Who teases the Fonz?

I know I am showing my age, but Happy Days was THE BIG show when I was in elementary school.  The Fonz was one of the cool guys and no one messed with him.

Ayyyyeeee, I'm the Fonz!

But in real life,  he was teased by his castmates for not being able to learn his lines fast enough.  In fact, he created his famous tagline - AYYYYEEEEEEE, in order to replace actual lines with something easier to remember.  He also confesses to making fun of himself to cover up his distress.  Those who parent or teach dyslexic children are familiar with this type of behavior.

After Happy Days, he went on to write a series of children's books.  Hank Zipser, the main character, is a dyslexic 4th grader, based on Winkler's struggles and experiences.  As one of my students told me,  "Hank is pretty much ME!"

Winkler brought his Hank character to life on the small screen and his books are being made into a TV show in Britain.  Seems like American producers wanted Hank's character to be "less dyslexic".

Less dyslexic?  Downplay the very real struggles that Hank deals with daily.  Portray him as "less" than who he is... so that he will be more...what?  Any answer really is insulting.  

Whatchu talkin' 'bout, American Producers?!

You can watch Hank Zipser episodes on YouTube

Defining Dyslexia...Disability or Learning Difference?

I read this op-ed earlier this year and found it thought provoking.

Defining My Dyslexia

October is ...Dyslexia Awareness Month!

I know, I know, October is Everything-Awareness-Month.   But I resurrected the blog for the month as my tiny little outreach project for dyslexia.  There are a lot of positive things going on in the world of dyslexia right now, and that is what I will focus in this month.  If you have any ideas for the blog or questions about dyslexia, let me know and I will try to answer them.

I spoke on the phone the other day to the mom of a first grader who is struggling and as she cried and talked, it brought me right back to where I was when I had a first grader who struggled (and I cried).

That little fellow in the orange cap couldn't name all the letters of the alphabet, spell his own name aloud consistently, or read anything. Nada. He got by on his charm and extreme cuteness...

High school has been bumpy, I will not lie.  He has lost pages and pages of homework, bombed tests when "all the information fell out" of his head - Spanish was painful.  Math? We won't mention it.  The ACT is a nightmare - when other teens say, "I did terrible and only got a 25", mine just rolls his eyes, keeps his score to himself, and pretends to shrug it off.  He has taken it 6 times, has extra time and studies, and still only dreams of a 25.

  Now, he is a senior in high school, and other than the ACT struggle, he is hitting his stride.  He is dual enrolled in college English and getting an A (although his first drafts are grammatically horrifying, he and his GINGER software are working well together). He audits a Developmental Psychology class from a nearby University and HAS THE HIGEST AVERAGE IN THE CLASS! 

 Then the other day this happened...

His college acceptance letter! I surprised myself by getting all choked up.  It was like the last remnant of that long, frustrating struggle was washed away.  I am pretty sure I am happier than he is about it!

It is nice to be on the other side of dyslexia, where I don't have to worry so much, cry so much, fight so hard.  If you are "in the midst" of it now,  I promise, it will get better.

Pam

Theme Thursday - PLAY

I teach kids who struggle and listen to the parents that love them stress out.  Being TCAP time in Tennessee, I am shocked every year at the amount of pressure the KIDS themselves feel to perform on these tests. It makes me sad.  I had a 4th grader cry last night during tutoring.  Big, hot, angry tears because he doesn't know anymore what is TCAP practice math or "real math" that counts for a grade and he is frustrated.

Thanks to the phenomenal Dr. Shula Chernoff, Professor Emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University, her passionate lectures to us on the importance of developmentally appropriate play and toys have been ingrained in my DNA.  To this day, I must. give. sand/water tables to 2 year olds.  Look how cute the girls are as they play...um, I mean work, Dr. Chernoff, I mean work.

What I perceive education to be.....

"Play is the work of children."  Jean Piaget

Parallel play, science, language skills, math, visual discrimination, hand-eye coordination, fine-motor skills....that's a lotta fun...I mean, work. Work!

Where I fear education is heading...
High-stakes testing--which this is, as it will slap labels on five-year-olds--is more than just casually popping in an academic thermometer on a given day to see how a kid is doing. It creates a culture that distorts curriculum, hijacks school resources, and robs young children of their precious days of discovery...Dan Brown

Hey little kids, solve all your family's problems so they don't interfere with The Test!  And if you can't, worry about it!  And teachers, scrap all the other stuff your kids may need, so they can be prepared for The Test.

Clan Donaldson: Theme Thursday: Boys

Clan Donaldson: Theme Thursday: Boys

Boy Cubs

It is always fun to play with Cari Donaldson of Clan Donaldson.  I miss playing with her in real life since she had the audacity to get up and move to CONNECTICUT!

She stokes my artistic spirit which I am afraid stays dormant most of the time now.....

Theme Thursday is a subject I know a lot a lot about - BOYS! And what is cuter than a cub scout....

Here is the original....

Ryan's most amazing photobomb!  And his big brother ( on the left) is obviously used to it and doesn't flinch....

Here is is again, cropped, brightened a bit and given a Sketchedy frame from the picmonkey.com site where I edit and jazz up my photos.

Here is is again, with a little grain for effect.....

And my favorite part....doctoring!

Boys are fun.

Grow.  Sniff.