One World, One People

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This short post is in answer to a comment left by the Battalion Hawk Bloggers. For their original post and the comments...

Making the World a Better Place

Hello Battalion Hawk Bloggers,

When seeing world globe graphics they so often centre on more equatorial countries. I had decided to create world globe graphics from different perspectives (ways of looking). The first graphic I created was placing Canada at the top of the globe because I was writing an extended comment for you.

Photos

There are now over 38,000 photos in my iPhoto library's photo section with a few hundred more negatives to scan before I start scanning 35mm slides. During the process I have discovered long lost photos and negatives. It's part of a discovery of the past. At one time, I found an old tin and opened it. Inside were photos measuring only 3" x 2" (7.5cm x 5cm). The photos included family members as well as photos of people I couldn't identify. There were also negatives needing changing to positives.

Long Lost Memories?

Probably the best memories come when you find photos of relatives no longer with us...

This graphic should not be copied.

1. My maternal great grandmother, i.e. my mother's grandmother. The photo would have been taken around 1930.

2. My maternal great, great grandfather, i.e. my mother's mother's grandfather. This photo was probably taken around 1900.

3. My Maternal grandparents, i.e. my mother's parents. This is a photo from 1958.

4. May paternal grandparents, i.e. my father's parents. Probably taken about the same year as 3.

I never met my great grandmother or great, great grandfather. Photos therefore are a journey into history where we can meet  people from the past.

Being Positive not Negative About Photos

Before we had digital cameras, we used film in cameras. Film was a roll of plastic coated with chemicals. It was inside a film container so light couldn't change the chemicals. When film was in a camera, you closed the camera to keep light out then wound the film to the first position (frame). When you pressed the camera button, a shutter would open and close. The moment of light would react with the chemicals and change them. You then wound to the next frame. When the film was used, you would rewind the film into its container and take it to a camera shop or process it yourself.

I know many of you may not know what negatives are. They were what appeared on plastic film when we took photos. Either through a camera shop, or your own equipment if you had it , you would open the film roll in a dark room and put the film in a chemical bath. This would make the film (negatives) safe to see in light. With the negatives now safe, it was time to make your photos. This was done by projecting the negative onto chemically treated paper. The light would change the chemicals on the photo paper. Another chemical bath, this time for the photo paper, made the photos safe to be in light. After the photos had dried, you could take your photos out of the darkened room to show to friends.

Below I have simulated two types of negatives and photos so you can see what they looked like. The first is a black and white photo from 1940 and shows the negative on the left and positive on the right. Do you notice they are opposite? Dark on the negative becomes light on the positive.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Now look at this next pair. The top shows how a colour negative would look while the bottom would be the print.

Do you notice blue on the negative becomes yellow on the positive?

Can you see what colour red on the photo looks like when you look at the negative?

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Nuevo Sol, the Peruvian Currency

Knowing some words in Spanish may have helped me know this meant "New Sun" but it didn't help me know why their currency was thus named. I did a little research.

Before the Nuevo Sol was introduced, the Peruvian currency up to 1985 was the Inti but inflation became very, very bad in Peru. Just by chance, amongst the few international currency notes in my small collection is a Peruvian 100 Inti note, the money before the Nuevo Sol. Here is a scan of both sides of the old note.

As this is no longer legal tender, it should be acceptable  for schools and students to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

The government replaced the Inti (Sol) with the Nuevo Sol. The exchange rate was 1 Nuevo Sol = 1,000,000 Inti so this means you would have needed 10,000 of these notes just to get 1 Nuevo Sol. This note was practically worthless.

I checked and found Inti was the name of the Inca's sun god so Nuevo Sol is a good name as, in a way, it means New Inti. Here is the link  with the information I used...

Peruvian Nuevo Sol

With Nuevo Sol not worth as much in Canadian dollar, you would expect prices to appear higher but, in real terms, the prices probably aren't that different when you consider you have more Nuevo Sol. Converting Canadian dollars to Nuevo Sol, you might find some items cheaper in Peru because people are, on average , not as well off as the average Canadian.

Just checking today's exchange rates, $1.00 Australian = $1.06 Canadian but when you look at the fees for exchanging Australian dollars to Canadian, our currencies are about the same.

Just an added thought, your $830.45 would have been worth about 2,099,970,000.00 Intis before the currency changed to Nuevo Sol. That is two billion, ninety-nine million, nine hundred and seventy thousand Intis. That would have meant just $1 Canadian would have been worth  2,528 713.35 Intis so if you had a dollar, you'd have been a multi-millionaire in Peru in 1985. Can you imagine the price for a can of soda? Life would have been very hard for the Peruvian people. Savings would have become worthless. I think I would rather have Nuevo Sol.

 

Quotes and Being Quoted

If I use something said or written by another, I always try to add a credit for the writer after a quote. It's only fair. Unless you see credits for a quote in my posts, they would normally be my words but I know some people can pretend they first used a quote. When we use the words of others and pretend they're ours, it's called plagiarism.

On December 7 last year I wrote an extended comment when you discussed the marvellous book, “If the World Were a Village”. After sharing my ideas and reading your wonderful comments in that post, I wanted to sum up my thoughts on what had been discussed. At the end, I wrote...

One world, one village, one family… Together, hand in hand, we can achieve great things.

It can be a good skill to summarise information in brief sentences so others find it easier to remember.

Receiving the Parcel and Snail Mail

I thought I would finish off this comment with a picture rather than a sentence.

(I think the Battalion Hawk Bloggers might understand the blue words in the picture.)

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

 

 

• 2 Comments

For the original Battalion Hawk Bloggers post and comments...

Battalion Hawk Bloggers

Hello again, Battalion Hawk Bloggers.

After reading your comment on my last post for you, I thought I would put together this quick post so I could share the graphics used. It shows the original graphic and the parts. You can take and use the parts of the graphic if you find them of use. 🙂

The Original Graphic

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

The Parts

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

 The graphics were prepared using Photoshop. The world globe view of North America was created on Photoshop by looking at Google Earth positioned to show North America. I then drew and colour-filled the drawing using a graphics tablet. Here are the parts of the globe picture.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Once the map was created, I added a new layer to the picture. It's like adding a piece of tracing paper on top of the picture. It's tricky to explain in detail but what I next did was fill the new layer with black then selected and deleted the circle so the map looked like it's a picture of the Earth taken from space. It's done by hiding and showing the new layer so I can make the cut out circle the correct size.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

I then added a new layer over the top of the others, filled it with blue and adjusted opacity (how see-through it looks). This gave the world globe the bluish look I wanted so the silhouette would stand out.

