Don M. Winn's Blog, page 9
March 16, 2020
Applying the Science of Reading
There is a national crisis. Several may come to mind as you read that statement, but I’m referring to the national reading crisis. Those of you familiar with my work and this blog know I talk frequently about dyslexia, but this blog isn’t about the difficulties dyslexics face in learning to read. It’s about the fact that teachers still aren’t being taught the most effective methods to teach reading, and this lack of efficacy in our educational system is impacting people in all walks of life, not just those with language-based learning challenges. Reading failure is invasive and cumulative:
66% of all students fail to reach grade-level reading skills by 4th grade, and most never catch upBy the 9th grade, most of that 66% are reading at the third-grade level and have a third-grade vocabulary to matchAll students benefit from explicit, multisensory reading instruction, and 46% of students can’t learn to read without it32 million Americans are illiterate14% of the population can’t read well enough to fill out an employment application
We are already one-fifth of the way into the twenty-first century, so why is so little changing in the way teachers are educated? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but the most direct answer appears to be that the educational system is slow to acknowledge and embrace the science of teaching reading. This science that has been around for decades is nearly as invisible as a cloaked Romulan Warbird.
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This invisibility isn’t an accident or caused by a lack of accessibility, rather, in point of fact, it is largely by choice. In his seminal book, Leaving Johnny Behind, educator and former principal Anthony Pedriana shares his experience in searching for evidence-based reading instruction methods and his uphill battle to implement them. Spoiler Alert: Implementation didn’t go well—it met with substantive resistance of every imaginable sort.
Pedriana asks the questions, “Why is it that many educators simply won’t use research evidence to guide their practices?” To put a finer point on it, “If research is so critical to continually improving practice in other fields relevant to the health and welfare of children, then why do those on the front lines of education, such as teachers and administrators, frequently view research in education as trivial or irrelevant?” Most educators, for example, have heard that phonemic awareness (learning the different sounds letters can make) is essential to a child’s reading efficacy, yet the dissemination and implementation of these crucial findings rarely happens.
In my research on the reading/literacy crisis, I appreciated Pedriana’s sensibilities about the effect of the philosophy of postmodernism. Postmodernism declares that truth is relative, in the eye of the beholder, not absolute, and that cause-and-effect principles do not exist. Therefore, scientific methods that seek to identify cause-and-effect patterns are not useful to postmodern decision making and practice in the field of education. Indeed, education embraces a decidedly anti-scientific spirit that nullifies the perceived value of research. The result? Instead of applying the sound learning principles that lay the foundation to help every child become a reader, the educational system largely employs a “wait-to-fail” approach. And by the time that failure occurs, tremendous academic and emotional damage has been done to the student. A child’s inability to derive meaning from print sets him or her up for a lifelong string of frustrations, failure, and a poor self-concept.
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But, you may ask, what about the billions of tax dollars being spent annually to offer continuing education to the nation’s teachers? Boon Philanthropy, which helps fund evidence-based, explicit, multisensory training for teachers observes that the 18 billion dollars spent in 2018 were largely spent on ineffective programs. Of the more than twelve hundred on-the-job professional development programs offered, only nine were found to be effective. Nine out of twelve hundred! If only nine of every twelve hundred meals you ate contained any nourishment, you would starve to death in very short order. And that’s exactly what’s happening to students: they are starving for genuine nourishment when it comes to the most effective ways to learn to read.
I saw the truth of this statistic in real time recently. I was doing a presentation on dyslexia and the science of reading for a group of professionals in another region that had a higher-than-average number of trained reading/dyslexia specialists. I was anticipating an energetic, lively interchange after my address, which did take place, but the dialog was a bit different than I expected. Without exception, every one of these caring, passionate, experienced educators shared that they had never heard about the scientific findings I discussed. All were trained/certified in various modalities and had spent countless hours in continuing education (often at their own expense) to bring their best talents to the educational table, but none had been trained in the science-based, evidence-based systems I was discussing. While I enjoyed the experience (as I always do), and I met some delightful people, it was a reminder of how far we all have to go to begin to turn the tide on the reading crisis.
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Where do we go from here? As concerned parents, grandparents, and educators, let’s get curious about what the life’s work of the best brain scientists tells us about how kids actually learn to read best—through explicit, multisensory reading instruction. I have a number of accessible resources for you. You can’t ask for what your child needs if you don’t know what is available and what works. Whether your child has dyslexia or not, the information included describes the methods that work best for all children. And as always, do your best to spend time regularly reading together with your child. Doing so teaches them how print works, (right to left, top to bottom), encourages phonemic awareness, and helps them develop a love of good books and stories to help them persevere as readers. All the best in your journey of discovery!
