The Response-Able Educator Newsletter

August 27, 2004

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Welcome! This is a free newsletter on becoming a Response-Able teacher and developing Response-Able students.

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MISSION STATEMENT

My mission is to inspire, encourage and uplift the spirits of educators so they can in turn inspire, encourage, and uplift the spirits of their students.

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IN THIS ISSUE

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1. Quote
2. Merger
3. Spirit Whisperer Contemplation
4. Bumper Sticker
5. Humor
6. Book Report: Pre-Publication Offer
7. A Sign of the Times
8. Article: The "I Can" Can
9. Facts
10. Manage Your Subscription

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1. Quote [back to top]

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"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at
all.”

----Aristotle

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2. Merger [back to top]

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I am happy to announce that my friend and colleague Thomas Haller and I have decided to merge our talents. Having already worked closely together on the "Couple Talk" book and more recently on "The 10 Commitments," we have found it rewarding and stimulating to write and present together. We will collaborate on all three newsletters (this one, the Response-Able Parenting Newsletter, and the Couple Talk Newsletter) as well as on future articles. We also have many more book ideas on the back burner. The synergistic nature of teamwork will help both of us reach our goals of helping parents and teachers raise responsible, caring, confident children.

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3. Spirit Whisperer Contemplation [back to top]

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Invest some time in feeling honored today. You are a professional educator, a healer of the planet. You make a difference in the lives of children and in our world. Bless yourself for the work you do.

You deserve it.

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4. Bumper Sticker [back to top]

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Spotted on a green Plymouth Neon in Orlando, FL:

No Child Left On His Behind

Support Physical Education

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The Teacher Talk Seminar is currently one of our most requested seminars. Skill-based and practical, this verbal skills training offers teachers strategies they can put to use
immediately. Chick Moorman is currently booking summer and back-to-school programs.

To reserve your date, contact Chick at ipp57@aol.com.

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5. Humor [back to top]

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One day a mother asked her daughter how she liked going to school.

“Going is fine,” the girl replied. “So is coming home. It’s the part in the middle I don’t like.”

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6. Book Report [back to top]

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Pre-Publication Offer

“The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose” has gone to press. We expect to have copies of this inspirational and practical parenting guide by the middle of November. “The 10 Commitments,” a 150-page hardback book, will sell for S20.00 plus shipping and handling.

Subscribers to our newsletters can save 25 percent by ordering now. Any orders we receive by November 1st will be priced at $15.00 and will receive free shipping. That is an incredible savings
of over 25 percent! To order, email ipp57@aol.com or call our toll-free number, 877-360-1477.

BECOME THE PARENT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE!

“The 10 Commitments: Parenting with Purpose” by Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller contains straight talk about what it means to be a committed parent in today's world. It will challenge you and make you a more effective parent. It will help you reduce stress in your parenting life and bring increased harmony to your family.

You will learn:

*Numerous strategies for raising responsible, caring, confident children.

*Multiple tips on how to teach the attitudes and behaviors you really want your children to learn.

*Realistic suggestions for how to create a culture of accountability in your family and implement consequences without wounding your child’s spirit.

*Advice on the importance of parenting with intentionality, vision, and a sense of mission.

Advance praise for “The 10 Commitments”:

“‘The 10 Commitments’ is an inspirational blend of love, guidance, and instruction for the whole family. It will help you connect to your children soul to soul.”

Jack Canfield
Co-Author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul”® Series
Santa Barbara, CA

“Transformational in nature. Use ‘The 10 Commitments’ to transform your parenting style, your family relationships, and your attitude toward the important and sacred role of parenting.”

Ivonne Delaflor, founder of the nonprofit organization Mastery Life
& author of "The Positive Child Through the Language of Love."
www.masterylife.com

“'The 10 Commitments' is a sacred book. It contains powerful wisdom. It is truly inspirational in nature.”

Reverend Neltje Marie
Kalamazoo, MI

“Moorman and Haller have given us a great gift in ‘The 10 Commitments,’ an uplifting tribute to raising children.”

Jim Fay
Author of “Parenting with Love and Logic”
Love and Logic® Institute, Inc.
Golden, CO

Isn't parenting your child too important to leave to chance? Give your children a jump-start to an enriched life by implementing “The 10 Commitments.” Call (toll-free) 877-360-1477.

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7. A Sign of the Times [back to top]

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What’s the Matter with Students These Days?

“Students today can’t prepare bark to calculate their own problems. They depend upon their slates, which are more expensive. What will they do when the slate is dropped and it breaks? They will be unable to write.”?

Teachers Conference, 1703

“Students depend upon paper too much. They don’t know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run
out of paper?”

Principal’s Association, 1815

“Students today depend too much on ink. They don’t know how to use a penknife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.”?

National Association of Teachers, 1907

“Students today depend on store-bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out of ink, they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.”?

“The Rural American Teacher,” 1929

“Students depend today on these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib (not to mention sharpening their own quills). We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of learning how to cope in the real business world, which is not so extravagant.”?

