6 Aug 2007	Patriotism is a Growing Concern Patriotism is a growing concern in our nation today. One of the ways to teach children patriotism is to have them be in an informative play or program. Many schools and teachers are looking for programs to fit this description that are easy to put on and take very little practice time to present. With all the teaching and testing that teachers are required to do for the “No Child Left Behind” idea has left them with little time to do the creative programs for their students.
6 Aug 2007	The Bald Eagle, National Symbol of the United States of America For many years I taught my fifth grade students about the symbols of the United States of America. Over the years I have grown to love our national symbol, the American Bald Eagle. Many students are shocked to learn that our national symbol is not the flag, but the Bald Eagle.
6 Aug 2007	Showcase PE Skills Instead of Music Skills Students in Elementary Schools love to share their talents and to basically ‘show off’. Teachers have found a multitude of ways to let them share their talents and knowledge through Science Fairs, History Days, Plays, Musicals, Programs, Spelling Bees and many other things, but rarely have they done anything with PE Skills other than to play sports.
6 Aug 2007	The Dreaded Word Thong Being a teacher I have to be very careful with my vocabulary. Even when I am pronouncing words I must be careful so that the students do not misinterpret what I say. If I do not do this then there can be some very embarrassing moments because the student has misheard or misunderstood what I said. I want to be a good example to my students and use words appropriately and avoid embarrassing moments. Using less familiar words help the students build vocabulary and some of them enjoy looking up words they do not know or trying to figure out what I said..
9 Jul 2007	Any One Can Teach Any one can teach. How many of you have heard this? Well, I’m here to tell you that this is false. Everyone can teach, but not in a classroom. Some yea5rs ago the newspaper reported of a very successful lawyer who had always dreamed of being a teacher. He had made a lot of money as a lawyer and decided to follow his dream and become a teacher. He became a teacher and because he was a very successful lawyer he felt that he could be a very successful teacher. He started in September and lasted until Christmas and then resigned. It was too much work.
8 Jul 2007	Teacher Friendly Programs/Plays Thirty seven years spent in an ordinary average classroom has given me a lot of insight into what is a teacher friendly program. Teacher friendly programs realize that teachers are always under the gun when it comes to time. Their time for putting on a program is very limited with all the other things that require their time.
30 May 2007	PE PARENT PROGRAMS The question then becomes why do we not do a culminating program at the end of the year and display those skills to the parents? If parents saw how much work the students really do in PE then they might not want them to sit out.
28 Apr 2007	PE Performance Programs After retiring I had a Physical Education teacher come to me and ask if I could write a program to showcase the skills she teaches in Physical Education classes. What an interesting idea. Most school programs and plays are put on on the stage so that the audience can see the students. How do you show off basketball skills and track skills on a stage.
27 Feb 2007	Not a Chance in a Centillion HUGE NUMBERS   Sometimes saying the name of a number is not very impressive, but when you look at it, it seems overwhelming.  Here is a look at some of those numbers.   One googol-------------10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,                                       000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000                                       000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,             Now, next time your teenager asks to take the car to take all his friends to the mall and you say “Not one chance in a centillion” you will be able to visualize what you are really saying.  Or maybe better yet let him see it and he’ll realize what you are really saying.  “No!”
3 Feb 2007	10 Qualities You Find in Good Students and Good Citizens Over the years I have found 10 qualities in students that make them good students.  To me a good student is not always the student that gets an A.  Some students can get an A without even trying and they will take any path they need to, to get that A.  Then there are those students that work their little hearts out and get a B or even sometimes a C and they are much better students that the A student talked about above.  A student is someone that wants to learn and study to make himself better.
23 Jan 2007	KIDS IDEAS ARE WINNERS One of the best ideas for making a fun school program is to listen to the kids.  Children have very active imaginations and they are not shy about expressing their ideas.  If you are open to their ideas you can give your programs zip and humor.  It also gives the children ownership to the program.  Here are a few ideas that the students have come up with in some of my programs.
16 Dec 2006	USE OF POWER POINTS IN PROGRAMS   If you have the equipment for displaying power points in auditoriums or gymnasiums then the use of Power Point Programs during a program can be very effective.  They can use them to emphasis a point or usually to bring about an emotional impact on those that are watching.  One caution should be don’t over do them.  One power point per program is enough.
