One Crazy Spotted Dog

I was going through photos of Zenji this morning and wanted to share a few of my favorites.

After bath time.  She was so happy when it was finally over.

I never did figure out what she was after.

Zenji loved her blankies.

That dog loved to stick her head in the ground.  I was always afraid she would pull her nose out with a rattlesnake attached.

The soil right after a summer rain was very appealing.

Zenji was known for her crazy sleeping positions.

CeeCee and Zenji were hard to capture in the same photo.  This one will always be one of my favorites.  They were both so focused on a rabbit in the tortoise pen.

It is going to be a long time before CeeCee and I recover from losing Zenji.  She was a big part of our lives and we are going to miss her forever.

Thank you for taking the time to look at these pictures.  Please feel free to share your own photos of your crazy critters.

Take care,

Teresa and CeeCee

 Zenji

We lost Zenji at 9:37 pm on Sunday, November 16.  She was in so much pain I had to let her go.  CeeCee and I will miss her very, very much.

 I Love You To The Moon And Back

Since November is Picture Book Month, I want to share one of my favorite picture books and a favorite of the kids as well.  It is called I Love You To The Moon And Back.  It is a wonderful story that has both emotional and social benefits, teaching children about the unconditional love between a mother bear and her cub.  The book also encourages children not to be afraid to show their feelings.  It can be an easy read for children though most of my students want me to read it to them.  The story flows and rhymes which can aid with language development and improve literary skills in young readers.  The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, something that is essential in capturing a young reader's attention.

The book is available on Amazon in both hardcover for around $11 or board book for about $4.  Just click on the image.  I would recommend the board book if you are reading to your students and it is easier for small hands to handle if the children are reading themselves.

Take care and keep reading,

Teresa, Zenji and CeeCee

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Little Baby CeeCee and the literacy crisis in America

 CeeCee is a favorite with my students and they always ask to see her at some point during our lessons.  I'm not sure why they don't ask to see Zenji, maybe they can't remember her name.  

If the children are struggling and becoming frustrated I just pan the camera around and call CeeCee who hurries over, most times with a toy in her mouth.  Seeing her can provide a break which will allow the kids to relax a bit.  For the younger students I will incorporate phonics into their CeeCee moment.  They can sound out and spell dog or toy and count the letter sounds.  It's a positive moment for all of us.

This past week has been progress monitoring week and most of the students did very well.  I do have several who are struggling and I have to shoulder the blame.  I just can't seem to connect with these kids.  I know they are trying their best but they struggle.  With the older students, they haven't been taught the basics of reading so I have to start with simple letter sounds and blending consonant vowel consonant words (cvc).  It is a step backwards and veers off course from our lessons but they need to learn.  And for some older students, it can be embarrassing because they are struggling to read simple sentences.  I try to reassure them and let them know it isn't their fault but when they are paired with other students who can read they hesitate to even try.  

Having older students who are struggling to read is one of the reason I become angry when I hear people claim there is no literacy crisis in America.  Literary rates are declining and there are several theories as to why.  Socioeconomic issues, teacher shortages, education funding cuts have all been listed as factors.  Personally I think that kids just aren't encourage to read outside of school hours.  Parents who have difficulty reading themselves are less likely to encourage their children to read and this is part of the continuing decline in literacy in America.  In addition, phones and video games have replaced books and those are distractions I didn't have growing up.  We had books in our house and we grew up reading with my favorite childhood book being 101 Dalmatians.  It is still my favorite.

Take care and remember to read,

Teresa, Zenji and CeeCee