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

Gratitude

Being grateful is one of the most important character qualities. There has been a lot of research done on gratitude. They have found that people with gratitude live longer and happier lives. Children learn gratitude from stories, examples of adults, and practicing it themselves. Here are two favorite stories on gratitude, we will discuss gratitude at the end of the post. 

The Thankful Coat

This story is about a boy who had everything a boy could ever want, but he didn’t know how to be happy. One day, he was sitting in his backyard when a little girl came up asking him to help her look for the Thankful Coat. The boy was curious because he had never heard of such a thing, and he decided to help her.

Then, perched on a tree, the boy found the Thankful Coat. It was the most beautiful coat he had ever seen. The little girl told him to put it on, the boy did and felt happier than ever. He was very thankful to the girl and that made him feel even better. Then, the girl told him she had to go and take the coat with her. The boy was sad because he didn’t want to feel unhappy again.

The girl told him that the secret to happiness is being thankful. That he could make his own imaginary Thankful Coat, think about all the things he’s thankful for and be happy.

The Magic Window

The Magic Window is a beautiful children’s story that encourages gratitude, solidarity, and empathy for others.

This story is about a boy who got so sick he couldn’t go outside to play. Besides being sick, the boy was very sad because he couldn’t play outside with his friends.

One day, the boy was looking out of his window and saw a penguin eating a sandwich. The penguin said “Hello” and left.

The next day, there was a monkey, wearing a diaper, blowing up a balloon. The day after that, there was a pig playing the tambourine. These crazy characters made the boy laugh during those bad days.

When the little boy was good enough to return to school, he told his best friend about these crazy things he had seen that helped him feel better. Talking to his friend, he noticed something strange coming out of his friend’s bag. When he asked his friend about it, he showed him all the costumes he used to cheer him up. End of story...................

While the past few days have been hard, we should be grateful for all that we have and where we live. We live in a country were there is food and a house to stay in. Many people in the world do not have these things. We have parents and people around us who care about us and love us. We have computers and devices so that we can continue school at home. Many children do not have these things and they are missing school completely.

How can you practice and show gratitude? One way is to have a gratitude journal. Everyday, write down a few things that you are grateful for. You will soon find that you have a long list. We can serve others and help them like the boy in the story did for his friend. When others are sad we can try to cheer them up. Finally, we need to say the words "Thank You" on a regular basis to those who help us. I hope you enjoy today's video on gratitude. Please click on the link below.

My Gratitude Jar

Making More Friends

When I was growing up, I did not have very many friends because I was shy. I had a hard time speaking to other kids and making conversation. I found that one of the best ways to make friends is to do something for them.  This helps people feel connected because you now have something in common.

Read the fun story about the Octopus below then we will discuss the story.

https://freestoriesforkids.com/children/stories-and-tales/octopus-trouble

Once upon a time there was a shy and quiet octopus. He nearly always went about on his own business because, although he wanted to have lots of friends, he was too self-conscious. One day, the octopus was trying to catch a very slippery oyster. Before he knew it, he had tied himself into one massive knot, and he couldn't move. He tried with all his strength to wriggle free, but it was no good. In the end, despite the great embarrassment he felt at being seen in such a tangle, he had to ask for help from the passing fish. 

Many fish swam past, ignoring him, but one very kind little fish offered to help to untie all those tentacles from all those suckers.  The octopus felt heartily relieved when he was finally set free, but he was so shy that he didn't dare talk to the fish and make friends with him. He simply thanked the fish, and quickly swam off. Later, the octopus spent the whole night thinking that he had wasted a great opportunity to make friends with that very kind little fish.

A couple of days later the octopus was resting between some rocks, when he noticed that everyone around was hurriedly swimming past. He looked into the distance and saw an enormous fish coming over to feed in that area. The octopus quickly hid; then, peeping an eye out from his hiding place, he saw that the huge fish was chasing the kind little fish who had untied him. That little fish really needed urgent help, but the big fish was so dangerous-looking that no one dared to go near. The octopus, remembering how the little fish had helped him, felt that he had to do whatever he could to come to his aid. Without hesitating, the octopus shot out from the rocks, like a ray. He put himself right in the path of the giant fish, and before the fish could do anything about it, the octopus had shot out the biggest jet of ink of his life. He grabbed the little fish, and swam off back to hide in the rocks. Everything happened so fast that the big fish had no time to react. However, he soon recovered from the surprise. Off he went to the rocks, looking for the octopus and the little fish. Now he really wanted to gobble them down!