The student silhouette was made using a photo taken on a school camp. The background was selected and deleted then adjusting lightness and contrast turned the students into a silhouette. As I have thousands of photos I have taken stored in my iPhoto library, I need only search for a suitable photo. It was pasted over the globe as the final layer.

• 2 Comments

For the Battalion Hawk Blogger's original post, click below...

Making the World a Better Place … One ALPACA at a TIME!

Hello Battalion Hawk Bloggers,

It has been some time since I last left a comment on your blog. I have spent a great deal of time converting and compressing old VHS videos I’ve made over 30 years of filming. I’d also decided to scan 1000s of photos and negatives either my family or I have taken over the years. While I still have over a 1000 negatives and still more old slides to go, I had to return to blogs and have been catching up with the world.

What a wonderful face on the first photo on your post! Some of the farms in my region have alpacas for their wool. Below is a photo of a young female I met at our local country show.  She was very gentle if not a little nervous if too many people were around but she didn’t mind children stroking her fur. “What’s NOT to love about these ADORABLE and VALUABLE alpacas?” how true are these words. 🙂

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900 - 1944)

Pilot and author (including “The Little Prince”)

 

It seems some people think planning is just a matter of setting a goal and then hoping it comes about but I see you understand a goal, in order to be more than a wish, needs a plan. Of course we can’t achieve if at some time we don’t set our plan in motion. We see the goal and must set in place the needed steps along the way. Having seen the outstanding efforts of Global Grade 3, I know the Battalion Hawk Bloggers will work hard to continue what I think may be becoming a Battalion Park tradition.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

AJ – I can easily see your excitement at starting a new project. I think your idea to collect clothing is very thoughtful. It would indeed be very cold in the mountains during winter.

Chelsea – You understand the need for continued support of a good project. Projects, once set up, can need more support to keep them fresh and new in the eyes of the people.

Joyce – Fund-raising is an important part of many projects. With all of the best intentions and plans, we at time need to be able to purchase needed materials. You understood a problem in the library project, the need to have someone operate the library.

Lauren – Beginner books would be a very good choice. If the young learn to read, they can pass their skills on to their children when they become parents. One generation builds upon the previous as reading grows.

Tre – It’s true, reading can help people gain a better job. It can also open people up to the world and, as you say, provide entertainment.

Nick – We can take warm clothing for granted but when you have little warm clothing may not always be available.  Your idea is a good one.

Amro – What a wonderful idea. Art supplies would allow the children to express themselves artistically whereas maths can allow the children to manage money. Wouldn’t it be amazing to know one of the children you have helped eventually went to university? I wonder what they would choose to study?

Jayden – A librarian cannot only bring order to a library, they can pass on skills in research and the care of books. They could train children to help in the library.

Dimitri – Very true, Dimitri. The books not only help you read, they can show you how to write.

James – Warm clothing would most certainly help the children when the weather is cold. Around my town and at the beach many people wear sandals we call thongs (picture below). Others call them flip flops or jandals. While they’re great in summer, I don't think I’d like to wear them in winter.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Tommy – Imagine how hard it would be if your school only had 42 books. I think adding more choices is an excellent idea.

Elijah – Collecting clothing is a very good idea. As you are now moving towards spring, Peru is entering autumn (fall). It’s a good time of year to collect unwanted warm clothing.

Chris P – Collecting books is a great idea. They would have to mainly be in Spanish as that is the official language of Peru. English books could also be sent if any children wanted to learn English. ¿Habla usted español? I’m afraid I don’t speak more than a few words of Spanish.

Tyler – Can you imagine the Peruvian children learning to read and write then sharing some of their traditional stories with your class? They might eventually be able to write books of their own.

Christopher – With books to read, sending art supplies and maths equipment would fill a gap in resources for the children. Like people in your school, there may be children with an interest in art or maths but lack the equipment.

Ben – I like your idea of expanding options. Learning materials for reading, art or maths are always good but perhaps you were suggesting sending some sports equipment or hobby materials.

Rayann – I can imagine the books in their library would be in Spanish, their national language. Imagine being able to translate some of your favourite stories into Spanish.

Rebecca – With all of the options being of great value, I can understand why I have seen different people choose each option. Whichever is decided, the next move would be working out how as a group to put a plan into action.

Which option would I choose? While all are valid, I would probably choose a part-time librarian to help them make use of a resource already there.  Perhaps the librarian can show them books on how to make warm clothing and sandals or maths equipment and art supplies.  Whatever is chosen, the future will be better for your efforts.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Walking alone, the journey is hard but together we can achieve greatness.

• 2 Comments

For Battalion Hawk Bloggers (aka Global Grade 3) and their post

“Let There be FOOD for EVERYONE!”

Hello Battalion Hawk Bloggers,

It seems your posts always start me thinking in all sorts of directions. Your “Let There be FOOD for EVERYONE!” post is no exception. Let’s see what came to mind this time…

“If the World Were a Village” is a remarkable idea within a book. When we talk about the people of the world, it can be hard to understand what millions or billions of people are. The numbers are hard to imagine yet David J. Smith has been able to show us the meaning of the numbers by comparing the entire world to a village of 100 people, a number many of us can understand as it is often less than the number of students in our school.

 After watching the You Tube presentation of the book linked in your post, I thought about something I shared in another extended comment some time back and how it relates to my feelings on listening to “If the World Were a Village”.

In a post entitled “Genealogy – We are all one big family – for a question about the past” I looked at a little of my family history. What was interesting was realising after only 20 generations back in time (just including parents, grandparents, great grandparents up to 17x great grandparents), we have over a million relatives. I traced back about 68 generations in one line of my family and found the number to be greater than…

300,000,000,000,000,000,000

That number is impossible unless back through time relatives partnered relatives. I concluded, in order for us to be possible, we don’t have family trees, we have family forests. This means we’re all cousins somewhere along the way through time. Humans are all part of one family.