To learn more about how every student best learns to read, I recommend Failing Students or Failing Schools? A Parent’s Guide to Reading Instruction and Intervention, by reading specialist Faith Borkowsky
Cardboard Box Adventures picture books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the new CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
Reference Links:
Tweets by anaped44
March 4, 2020
Dying to Read and Write
Students with undiagnosed learning difficulties such as dyslexia are at a higher risk for depression and suicidal tendencies. Why is this fact often overlooked? Read the following article by educator Faith Borkoswky, author of Failing Students or Failing Schools? A Parent’s Guide to Reading Instruction and Intervention as she raises some interesting questions based on research studies.
Dying to Read and Write
February 18, 2020
Life as Poetry: Finding Meaning and Satisfaction
Busy much? I thought so. Is your to-do list so long that it needs to be indexed? Yep. Me too. As a person who eventually came to writing prose after beginning with poetry, I don’t find much poetry these days in the modern pace of our world. Working nonstop with an emphasis on getting more and more often results in a life that feels empty, devoid of meaning and connection.
Enter the “slow” movement. Slow food, slow gatherings, becoming makers rather than consumers—it’s been around for a while now. People from all walks of life are consciously focusing on the beauty of the process, of making things from scratch, of sharing meals with family and friends. A few have elevated this lifestyle to an art form, to life as poetry.
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I recently discovered Li Ziqi, a Chinese vlogger who represents the highest form of life as poetry I know. To say that she captures the essence of peaceful, meaningful coexistence with the natural world is wildly understating her appeal. Deep in the Sichuan Mountains of China, Li Ziqi forages, harvests, builds, and makes everything a person could need in the remote, humble abode she shares with her grandmother. A child from an abusive home, she left at a young age and was raised by her grandparents. They taught her the old ways, the traditional ways of self-sufficiency, and a respect for the natural world. Watch any video and you’ll see a woman at peace, skilled and graceful, living a life of satisfaction rather than scrambling for survival in an urban setting. Here is one of her videos.
I’m not saying we need to move to a place where there’s no Amazon Prime, Instacart, or Uber, but just think about this: could we each spend a little more time making, sharing, and enjoying the beauty around us? What a glorious thing to do, especially if we share these experiences with the young people in our lives. The result: pure poetry!
Cardboard Box Adventures picture books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the new CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
February 4, 2020
If You Change the Way You Look at Things, the Things You Look at Change
Psychologist Wayne Dyer uttered the wise words above many years ago, and I love his point. This technique of being able to see a person or a situation with new eyes is so helpful to both struggling readers and their parents. How?
When a child has dyslexia or otherwise struggles to read, write, listen, do math, etc., that child’s daily ruling emotion is fear. They constantly wonder things like, “Why can’t I learn/do this thing? What if I never can? What if I’m stupid? Why can other kids get this and not me? What if there’s something so wrong with me I can never be good enough?” And fear also rules the parent: “What’s wrong with my child? Aren’t they listening? Don’t they care? Are they lazy? Is there something I’ve done wrong, or something I should have done differently?”
But point of view means everything when dealing with language-based learning disabilities like dyslexia. I remember a vivid illustration of this in a book called The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. A psychotherapist and orchestra conductor, respectively, the authors of the book focus on twelve lessons, each of which helps the reader change the way he or she looks at things.
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The authors tell a story of two shoe factory salesmen exploring new markets in Africa. After assessing the situation, both send telegrams:
SITUATION HOPELESS. STOP. NO ONE WEARS SHOES.
GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. STOP. THEY HAVE NO SHOES.
“To the one who sees no shoes, all the evidence points to hopelessness. To his colleague, the same conditions point to abundance and possibility,” say the Zanders. “How often do we stand convinced of the truth of our early memories, forgetting that they are assessments made by a child? We can replace the narratives that hold us back by inventing wiser stories, free from childish fears, and in doing so, disperse long-held psychological stumbling blocks.”
While there’s a lot more to helping a struggling reader than positive thinking, changing from a fear-based point of view to a point of view fueled by a sense of possibility and curiosity is the best foundation for changing the life of a struggling reader. The Zanders get to the heart of Dr. Dyer’s ethos by reminding the reader that when we compare ourselves to others, nothing good can happen. Instead, they encourage readers to ask this question:
How will I be a contribution today?
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The Zanders continue, “Unlike success and failure, contribution has no other side. It is not arrived at by comparison. All at once I found that the fearful question, ‘Is it enough?’ and the even more fearful question, ‘Am I loved for who I am, or for what I have accomplished?’ could both be replaced by the joyful question, ‘How will I be a contribution today?’