Soon, though, he began feeling a terrible itch; first in his gills, and then in his fins, and then all over his body. It turned out that this giant fish had a very bad allergies. artistic nature, he adored The octopus's dark ink had given him a terrible allergy!!So the big fish swam away, irritated all over. As soon as he was gone, all the fish who had been hiding came and congratulated the octopus for being so brave. Then the little fish told them all how he had helped the octopus a few days earlier, but he had never known anyone be so grateful that they would end up doing something so dangerous. Hearing this, the other fish discovered how nice the shy octopus was, and everyone around was keen to be the friend of such a brave and honorable octopus.

Pedro Pablo Sacristán

First, the Octopus got into trouble by getting all tied up in knots. How many of us have had something happen where we were totally embarrassed?  We feel like everyone is laughing at us and talking about us. How many of us have had a good friend help us out of the problem? Or maybe it is a stranger that helps us like in this story.

The Octopus wanted to be friends with the fish after the fish did something for him. He just did not know how to go about it but at the first opportunity he did do something by rescuing the fish. 

To be friends with others, we have to risk something. We taking a risk that we might feel rejected. So when someone is trying to be your friend, remember, accept them and do something for them. I hope we can all work to have more friends. We really need friends to be happy. I hope you enjoy today's video story about friendship. To view the video please click on the link below. I am now using a safetube website to make the videos safer to access and view.

How To Be A Good Friend

Dealing With Anger

As I sit here at my computer the second week that school has been closed due to the Corona virus, I have been thinking about some of the issues we have been focusing on.  One of those issues is dealing with anger.

A lot of people are staying home more, going out less, and spending more time with loved ones. Spending time a lot of time with family is great but it can come with challenges and frustrations which can turn into anger especially with brothers and sisters. It is easy to become angry at them and resort to hitting or saying things that we might regret later. Read the following story and we will discuss it afterwords.

https://momlovesbest.com/short-moral-stories-kids

Once, there was a young boy. This boy had problems controlling his anger. When he got angry, he would say the first thing that came to mind, even if it affected people.One day, his father gifted him a hammer and a bundle of nails, then said, “Whenever you get mad, hammer a nail into the backyard fence.

”In the first days, the boy used up half of the nails. Over the next weeks, he used up fewer nails, until his temper was under control. Then, his father asked the young boy to remove a nail for each day he didn’t lose his temper.

On the day when the boy removed his last nail, his father told him, “You have done good, boy. But, can you see the holes in the wall? The fence is never going to be the same. Likewise, when you say mean things in anger, you’ll leave a scar.” 

I like the example that the father gives about the holes in the fence. In the heat  of the moment, we say and do things that have long lasting consequences. We can apologize, but we have affected that person and our relationship with them at a much deeper level. 

It can take years rebuilding something that was said or done in just a few moments. I have talked to people who have become so angry that they lose control of their mental abilities and black out. At that point, they do not remember what they did or said when they were angry. Being that angry is scary.  All anger progresses along a continuum towards loss of control.

When we are angry we need to work on slow deep breaths and remove our self from the situation if  possible. When people get angry, they tend to take short puffy breaths. These kind of breaths deprive the brain of oxygen and the person becomes less rational and cannot think clearly.

Keeping your distance and getting an angry person to verbalize (talk about) how they are feeling, are great things you can do to help them calm down. Getting them to talk engages their brain helping them diffuse the situation. It also gets them to breathe deeper and get more oxygen to the brain. 

Email me if you are having anger problems and we will try to address them.

Until next time, enjoy this video, and realize that anger does not solve our problems, it only makes them worse.

Mr. Joe