| This week, someone asked if I ever get embarrassed or if I just laugh everything off. The answer is yes, I get embarrassed. My husband knows it and plays this card to the hilt. I'll tell you a true story of my most embarrassing moment... A few years ago, a friend asked me to care for her cat while she was out of town. I said I would, and she took me to her house to show me where the cat food was kept. She explained that the cat would not be friendly but not to take it personally...the cat was older and a bit set in its ways. The day after she left for vacation, I checked on the cat's food and water but didn't see the cat anywhere. Remembering that it was an antisocial cat, I didn't look around for it and just left. The next day, I saw that the food and water appeared to be untouched. "Ahh," I thought, "maybe the cat misses its owner and is going on a hunger strike." On my way out the door, I happened to glance in the living room and I saw it lying under the coffee table. The next day, I checked its water and food and again, it appeared to be untouched. I reasoned that this was due to the record heat we were having. Although the house wasn't really hot, having the windows open and being shaded by trees, I thought the cat might not be hungry because of the warm weather. On my way out, I saw again that the cat was lying in its favorite spot under the coffee table. That night, I got a phone call from my friend's daughter who asked me, "Did you know that my mom's cat is dead?" "Uhh...I saw that it was under the coffee table." "Dead under the coffee table! Didn't you smell anything?" "No." "How could you not smell it?" I have severe allergies...I really couldn't smell a thing. And that, my friends, is true embarrassment. Ahh, well. This week, my husband brought something to my attention. He had seen an area in Red Bluff where someone has decided to make a new city dump. He was annoyed and asked, "What does it teach our children to have garbage alongside the road?" I answered, "Well, I'm sure it could teach them something." The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that it not only teaches children about their environment and the high cost of garbage service, but that it could also teach them to read. I was so blown away with my own idea that I wrote a children's book. Here are excerpts of my book which utilizes something I call "The Warwick Learning Method." |
| Thoughts for the week... |
See the hill. Scott can run. Dot can run. Scott and Dot can run up the hill. |
"Look, Dot, look! See the trash?" "Yes, Scott, I can see the trash. It is cheap to dump trash here." |
Scott wants to play in the trash. "Look, Dot, we can play house in the trash. I will sit on the couch. You can cook for me." Dot is mad. |
"You can play in the oven, Scott. Get in, get in." Scott and Dot can play house. It is fun to play in the trash. |
| I think there's quite a bit here for children to learn. I predict that the Warwick Learning Method will be a great tool in our schools. Wouldn't you like me to write your children's reading curriculum? The goal here is to raise responsible children, children who will make a difference in the world...children who can be trusted to serve their community in ways such as... oh, such as caring for their friends' cats. Have a nice week. |
