Posts Tagged ‘Hector’

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Monday, December 12th, 2016

Christmas was getting close; just 13 days away, Mr. Dooley, the community center music teacher and choral director, came into the crafts class at the center and asked Miss Sue if he could speak to the class about a Christmas activity at the center.

Miss Sue nodded and Mr. Dooley said, ” The “Can Do” Kids Chorus was just asked to sing for the Seniors Christmas Party on December 23rd at 4 pm. I have permission slips for you to take home with you today and have a parent sign. Is there anyone here who cannot sing for the seniors on the 23rd”?

Hector raised his hand and said, “I’m in a basketball game that afternoon. The team needs me.” Kathy raised her hand and shared,”My cousin is coming to visit for Christmas. I need to be home to greet her when she comes.”

Jay raised his hand and said,” My parents and I are flying home to be with our family on the reservation for Christmas. Our plane leaves at 4 pm.”

Mr. Dooley said, “I can understand that Jay cannot change his plans, but Hector, I need to ask if this is a league game or just for fun”? Hector answered, “Just for fun.” Mr. Dooley smiled and reminded him, saying, “Hector, your grandma is in charge of the party. What will she tell her friends when you are not there to sing for her and the other seniors”? Hector gulped and said, “I’ll be there, Mr. Dooley. The team will just have to get along without me. I’ve got to be there for my grandma.” “Good choice,” answered Mr. Dooley.

Before Mr. Dooley had a chance to ask her, Kathy announced that she would call her cousin and explain about the Christmas party for the seniors and that she would see her when she got home.

Kathy added, “The seniors are mostly all our grandmas. They are always there for us. We need to be there for them this Christmas.”

Pocket

Tags: "Can Do" Kids Chorus, Can Do Kids, Christmas, Christmas activity, Christmas Cheer, Good Choices, Grandpa Dooley, grandparents, Hector, Jay, kathy, Kids 3=7, parents, Seniors Christmas party
Posted in Christmas, seniors, tough choices | No Comments »

Do the Work…Be a Winner!

Tuesday, November 15th, 2016

Coach is getting ready for the afternoon session at the Recreation Center.

A very sullen Hector drags himself in, head down. “Hey Hector, what’s up, asked Coach Campbell. Are you ready for this afternoon? It’s going to be fun.”

“No Coach, I can’t come today.or any other day for a while,” answered Hector. What? How come, what happened, asked Coach?

“I got my report card yesterday, and my Mom is mad at me, said Hector. She says I have to come home every day right after school until my grades get better.”

Coach looked a Hector, saying “Wow, how bad was the report card?” Hector answered, “Not that bad; I only failed two classes.”

“Hold on a minute,”said Coach. “You failed two classes. Are you are trying to tell me that failing only two classes isn’t that bad? Really? Hector, you are supposed to pass ALL of your classes. If you don’t, you end up falling behind, and that is no fun at all. I mean, right now you have to skip our afternoon sessions for a while, and you can’t be happy about that, are you?”

Hector looked miserable, as he shook his head no.

Coach asked, “Would your mom be mad at you, if you had passed all your classes? Probably not. Now, why did you fail these classes? What is the problem?”

“Well,” answered Hector, “I failed math because I just don’t get it.”

Coach answered, “Oh, so I guess that it’s not really your fault then; I mean it is math, and you just can’t do math. Do you get homework?”

Hector nodded yes.

Coach asked, “Do you do it?”

Hector shook his head no.

Then Coach shook his head, saying, “Do you think that not doing your homework hurt you?”

Yeah, I guess,” answered Hector.

“Hmm, said Coach, “do you remember when we first met?”

Hector nodded yes.

“Do you remember how you couldn’t do any of the exercises? You couldn’t keep up with the other kids. I remember your telling me you just couldn’t do it,” said Coach.

“Oh yeah, and I remember how you got mad at me for saying that, said Hector.

“Of course,” answered Coach, “because you were giving up on yourself. Without even trying to get better, you were looking to give up. Now, a few years later, can you do all the exercises?”

“You bet I can,” answered Hector. “I didn’t give up, I did the work, everyday, and after a while I started to get better.”

“That’s right, you did the work,” answered Coach. “Now you are one of the best in the room. See how hard work pays off? It takes time, but it does make a difference.

