The Princess and The Frog

I have always believed that you should never judge someone by how they look. You should get to know them first and find out who they truly are. Here is one of my favorite stories about not judging and accepting others for who they are.

Once upon a time there was a Princess.  Many a suitor came to the palace to win her hand in marriage, but it seemed to the Princess that each one of them looked at her without really seeing her at all.  

“They act like there’s nothing more to a princess than her fine crown and royal dresses,” she said to herself with a frown.

One afternoon after one of these visits, the Princess thought, “Sometimes I wish I were little again.” She found her favorite ball from childhood, the one that sparkled when she threw it up high to the sun.  She took the ball to the palace yard and threw it higher and higher. One time she threw it extra high and when she ran to catch the ball, she tripped on a tree stump. The ball fell and plopped right down into the royal well!  She raced over to fetch her ball before it dropped too far, but by the time she got there she could no longer see it in the water.

The ball fell and plopped down into the royal well!

“Oh no!” she moaned, “This is terrible!”  Just then a small green frog poked its head above the water.  

“Maybe I can help you,” said the Frog.

“Yes,” said the Princess. “Please get my ball!”

“No problem,” said the Frog.  “But first there’s something I must ask of you.”

“What do you mean?” said the Princess.

“It’s for you to spend time with me today,” said the Frog.

“I’m not sure I know what that means,” said the Princess.

“Just spend time with me today,” repeated the Frog.

“All right then, fine!” said the Princess.  “Now please, get my ball!”

“I’m on it,” said the Frog.  He dived deep into the well. A few moments later, up he came with the ball held high in one hand.

“Thank you,” said the Princess, taking it from him.  

She turned to go.

“Wait a minute!” said the Frog.  “You promised to spend time with me today!”

“I already did,” she said with a shrug.  And the Princess walked back to the palace.

That night at dinner with her family and the royal advisers, there was a knock on the door.  The servant opened the door and saw no one there. The Frog, standing down low, cleared his throat. “The Princess promised to spend time with me today,” said the Frog in as loud a voice as he could.  “So here I am.”

That night at dinner with her family and the royal advisers, there was a knock on the door.

“Daughter!” said the King from the far end of the table.  “Did you promise to spend time with this Frog, as he claims?”

“Sort of,” said the Princess.  After a pause, she added, “Oh very well, come on in.”

The servants quickly set a new place setting for the Frog, and he hopped over to the royal dining table.

Conversation turned to a topic of concern in the kingdom.  None of the royal advisers knew what to do.

“Father, if I may,” said the Princess.  “Perhaps we could–“

“Stop!” said the King, cutting her off.  “I have enough advisors, believe me.”

“If I may,” said the Frog, and it was the first time he had spoken at the table.  “There’s more to a princess than her fine crown and royal dresses.”

The Princess stared at the Frog. How could this little frog – more than anyone else – understand such a thing?

“If I may,” said the Frog, and it was the first time he has spoken at the table.

After dinner, the Frog bowed to the Princess.  He said, “You have done what you said you would do.  I suppose it’s time now for me to go.”

“No wait!” said the Princess, “it’s not that late.  How about a walk in the garden?”

The Frog was delighted.  The two of them walked in the royal garden, the Frog hopping along the stone wall so he and the Princess were at the same level and could talk easily.  They laughed about many things. Later, when the sun set, they admired the deep rosy reds it cast in the sky.

The Princess said, “You know, being with you tonight was a lot more fun than I thought.”

“I had a very good time, too,” said the Frog.

“Who knew?” said the Princess with a laugh. She leaned over and kissed the Frog lightly on his cheek.

At once, there was a puff of clouds and smoke.  The small green frog had changed into a young prince!  The Princess jumped back in surprise, and who could blame her?  The Prince quickly told her not to worry, that all was well. Years before, an evil witch had put a spell on him that he must stay a frog until he was kissed by a princess.  The witch had laughed an evil laugh, saying, “Like THAT will ever happen!” But it did!

