Mom 2 Mom by American Mothers

2012

Strong Moms Strengthen Families

Featuring… • National Teacher of the Year • Interview with Alison Sweeney • Reach Out And Read Published by American Mothers Inc.®

| about ami

e h t n i e r ’ u Yo ! t a e S s ’ r Drive AMI is dedicated to listening to its members and changing with the times. We want to hear how we can help you strengthen your family and build and maintain the best quality of life possible!

Reach, Teach and Honor A Foundation of Dedication to the American Family American Mothers, Inc.® (AMI) has a strong foundation and a long history of communicating with and educating its members to be better mothers.

and “Mother’s Against Abuse”, which focuses on safeguarding children from abuse, as well as several writing and art competitions.

AMI’s outreach and service projects include “ABC Quilts”, which helps at-risk-babies; “Books for Babies”

The organization is always looking for ways to educate and support our members with information on up-to-date topics focusing on parenting and the challenges of motherhood.

We welcome your thoughts and ideas to help make YOUR organization a better one.

An important role of AMI is to honor and provide recognition to those women who exemplify the strength of character and immense compassion on which our organization is built. Each year, the Mother of the Year® and Young Mother of the Year® awards are given to two women who embody this spirit.

Member Submissions • Ideas for Articles • Member Quotes • Inspirational Stories • Photos Comments Criticism

Table of

contents

Cover Story

Feature Story

An Interview with Alison Sweeney…

National Teacher of the Year: Michelle M. Shearer…

Parenting

Feature Story

Parenting: A Work of Art, Caring Through Sharing, Lasting Legacies, Table Talk and more…

Reach Out And Read: Reach Out and Read was developed by pediatricians and early childhood educators…

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Membership Application

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cover story |

Interview with

Alison Sweeney We all juggle different responsibilities in our lives whether it be work, volunteer commitments, friends, coaching, family or faith to name a few! Alison Sweeney, host for NBC’s hit reality series “The Biggest Loser” and award-winning actress on daytime drama “Days of Our Lives” talked to AMI about her own joys and struggles being “mom.”

AMI:How do you strike a balance between family and work commitments? AS: There’s no easy answer to that…basically every day is different, and I try to make time for as much as I can in a day, but I also try not to beat myself up about it, and just maybe make different choices the next day. I have confidence that it all evens out at the end of the week or month, because I make every effort to make sure it does.

AMI:What are some of your favorite things to do with your children, Ben age 7 and Megan age 3? AS: The simple things! My favorite family time is when there’s no extraneous pressure, and we’re all together. Going for a family hike, cheering for Ben at his baseball game…playing in the swimming pool as we are right now…I love that.

AMI:What is one of the funniest things your kids have done? AS: I have a great picture of Ben with his mask and snorkel on during lunch because he was SO excited to go snorkeling he had to have it ready while I made him eat his sandwich. His enthusiasm and joy for life and each adventure always puts such a huge smile on my face.

AMI: What have you learned on your own as a parent that you will be sure to pass along to your children? AS: The biggest lesson Dave and I have learned as parents is to just go with your gut. You get tons of well-intentioned advice along the way,

some you take and some you dismiss, but at the end, you have to just go with you instincts as a parent, and be confident with those choices.

AMI:How does it feel to be a female/ mother role model? AS: I didn’t realize how important my role as a role model to my kids would be to me until I actually became a parent. When your kids start to mimic you is when it really sets in that you are the primary example they are getting on how to live and behave, and the import of that starts to really weigh on you. I love that I have the chance to be a positive influence on them—encouraging them, supporting them, setting them up to succeed, and demonstrating for them, as my mother did for me, someone who is passionate about what they do, and enjoys the journey of life. I am so proud and also in awe of the responsibility before me, with a 7 and 3 year old, I know I have a long way to go and in the future there will be other more powerful influences I have to compete against, but I am aware every day that I have the chance to give them the best building blocks possible.

AMI:As a ‘Mother of Achievement’ award winner from American Mothers, Inc., do you have any advice you’d like to share with other mothers? AS: I have advice that has worked for me thanks to the wisdom of other incredible mothers, and I think we are part of an amazing sorority of women who support and encourage each other and help each other through the

Published by American Mothers, Inc.

(continued pg. 10) 3

| parenting

Parenting: A Work of Art So, you have got the teenage girl who gets good grades, is responsible and has been coming to you all her life, to talk about her life. One day the conversation starts like this, “Mom, there is a boy that I like.”