16 Dec 2006	WAYS TO GET SHY STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAMS   Some times getting a shy student to participate is very difficult.  You can beg or demand, but to those students it will not be a fun experience and they may start to not like you for making them do it.  School programs should be fun and memorable experiences for those that participate.  They should be a time to shine and display talents.  For a shy student it is even more important that they participate and feel like they are part of the program.       Here are some ways to get a shy person to participate willingly.
8 Dec 2006	TEACHERS Over the many years that I have taught I have seen one fact that is always constant.  TEACHERS.  Teachers are the backbone of the education system.  They are the ones that are on the front lines of the war against ignorance.  They are not only required to teach core subjects they are expected to teach citizenship, responsibilities, manners, cleanliness, safety from all the bad things of the world and each year more responsibilities are shifted from the home to the school system.  The compensation they receive in comparison to their responsibility is pitiful.  But dispite the pitiful compensation they keep teaching because they love kids. Your teachers deserve a break, not a little break, but a big break.  They need adequate compensation for all they do.  They are the bottom line and are the ones that accomplish the goal of a district.  They TEACH.
6 Dec 2006	WHAT TIME IS IT, ANYWAYS? An Article for Retiring School Teachers WHAT TIME IS IT, ANYWAYS? By Caroline S. Mackay May 2006             Well ladies I hate to be the one to inform you, but Father Time has caught up with you.  The first time you set foot in this school you found out real fast that you would not just be killing time and you would have plenty of time to do all the things you wanted.  At the time you thought that it would be a long time before it would be time to go.
21 Nov 2006	Creating a Successful School Christmas Program School Christmas Programs or Plays can be difficult to say the least.  Children are hyper because of the thoughts of the holidays.  Teachers are anxious and do not want to have an added burden.  Parents have so many other appointments on their calendar that this because just another “thing” that I have to do.  All in all, with the negative vibrations given out by all the stress, Christmas programs need to be something special to be a success.   Here are some suggestions to make for a “stress less” Christmas Program.
13 Nov 2006	Rhyming and School Plays/Programs      If you want to do only a minimal amount of practice when it comes to a school play / program then put it to rhyme.
11 Nov 2006	Curing Art Idea Droughts in Elementary Students Art in children encourages them to develop the creative part of their brain.  Many students as they progress through elementary school stop drawing for a variety of reasons.  Maybe they think their picture isn't as good as the student next to them, but most of all it is because they are in an "idea drought".  They just need some help coming up with the initial idea and then their minds can take off.
20 Oct 2006	Curing an "Idea Drought" What is an ART START?  An ART START is an idea that a student or child can use to build on for an art project.  Art in children encourages them to develop the creative part of their brain.  Many students as they progress through elementary school, stop drawing for a variety of reasons.  Maybe they think their picture isn't as good as the student next to them, but most of all it is because they are in an "idea drought".
16 Oct 2006	Patriotism   To summarize some of the most important parts for a patriotic program is: Take the time to do a patriotic program at least one a year Talk about the symbols that represent our country Choose an appropriate day to celebrate Include patriotic music Include pictures Post the Colors and Retreive the Colors of the United States of America
16 Oct 2006	Red Ribbon Week Origin           When Red Ribbon Week started back in 1988 it was to honor a young DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) Agent by the name of Enrique Camarena.  His friends knew him by the name of “Kiki” .  He was kidnapped and killed in Mexico back in 1985.  He had uncovered a multi-billion dollar drug scam which might have involved the Mexican Army, police force and government.  When he left his office one day, five men kidnapped him.  He was found about a month later buried in a shallow grave.  He had been tortured and beaten.              In 1988 the U.S. Congress proclaimed the first Red Ribbon Week supporting the cause that “Kiki” had given his life for.  It is one of the first times that ribbons were used to support a cause, the fight against drugs.  Now ribbons are used all the time to show support for missing children, fights against diseases etc.              Using fun plays, skits, and programs during this week is a way to get students involved in the fight against drugs.  Audience participation helps students to reinforce their stand against drugs.

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