Now the Prince and Princess could get to know each other better.  Years later, after they were married, they had a beautiful setting made for the ball and placed it on their royal dining table.  And when the sunlight shone in through the palace windows, the ball sparkled for all to see.

How many times have we ignored others that come into our life because they do not look the right way? Yet, underneath the looks there is a person with great talents and abilities just waiting to get to know you! And who knows it could even be a Prince or a Princess!

Enjoy the video!

Its May!

My favorite month of the year is here! You guessed it, May. There are lots of reasons that May is my favorite month, one reason is that my birthday is in May. I also love the smells, colors, and songs of the birds. Here is a poem that fits the month of May.

OVER IN THE MEADOW                                By Jean Warren

Over the meadow And under a log Lived some little black bugs And a big green frog.  Over in the meadow And in a tree Lived some baby blue birds And busy yellow bees.  Over in the meadow Where wildflowers grow, Orange and purple butterflies Flutter to and fro.  Over in the meadow Where white cows graze Little red ladybugs Up and fly away! I love to hear the song of frogs and crickets. Indeed, May is a perfect month for me. We get out of school in May. I plant my garden in May. All good things happen in May. Yet, this May will be harder because I miss my friends at school. It is different, I have to stay at home just like you do. I think a new favorite month will be August because that is when everyone will come back to school! In the mean time keep doing those vital behaviors for success that I have mentioned before. Here they are again in case you forgot. Continue to follow them and you will have success in school and in life. 1.       Go to bed early and get plenty of sleep. 2.       Wake up at the same time each morning, do not sleep in. 3.       Have a good breakfast. 4.       Have a set schedule of what schoolwork you have and when you are going to do it. 5.       Take break times and have fun. 6.       Communicate with your teacher daily. 7.       Have fun and make the most of this unique experience.

You Can't Please Everyone

Have you ever had someone tell you that your shoes were not good enough or that your clothes are not good enough. Perhaps they were critical of you musical ability and did not like the way you preformed. 

 Do you typically worry about what others think? Here is a story about a farmer who worried about what others thought of him and reacted to every criticism that was passed his way. Read it and we will discuss it at the end.

https://www.shortkidstories.com/story/miller-son-donkey/

The Miller, His Son, and The Donkey

ONCE upon a time there was a miller who lived in a little house beside his mill. All day long he worked hard, but at night he went home to his wife and his little boy.

One day this miller made up his mind that he would take his donkey to the fair and sell it. So he and his boy said farewell to their lady and started off. They had not gone far when they met a number of girls coming from the town.

“Look!” said one of them. “Did you ever see such stupid fellows? They are walking when one of them might be riding.”

When the miller heard this he told the boy get up on the donkey, while he tramped along merrily by its side. Soon they came to a number of old men standing by the side of the road talking together.

“Look at that,” said one of them, “Look at that young rascal riding, while his poor father has to walk. Get down, you idle fellow, and let your father ride.”

Upon this the son got down from the donkey, and the miller took his place. They had not gone very far when they met two women coming home from market.

“You lazy old man!” they cried at once. “How dare you ride when your poor little boy is walking and can hardly keep pace with you?”

Then the miller, who was a good-natured man, took his son up behind him, and in this way they went to the town.

“My good fellow,” said a townsman whom they met, “is that donkey your own?”

“Yes,” replied the miller.

“I should not have thought so, by the way you load him,” said the man. “Why, you two are better able to carry the beast than he is to carry you.”

“Well,” said the miller, “we can but try.”

So he and his son got down, and tied the legs of the donkey together. Then they slung him on a pole, and carried him on their shoulders. It was such a funny sight that the people laughed and jeered at them.

The poor donkey was very uncomfortable, and tried hard to get off the pole. At last, as they were passing over a bridge, he pulled his legs out of the rope and tumbled to the ground. He was so frightened that he jumped off the bridge into the river and was drowned.

Obviously, the poor farmer and his son were so worried about pleasing everyone one else that they could not do the right thing. Have we been so frozen in action because we are worried about what others will think? 