“Naming oneself and others as a contribution produces a shift away from self-concern and engages us in a relationship with others that is an arena for making a difference. Rewards in the contribution game are of a deep and enduring kind, though less predictable than the trio of money, fame, and power that accrue to the winner in the success game. You never know what they will be, or from whence they will come.”
I love how this principle applies to language-based learning challenges: “Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and . . . new opportunities appear.
“Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within. If we were to apply this visionary concept to education, it would be pointless to compare one child to another. Instead, all the energy would be focused on chipping away at the stone, getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child’s developing skills, mastery, and self-expression.”
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How can you help your struggling reader focus on their contribution rather than their perceived deficits? It’s simple, but it’s not easy. You can choose to see their challenges in a new way, through the lens of possibility. Enlarge the box. Model that for them. Use the practical tools scattered throughout my dyslexia blogs and resources. Show them how proud you are of their efforts by being generous with your words of praise, support, and the time you spend together reading and doing other activities. As you do, just watch how the learning challenge that you both once so feared can change.
For a thorough discussion of the social and emotional support needed for children with dyslexia, read my award-winning book, Raising a Child with Dyslexia: What Every Parent Needs to Know, available in softcover, hardcover, eBook, and audio.
Cardboard Box Adventures picture books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the new CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
January 20, 2020
Interview with Audiobook Narrator Stephen Marsden: Raising a Child with Dyslexia
My book Raising a Child with Dyslexia: What Every Parent Needs to Know has been making a big splash. It is being very well received and has even won the New York City Big Book Award best in category in Parenting and Family books.
It also merited a positive review from Publisher’s Weekly:
“[Winn] offers plenty of logical and commonsense advice for parents on countering dyslexia’s negative impact on their kids, all in an easy to follow style…this compassionate work will reward parents in search of guidance.”
—Publishers Weekly
But it was also important to me and the team here at Cardboard Box Adventures that we make the book available on audio format, and I’m pleased to announce that’s it’s now available. We wanted to be sure that the book was available in the most useful form both to visual and auditory learners. And our favorite narrator, Stephen Marsden, PhD, weighs in today about his experience as he brought my book to life on audio. Let’s see what he has to say!
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Don: Stephen, with your decades of experience as a reading teacher, a special ed teacher, and an administrator (Read Stephen’s earlier interview: Bringing Stories to Life), what was it like for you to narrate this book about dyslexia?
Stephen: I thoroughly enjoyed reading your book Raising a Child with Dyslexia. It is well written and full of pertinent and useful information for the reader. As I was reading through your book, it took me back to my early years in education as a reading specialist. I also have to admit that back in the 70s there was not a lot of information about dyslexia and its sibling disabilities. I am pleased that you have captured a true portrayal of what dyslexia is and how it impacts the life of an individual experiencing difficulties in reading, processing information, and coping with these issues.
Don: When you were getting your education, what was the understanding of dyslexia that was presented to caring educators during that time?
Stephen: As I touched upon in my first response, there was not a lot of research and information on dyslexia, its symptoms, its causes, and how to support and treat the individual. All of the disabilities in your book fell under the umbrella of reading disabilities.
Don: Was there anything about dyslexia that surprised you as you narrated this book?
Stephen: It reinforced the significance of using all of the senses when teaching the reluctant reader and/or dyslexic individual. Your book also reiterated the importance of providing knowledge to families of individuals suffering from dyslexia to help them cope with the emotional and social scars this learning difficulty can cause.
Don: What would you like parents and educators to know about this book?
Stephen: Your book is a must read for everyone, not just for parents and educators, but for people in all walks of life. Friends, employers, and employees need to understand how this disability affects an individual socially, emotionally, and academically. It’s extremely important for everyone to be aware that, as you so aptly state in your book, “not everyone learns in the same rate and in the same way.” Understanding, empathy, and support are key in helping all individuals suffering with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and all the other challenges falling under the category of “learning disabilities.”
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Don: What do you feel is the biggest takeaway from this book?
Stephen: The biggest takeaway is the importance of shared reading, vigilant awareness, early diagnosis, and unconditional love and support. I remember reading aloud with my own children as early as one month old. I would have them snuggle in my arms while I read Good Night Moon, Peter Rabbit, stories by Dr. Seuss, and countless other books. Although dyslexia is not curable, the knowledge provided through your writing can and will give peace of mind to parents as they come to understand that their child can and will be able to lead a productive and successful life.
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Don: What would you say is different about this book on dyslexia compared to others you have read?
