Archive for April, 2013

The Flashlight

Saturday, April 27th, 2013

Kathy took the flashlight from its hook in the kitchen closet and slipped it under her robe. She took the back staircase from the kitchen upstairs to her bedroom.

She slipped the flashlight under her bed.  Then she took the book she had been reading, Anne of Green Gables, and slipped it under her pillow.

She smiled to herself, thinking  about how she could read by flashlight after bedtime. She went downstairs and joined her family in the living room to watch a TV show together.

When it was time for bed , she kissed her parents and made her way up to bed. Kathy shared a bedroom with Annie, her sister, so she had to wait until Annie fell asleep before trying to read by flashlight.

Once Annie was asleep, Kathy reached down and took the flashlight from under her bed and the book from under her pillow. She pulled the covers over her head so that the light from the flashlight could not be seen, is anyone passed by her bedroom door. She was also worried that the light from the flashlight might wake Annie and then Kathy would get in trouble for sure.

Kathy lost all track of time. When she heard her parents coming up to bed she quickly turned off the flashlight and tucked the book under her pillow. She pretended to be asleep. Just then her mom opened the door to her room and thinking that Kathy was asleep, said to Kathy’s dad, “I’m happy to see that Kathy is getting a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is the big spelling bee and Kathy is such a good speller.I think she really has a good chance at winning.”

Oh no thought Kathy, I forgot about the spelling bee. I better get to sleep. When the alarm rang the next morning she had such a hard time waking up. She forgot to return the flashlight to the closet and left the book under her pillow. She was running late for school, so her mom told her to skip making her bed, that she would make it for her.

flashlightWell, the bad news is Kathy fell asleep during the spelling bee and missed her turn. So, she was out of the spelling bee.

The other bad news…she had a lot of explaining to do when she got home. Kathy took the flashlight from its hook in the kitchen closet and slipped it under her robe.

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Being a Friend Means Making Thoughtful Choices

Monday, April 15th, 2013

Grandpa John took his grandson Orrie and his friend, Jay to the movie theater.

There is special seating for children and adults using wheelchairs. This seating area is behind the last row of seats in the theater. This is where Orrie needs to sit. There are chairs in this area, where a friend or two can sit with the child or adult sitting in a wheelchair.friend

While Orrie is getting settled in the theater, Jay stands on line to get a bag of popcorn for himself and one for  his friend, Orrie.

Jay meets Hector on line and Hector invites him to sit with him in the front of the theater where he tells Jay he can see the movie better. Jay has been waiting to see this movie and doesn’t want to miss any of it.

Is it okay for Jay to give Orrie his popcorn and tell him he is going to sit up front with Hector and will see him after the movie is over? If he is a good friend, what else can he do? What would you do?

What about asking Hector to sit with him and Orrie in the special seating area? Then they could all watch the movie together. 

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Delmar Goes to Daycare

Friday, April 5th, 2013

Hector and Bobby catch up to Coach Campbell on their way to school and say, “Hey Coach, how are you? How is Delmar?”

“Oh, Delmar is just fine. He goes to puppy day care now,” answers Coach. Hector says, “Daycare, you mean like what my little brother goes to?”

“Well,” says Coach, “kind-a-sort-a, a little bit, yeah…it is a place where you can go and exercise and play, and have someone keep an eye on you so you stay safe. Puppies, like little brothers, can have some bad ideas, and if not watched, they can hurt themselves.”

“So what is Delmar’s day like? Yeah, tell us,” asks Hector.

“We get up early. The van comes by to pick up Delmar at 5:45 AM. Then he goes for a ride in the van, picking up other dogs that are also going to doggie daycare. There are about 10 or so dogs in the van by the time they get to the place,” says Coach.

Delmar

Bobby whistles and says, “Wow, that’s a lot of dogs. Then what?”Coach nods, saying, “Then, well, they play. They run, and bark, and wrestle, and have fun.”

“Wow that sounds like a lot of fun,” adds Hector. “Is there lunch?” Coach can’t keep from smiling because he knows how important food is to Hector. He answers, “Not at first, but he gets a lunch now. He gets the lunch that I pack for him. See, we get up real early, and Delmar has gotten car sick before, so no breakfast. With such a busy day, and no lunch, he was losing weight. So, now he gets a baggie of puppy kibble and ground up doggie treats, looks sort of like a crumbled up oatmeal bar.”

Bobby looks thoughtful for a moment and then says,”Delmar must be real tired when he gets home. What time does he get home?”Coach agrees that Delmar is very tired when he gets home, which usually is around 5 PM. Coach adds that all Delmar really wants to do is sleep when he gets home; he says, “Later on, he gets up and has some dinner, and you can tell just by the way he is moving, kind-a slow, just a little bit of stiffness in his walk, he had a busy day.”

Delmar

Hector sighs and says, “I wish Delmar could tell us about what his day is like.”

Coach smiles and nods his head saying, “So do I, but what happens at doggie day care, stays at doggie day care. He doesn’t tell any stories, but he sure does look happy.”

Story by: Ned Campbell, a teacher and coach in Brooklyn, NY

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