Christmas Reality
Have you taken a good look in your neighborhood lately? “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go; Take a look in the five-and-ten…” Yes, the song says it all. It’s the beginning of November and Christmas is everywhere. There are decorations, music, advertisements, movies on cable and other signs of Christmas […]
Enhancing Child Development Skills Through Music
Christmas is the perfect time to enhance child development skills through the use music. I am repeating a column from earlier years, as I believe music is a great tool for learning, and the songs of the holiday season are quiet catching to children of all ages. These songs are helpful in the development of […]
Wardrobe, Hair and Make Up for Star Teacher, Billie Yardley
What does a girl wear for a national TV program, that just may present her with a dream come true award for Teacher of the Year? A big decision for such an exciting event…and for Billie Yardley the answer came very easily. Judy Garner, owner of the well known, Silk Purse, located in Knoxville, called […]
Finding Bigfoot
There were a lot of really funny things that happened this week. Unfortunately, I can’t write about any of them without hurting someone’s feelings. Well, I guess I could write about the old guy in the wheel chair who scurried his feet on the ground like he was running from the lady pushing him as […]
In Praise of Coaches
I have never liked trick questions because I don’t enjoy feeling like a fool. Even today I shy away from certain types of riddles or “brain teasers” because I suspect that I will feel foolish at the end of the exercise. You can imagine, therefore, what it was like for me in high school when […]
Already Decorating for Christmas
I have noticed that several places, including the Jefferson County Courthouse, have already begun decorating for Christmas. Is this happening earlier this year? And if it is, do you have any idea why? I have also noticed that there are some signs of Christmas already gracing the Historic Town Square in Dandridge. Because Thanksgiving is […]
The Loathsome Ladybug
They’re ferocious. They sneak up on you, crawling forward in relentless pursuit, and then they pounce, their mouths sinking into your flesh. You know the menace I’m talking about. Yes, the scourge of mankind. The evil that must not be spoken. The creepy in creepy crawly. The loathsome ladybug. Say what? You heard me. Ladybugs […]
Body Image
Hello darlings, most women do not like their bodies. They are always finding fault with their self image and wishing to be like the models and female stars in movies and television. Believe me when I share with you, these women do not look like beauties when they get out bed in the morning. It […]
Memory vs. Reality
OK, if you live long enough you learn things you thought you already knew. Yes, I have long since known that the leaves of the trees main function is photosynthesis, and by using water, carbon dioxide and light they generate organic compounds and oxygen. I watched as they changed colors due to the Earth receiving […]
Where does the apostrophe go at?
Teachers of children! Take heed! It’s time for a revolution in basic grammar! Will you join me? Today’s subject involves only two points of English mechanics and grammar that set my teeth on edge. Both have reached epidemic proportions in our beautiful east Tennessee region. Frighteningly, there is evidence that these abuses of our common […]
A Child’s Work Is Play
Research shows the first few years of a child’s life provides the foundation for lifetime learning. New brain imaging technology lets us view how the brain works. Research also tells us that 75% of brain development occurs after birth. And, children are eager learners with their natural curiosity of the world around them. Through their […]
Preparing for Thanksgiving
I am starting to prepare for Thanksgiving shopping and was wondering how far in advance I can buy my turkey. This is my first Thanksgiving cooking for my family and I am concerned that I won’t get a big enough turkey if I wait too long to buy one. If you are looking to purchase […]
Terry Goodkind’s: Wizard’s First Rule
This week I finally got to sit down and devour a book that a friend loaned to me: Terry Goodkind’s Wizard’s First Rule, the first book of The Sword of Truth. The plot is fairly traditional, at least at first glance. An unassuming hero is subjected to the tragic death of his father, after which […]
Mary Burton’s: No Escape
There are very few things that I enjoy more than a good book and if I can share a find with others then I am even more excited. One of my favorite books of recent months is Mary Burton’s The Seventh Victim and I have recommended it highly. Burton has followed up with an equally […]
Stranger than Fiction; Hitler’s Dirty Secrets
In the 1930s, German dictator Adolf Hitler found himself in the position of being extorted by his nephew over some dirty family secrets that threatened to bring down Der Fuhrer’s regime. The threats brought the two Hitlers to conflict and compelled William Patrick Hitler to commit irrational acts. Alois Hitler was Adolf Hitler’s half-brother. Alois […]
Beyond the Common Core
I am a fan of the Common Core, but my reasons may surprise you. I support this national initiative not because it raises the bar or guarantees student success or moves us back-to-basics or improves our standards or is simply “tougher”. It is not, and doesn’t do, any of these things. And in fact, not […]