Stephen: Your book is written with language that is easily understood. Your personal anecdotes, insights, and commitment to sharing information about dyslexia will help anyone struggling with this disease. The information you provide will allow everyone to understand that suffering from dyslexia and its sibling conditions is manageable and will still allow for a full and rewarding life
This is a must read for everyone. If you don’t have time to sit down and read this book from cover to cover, get the audiobook version and listen to the information provided.
Don: Thank you so much Stephen, both for your professional narration skills and for your input on the book’s value from the standpoint of a lifelong educator. I hope that people from all walks of life will benefit from being able to listen to the material in my book, thereby helping as many dyslexics as possible.
Please check out my extensive resources for parents and educators, archived blogs about dyslexia, and inspiring stories for the young readers in your life. In addition to Raising a Child with Dyslexia, check out all the other CBA audiobooks on Audible narrated by Stephen to help your reluctant reader fall in love with great stories!
Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
About Stephen Marsden
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After graduating from Michigan State and earning his Ph.D., Stephen worked for thirty-six years in public education as an educator and administrator, even being honored as the State of Michigan’s Assistant Principal of the year. Upon retirement, he pursued his lifelong dream of entering the field of acting and voice overs, honing his skills through the Michigan Actors Studio. Stephen has narrated over two dozen audiobooks, appeared in TV commercials, and has performed in the lead role in two independent films. Stephen is a Vietnam Veteran and was awarded the Bronze Star in service of his country. He currently resides in Northville, MI, with his wife, Kristine Frogner and their two cats Elmo and Niles. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.
January 7, 2020
2020: A Cautionary Tale?
A mere hundred years ago, after the somber shock of the first world war, mankind was about to enter an era known as “The Roaring Twenties.” And they really roared! With more disposable income than ever before, folks in First World countries had options their grandparents could never have even imagined. Everything changed in a remarkably short span of time: music, fashion, entertainment, accessibility to mind-altering substances, new freedoms for women (including the right to vote in some states), access to comforts, and much more. It was, in short, an era when everything was novel (and therefore provided a big hit of dopamine, making the brain call for “More, more!”), and the world was literally and figuratively on a high. But by 1929, the roaring and endless partying had turned into a different situation entirely. The total financial crash that brought on the Great Depression meant that for over ten years, mere subsistence was nearly impossible for the majority of families.
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Those of us who had parents or grandparents who grew up during that era may remember a strange, sweet nostalgia coming over their faces as they remembered coming of age during the roaring twenties. Secret, mischievous smiles that they were reluctant to share because the memories were too precious, too personal. However, they were equally as reluctant to share the horrors of the reversals of all their dreams as they endured the harsh privations of the Depression.
If they were alive today, our forebears wouldn’t even recognize the planet we live on as we enter our new decade. The gratifications and dopamine triggers available to their generation were nothing compared with what assaults the senses of folks today. The segue has once again been quite brief: Generation X enjoyed fast food, Millennials fast entertainment, but Generation Z has only known instant everything. Instant information. Instant entertainment. Instant communication. And above all, instant gratification. Unlike their parents, they don’t hang out at malls. They shop and socialize online. While there’s still a bit of debate about the exact dates, most agree that Gen Z comprises the 2.25 billion people born between 1990 and 2010. That’s a quarter of the US population, readers! And they’re so habituated to a constant glut of information (and more importantly, to its ease of acquisition) that one study listed their average attention span as 8.25 seconds, which is less than that of a goldfish.
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So here’s a parent’s conundrum: Gen Z makes up the older siblings, babysitters, tutors, role models, and idols of this generation’s elementary and middle school kids. Designated Generation Alpha, these individuals were born after 2010, and they look up to and want to be like their slightly older heroes. The conveniences that are expected (even demanded) by Gen Z will also be expected by Gen A. And while no one I know of is making dire financial prognostications for our next ten or so years, it might be interesting to experiment, as a family, with taking even brief steps away from our instant gratification devices like phones, tablets, and streaming devices, for something like, say, conversation. A meal together. Reading aloud together. You’ll be glad you did.
Cardboard Box Adventures picture books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong pre-literacy foundation for their children. Check out the CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
Source Links:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/275647
December 17, 2019
Things to Do Today: Breathe In, Breathe Out
I’ll keep this brief. For many of us, this may be one of the most hectic times of the year. The busier we get, the easier it is to lose track of the things that really matter—time with our loved ones, our health, the gift of life. It can help to have tools to get re-centered, grounded, calmed, and focused. I have several that I utilize, but one of the most beautiful is a real-time map of the wind patterns in the USA.