Thinking of this and “If the World Were a Village”, I decided to look up the definition of “village” in a dictionary. Here is the meaning I found in Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary…

Village: a small assemblage of houses in a country district, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town. (There were other meanings given.)

Under this definition, humans may be in one big family but they don’t live in a village… or do they?

I created a short video slideshow with some thoughts on Earth as a village, humans as a family, and helping others in need.

Schools and students have permission to use this video clip for non-commercial purposes.

It seems to me Earth, being only a tiniest speck in the universe and inhabited by a family known as humans, is a small village on a universal stage. Wouldn’t helping friends and neighbours be something many of us would try to do if we could?

At this point I stopped my mind wandering because I wanted to read all of your comments on your "Let There be FOOD for EVERYONE!” post. Here are my thoughts on what you have written…

Chris – Your thoughts are very helpful. There are a number of organisations helping people around the world when they’re in need. They also help in our own countries when disasters strike. Possibly one day you may be helping one of these groups.

Jayden & Lauren – For people in countries like ours, food and clean water only means a trip to the supermarket. In many poorer countries, food isn’t easily available. In order for those with little to be fed, it seems the richer countries need to be willing to give up some of their food to help others. Perhaps instead of having a bottle of soda (soft drink for us Aussies), we could give the money to a charity and drink water.

Ben – One of the problems we can have is resources and how we use them. We might give some cows and chickens to a community. They could then eat them but if they instead looked after them, they could have milk and eggs each day. We could send them grain so they could have a meal or we could help them plant some of the grain so each year they have food.

Tommy – I see, like me, you like to look at numbers and consider what they mean. We may not know anyone who is starving but may have seen reports on people somewhere suffering hunger because of wars or droughts or famine. Using the numbers, it would mean one in four people are starving.

Think of an experiment: Every fourth person in your class becomes the starving one quarter. They are allowed perhaps a piece of bread or maybe a small vegetable to eat only once a day over the next week while everyone else has their normal food. Would you be able to sit eating your normal meal as they watched on? It’s easier for us to ignore what we don’t see. Perhaps if we “open” our eyes and see the starving as people as part of the human family, we wouldn’t sit by doing nothing.

Ella – Sharing is a skill we all are taught when we’re young. We share toys. We share sweets. We share laughs and we share tears. We do this because we are together. As our world seems to “shrink” because it is now so easy to meet through the internet, we are together with more people. As we get to better know the world, won’t we all learn to better share? Imagine the call goes out over the internet. A simple click of a button and we donate just $1. Now if just one in four Canadians clicked the button, that would be over $8 million and if one in four Australians clicked, that would be over another $5 million. Just our two countries could, by a simple click, donate over $13 million to help others in need.

Zubayda & Cemre – I have read there is about four times the number of chickens in the world as there are people. If just one in four were to lay an egg each day, that would be one egg for every person in the world every day.

Christopher & Dimitri – We share food with our friends. We share food with our family. As I wrote earlier in this post, we are one big family of humans. We only need to think globally and share with our family.

Danny & Tyler – One of the important parts of our modern world is how easy it is to move things from country to country. Giving chickens to people may not always be possible because of where they live but sharing what the chickens produce is. Eggs can come in powdered form so they won’t spoil or they can be used in making other foods. It’s sad that while many are willing to share there are others who aren’t. In some cases, the selfish stop food reaching people in need. We need ways to make certain only those who need the food can access it safely.

Chelsea & Rayann – In our history, there have been food planes. Back in 1948 t0 1949, the then Soviet Union stopped supplies reaching West Berlin in Germany. They wanted to force all of Berlin to come under their control. The US Air Force set about delivering supplies by plane. During the blockade, they made over 200,000 flights delivering up to 4700 tons of supplies daily. It saved the people from starvation until the blockade was lifted. If people could do it back then when there was a need, with our modern aircraft, imagine what could be done now.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade

Elijah & Amro – If we look at a small village, it would be much harder to ignore some who are going hungry but, in the video clip I added to this post, I suggested our world is like a small village if you consider just how huge the universe is. Can we continue to ignore those in need?

James – Your class’s experiment with numbers made “If the World Were a Village” a much more personal experience. It helped you place yourselves into a more personal encounter with hunger. Here are some more numbers. If there are about 7 billion people in the world and 25 members of your class, each one of you represented about 280 million people. That’s an amazing number.

AJ – As with James, each of you represented 280 million people. Your amazing experiment with numbers made it easier to understand and shows us it is possible to feed the world if only we are willing to try.

Nick & Christopher – “It is not fair that there is enough food to go around for everyone but still some people are starving.” Well said! It isn’t fair yet there are many who don’t care so long as they have plenty. By learning how we can help others, we can also learn how to care. There is something called empathy (entering into the spirit or feeling of another). If we wonder if we should help others, we should try to think of ourselves in their place. Would we like others to help us if we were in need?

Joyce – I think Ben’s suggestion was interesting. If we were to better share the available food, how would we decide? If we rolled the dice, some would get more or better food and others less. Maybe in the future the learning you do now will help you become one of the people in our world who works to feed those in need. Wouldn’t that be a challenge?

Rebecca – I do think of the world as a village occupied by one family, humans. It’s a world where there can be enough for all, where we can protect our environment for the future, and where we all grow concerned when we see need and are determined to help. The future is yours. How many of you will take up the challenge of the future and make our world a better, safer, healthier place to live?

Battalion Hawk Bloggers

At the end of your post, you state, “We KNOW it isn’t as easy as this to make sure that EVERYONE in the world has enough to eat…”

You go on to list the reasons why there are difficulties, a very important part of determining a solution to a problem. If we better understand “why not” it becomes easier to work out “how we can”.

“How can we ALL work together to ensure that the people in our global village have enough to eat?”

You have already started that journey. You know there is a problem and there can be enough. The more people becoming aware, the more there are to work towards a solution. At no time before in the history of our world has it been so easy to know where there are problems in the world and have the means to do something about it. It only takes the will to try.

One world, one village, one family… Together, hand in hand, we can achieve great things.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

• 2 Comments

This post is in reply to a comment left by Battalion Hawk Bloggers. Here is a link to the original post. You need to scroll down to their comment.

