Dear Teach: Back-to-School

Hi Boys and Girls,

Well, it is that time of year. You know the one where you get butterflies in your stomach, and you can't fall asleep too readily, and perhaps if you are lucky, your parent purchases a new pair of sneakers, and clothes, and binders, and pencils--even digital devices; and you check out teachers' websites, and you worry a bit, and then there are tests, and homework, and, and, and, and ...and you get what I mean, right?

So, knowing what all lies ahead, or maybe not really knowing what lies ahead, but wanting it to be an all right new year, for after all it is a brand new start full of hope for better days, more friends, better grades, fun times, better schedules, and so on-- keep a few things in mind.

Here's the first:

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

by Langston Hughes

Write this poem somewhere in your new binder, keep it private, and if at anytime during your 10 month school year things begin to look glum, read it, think about it, and know you can have that dream. ALWAYS. Know that. As long as it is a good dream, a personal idea you aspire to have, to be, to reach someday, that is not one that causes harm to anyone: know that it is yours to have.

Here's a second:

Remembering Your "A B C's"

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits 
Believe in yourself 
Consider things from every angle 
Don't give up and don't give in 
Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come 
Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches 
Give more than you planned to 
Hang on to your dreams 
Ignore those who try to discourage you 
Just do it 
Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier Love yourself first and most 
Make it happen 
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal 
Open your eyes and see things as they really are 
Practice makes perfect 
Quitters never win and winners never quit 
Read, study and learn about everything important in your life 
Stop procrastinating 
Take control of your own destiny 
Understand yourself in order to better understand others 
Visualize it 
Want it more than anything 
X-accelerate your efforts 
You are unique of all God's creations nothing can replace you 
Zero in on your target and go for it !

Wanda Carter

Download Wanda Carter's A B C's. Place it in your binder or beside your night stand. Check off one tip you want to think about. Maybe choose one a day or focus on one for the week. This should be a casual yet a reflective exercise. 

Think about it in happy and friendly terms.  

Perhaps you will decide what you can do to reach a goal that seems unattainable. Think about it before you go to sleep, and visualize yourself having reached the goal. 

Smile. Be happy. The work has already been done. Listen to your inner voice, it will never fail you, but you must be attentive. 

The "how's" will arrive, but for the moment, just be assured you already have reached this goal or dream.

Be well kids!

Wishing you all a wonderful new school year.

The Teach.

Dear Teach: Mother's Day

Hi Boys and Girls,
This year's Mother's Day celebration is on Sunday, May 12th. I am sure you are all so very appreciative of the wonderful things your moms do for you. 

Some sources indicate the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day in the US began prior to 1907, but by 1910 it became a tradition that paid tribute and honored mothers and the role they played. 

On May 12, 1907  Anna Javis held a private celebration in West Virginia in memory of her mother. One source claimed that she played a key role in arranging a church service that attracted 407 mothers and their children. 

But in 1868 prior to Anna Javis's efforts, her mother Ann Javis has been credited with establishing a "Mother's Friendship Day" for the purposes of reuniting families that had been divided during the Civil War. Ann's daughter Anna would continue her mother's efforts, but it wasn't until much later that the holiday was officially established.

A Mother's Day International Association was also founded in 1912 to promote the holiday in other countries.

Today it is celebrated by sending cards, or giving gifts to mothers. Some common Mother's Day gifts consist of giving chocolates, carnations, clothing, jewelry, or a day where moms just relax and it is not uncommon for many children to make Mother's Day cards at school. 

Here's a few samples of Mother's Day cards:

Handmade Mother's Day Cards

Mother's Day celebrations in May and in March occur all around the world, from Afghanistan to Syria, from Qatar to Mozambique, from India to Portugal, and in many more places. Some nations, however,  celebrate International Women's Day instead.

Mother's Day Celebration in the Netherlands, 1925

How sweet!

A song about mothers

Here's a poem to think about written by Langston Hughes. He wrote this poem when he was 21. It is titled Mother to Son:

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

What lesson was the Mother giving her son?

What lessons have your mothers taught you?


Here is another poem by Hughes titled 
I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins. 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. 

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. 

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. 

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset. 

I've known rivers: Ancient, dusky rivers. 

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Although, it is about rivers, it could just as easily be about Mothers.

Think about the ways in which it could represent Mothers.

One thing is certain, in the end, mothers love their children unconditionally.

So, regardless where you live and whether you buy her flowers or make a card, remembering your mother is a timeless celebration, for where would we all be if it hadn't been for Mothers?

Here's a scroll ready for you to download
and fill out for your mom

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS AROUND THE WORLD--
And yes, you are ALL loved by your children! 
Right kids?

Be well guys,

The Teach