Watching these patterns mesmerizes me, reminds me to breathe deeply to connect my environment and my body, and that there is a whole level of energy out there, ever-present, unseen, ancient, timeless. The wind never says, “I don’t have enough time.” It can be gentle, relentless, attention-getting, or even fearsome, but it is a constant in our lives. As a driving force in our atmosphere, it fuels the mutual respirations of all life forms, connecting us with one another. “You are not alone,” says the wind.
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So today, right now if you’d like, take a deep breath or two. See what the patterns of the wind look like right this minute in the location where you currently are or even where people you care about live, and then feel how connected you are together by the breath of life. There will be enough time, and you are not alone.
Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong pre-literacy foundation for their children. Check out the new CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators .
December 3, 2019
Interview with Reading Specialist Faith Borkowsky: If Only I Would Have Known Series
I’m delighted to once again bring you an interview with one of my
favorite educational experts and reading teachers in my blog today. Faith
Borkowsky is the author of one of the best books in the business on teaching
reading, Failing Students or Failing Schools: A Parent’s Guide
to Reading Instruction and Intervention, and has recently
developed an additional series of short educational reads for parents called If
Only I Would Have Known. This series needs to be on the radar for all
parents, educators, and children’s medical practitioners. The goal of these
books is to help parents learn what they need to know about how their child
learns to read and to make parents aware of things they can watch for in order
to detect potential language-based learning difficulties as early as possible.
Don: Faith, you have a new book series called “If Only I Would Have Known.”
Tell us about how you came up with the title and how many books are planned for
the series?
Faith: In my private tutoring practice, just about every conversation I
have had with parents following a reading assessment of their child ended the
same way – “If only I would have known. . .” It was the same story. Teachers
told them their child would be fine. School administrators and educational
support team members assured them the right instruction and interventions were
being provided. I said to myself, “Boy, I could write the script. . .” And then
I had a thought. “Wait a minute. I should write the script!” It was
written as a set of three accessible graphic plays that follow one mom’s
struggle to learn how to help her children with language-based difficulties such
as dyslexia.
Don: Who is the intended audience for the series and what is the
objective of the series?
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Faith: The books are meant to be read by parents before they face
the heartache of seeking help for their children in a school system that won’t
work for them. Parents of children between birth and age five are my target
audience. My hope is that my “If Only I Would Have Known. . .” series will be
made available in pediatricians’ offices, daycare centers, preschools, and
libraries, as well as in maternity wards, where they can be given as gifts for
new parents. The graphic play format hits home important messages without the
subject matter becoming too heavy. I want everyone to be able to identify with
the characters, so the illustrations are all animals drawn in silhouette.
Don: How did you identify the need for these books?
Faith: Look no further than all the children in need of intervention. Instead
of a prevention model, we wait for children to fail and hope that remediation
will work. Prevention is always the better route. Parents need to have this
information early in order to advocate for their children immediately. From
what I have seen, the only parents who know about language, literacy, and
dyslexia are the ones who have suffered with older children and have learned
from their experiences. They became proactive and began to respond preemptively
by watching for red flags and even teaching their own children to read as a way
to “school-proof” them. Parents today do not have the time to sit down and read
lengthy books on important topics. They want concise, straightforward advice. The
“If Only I Would Have Known. . .” series is written for busy parents and
professionals.
Don: What would you like to share about each title?
Faith: In these short, easy-to-understand books, I try to convey the
importance of having members of the community support and educate parents early
enough in the process to change the trajectory for their children. I provide
specific examples of things parents can and should look for to ensure their
children get off to a good start when they begin school.
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In the first book, the main character, Ms. Query, takes her
youngest child to the pediatrician for his annual physical. This visit is different
from prior visits because her pediatrician includes a “literacy checkup.” The
conversation between parent and pediatrician is what every parent of a
struggling reader wishes they had heard from their child’s doctor about
language, literacy, and dyslexia. The book is really about awareness.
In the second book, Ms. Query, now armed with some basic knowledge,
has a conversation with her child’s preschool teacher at the start of the
school year. Readers will learn all about phonological awareness and letter
knowledge along with Ms. Query.
In the last book, Ms. Query visits the local library and speaks to
a librarian about explicit, systematic phonics and books that would be appropriate
for emergent and struggling readers. Ms. Query’s conversation with the
children’s librarian points to a need in the community. The library really needs
to be a resource center for parents.
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Ideally, the books should be read as a set of three in numerical
order; however, each one stands on its own and functions as a roadmap for parents
and other caregivers, pediatricians, preschool teachers, daycare providers, and
librarians without excessive technical language.
Don: I noticed that book one covers sensory processing disorders. Why
is that subject important for parents to be aware of?
Faith: Although sensory issues are not directly related to dyslexia, it
seems to be prevalent in a large number of students with decoding difficulties.