Battalion Hawk Bloggers

Hello The Battalion Hawk Bloggers,

It seems my little birthday secret wasn’t so secret. 🙂  With many of my adult Facebook friends former students of mine, I had a number of birthday greetings come in.

Awakino – There was more than normal driftwood on the beach that day. I suspect heavy rains had brought the trees down the river and heavy sees prevented it escaping. I have other photos where not so much driftwood was around.

Koalas – You may know this from your research but koalas survive on a diet of eucalypt tree leaves. The leaves don’t have much nutrition so the koala’s sleeping habit is a way of conserving energy while the leaves are digested. They normally don’t drink water, relying on water within the leaves but can sometimes come down from tree to drink if  there is a need.

In a recent bushfire, a firefighter found a koala suffering some burns. Cupping water in his hand, the female was able to take a drink before being taken to see a vet. Here is a link to the news article…

http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/11/13/549082_national-news.html

I don’t have a video of koalas walking on the ground but here is a series of photos showing one walking from one tree to another…

Schools and students have permission to use this "Koala Walking" video clip for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Mt. Tarawera – Scree seems to get into things easily as you go down the steep slope. I think some even made it into my pockets as my legs dug deep intot he slope with each step. Considering how deep my legs went with each step down. I wasn’t worried about falling and rolling down. Maybe a sled would make a very quick trip down but stopping mightn’t be fun. 🙂

Hawaii – I understand the confusion with coral and pumice. The pumice came from an underwater volcano between Fiji and Tonga if I remember correctly, probably nearer Tonga. Large amounts floated all the way to Australia. I picked up samples on a beach in Queensland. It also had coral on the beach, although the coral came from Australia’s The Great Barrier Reef. The samples can look similar.

Alberta – Alberta certainly has collection of provincials. I’ve heard of the big horn sheep, great hormed owl and bull trout and have petrified wood in my rock collection. While I don’t have ammolite in my collection, I do have a similar gemstone called opal. We have white and black opal in Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal

I must admit I didn’t know my state’s motto but found New South Wales’ state motto is “Newly risen, how brightly you shine.”

http://www.nsw.gov.au/symbols-emblems-nsw

I like the idea of having the Canada Goose as a national bird. They are magnificent birds and their migration south in winter is fascinating. I can remember the 1996 film “Fly Away Home” showing the way young orphaned Canada geese imprinted on humans were guided south by humans un ultra-light aircraft as would normally. I thought it a little strange the girl starring in the film in Canada was New Zealand’s Anna Paquin.

New Australian Flag? – Many have proposed designs for a new Australian flag yet nothing official has been decided. Below is a link to a group called Flags Australia. Scroll down and you can see some suggestions for a new Australian flag. You will see kangaroos in some designs.

http://www.flagsaustralia.com.au/newflag.html

A sleepy koala on our flag would be an interesting idea but some might look at the flag and think Aussies are sleepy so I chose a noble looking koala for the koala flag below (besides, when I checked, surprisingly, I hadn't any photographs of sleepy koalas).

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

I would love to see your ideas for a new Australian flag. 🙂

I remember when Canada changed its flag. Back then I thought it would be a great idea if Australia did the same. Perhaps it will in time. 🙂

Which country is larger, Australia or Canada? – I knew Canada had a larger area but I wondered by how much. A quick check online showed me…

Canada    – 9,985,000 square kilometres

Australia – 7,618,000 square kilometres

Canada is therefore 2,367,000 square kilometres larger than Australia. Another check on population at 2011…

Canada    – 34,482,779

Australia – 22,620,600

Canada had 11,862,179 more people than Australia in 2011. I love working with numbers so I was wondering how many Canadians and Australians there were per square kilometre in 2011. I divided population by area and found…

For every square kilometre of Canada there is approximately 3.45 Canadians.

For every square kilometre of Australia there is approximately 2.97 Australians.

This means Australians have about half a person less per square kilometre than Canada. I know much of Canada has few if any inhabitants due to the arctic cold. Australia also has large areas with few or no population but in our case it’s because of desert. I suppose this also means Australia is a much drier place than Canada. In fact, I think the only continent with less average precipitation (rainfall/snowfall) than Australia is Antarctica.

 

Thank you for again sharing interesting information and helping me learn more about Canada and Alberta. You always start me thinking about the world when I read your posts and comments. 🙂

@RossMannell

Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia

• 1 Comment

For Global Grade 3’s original post click below…

Global Grade 3

Hello Global Grade 3,

How can a dot teach a lesson? Our world is full of dots and for International Dot Day I shared an extended comment with some classes I visited. It was about dots. It was the post just before this one. Here’s the link…

International Dot Day

Now I see you also had a dotty time and thought to share a little about Peter Reynold's story, “The Dot”. On reading your post, I thought I’d share a dot you might know, a dot from me to you.

I viewed the Animoto of your dots and was amazed by the complex, colourful, patterned, pictured dots. I can see how creative you all are and I know you are going to make your mark. I feel lucky I’ll be able to see your marks being made in the posts on your blog.

Nick and Chris – Mistakes only need be mistakes if they stop you from trying. Whether we are right or wrong, all we do is part of our learning journey. We should see our experiences in life as opportunities, opportunities to do better, opportunities to make our next learning step and opportunities to show the world what we can achieve if we keep trying.

Christopher and Davis – Your words are true. We should never let ourselves believe we can’t. If we have hopes and dreams, things we wish to achieve in life, we should work towards achieving them. Whether we one day make it or not doesn’t matter so long as we can look back and say…

I always tried my hardest and never gave up.

Amro and Tre – Trusting ourselves is important in life no matter what our age. Self-doubt can be like a high brick wall blocking our path. We can choose to let us stop us or we can find our way over, under or around it.

Danny and Elijah – When I was seven, I said to my parents I wanted to be a teacher. While I had other dreams like being a steam train driver (yes, I’m old enough to remember when they pulled normal trains), the dream of being a teacher was always there. I didn’t give up as I completed school nor when I worked towards my science degree from university (college) or when attending teacher’s college. I knew had something to share. I knew I could make a difference. Even when a health problem stopped me being a full time teacher, I looked for ways to be involved. It was my will to keep trying which brought me to blogging and helped introduce me to all of you. I didn’t give up.

