Never Forget

Back To School

It's that time of year again and as we head back to school, I notice the excitement in the kids all around me. It doesn't matter whether they say they don't want school to start or not, I think secretly most of them are ready for school. Afterall, where else can they find so many different challenges and joys all under one roof?!?!

At my daughter's middle school, the girls are starting cheerleading practice and volleyball tryouts. The band, orchestra, choir, Mathletes and many other groups and clubs are gathering to kick off their year. The boys are already practicing football to get ready for the big game! The other night we were standing in the backyard and could hear the high school marching band practicing. They've already had their first game of the season! There are not many feelings like the thrill and excitement of a football game, whether you're a fan or not. If you're really paying attention, you can't help but feel the energy in a football stadium!

As we head back to school, I often wonder if we can add anymore to our schedules but somehow, someway we make time to do the things that we want to do. Everytime I hear someone say that I just don't have time for that, I think to myself that you will make the time if you really want to. My advice to you is to make the time for the things that are really important. Spend time reading with your children. Have a family game night. Watch a family movie together. If you have teenagers, sit with them at the computer and find out what they like about facebook or whatever it is that they are into. Do it before it's too late! Develop a relationship with your children that will get you through the rough times.

Our children are with us for a relatively short amount of time. By the time they become teenagers, even though they are still living at home, they are starting to define who they are as an individual. This is an important and necessary process on their journey to becoming an adult but they are already pulling away from us. Cherish the time when they are little and take advantage of their unconditional devotion to you. It goes by in a blink of the eye!

Now that the school year has kicked off, this Friday night when you are trying to think of something that you can do with your family - go check out the local high school football game. Sports have long been a tradition in our country and the excitement gleened from a football game is thrilling. The comraderie and bonding that is done during sporting events is priceless!

Are you ready for some football?!?!?!?!

Mrs. McIntosh's Kindergarten Class of 2010-11

This video was created by a parent from my youngest daughter's Kindergarten class. It's so hard to believe that Kindergarten is over!

The Importance of Music

At one time in my life, music was the most important thing I had going. It's still pretty important to me, but since I have children now I don't get to spend as much time practicing as I would like. However, I have always and will continue to share my love of music with my daughters.

I spent 13 years playing trombone in the band - 1st at Bayou Vista Elementary School, then Berwick Jr and Sr Highs, then Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana and finally Louisiana State. While at LSU pursuing a degree in Music Education, I met and eventually married my best friend, who was also a music student. Our years as part of "The Golden Band from Tigerland" were some of our best only to be trumped by the addition to our family of our two daughters.

My oldest daughter is now playing tuba in her middle school band. My mother and brother both also played the trombone. My mother and grandmother both played the violin and my mom also played the piano. My dad was a singer. Music is in our genes and very much a part of our lives. Living without music would be, for us, like living without food and water. It's simply inconceivable.

Many studies have shown how beneficial music is to people with disabilities of all kind. Music therapy has become a very important form of therapeutical treatment and has helped many people. Test scores increase based on a student's involvement in music. For many kids, music groups give them a place to "fit in." Whatever we do, we cannot let music education be taken away from our children. It's just as important as academics and physical activity.

Please, Support Music Education!

Get Involved! (Sound of Perfection) from The Sound of Perfection on Vimeo.

With a little more than a week until our Independence Day, this video is very appropriate!

"Every noble work is, at first, impossible." ~ Thomas Carlyle

The Wonders of Technology

Do I wish that I had more time to spend sharing with anyone and everyone who wants to take the time to read my "little" opinions? I'm a reader - I've always been a reader and I will always be a reader. I read everything that crosses the scope of my physical vision, including flyers and advertisements that I'm not really interested in. I receive probably 20 emails a day that are posted articles - about politics, education, parenting, gardening - and the list goes on and on. These are email lists that I've subscribed to and I'm interested in learning more about what these people have to share. I'm also a learner which is why I read so much because I want to learn about EVERYTHING!!

As I grow older, I've realized that I also like to share what I learn with others. That's where technology comes in. I just read a blog post about another blog post and now I'm sharing it with you! Amazing!! The term viral has recently become a part of my vocabulary in a very different way. For most of my life, 37 years, viral has meant illness. On top of that, usually an illness that has no remedy. Many doctors have told us for years and are still telling us that the virus has to run it's course. We have to wait out the suffering until that microscopic bug finishes ravishing our bodies. Some viruses, of course, are worse than others. Being the avid reader that I am, I have read countless stories about what viruses can do to the human body. And some of it is not pretty!

However, within the last few months viral has begun to have a very different meaning and this time it can be in a very positive way. Lauren Rosenfeld has written and posted an article titled, Be Present: Ten Years from Now, What Will Have Mattered to our Children? In this article, she reminds us all of what moments in our daily lives are really important to our children, such as "Ten years from now, it won't have mattered whether or not the sink was perfectly scrubbed. Ten years from now it will have mattered that I stopped scrubbing the sink to listen to a problem they were having in school." I read about her post on Patrick McMillan's Happier Kids Now blog and now I'm sharing it. As we've learned with social networking, we can be in touch with everyone we've ever come into contact with and as we all share things that are important to us, the message gets around. And, boy, does it get around!!

I share with 4 people. Each one of my 4 friends shares with 4 people each and so on and so on. This process of sharing or networking being done on only two levels means that my message has been shared with 85 people. For fun when you've got nothing else to do, draw a chart and count how many people could be in your "network." It can become millions! And it's viral because in certain cases it happens so quickly, sort of like the flu! Networking has been around for a long time, but today's technology has allowed us to "speed up" our contact. I can share in minutes with my 250 facebook friends what would have taken me a day to share with just a few of my friends even ten years ago.

I just wish that I had more time to spend sharing what I learn. But I'm busy living life which is good too!