It is not unusual for children to have overlapping problems with fine motor
skills, speech, attention, and sensory processing.
Don: Can you please explain what decoding is?
Faith: The simple definition would be the sounding out of unknown words.
Children must be able to learn letter and sound relationships in order to
pronounce the written word.
Don: Talk to us about the importance of phonics.
Faith: Phonics is the instruction we give children in order to teach
them to decode words. Children are taught letters and letter patterns connected
to the individual sounds in spoken language. Some children can figure out the
alphabetic code without phonics, but many children need to be taught through
explicit, systematic phonics instruction. Without this structure, many children
will not intuitively understand how to blend sounds from left to right through
words. They will default to guessing strategies and use pictures and context
cues to derive meaning. This guessing response becomes habit and does not go
away on its own. This is why it is so important to build phonological awareness
and letter recognition skills early, to teach children to read words correctly,
and to catch the ones who truly need extra support.
Don: Where can we learn more about your series and how to purchase?
Faith: The books are available on Amazon as well as other online book
outlets. There will be no eBooks available because my goal is to have people
read the books and “pay it forward” by sharing with friends and family members.
I invite everyone to visit my website www.highfiveliteracy.com to learn more
about me and my work.
Don: Thank you, Faith. I really like the idea of the entire community
being part of supporting parents with young children. It really does take a
village. And the more we help one another, the richer life can be, and the more
children will get what they need so that they can learn to read well.
Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared
reading and can help parents establish a strong pre-literacy foundation for
their children. Check out the new
CBA Catalog
for a full list of
award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and
educators.
November 19, 2019
The Moment You Make Eye Contact: A Visit to an Elephant Preserve
There are so many things people can experience that defy description: discovering your soul mate, seeing your child for the first time, getting your degree, reaching the summit of the mountain. At times like those, we may experience the sensation of fully landing in that moment and just allowing ourselves to be. It’s as if time stops or slows down and we savor every detail of the moment—the feelings, the smells, the sounds…every sense is heightened. We take a deep breath, and with that breath we may realize how connected we truly are with our world and the things and beings in it.
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For me, experiences that produce this effect have always
involved nature. Seeing the birth of an animal, riding a horse as it gallops
across a field, holding a puppy, watching a bird build its nest, each of these
fills me with wonder. But one experience I rarely get to indulge in involves my
love for elephants. In my travels, I recently visited a preserve where
elephants were the star attraction, and for me it was magical.
Looking into the eyes of an elephant is to peer into an old
soul. The moment I make eye contact, there’s a feeling of connecting with an
ancient wisdom, with a fellow-creature that understands what life is all about.
Pain, sensitivity, strength, family values, tenacity, hope, and a search for
moments of joy all shine out of those deep, clear amber orbs. And their many
sounds or vocalizations add to their mystique. From clicks and barks that are
almost dog-like to low rumbling sounds that literally vibrate through the human
body, elephants have a lot to say.
Elephants can live for up to seventy years and are not only
the largest land mammals, but they are also the only ones that grieve for their
family members as humans do. They shed tears when they are upset and trumpet
with joy when they are having a good time, such as when they are swimming or
cavorting in the water.
It’s not easy being an elephant: both African and Asian
elephants have such reduced environments that it’s difficult for them to find
enough to eat. It can take them 16 to 18 hours or more every day to forage for
the 200-500 pounds of leaves, roots, stems, bark, grass, and fruit that they
need to survive. On top of all that, an elephant needs about 50 gallons of
water a day, which is not always easy to find.
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Their trunk—which has no bones but instead contains over
40,000 different muscles which are divided into 150,000 muscle units—isn’t a
straw to drink through. Elephants drink by filling their trunks partway with
water and then spraying that water into their mouth. In contrast to the
elephant’s muscular trunk, the entire human body contains only 639 muscles. The
elephant’s trunk is sensitive enough to pick up a dime, yet strong enough to
uproot and move an entire tree when necessary. Elephants also use their trunks
as an expressive means of communicating with their young and their fellow herd
members. Elephants are very contact-driven; they touch each other a lot to
comfort, soothe, and communicate with one another.
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If you’ve never had the privilege of touching an elephant,
allow me to share my experience. Their skin is about an inch thick, warm to the
touch, highly textured, and yet sensitive. Elephants are covered with wiry
hair, literally the texture of a wire brush, and have eyelashes that are over
two inches long. The elephants I interacted with loved being given a bath,
brushed with a scrub brush, and scratched. They were very patient and even
seemed indulgent as those of us in the group interacted with them, and they
often closed their eyes as the contact from their human groomers felt pleasant
to them. Elephants know how to live in the moment, which is always a good
reminder for humans living our relentlessly fast-paced lives.