Jayden, Ella and Cemre – Your words are wise. We all have goals in our life. Some might never be achieved but, if we aren’t willing to try, we can say we tried to achieve.

I would rather try to achieve a goal than look back on my life and think, “I wonder what might have happened if…”

Zubayda, Chelsea and Rayann – “The only failure is not making a mark.” This very statement is a mark you have made. You don’t need to be an adult to make a mark, you only need be willing to try whether it’s solving a math problem in class or freeing the world from hunger.

Lauren – Your comment is very interesting as it points towards personal bests. Imagine someone who, when old enough, dreams of being an Olympian. They compete with others as they grow, sometimes winning and sometimes not. What they do have in their hearts is the will to keep trying. Whether they earn a medal or not, if they achieve their personal best they know they have made their mark.

AJ and Tyler – A squiggle becomes a shape. A shape becomes a design. A design becomes a pattern. The pattern becomes a picture. The picture causes a smile. The smile is shared with others. The world becomes a happier place. It all started with a squiggle and a wish to do more.

Dimitrios, Rebecca & Joyce – When I look back over my life as a teacher, I know I have made a mark in the lives of hundreds of students. In turn, they have come to make their marks on the lives of others. What we do to make a mark isn’t just a mark in our lives, our marks can help others make theirs.

Ben & Tommy – Two boys sitting in a third grade room in Canada are given the chance to add a comment to the class blog.  They use their opportunity to encourage others to make a mark, to never give up, to seek original marks rather than copy others. In sharing their advice, they make their own mark.

Now your questions…

Have I read any books that inspire me to persevere and work through challenges?

These days I am more likely to read about inspirational people online because of the way I now share. I have Twitter followers who are singers who inspire me as they work to achieve their dream of being a performer. I have Twitter followers who have their own charities, despite being sick themselves, who inspire me because of their work for others. I have Twitter followers who are teachers who always inspire me through their wise words and the work of their students they share. This includes Global Grade 3 whose posts always inspire me.

Do I have a favourite quote that I think of when I am facing a challenge?

I always liked a saying from Confucius that goes something like this…

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step.”

It always makes me think to not consider how long or far we must travel. The most important thing in life is to make that first step. Step after step we make our journey through life.

When I am feeling frustrated and think I “can’t”, what do I do to move PAST these feelings to get back on the “horse” and TRY again?

We can all feel frustrated at times when we have tried and can’t. This can be a normal part of life. What makes us a stronger person is being willing to look for other ways. If I find I can’t, I look for other ways so I can. Here’s an example…

A teacher asked if I could record her working with two five year old children. She wanted to share with parents how children practise reading in class. She added a request. Is it possible to show the child’s face so parents could see the child sound words but also show the child following the words in the book?

Now there is a problem with this. Filming the face, the book in front of them is upside down to the camera. It took a moment’s thought for me to solve the problem. I used a second camera also at the front so it wouldn't show up on the DVD. I used my software to zoom in on the book, turn the recording upside down so the book was the correct way, then added the book to the bottom of the video watching the child’s face. Parents can see the faces but the bottom part of the screen shows the child following the words with the book the right way around.

It would have been easier to say it couldn't be done but I try never to think that way.

Here is my dot again. Will you share it with others?

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

Keep blogging.

@RossMannell

• 4 Comments

 

To view Global Grade 3's original post, click below...

Global Grade 3

To see the Blog Dipping site where classes can have their blog shared...

Blog Dipping

I noticed you have found your way into Blog Dipping. It’s a wonderful way of sharing with many more people around the world. 🙂

Hello Global Grade 3,

It’s hard to believe two weeks of your school year is almost over but I can see you have already learned the joys of sharing through the discussion of your treasures, passions, interests and hobbies with one another. Learning more about others, what we have in common and what may be different, helps us build friendships.

You started me wondering what I might have shared had I been in your class.

Treasures – Would I have chosen a model train I have and was given when ten? Perhaps it might be my rock collection gathered from different countries, or maybe my books or movie library.

I thought a little harder and decided what I treasure most are the memories I’ve accumulated throughout my life. From my earliest memory when I was two, I’ve stored my memories of lives now gone, of fun with friends, of experiences in school and university, of children who have been in my classes, and of people I have met along the way and through blogging.

My greatest treasure is remembering I have, in some way, been a part of so many lives and, hopefully, have added a little to their happiness.

Interests & hobbies - Now this one is very hard. I have many interests but that is probably a good thing because it has allowed me to interact with people on a range of subjects. I suppose if I had to narrow it down to only a few things now taking up much of my time, my interests would be…

Photography, filming, making DVDs and CDs for schools and community groups

Blogging and blog commenting

Hiking in national parks

Passions - Blogging and blog commenting have become passions of mine. Now I have retired from full time teaching, blogging has allowed me to again feel a part of classes. It’s allowed me to feel, in some small way, I can still contribute to the learning journey of students.

Looking at your top characteristics in your class WORDLE

I read each word on your class Wordle. They speak of people destined to do great things in their lives.

I could see some show strength of mind (curious, smart, questioning, scientific, mathematical, inquisitive), others strength of character (kind, respectful, persevering, honest, trustworthy, hard worker), more still of caring for others (good friend, friendly, caring), and some of creativity (writer, creative, artistic).

Curious was the most prominent word in the Wordle. It is a very important characteristic for a learner to have. It’s what drives me when I see something new and interesting. I need to find out more.

Did you know your post has taught me something? I see the tilde (~) is used to connect words without leaving a hyphen (-) when using Wordle. I haven’t used Wordle but the tip did make me curious. Would the tilde do the same in some other programs?

Finally, I listened to all of your Voicethread comments. Your sentences again have shown me great things await as you continue your learning journey this new school year. With blogging permissions now signed, I hope to visit at times to see what is happening in a Grade 3 now going global.

What is my sentence?

It is one I have shared with others before and is based on my entry into a writing challenge asking people to write their autobiography in only six  words. My entry was…

Seeking ways to make a difference.

My sentence is…

I will continue to seek ways to make a positive difference in the lives of people I meet whether in person or through the use of the internet.