Many of us act, dress, and talk in ways that others would approve. This helps us be popular at least in our own minds. In the end, we might not know who we are or what our opinions are because we have listened to everybody else. Hopefully, we can learn to be our own self's and be happy with our own opinion. We don't have to listen to what everyone says. We can just listen to our parents and a few close friends that we trust. 

Here is the youtube video of the day. I hope you enjoy it!

The Little Red Hen

I have always enjoyed the story of the Little Red Hen. There are several different versions of this story. In every version however, the Little Red Hen and the other animals learn something. Read the story below and we will discuss some lessons we learned at the end.

Little Red Hen found a grain of wheat.

“Who will plant this?” she asked.

“Not I,” said the cat.

“Not I,” said the goose.

“Not I,” said the rat.

“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.

So she buried the wheat in the ground. After a while it grew up yellow and ripe.

“The wheat is ripe now,” said Little Red Hen. “Who will cut and thresh it?”

“Not I,” said the cat.

“Not I,” said the goose.

“Not I,” said the rat.

“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.

So she cut it with her bill and threshed it with her wings. Then she asked, “Who will take this wheat to the mill?”

“Not I,” said the cat.

“Not I,” said the goose.

“Not I,” said the rat.

“Then I will,” said Little Red Hen.

So she took the wheat to the mill, where it was ground. Then she carried the flour home.

So she made and baked the bread.

Then she said, “Now we shall see who will eat this bread.”

“We will,” said cat, goose, and rat.

“I am quite sure you would,” said Little Red Hen, “if you could get it.”

Then she called her chicks, and they ate up all the bread. There was none left at all for the cat, or the goose, or the rat.

Little Red Hen Story

In other versions of the story the Little Red Hen shared with the farm animals and had compassion on them. The Little Red Hen in this version would only share with her chicks.

We could find several morals to the story. The one I want to talk about today is called "The Law of The Harvest." This law is simple, in order to eat something, you have to plant something. Right now, I am planting peas in my garden. My whole family helps. In June, when the peas are ripe, the whole family enjoys eating the peas and sharing them with others.

Do you think that the hen would have shared the bread if the animals helped her? I think so, but the animals choose to do nothing about the situation.

In other versions of the story, the animals were starving for food. Yet they still did not help the hen. You can sit around and be upset and depressed all that you want, but this behavior will not help you or your family. Like the Red Hen, we need to contribute to our fellow man. The hen possibly could have shared a small portion for each animal. This would be in hopes that next time the animals would help.

The animals had a way out of their situation, but choose to sit still and do nothing. They let life pass  them by and then it was to late. I hope that we can all be like the hen and not the other animals. Now here is a video if the "Little Red Hen."

Be Happy With Who You Are

We often spend a lot of time trying to be somebody else. Or we try to have what others have in the way of possessions, status, popularity, money, etc. Here is a short fable from Aesop that shows what trying to be like somebody else results in.

http://www.taleswithmorals.com/aesop-fable-the-frog-and-the-ox.htm

"Oh Father," said a little Frog to the big one sitting by the side of a pool, "I have seen such a terrible monster! It was as big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it had hoofs divided in two."

"Tush, child, tush," said the old Frog, "that was only Farmer White's Ox. It isn't so big either; he may be a little bit taller than I, but I could easily make myself quite as broad; just you see."

So he blew himself out, and blew himself out, and blew himself out. "Was he as big as that?" asked he.

"Oh, much bigger than that," said the young Frog.

Again the old one blew himself out, and asked the young one if the Ox was as big as that.

"Bigger, father, bigger," was the reply.

So the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and blew and blew, and swelled and swelled and swelled.

And then he said: "I'm sure the Ox is not as big as this." But at this moment he burst.

Trying to be like Ox made the father frog burst. How often do we get caught trying to keep up with somebody else and in the end it hurts us one way or the other. Enjoy the video below and have a great weekend.