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Elephants are fiercely loyal and communal. Herds are comprised
of females and young males. Mature males live a mostly solitary life, but the
females are together constantly, and all take part in nurturing the young of
the herd. The oldest and largest female in the herd is the matriarch, and it is
her responsibility to make major decisions for the herd (usually about 6-12
elephants), know where the food and water needed for the day will come from,
watch for the safety of the herd, and teach young cows how to care for their
young.
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One of the many lessons elephants can teach us is the value of
matriarchs. In this part of the world, older people, particularly women, are
often marginalized and even isolated and neglected. But they have so much value
as human beings, and so much to teach us!
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My grandmother and great aunt had a significant, positive
impact on my early life that stays with me to this day. How much could you and
your family learn from an older person in your family or community? Spending
time together will reveal the wealth of wisdom and life perspective provided by
such precious elders, as well as bring great joy and connection to those who might
otherwise be isolated. Looking into their eyes, their soul, and making a
meaningful connection is something you’ll never forget.
Cardboard Box Adventures
Picture Books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a
strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the new
CBA Catalog
for a full list of
award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and
educators.
November 5, 2019
What the British Know that We Need to Learn: A Visit to the Steeping Room
I’ve blogged before about the power of rituals and the deeply meaningful way they can calm us and help us re-center. Rituals are an especially important part of life for families to share together as a way of connecting, communicating, and making memories. Today’s blog interview focuses on an accessible, enjoyable, calming activity that I can’t recommend highly enough.
My wife and I were never blessed with a daughter, so I’ve
never observed this precise phenomenon firsthand, but my wife assures me that it’s
a real thing: little girls love having tea parties. She and her sister spent countless
hours with their toy teapot and teacups, getting all dressed up in their best
finery, sitting on the floor of their room and sipping tea from tiny cups,
pinkies extended, having “pretend” grown-up conversations. It makes me smile to
imagine the fun they must have had.
But tea’s charisma doesn’t stop in childhood. Our friends
across the pond love their tea ritual so much that they carve out time from
their busy schedule every single day for a fourth eating event—teatime. What do
the Brits know that we need to learn? What is it about this elixir that makes
it so special, that connects people?
Thankfully, a locally owned restaurant called The Steeping Room has begun
what I hope will become for me a long and luxurious association with the fine
art of selecting, steeping, and sipping tea with the people I love. Let me
introduce you to one of the owners, Emily Morrison, and we’ll see what tea can
bring to you and your loved ones.
Don: Many families have a box of tea
bags in their cupboard and don’t think much past that possibility. But tea is a
much broader subject than that. How would you define “tea” and what
can it be brewed from?
Emily: From a technical point of view, tea is defined as a beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. There are loads of delicious and healthful infused herbal infusions that we commonly call “tea,” but so that we can be really specific and narrow down the topic—true tea is generally defined as an infusion of Camellia sinensis leaves.
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Don: What are your favorite aspects
of the tea-making and tea-drinking ritual? What do those aspects add to the
quality of your life?
Emily: Gosh, I genuinely love every
single part of the tea-making and tea-drinking ritual. I even love the process
of deciding which tea to drink—to give a moment’s reflection to “how do I feel
now, what do I have to do in the next couple of hours, and how would I like to
feel?” Different teas offer different somatic effects. Some teas require more
focus to make and enjoy than other teas. So you have to ask yourself, “How much
time do I have? How much tea have I had already and how much more would I like
to drink today?”
I think my favorite part of the tea-making/drinking ritual
though…if I have to pick one…is the evaluation and appreciation of the
aromas. Don’t get me wrong…I love the way tea makes me feel and the way it
tastes and all of the other parts, but I get pretty giddy enjoying the aromas
the dry leaves have to offer when they’re first warmed up in the warm teapot
before we hit them with hot water and I adore checking out the aromas that
linger in the cup after I’ve finished that particular steeping.
Of course, I also deeply enjoy and even chase after the
somatic sensations of really good tea. I love getting tea high! After years of
drinking tea, I pretty much don’t drink tea that makes me feel weird, edgy or
overly jittery. If it doesn’t feel good to me, I toss it out.
It’s easy enough to just drink tea and enjoy and learn about
tea and dig in a little…but tea really started giving back to me when I
committed to focusing on making the best tea I could in that moment. When I
re-focus and pay attention to the tea that I’m making, then I’m honoring the tea,
the tea maker, and the earth, as well as giving myself the space to just be
with tea and not have to be “productive.” Like most people, I spend a lot of my
day squishing out every last ounce of productivity I can muster, so to take the
time to really focus on something I love gives back a lot to me.