Now, if you did the math work, every night, do you think you would have failed?”

“No way,” said Hector.

“The second class you failed,” asked Coach, “was it history?”

Hector turned red in the face and answered, “I didn’t do my history homework every night. I tried to catch up, but it was just too much reading and vocabulary.”

Hector, if I asked you to do 10 push-ups a day, could you do it?”

“Easy,” said Hector

Coach asked,”If you skipped a few weeks, would the pushups be harder to do? If you got behind in practicing would you be setting yourself up to fail?”

“Yeah,” said Hector.

Coach asked, “What do I always say about what it takes to be a winner?”

Hector broke into a big grin, saying, “You gotta’ do the hard work now, in order to be ready to win later.”

Coach smiled and said, “That’s right. If you do your homework, then come test time, you are ready to win. Do the work, everyday, and be a winner!”

Story By: Ned Campbell (Coach Campbell), wrestling coach and teacher in Brooklyn, NY

Pocket

Tags: Can Do Kids, coach, Coach Campbell, do the work, exercises, failed, Good Choices, Hector, history, homework, life skills, math, push-ups, report card, school, spelling, test, vocabulary
Posted in Do the Work | No Comments »

Hector Demonstrates Safety When Skateboarding and Skating

Saturday, September 17th, 2016

Hector is a very good skateboarder. When he is not skateboarding, he is skating. Hector always follows the safety standards for skateboarding and skating.

The first Saturday after school started, Hector helped Coach Campbell by demonstrating good safety practices when skating and skateboarding . The safety session was held at the “Can Do” Street Recreation Center.

Coach Campbell spoke to parents and “Can Do” kids, saying, “Before you put on skates or get on a skateboard, you need to know about safety when having fun. Let’s go over what you need to know.

Parents, you will need to help your child replace wheels as soon as they show signs of wear, and make sure they are clean and free of debris.
Kids, you need to wear a properly fitting, safety-certified helmet every time you skate or use a skateboard.
Kids, you also need to wear elbow and knee pads, as well as wrist guards.
Be careful where you choose to skate and skateboard. Most accidents happen on public roads, in parking lots and on sidewalks.
Kids, watch other skaters, walkers, bicyclists, and cars that use the same areas where you choose to skate and skateboard.
Parents, please make sure your child learns the proper skating techniques. The recreation center offers a free skating class. It is a good idea for all children to learn about skating and skateboarding from those who know how to do it.”

Boys and girls at home…do you know how to skate or skateboard? Do you follow the safety rules for skating and skateboarding?

Pocket

Tags: American Academy of Pediatrics:., Can Do Kids, elbow pads, Good Choices, Hector, knee pads, life skills, moms. grandmas, safety helmet, skateboarding safety, skating safety, wheels, wrist guards
Posted in skateboarding and skating safety, skateboarding safety | No Comments »

Bus Manners

Saturday, August 27th, 2016

The “Can Dos were excited to be taking a bus from their town to a neighboring town on a field trip. The “Can Dos” rarely got to ride a city bus as they either walked to school or rode the school bus.

As the “Can Dos” got on the bus, Hector took the seat behind the driver and Bobby sat alongside of him. When Miss Sue, the camp director, got on the bus she asked Hector and Bobby to give up their seats as they were sitting in a section reserved for riders with disabilities and senior citizens. “But there isn’t anyone sitting her, said Bobby. “That doesn’t mean you should sit there, said Miss Sue. “Read what the sign says, please. “

Hector read out loud so that everyone on the bus could hear. “These seats are reserved for persons with disabilities and the elderly.”

Hector and Bobby joined the other “Can Dos “ taking seats in the middle of the bus. Hector and Bobby made it their business to watch who got on at every stop and where they sat. A lady with a walker got on and sat in the section reserved for people with disabilities. Then an elderly woman with a cane got on and sat in the same reserved section.

At the next stop two teenage boys got on the bus and plopped themselves down in the reserved section. Hector and Bobby got all upset and pointed the two teenage boys out to Miss Sue saying, “Miss Sue, make them move. They don’t belong there!”