Good News, Bad News

I know that the recent announcement to keep schools closed until the end of the school year has created a lot of anxiety and fear. People are afraid of the unknown. Usually, when a bad thing has happened, there is advanced notice most of the time.

Often, after the bad thing has happened, it actually becomes a good thing and we find out the we have grown as a result. Read the story below and then we will discuss it.

One day in late summer, a farmer was working in his field with his old sick horse. The farmer felt compassion for the horse and desired to lift its burden. So he let his horse loose to go the mountains and live out the rest of its life.

Soon after, neighbors from the nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, “What a shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are! You must be very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?” The farmer replied: “Who could say? We shall see.”

Two days later the old horse came back rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainside while eating the wild grasses. Returning with him were twelve new and healthy horses which followed the old horse into the corral.

Word got out in the village of the farmer’s good fortune and it wasn’t long before people stopped by to congratulate him on his good luck. “How fortunate you are!” they exclaimed. You must be very happy!” The farmer softly said, “Who could say? We shall see.”

At daybreak on the next morning, the farmer’s only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the farmer’s son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. One by one the villagers arrived to bemoan the farmer’s latest misfortune. “Oh, what a tragedy you have had! Your son won’t be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You’ll have to do all the work yourself. How will you survive? You must be very sad,” they said. Calmly going about his usual business the farmer answered, “Who could say? We shall see.”

Several days later a war broke out. The Emperor’s men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with them to be conscripted into the Emperor’s army. As it happened the farmer’s son was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. “What very good fortune you have!!” the villagers exclaimed as their own young sons were marched away. “You must be very happy.” “Who could say? We shall see.” replied the farmer as he headed off to work his field alone.

As time went on the broken leg healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay their condolences. “Oh what bad luck you have; too bad for you!” But the farmer replied simply, “Who could say? We shall see.”

As it turned out the other young village boys died in the war and the farmer and his son were the only able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The farmer became wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: “Oh how fortunate we are; you must be very happy” to which the farmer softly calmly said, “Who could say? We shall see.”

When things happen, many times they happen with a purpose. Just because it seems bad at first does not mean it will turn out bad. Also, when something we think is good happens, sometimes, turns out to be bad. It is just so hard to judge.

So what do we do? We do what the farmer does. We need to have the attitude the farmer did "Who could say? We shall see."

It is also interesting to note that the farmer found out who his friends were during the tough times, and who would support and stand with him. Now, enjoy the video below and have a great day. It is actually my favorite movie. It has a great message.

Vital Behaviors For Success In School

Welcome back from Spring Break! It was a weird Spring Break for me with the social distancing going on. But it was good to get away from school things for awhile. Remember the big seven things that you should be doing? As you read, evaluate how your doing and what changes do you need to make. At the end, we will watch a fun you tube video that has a great message.

So here is a list  of suggestions that I gave to you.

1.       Go to bed early and get plenty of sleep.

2.       Wake up at the same time each morning, do not sleep in.

3.       Have a good breakfast.

4.       Have a set schedule of what schoolwork you have and when you are going to do it.

5.       Take break times and have fun.

6.       Communicate with your teacher daily.

7.       Have fun and make the most of this unique experience.

I know I have talked about this list a lot. But if you are doing those things, I guarantee that you will do well in school.

So how are you doing? Do you look your parent in the eye and say your done with school when you really have work to do? Are you keeping to your daily schedule or do you get distracted? When was the last time you contacted your teacher?

I am sure that we are all on different levels on how we are doing. Don't feel bad if your behind, set some goals. Little, tiny goals that you can do. Focus on the tiny goals one goal at a time and pretty soon you will be caught up!

I say "its hard by the yard, but by the inch, its a cinch."

So go back and evaluate how you are doing especially in school. If your not doing good in school, then look at my list to see how you can improve.

You can also email me for suggestions and advise.

Hope you have a great day, now enjoy the video!

Have A Great Spring Break!

Have a great Spring Break, Mr. Joe will be back next week.

