return to their homes in the evenings, and some activities are on week-ends too. That takes heart!

For me, work has also been a place to put some “heart” during this time in my life while mourning the loss of my daughter. Work is not just a job for those of us in education. It is about hope, hope for a better future for our children. It is filled with the hearts of difference makers across the world.

Have a wonderful day and a wonderful week.

Maryln