Miss Sue smiled and said, “Wait and see what happens.” Just then a man in a wheelchair got on the bus. There was nowhere for him to sit. The teenage boys were sitting on the seats usually lifted up to make room for a wheelchair. The bus driver got up, and in a voice that could be heard all over the bus said, “Hey there you boys, you know better than to sit there. Get up, move to the back of the bus, and make room for the man and his chair.

The boys turned beet red as everyone on the bus stared at them. They found seats in the back of the bus.

A few stops later, a woman with a preschooler and a baby in her arms got on the bus. There were no seats left; she had to stand. There was a grown man sitting right by where she was standing. He pretended he didn’t see her, so he would not have to give up his seat. The teens in the back of the bus pretended to be sleeping.

Hector looked at Bobby, they nodded to each other, got up and walked up to the lady. Hector said, ”We have two seats a few rows back you can have. She thanked them and followed them back to where they were sitting.

All the “Can Dos” clapped for Hector and Bobby. Miss Sue gave them a big smile and said, “I am very proud of you both. You practiced good bus manners!”

Hector and Bobby beamed. Hector said, “We learned a lot about bus rules today and about being kind to people who might need extra help when riding a bus.”

Pocket

Tags: bobby, bus, bus manners, Can Do Kids, community center, elderly, Good Choices, Hector, life skills, Miss Sue, moms gramdmas, persons with disabilities, Spring Camp
Posted in manners | No Comments »

Don’t Hand Those Germs to Me!

Thursday, June 16th, 2016

Miss Pat noticed that Hector came in from recess with dirty hands and an open snack, which he continued to eat with his dirty hands. Oh no, thought Miss Pat, all those germs going into his mouth!

Before Miss Pat could speak to him, he scooped some snack with his hands and gave it to Willie, who put it in his mouth.

UGH, thought Miss Pat. No matter how many times I talk to them about when and why it is important to wash their hands…they forget. They forget about how germs are spread.

I know, she thought, it is time to visit the US Center for Disease Control, CDC, website that has a great graphic showing children how germs are spread.

Miss Pat called the class to order and asked everyone to focus on the White Board. Then she clicked on:

Dont Hand Those Germs to Me

The “Can Dos” stared at the graphic from the CDC. They couldn’t believe their eyes! It was so easy just to hand germs to others! It was also so easy to get germs from others who did wash their hands often.

The class got quiet. Then Hector and a few others raised their hands and asked to go wash their hands.

Great, thought Miss Pat. They got the message from the CDC graphic…it is so easy to spread germs!

Pocket

Tags: Can Do Kids, CDC, germs, Good Choices, hand washing, Hector, life skills, miss pat, Willie
Posted in germs | No Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘Hector’

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Christmas was getting close; just 13 days away, Mr. Dooley, the community center music teacher and choral director, came into the crafts class at the center and asked Miss Sue if he could speak to the class about a Christmas activity at the center.

Jay raised his hand and said,” My parents and I are flying home to be with our family on the reservation for Christmas. Our plane leaves at 4 pm.”

Before Mr. Dooley had a chance to ask her, Kathy announced that she would call her cousin and explain about the Christmas party for the seniors and that she would see her when she got home.

Do the Work…Be a Winner!

Hector Demonstrates Safety When Skateboarding and Skating

Hector is a very good skateboarder. When he is not skateboarding, he is skating. Hector always follows the safety standards for skateboarding and skating.

Coach Campbell spoke to parents and “Can Do” kids, saying, “Before you put on skates or get on a skateboard, you need to know about safety when having fun. Let’s go over what you need to know.

Boys and girls at home…do you know how to skate or skateboard? Do you follow the safety rules for skating and skateboarding?

Bus Manners

The “Can Dos were excited to be taking a bus from their town to a neighboring town on a field trip. The “Can Dos” rarely got to ride a city bus as they either walked to school or rode the school bus.

Hector and Bobby beamed. Hector said, “We learned a lot about bus rules today and about being kind to people who might need extra help when riding a bus.”

Don’t Hand Those Germs to Me!

Miss Pat noticed that Hector came in from recess with dirty hands and an open snack, which he continued to eat with his dirty hands. Oh no, thought Miss Pat, all those germs going into his mouth!

I know, she thought, it is time to visit the US Center for Disease Control, CDC, website that has a great graphic showing children how germs are spread.

Great, thought Miss Pat. They got the message from the CDC graphic…it is so easy to spread germs!

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