Seven Things To Do

A couple of weeks ago, I sent you a letter. That letter had seven things that you should be doing to be successful in school:

1.       Go to bed early and get plenty of sleep.
2.       Wake up at the same time each morning, do not sleep in.
3.       Have a good breakfast.
4.       Have a set schedule of what schoolwork you have and when you are going to do it.
5.       Take break times and have fun.
6.       Communicate with your teacher daily.
7.       Have fun and make the most of this unique experience.

I would like to discuss each of these things briefly and explain why it is important. Research has shown that sleep is important to academic success. Students that I work with typically do not get enough sleep. Establishing a routine will help you be consistent with your school work, you will know that you are doing certain things at certain times during the day. That way, you will not get distracted with a video game or friends.

Research has shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is the meal when your body and brain are preparing for the day. If you skip breakfast, your brain power will not be as great. It is important to take a break and do another activity. One hour is a long time for you to focus. Go do something physical if possible, this will reset your brain for some more study time.

It is very important that you are in communication with your teacher. Communicate  as often as they want you to. Usually, most teachers want you to communicate daily. By communicating with them, you will be able to clarify questions that you have about the assignments that you are doing. Having fun with your work will make the time go faster. Try to make up mind games or other activities you can do on short breaks.

I hope that you are well and also having some fun during this unique time. There are several things you can do. One activity was to make a silly movie and then post it, text it, or email it to your friends. There are contests that you can get into and other fun things you can do. Try and limit video time, do things that are more active and physical. Your body will thank you! Now lets enjoy a fun video!

"I Think I Can"

I have always enjoyed the story of  "The Little Engine That Could." It is the story of the underdog, the story of someone who is supposed to fail but does not. Please read the story below and we will discuss it.

This story is in its original 1930's book format. I thought everyone would enjoy reading it that way. Click on the link to access the story.

The Little Engine That Could

When I read about each engine, I realized that each of them had different attitudes towards the situation. The first engine to come along thought he was better than everyone else and too good to haul the toys and treats. The second engine as well thought that he was too good to pull the little train up the hill.

The third engines response was even more interesting. He thought that he was too old and simply did not have the energy to go over the mountain. The third engine's attitude was simply "I can not, I can not, I can not."

The next engine that came by was the little blue engine.  She was willing to help and rescued the day by pulling the train over the mountains. The little engine's motto was: "I think I can," I think I can," I think I can." Later on, the Little Blue Engine's motto changed to, "I thought I could," I thought I could."

This story teaches many things. The most important that I think it teaches is the value of a positive attitude. Even though the little train had a challenge, it believed that it could get through the challenge with the right attitude.

When times get tough and we have a steep mountain or trial in our path, we should have the attitude of the Little Engine who thought he could.

"I think you can."
"I think you can."
"I think you can."

Mr. Joe

Respect

A great general once said "he who respects others is respected by them." Another favorite quote about respect I like is, "in order to receive respect, you must first give respect." So what is respect? Read the following story and then we will discuss it.

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, and he himself bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

The doctor grabbed one and said “I’m a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live.” He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry Father. The smartest man in the world just took off with my back pack.”

In this story there are three selfish characters. It is hard to be respectful when you believe that you are better than everyone else. You treat others differently and they know the difference. In this case, the smartest man was not so smart and grabbed the wrong bag. Just like the smartest man, when we are not respectful, we often make poor choices.

The preacher was willing to give the boy respect. The preacher was at a point  in his life that he was comfortable with his place in the world and the chaos that follows. In the mist of that chaos he showed respect and had it given back to him in the form of a parachute.

How you treat others is really the essence  of respect. If we are kind, and helpful, then we are showing respect. When we act respectful, others notice something special about us and want to be our friend. 

So by showing respect, you can have more friends. If we are hitting others or not sharing we are not being respectful. People may pretend that they respect you when you are mean, but they are really just afraid of you and will leave your company the first chance that they get.

Enjoy the video which is in three parts. It is the Story of Mojo and how he learns to gain respect.

Mojo and Respect Part 1

Mojoe and Respect Part 2

Mojo and Respect Part 3