@RossMannell

Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia

 Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

 

• 5 Comments

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

One World, One Classroom

 

The Global Classroom Project July chat on the Global Classroom .

Some notes.

 

When seeing the Twitter chat ( #globalclassroom ) planned for July I thought I would take the chance to join a session. For those of you aware of me through comments on your class/school blogs, it’s probably not surprising to see I prepared this post in my “Extended Comments for Students” blog.

For others, I am retired from full time teaching in N.S.W., Australia yet am still involved with schools as a member of my local school’s Parents & Citizens and as DVD producer for school performances in our area. As such, my contribution to the chat is more from the point of view of a person who comments on blogs rather than has children involved.

My blogging experience only started just over a year ago when I was curious on seeing a tweet with a reference to a school blog. I visited the blog and saw they were seeking comments. In order to leave a comment, I found I had to join a blog provider. I left a comment and found the process fascinating.

The problem was, the blog provider kept reminding me I could set up a blog of my own. Finally, I gave in and set up one to write educational thoughts although I found more interest in commenting and creating posts for classes than “thinking educationally” in any formal sense. A second followed so I could share the stories I enjoyed writing. A third was made when I found schools were seeking information on topics I enjoyed and had some knowledge. A fourth arrived as I wanted to be able to share experiences classes might find useful such as the replica of Captain Cook’s “Endeavour” when it visited a local bay for a few days.

Once you take the first step, you will see the advantages in the reaction of the children when they receive comments from around the world. Of course, you may need to promote their posts by gathering a following and perhaps requesting comments on Twitter and via other classes with which you might be willing to share.

Some activities you might find useful as a way of sharing…

Quadblogging

100 Word Challenge

Student Blogging Challenge

Now to the chat questions…

 

Blogging is a valuable tool because it allows students to:

  • reflect upon and share their discoveries with a global audience

  • explore and wonder about questions and big ideas

  • write authentically and publish to a global audience

  • create dialogue with a global audience

  • connect in a meaningful and personalized way with the curriculum

  • educate others and spread awareness

  • enhance their communication skills

  • further develop digital citizenship and online safety skills in an authentic context

  • explore multiple modes of expression

(from “The Global Classroom Project" )

What do you think?

How can a classroom blog deepen your global citizenship inquiry?

One of the greatest assets I’ve found in blogging is the ability children have to see similarities and differences in other classes around the world as they expand into the global classroom. They may share experiences or learning through posts and comments or perhaps even Skype sessions.

Starting with an Apple II in a classroom back in 1981, I've seen educational computing grow almost exponentially. It's a long way back to that country school where you had to have an operator connect you when phoning. The isolated school now has a satellite dish and internet access. Even 100km (60 miles) from a town, they can be part of the global classroom.

 

How will students write? Large group, small group, individually?

On visiting many blogs (I’ve lost count), I’ve seen each approach in use. Classes/schools share group experiences, small groups of children report on their findings in studies, and individuals share their more personal experiences (with preparation by the school so they are aware to keep very personal information to themselves). All options work. It depends on how you might like to approach blogging.

A suggestion might be to start with a class blog where you moderate what children post. As the children gain confidence, they might “earn” their own personal blogs, although the teacher would still need to moderate comments.

How do you keep up with all the comments left on your blog?

One safety factor is to make certain you can moderate comments coming into your class/student blogs. While I have seen most people visiting school blogs are benign, there are those out there who might need to be blocked.

As mentioned in the beginning, I am retired from full time teaching so I have more available time yet I don’t always have the time to comment on all I see. I tab a link to a blog on my browser and hope to return to it when I have time. If after a week I still haven’t had the chance to respond, I again might check to see what was posted. If the post was more general, I might delete the tab. My comments are prioritised. Blogs I visit regularly receive comments first as do those entries in the 100 Word Challenge  falling into my group as a member of Team 100WC.

How do you develop a “voice” as bloggers?

Many blogs I visit include stories from children or reports on lessons or outings. I try always to be supportive and positive in my comments because my aim is to encourage the children in their efforts. Many children have been excited to see someone from possibly the other side of the world has visited their blog and left comments.

Occasionally, I come across a blog that sparks my interest. The first of these came last year in the form of 6D from High Lawn School. They were looking for information on volcanoes, an interest of mine. I shared information and was able to send volcanic samples I had gathered from volcanoes in New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii.

More recently, Global Grade 3 from Canada has gained extra commenting attention. I saw a post where they were explaining their efforts to help set up a library in the Peru. As with 6D, you can see the comments I sent to them on this blog.

The key is creating posts of interest to readers. Adding questions at the end of a post encourages readers to interact. The blogger, in order to encourage future visits, needs to reply to comments so a reader knows they have been noticed. It can be pleasantly surprising when we see a dialogue develop and the interest in the eyes of a student.

How do you find the time to post regularly?

Even when retired, time can be a factor, especially when I have filming and producing DVDs for schools. Being a night owl, I can sometimes be up to around midnight or later then rise again around 6am. Mostly, posts are created in the morning or evening when the activities of the day subside. Commenting is both a hobby and passion of mine.

 

The remaining questions more relate to the experiences within the class so I will await to see what might come of them. ** The encounters on today's 3rd chat for July were fascinating. I don't always have the chance to find out what is happening behind the scene at blogs I visit.

I’ll sign off with what I commonly leave at the end of comments on school/class/student blog.

 

@RossMannell

Teacher, NSW, Australia

• 1 Comment

Genealogy

(Definition: an account of the descent of a person or family through ancestral line.)

How big is our family tree?

When we look into our family history, it can be easy to trace back to our parents, grandparents and great grandparents but, the further back we go, the more names appear and the records of births, marriages and deaths cloud with time.

How many relatives do we have?

Consider this… Each generation back in family history multiplies by two..

We have…

2 parents

4 grandparents

8 great grandparents

16 great great grandparents

32 great great great grandparents

64 great great great great grandparents

128 great great great great great grandparents

 

…and so on with only 20 generations exceeding one million BUT there’s more…

 

If our parents had brothers and/or sisters then we have uncles and aunties.

If our grandparents had brothers and/or sisters then we have great uncles and great aunties.

