Posts by Pat:
Remember Mr. Rogers?
Are any of you old enough to remember the TV program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood? Or maybe the 2019 movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood with Tom Hanks?
With each episode Mr. Rogers began by changing into one of his trademark cardigan sweaters and changing into his sneakers while singing the show’s theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
He then addressed the topic of the day and in the process taught our children ( and us) how to get along with others, feel good about themselves, and cope with their fears.
Why do I bring this man and his program up now? Because this Tuesday, May 23, is the 143 day of the year, declared by the state of Pennsylvania to be “1-4-3 Day” in honor of native Fred Rogers and it’s set up as a day for acts of kindness and neighborliness.
” Mr. Rogers” used the numbers 1-4-3 to stand as a code for “I love you” (based on the number of letters in each of these three words), and was also significant in his personal life. (For instance, he weighed 143 pounds for thirty years!)
What can we put into practice ourselves on this “1-4-3 Day”?
Maybe pick up litter, smile at folks, hold the door open for strangers? Or give a compliment to as many people as we can, let someone go ahead of us in line, leave a positive review for a local small business? Or..?
“Mother, May I?”
Remember the childhood game of “Mother, May I?” When given an instruction by ‘mother’ we needed to remember to ask permission before taking those 2 giant steps forward. In addition to my being an ex-English teacher and this also being the month of May, I’ve found myself wondering about that word “may.” How does it […]
Oh no..a 2nd Mother Goose gem?!
Joe Scieszka did it again in his The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense! (This time with the rhyme of Old Mother Hubbard.) The English teacher in me loves this “re-verb” version! See what YOU can add to these verbs… Old Mother Hubbard moseyed/ progressed/ skipped/ highttailed it/ took a hike to […]
A unique book report!
English teachers get a lot of book reports to read… such as the following “book report” from the 2022 book The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense by Jon Scieszka! Do you remember this old nursery rhyme? Book Report: “The main character in this nursery rhyme is Jack. There is also a […]
Ridiculous headlines?
Does anyone other than an ex-English teacher notice these kinds of things? I’ve often wondered who proofreads the headlines, or even the content on some of the articles in the newspaper. On the other hand, I do find many of them funny and some even make me feel superior! “Red tape holds up new bridges” […]
If you start today…
I read an interesting reminder that I thought I’d share with you today: If you start today, you’ll feel good today. When someday becomes today, we get a rush of accomplishment and pride. Doing feels good. Way better than thinking about doing. If you start today, you’ll be the kind of person who does things. […]
Trust Mother Nature!
Story: There was a man who had a hen and a dozen good eggs, and he wanted to raise some chickens. Somehow or other he had to get the hen and the eggs together. Now the hen was willing, and he was willing, but if he kept the hen in the yard and the eggs […]
Thoughts for this new month!
It’s already April, with the year’s first quarter behind us! Here’s some thoughts that have been circling around in my mind for this new month (and maybe for all the rest of this year too!) This is a great reminder from a favorite mentor of mine that it’s important for me to accept what is, […]
Some classy insults!
These insults are from an era before our English language got boiled down to 4-letter words. These folks really knew how to use the language to mock/blast/eviscerate each other! “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.” -Groucho Marx “He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” […]
Nothingness has something to offer…
Consider that it’s the space between the notes that makes the music. Music is not a note or even a series of notes. What is required to have music is silent empty space between the notes. A note without space is one long sound. That space is absolutely necessary in order to creat sound in […]