“PTA Gazette,” 1941

“Ballpoint pens will be the ruination of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away! The American virtues of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such luxuries.”?

Federal Teachers, 1950

“Students today depend too much on word processing. They have lost the art of true penmanship. What will they do when they don’t have a computer and have to write something out longhand? No one will be able to read it.”?

Teachers Conference, 2004

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8. Article: The “I Can” Can [back to top]

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By Chick Moorman

As Donna Sherry’s fourth-grade class entered their classroom one Monday morning, they found a huge orange garbage can in the front of the room. The students’ interest was immediately aroused, and one student asked, “Do you plan on having a lot of garbage this week?”? Since interest was so high, Donna used that moment to inform them that this so-called garbage can was to become their “I Can” Can.

She presented them with a handout showing a large picture of a garbage can with an empty area in the middle. Their task was to write in the middle of the paper garbage can a goal they had
accomplished or something they could do now that they couldn’t do before the school year began. They were then asked to add their individual contributions to the “I Can” Can, which occupied a place of prominence in the front of the classroom. Adding names was optional. The goal was to fill the “?I Can”? Can to overflowing with things the fourth graders could do.

The “I Can”? statements were read aloud during line-up time, settling-down time after lunch, or at the end of the week. Donna noticed almost immediately that the “I Cans”? were predominately
subject-oriented: “I can do subtraction problems,” “I can find any state on the map,” ? “I can read a book in one week.”?

“The emphasis on content-related ‘cans”’ bothered me somewhat,”? she said, “because I try to instill in my class that school subjects are not the only things in life.”

So about three weeks into the project Donna modified the directions. One day she assigned her students to fill out an “I Can”? paper with a statement of something they could do with their
hands. A few days later they were challenged to write something they could do with their voices. Another time they were asked to record something they could do with their eyes.

“My class really enjoyed doing this,”? she revealed. “Plus, they also like it when I put my thoughts, goals, and accomplishments into our special can.”?

Donna feels the “I Can”? Can experience is a great way for students to see themselves in a more positive light. It also helps them see others in the same way. Now several weeks into the activity, most students are decorating their papers and many are identifying themselves. They are also seeing that there are many things they can do that are not related to math, penmanship, or spelling.

Following are a few examples of what some of her fourth graders can do:

Eyes
• I can see all the beautiful things God has made.
• I can see others with my eyes.
• I can close my eyes.
• I can see a ball coming at me, and when it hits me I can see stars.
• I can see trees (drew a picture).

Hands
• I can clap.
• I can walk on my hands.
• I can stir a cake.
• I can play the guitar.
• I can feel.
• I can make puppets.
• I can feed my dog.
• I can pick someone up who fell down.

Voice
• I can whisper.
• I can yell very loud.
• I can say how pretty you look.
• I can talk to my friends.
• I can thank God for my blessings.
• I can talk to the plants.
• I can disguise my voice.

Fourth graders in Donna Sherry’s classroom are learning about all the things they can do. That’s because they have a Spirit Whisperer for a teacher who CAN see beyond subject matter and who CAN teach from the heart.

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Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller are available to keynote your conference or present one of their highly acclaimed full-day seminars for your building or district staff.

Their most popular seminars are:

• Celebrate the Spirit Whisperers
• Transforming Aggression in Children
• Teaching for Respect and Responsibility
• Brain Functioning and Behavior in Children
• Achievement Motivation and Behavior Management

Contact them at ipp57@aol.com, or call (toll-free) 877-360-1477 to discuss possible dates and topics.

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9. Facts [back to top]

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Experts estimate there are about 3.7 million bullies, defined as “children who regularly verbally taunt or physically torment others,” in sixth to tenth grades.

Research suggests that up to 20 percent of their victims suffer long-term effects.

Two-thirds of school shooters in the past 15 years saw themselves as bullied.

Bullies themselves often get in trouble with the law.

----“The Christian Science Monitor”

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10. Manage Your Subscription [back to top]

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A.) If you are receiving the newsletter as a forward and would like to insure that you get your personal free subscription, e-mail ipp57@aol.com and request to be added to the educator newsletter.

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C.) Back issues of the Response-Able Educator Newsletter can be found here.

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E.) Please recommend this free e-newsletter to any teachers you know who are interested in adding tools to their teaching tool boxes.

F.) Please notify us if your e-mail address is about to change. Send your name and new e-mail address to ipp57@aol.com. Be sure to let us know your old e-mail address so we can unsubscribe it.

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To find out more about books, tapes, and materials by Chick Moorman, contact him at (toll-free) 877-360-1477 or on the web at www.chickmoorman.com.

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Subscriber comments, ideas, and concerns are valued. Email your

comment to IPP57@aol.com

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Privacy Statement: Under no circumstances do we sell, trade, or exchange your email address, ever. It is safe with us. Always!

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To find out more about workshops, seminars, and keynote addresses presented by Chick Moorman contact him at toll free, 877/360-1477 or on the web at www.chickmoorman.com.

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Copyright 2004 Chick Moorman Seminars, all rights reserved. Share this with your circle.