If our great grandparents had brothers and/or sisters then we have great great uncles and great great aunties.

 

…I think you get the idea BUT there’s more again…

 

If our uncles and aunties have children then we have cousins. When our cousins have children then we have 2nd cousins. When our 2nd cousins have children, we have 3rd cousins and so on.

Before long we are looking at thousands of relatives in one huge family. We may not know them all but they are out there.

Many people looking into their ancestors trace only one line. They might choose to look at their mother or fathers ancestors. 

 

Can we find all our ancestors?

The further back we go, the poorer records become. By the time we look at hundreds of years back, the only records might be kept for nobles (kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, barons…).

 This means there will be little or no record of huge numbers of our relatives, only our relatives from the nobility. Even then the records may not be reliable. I believe you all have nobility in your ancestors somewhere but far more relatives who weren’t.

 

What about my ancestry?

I’ll share one line of ancestry from many found by two of my uncles and a cousin over many years of research.

 

My father   …   born in 1919

My paternal grandfather   …  1886

Matilda Sims   …  1862

James Homblower Sims   …  1816

James Sirns   …  1781

Ann Truran   …  1756

Thomas Truran   …  1735

Samuel Truren   …  1711

Reginald Trewren   …  1685

Henry Trewren   …  1654

Gabriell Trewren   …  1613

Fraunces Trewren   …  1584

Thomas Trewren   …  1568

Elizabeth Chiverton   …  1543

Tomasine Godolphin   …  1532

John Godolphin   …  1441

Elizabeth Beauchamp   …  1415

Elizabeth Edith Stourton   …  1375

Catherine Beaumont Stretche   …  1354

Lord Henry Beaumont   …  1338

Eleanor Lancaster Countess Arundel Plantagenet   …  1316

Sir Henry Richard 3rd Earl of Lancaster Plantagenet   …  1281

Sir Edmund 'Crouchback' Earl of Lancaster Plantagenet   …  1245

King Henry III of England Plantagenet   …  1207

King John I'Lackland' of England Plantagenet   …  1166

King Henry 11 of England Plantagenet   …  1133

Matilda Maud Empress of Germany   …  1102

King Henry I of England Beaucterc   …  1068

King William I 'The Conqueror' of England Duke of Normandy   …  1024

Robert I "Magnificent" Duke of Normandy   …  1000

Richard 11 "The Good" Duke of Normandy   …  963

Richard I "Fearless" Duke of Normandy   …  935

Rollo "The Dane" Ropvaldsson First Duke of Normandy   …  854

Rollo Rolf 'The Viking' First Duke of Normandy   …  846

Rognvald Reginald 'The Wise Earl of More Eysteinsson   …  830

King Eystein 'The Noisy jail of the Uplands King of Norway Ivarsson   …  800

Ivar I Oplaendinge jarl of the Uplands Halfdansson   …  ?770

King Halfdan II 'The Old'' The Mild' Hvitbeirin Eysteinnson   …  ?768

King Eystein I Fred 'The Old' King of Vestfold Halfdansson   …  736

Asa Heidmork Throndheim Eysteinsdottir   …  715

King Harald 'Wartooth of Denmark Sweden & Norway Hildetand   …  675

Princess Aud 'The Deep Minded' Ivarsdatter   …  633

King Ivar Vidfamne of Norway Denmark & Saxony Halfansson   …  610

King Halfdan of Sweden Haraldsson   …  590

Hildur of the Vandals Heidreksdatter   …  572

Amfleda'TheYoungei Angantyrsson   …  556

King Thrasamund of the Vandals in Africa   …?470

Gehnir (General of the Spanish Goths) of the Vandals   …?440

Licinia Eudoxia Princess of the Eastern Roman Empire   …  422

EMPEROR THEODOSIUS II, Augustus 'The Calligrapher” of Eastern Roman Empire   …  401

EMPEROR FLAVIUS THEODOSIUS Arcadius Eastern Roman Empire   …  377

Aeha Flavia'Flacilla’ Augusta   …  350

EMPEROR Flavius Valentinianus I   …  321

Constantia Verch Constantine   …  299

EMPEROR Constantine'The Great Flavius Valerius Aurelius   …  272

EMPEROR Constantius I Chlorus   …  242

Claudia Crispina di Roma   …  203

EMPEROR COMMODUS Lucius Aurelius Antoninus Crispus of Rome   …  161 AD

EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS Antoninus Annius   …  121 AD

Marcus Annius Verus   …  97 AD

Domitia Lucilla

Tullus Domitius Calvisius

Lucius Salvinus Titianus   …  50AD

Julia Calva Torquata   …  25AD

Aemilia Lepida Caesia   …  2AD

Julia The Younger Agrippina  …  30BC

Julia The Elder Caesonia

EMPEROR AUGUSTUS * * Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus   …  63 BC

 

** EMPEROR AUGUSTUS Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus was adopted by Julius Caesar after his death and was the closest my cousin could get to Julius Caesar, as his few recognised children didn’t produce heirs that lived.

 

From my father born in 1919 to the end of the list is, if I’ve counted correctly, 68 generations. I think this would mean the one at the bottom of the list would be my great x 66 grandfather. This would mean, again if I have the maths correct, for great x 66 grandfathers and great x 66 grandmothers, I would approximately have this many of them…

300,000,000,000,000,000,000

That doesn’t seem possible does it? It isn't. The numbers tell us many of all those people must be the same people. Distant relatives have children with other distant relatives. This would mean the actual number of greatx66 grandparents is much less. I think it must mean all humans are related somewhere back in time. We are one very large family.

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

We don't just have a 'family tree', we have a 'family forest'.

Hello all you cousins many times removed out there.

A link to Global Grade 3's original post...

http://globalgrade3.cbegloballearning.ca/blog/2012/06/14/excitement-and-sadness-our-last-skype-with-ashli/

Hello Global Grade 3,

 I’m sorry it has taken me a week to respond to your “Excitement AND sadness … our LAST Skype with Ashli” post. I have been very busy on a DVD project for a multi-school music camp. I won’t clutter up this comment with an explanation but below is a link explaining what the DVD project was if you are interested.

https://rossmannellcomments.edublogs.org/2012/06/22/the-unexpected-dvd-project-a-sub-comment-for-global-grade-3/

Now to your post…

Sadness at your last Skype as Grade Three Bloggers.

