Tie a Day, Number 41

Today’s tie is special because it was a gift! I went to my mailbox at school last week and it was waiting there for me. The attached note mysteriously said, “From the Tie Santa.” What a great Surprise!

This bright and colorful tie has green, white and red stripes that zip diagonally across the tie from the right shoulder to the left foot. Large, bold snowflakes dance merrily on the fabric as if to say, “Tis the season to be Jolly!” The tie also has a little button to push, that when pressed, plays “Silent Night.” I could have sworn that Sammy was able to get it to play more songs this morning, but I haven’t been able to all day…

This tie was the perfect kick off to the Christmas Tie Collection. Over the next few days I will be wearing all of the Xmas ties I have- to make sure I get them all in the correct season! It would be a really strange thing to see me wear a Christmas tie in May. Not that I wouldn’t if someone was so bold as to dare me to do it!

This tie was also perfect for today because I started my annual reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with students at my school. I have not read the story in 355 days or so, but I remembered it perfectly and I am pretty sure I could have done it without looking at the pages (but then it would really be more like a recitation and less like a book reading). That is pretty good for a guy who has to really think about it before giving his home phone number!

Thanks Tie Santa!

Grinch continued...

As I promised yesterday, I made a slide show from children's Kid Pix pictures that were made to show a scene from the story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I created a slide show from kids pictures that I collected in 2001 and 2002. I figured that would protect me from offending anyone or divulging any information about the students (I cut out any part of a picture that had the first and last name of the student). It also shows that I have done this for quite a few years.



I have passed the halfway point in reading the story this year. I only have to read it about 6 more times! I do love the story, but cramming 22 readings into a week wears me out like few other things do. Maybe it is because I try really hard to get into the story using voice inflection, and I attempt to become the characters. Subconsciously, in many ways I copy the Chuck Jones cartoon version. Or maybe it is consciously, now that I have thought about it? In any case, it has been ingrained in me that this is the way the story is supposed to be read, and so every reading is like a recreation of the cartoon (if only in my mind).

I have memorized the entire story. This is not really an accomplishment considering how many times I have read it, but it does lead to some strange things that I have noticed that happen when I share the Grinch.

Sometimes I get lost in the story. It is like when you are driving and suddenly look up and realize you don't know where you are or how you got there, before you snap back to reality. This is very odd when you are in the middle of a story and "reading" with emphasis. And I never miss a beat. How can that happen?

Every once in a while I will mess up one word and know it the second it leaves my mouth. No one else knows, but I still feel like the story is then less than perfect and I have failed my class in some kind of small, but personally significant way.

In nine out of ten classes, some kid will question one if not two words that I read; chimbley and roast-beast. Every time it happens, I want to stop and explain artistic license and the importance of being able to rhyme with the words nimbly and feast.

Well, by Friday at around 11:30am, it will be another year down, and another 460 or so students that I have shared The Grinch with... Ahhhh!

The Grinch

Every year, since I became a kindergarten teacher in 1990, I have shared one of my favorite books of all time just before the winter holiday, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This means I have shared this story for possibly 17 years with a couple thousand children or so.

I think that I became struck with the story when I was a child watching the Chuck Jones adaptation of the story. I love the book because it shows that even if you make a mistake in life there is a chance at redemption. It is also a reminder to me that Christmas really is more than shopping, and getting stuff. It is more about the joy of being with people that you love and showing kindness to those you don't even know- just because it is the right thing to do.

Now that I am a computer resource teacher in an elementary school, I share the story with around 22 classes every year (K-2 grade). I have created a lesson around the Grinch, and I would like to share it.

First, I read the story.

I read this story to a group of kindergartners today. I thought it was appropriate considering where I began this tradition.

After the story, I explain to the children how they can use tools in the program Kid Pix to create their own picture of the Grinch, or another character from the story.

The tools in Kid Pix allow the children a chance to be creative in expressing their own vision of the story with some pretty good graphics tools. I have created slide shows in the past of student's pictures and they generally turn out to be pretty good for pictures made by young people with only 15 minutes or so to make one. I will try to add a slide show tomorrow...

It seems like such a small thing to do, but it is my way of sharing something that I truly love with students that I work with at my school. It is a pretty lame Christmas present to get, but it has a lot of meaning for me when I share the Grinch with children. I hope the web enjoys it, too.

Merry Christmas!
:-)
Al