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Don: Running a restaurant is an
ambitious and time-consuming vocation. What made you and your partner want to
share your love of tea with the community through The Steeping Room?
Emily: Honestly, I wish I had a better origin story for this question. The main impetus for The Steeping Room originally came from Amy, my partner. I was in a place in my life where I felt like I had finally “graduated” from restaurant work and so the thought of opening a business that served beverages and/or food was not really at the top of my mind. Slowly but surely a vision came together that we could agree upon and a lot of the vision started by imagining a space where people could come and the environment itself would allow for relaxation and restoration. I think Amy and I probably both share a deep affection for old school hippie, communal, healing spaces and we had the energy of that sort of place in mind and wanted to offer top-notch teas in a place that had that easygoing, earthy, open-hearted environment. That was the plan, but that’s not exactly what happened as we ended up opening our first location in The Domain, which is not what I’d call a relaxing, low-key environment.
Don: Why do you think so many
cultures have incorporated the brewing and sharing of tea into their rituals?
Emily: I genuinely believe that there
is something very special about the tea plant itself. Chemically speaking it
has this exquisite mixture of caffeine (which is of course stimulating) with
l-theanine (which increases your alpha waves and creates a feeling of
relaxation). But there is more to it than that. Tea has been revered and used
medicinally for many millennia…long before it became just a “beverage.” I don’t
really have the expertise to explain it, but from all of the surrounding
evidence about how tea has been appreciated over time all over the globe…it’s
an obvious conclusion that there is something very special about the tea plant.
Don: Your menu and website describe
certain teas as having an “energy” to them. Can you tell us a bit
more about that?
Emily: Well…this is right on the topic of question number 4 above!! When we allow a tea plant to flourish as close to possible in its natural state and don’t try to push more and more leaves out of the plant to have a higher yield, the tea plant can be in a healthy, balanced state. Those are the kinds of teas that naturally have a beautiful qi or energy and once one drinks those teas, the tea becomes a part of you and so your body. The “energy” is often explained away as being an effect of the caffeine and/or the caffeine/l-theanine combination, but there is more to it than that. When you get the chance to taste a tea made from old trees grown from seed, there is an obvious difference in the somatic and energetic effect of that tea versus one that is made more industrially, with little regard to the longevity of the plant itself beyond its commercial usefulness.
I think the ability to sense the energy of tea requires some
practice and of course an open mind, though I have had teas that completely
knocked me on my buns almost immediately.
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Don: Life seems to be moving at an
ever more rapid pace, with expediency superseding a quality experience. How can
parents help their kids disconnect electronically by enjoying some “slow food
and beverages” together?
Emily: Gosh, this is a hard one for me. I don’t have children, but I see a lot of children at the restaurant enjoying tea and time with their parents or other relatives. I thoroughly enjoy watching kids have the opportunity to have quality time with their parents. A lot of parents seem to make a ritual out of going to The Steeping Room with their kids. No one has their phones or pads out. They’re just spending time together like they do every week at our restaurant and it’s freakin’ adorable.
Don: What classes would you recommend
for readers interested in learning more?
Emily: Well, we offer a lot of tea
classes most Monday evenings. I’m taking a short break while I develop some new
content, but I definitely recommend Tea 101 and then Gong Fu Steeping after
that. After those two or in lieu of those two, anyone can just dive into the
classes that interest them. They’re generally focused on specific categories of
tea like Black tea, White tea, Heicha, etc.
I also recommend my friend Suzette Hammond’s Being Tea program that she offers online. She
has lots of classes specifically on Tea and Meditation that are amazing.
Tea can be so many things to so many people. It’s a huge tea
world with so many directions to go. If you’re interested in tea, I highly
recommend buying the best tea that you can afford in small amounts and take the
time to really observe how it tastes and how it feels in your mouth, throat and
your body. Try to turn off or turn down your linear brain and just be with the
tea. Just drink the tea.
Don: Thank you so much, Emily, for
making time to share your tea wisdom with our readers.
Families have never been so busy and had so many distractions.
Perhaps you and your family will decide to take a step back from that frenetic
pace, put down your devices, brew a pot of warm tea together, and enjoy a calm,
loving family experience. You’ll be glad you did. And who knows? You may decide
that teatime needs to be a regular part of family life. Just drink the tea.
Cardboard Box Adventures Picture Books are great for shared reading and can help parents establish a strong preliteracy foundation for their children. Check out the new CBA Catalog for a full list of award-winning picture books, chapter books, and resources for parents and educators.