I’ll share a quote with you…

“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”

James Matthew Barrie (The creator of “Peter Pan”), Rectorial address, May 3, 1922, St. Andrew’s University, Scotland

James Barrie was reminding us it’s our memories we carry with us into the future. While experiences may pass, the memories can linger on beyond simply a new school year.

In the future, you may be parents with children of your own. They might say something about an experience like yours at school. Memories will come back to mind and, for a time, you’ll be back Skyping with Ashli.

It’s memories made when important things to us happen we remember most easily. I know this is so as I have a clear memory of something that happened to me when I was only three years old, now over 50 years ago.

Okay, I know you’re curious to read if it was a good memory so I’ll share. In my case, it was the day I learned little boys shouldn’t touch mummy’s peeling knife. I still have a small scar on my left thumb. 🙂 I was and still am curious about many things I encounter. We should never stop learning.

The Glitch

You might have heard the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.”

Providing the opportunity to experience the library, children would be excited and keen to take part. It’s that curiosity that sets us all on a path of learning. For adults more concerned about everyday existence, the library wouldn’t be high in their thoughts but the change has been made.

Remember the Butterfly Effect? The wings have been flapped. Maybe an adult will come along with a child wanting to visit. Perhaps they will share a book. Interested in their child’s curiosity, they may want to know more and possibly learn how to use the library. This would mean the community would need future visits to help.

A small salary would help attract people to the library operation. They might see the financial benefit at first but come to love the interaction with visiting children. In time, the money would not be as important. We can only hope.

Finishing the School Year

“Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

 James Matthew Barrie quotes (Scottish Dramatist and Novelist best known as the creator of Peter Pan, 1860-1937)

The way you all have been able to help others this school year has brought sunshine into the lives of others and therefore sunshine into your own lives. Your buckets have been filling and soon it will be time to move on.

 I hope you all keep bringing sunshine and filling buckets in the new school year.

@RossMannell

Teacher, NSW, Australia

• 1 Comment

To see Global Grade 3's original post...

http://globalgrade3.cbegloballearning.ca/blog/2012/06/07/filling-the-earths-bucket/

Hola Global Grade 3,

 I have a quote, quite an old one, to show you thoughts of the environment are not just a modern idea…

“That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.”

Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180)

Roman emperor, philosopher

Meditations, bk. 6, sct. 54.

 Over 1800 years ago a Roman emperor recognized if what we do isn’t good for the environment, it can’t possibly be good for us. It makes me wonder why many still don’t understand the message. Yet, from your final thoughts, I can see you understand…

 “we wish people would work TOGETHER to help take care of the environment!”

Here is a picture I found on the web. It is a NASA photo taken by the Apollo 17 crew. When out in space, you can see the entire world as a planet in space. It's the only world we have. If we don't take care of it and care about the people in it, we can't just pack up and go somewhere else. We need to keep our home clean.

 Like many things in life, we need to make choices and try to lead by example. Mayor Nenshi was setting the example by formulating his challenge and then being seen to take part. You have all set an example for your community I know you will carry throughout your lives.

 For me, picking up papers and other rubbish around the school was a positive thing to do although I had seen teachers punish children by making them clean up. Children knew I carried jellybeans in my first aid kit for any diabetic children. They knew if they had picked up papers around the school they would be given some for their efforts.

 Looking at the two options and what might result…

  1. Picking up rubbish as a punishment – People grow thinking such an activity is a negative experience and something not to do. Littering can then be a protest of what has been or a sign of indifference.

  2. Picking up papers by choice – People grow thinking of such activities as positive experiences. They see keeping the environment clean as a good thing.

Your experience has been positive and you have discovered how effective keeping the environment clean can be. You have discovered the benefits of being change makers and how we can all help others even if only in small ways.

According to an old saying, “From little seeds, great trees can grow.”

This school year you have all planted many seeds and they have already started to grow strong and tall. The butterfly wings have flapped and we wait to see the positive changes the future may bring.

From my research, I can see your school year has only two weeks remaining at the time of this post. I would like to thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences with me. Your posts always seemed to send my mind off in different directions and led to a number of extended comments. 🙂

@RossMannell

Teacher, NSW, Australia

 

• 4 Comments

Hola Grade 3,

The end of a school year was always a mixture of sad and happy for me. It meant I was passing on the students in my class to the next teacher but it also meant I would have a new group with which to explore learning. Soon your time will be here to face change but I know you have learned so much this school year and are well prepared for the future.

I want to share something I found on the web. It looks at parent/child relationships but can also be applied to teaching. The words come from a song called, "Roots and Wings" sung by a group called Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. I found quite a lot of meaning in these words.

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"Roots and Wings" the Lyrics

Give us children roots and wings
Never fear the change it brings
There is no reason to be sad
Be thankful for the time you’ve had

When I was a younger guy
One autumn night I told a lie
My dad just shook his head and sighed
Said ‘one day you’ll know what it’s like’

To give your children roots and wings, oh, oh
And not to fear the change it brings, oh, oh
To tell the truth and be a man
To always do the best you can

Mother, she done set me free
From all the locks that once held me
She whispered in my infant ears
That I was wise beyond my years
So even on my darkest nights
I’ve felt the ground and I’ve seen the heights
And one day may you do the same
Oh, child of mine that bears my name

I give to you my roots and wings, oh, oh
With these you can do anything, oh, oh
And you will never be alone
Carry or be carried home

Oh, oh
You’ll be carried home (x2)
You will always be here with me

The way you feel your roots and wings, oh
And never fear the change it brings, oh
So give those children roots and wings, oh, oh
And never fear the change it brings, oh, oh
There is no reason to be sad
Be thankful for the time you had
And give those children roots and wings, oh
Oh, and I give you mine
Roots and wings (x8)

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I found the performed song on You Tube...

After seeing the words, I searched for Roots and Wings Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers on iTunes, I purchased it and added it to my music collection.

As you think of the end of the school year, I know you have the roots as a change makers. Never fear the change life brings as you move on to Grade 4. I can only advise one thing...

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

@RossMannell

Teacher, NSW, Australia