Have an Art Adventure! Instead of hitting the park with your children on a nice afternoon, why not take them to watch art in the making? Plein air painting is a unique and beautiful art form. En plein air means “in open air” and is often the term used to describe painting outdoors. There are several opportunities to witness artists painting, en plein air, all around the nation. Attending one of these events with your children, is not only a fun outside activity, but it also opens the door for a new interest as well as a great learning experience.

You fight back the urge to break out her American Girl dolls, fix some cocoa, and watch a Disney flick. All at once your little girl is gone. In her place a young woman is making her grand appearance. “Why do you like him?” you ask. You wait patiently and listen to all she has to tell. “Well, he’s not a great student.” You might be thinking “red flag” but you use your effective listening skills. “I’m probably a little smarter. Maybe some of my interest in school will rub off on him?” You think to yourself, ‘Thank goodness I took the time to learn fifth grade math.’ Nothing says you value education more than helping your children with their

To find a plein air event near you, visit any of the following websites: • www.p-a-p-a.com • www.mapapa.org • www.pleinairartists.ning.com/ events Above: An artist paints in Downtown Frederick, Maryland during the annual Easels in Frederick event, held June 20-24, 2012. Photo credit: Harriet Wise Photography

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homework. In fact as the conversation continues you realize so many things that you employed as a parent up until this point have paid off. “He has good friends mom. I like them too. And his mom is always volunteering at the school. He’s really cute and fit. He likes to run like me. He thinks it’s cool I am a vegetarian even though his favorite food is hamburgers…” You hear in her voice how excited she is, but you also hear the values you have instilled in her on her list of likes. It takes years to build a healthy human. Years of modeling good behavior, years of reinforcing healthy values like respect, tolerance, understanding, giving, listening, self-esteem, etc. So many moments spent teaching life lessons on the go. Like sculptors, we chip away the rough bits in the hopes that one day we can step back and appreciate what we have shaped into being. As parents, the fruits of our labors are not always immediately apparent, yet we are forever grateful for the process and hopeful for the future.

parenting |

Caring Through Sharing Lasting Legacies: Using Scrapbooking To Bridge The Gaps tos from my grandmother, organize my daughter’s scrapbooking supplies and share something meaningful with my children all at the same time, I grabbed it. My grandmother was so many things all at once so I was sure to pick pictures and pieces that represented all the parts of her person. Sorting through the past and presenting it to my children helped bridge the gap, a true gift of connection and caring.

A few items that made it onto my page and why: • My mother’s first communion photo: A devoutly religious person all her life

I am the kind of mom who loves killing two birds with one stone. Does a mom in today’s world have any other options than to multi-task her way through a day? So, when the opportunity presented itself to make use of a box full of memen-

• Her sorority pin: The first to go to college in our family • My parents’ wedding photo: A lovely wife • My favorite picture of me and my little brother perched on her lap: The devoted mother

Table Talk: Using Story Telling to Reach, Teach, and Honor We are sitting around the dining room table, three sisters having a lite meal with their mother. Out comes the salad bowl because these days I am the health conscious mom. My oldest daughter asks me if my mother was a good cook. I laugh out loud. My mother was one of four children born to Italian immigrants. She had three dishes: pasta, pasta, and more pasta. Before I know it, I am telling them story after story about my mother. The food stories came first. How she spent a week in silence with an ERA button proudly pinned to her blouse until my father changed his perspective that it was her responsibility to cook all the family meals. And much to our chagrin, she was also one of the first nutrition

conscious persons I encountered. While other kids lunches were stacked with Tastykakes, PBJs and the like, our brown bags would yield bean sprout sandwiches on seven-grain bread and carrot sticks - hardly valuable currency in the lunch swap market.

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A good hour or so had passed, our bellies sore from laughter. “Tell us more mom,” they clamored. I had one of those moments of clarity, a slice of parental bliss where I had the complete attention of my children. I was giving them small life lessons while celebrating the many gifts my mother passed on to me. Sharing the tales of my mom presented a genuine opportunity to reach, teach and honor.

Published by American Mothers, Inc.

| feature

National Teacher of the Year:

Michelle M. Shearer Our nation’s teachers take on difficult roles as educators, mentors, counselors and advocates for their students. The National Teacher of the Year program recognizes those elite members of the profession who are exceptionally dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled at their work, who inspire students to learn, are respected by their peers and are active in the community. Michelle M. Shearer, a chemistry teacher from Urbana, Maryland was awarded that top honor for 2011 and has spent the last year as an ambassador for education. American Mothers Inc. interviewed Shearer. Here are her thoughts on subjects from her title to the future of education in the country.

AMI: What have you enjoyed most about your time as NTOTY? MS: When I was named Frederick County Teacher of the Year, I remember looking forward to meeting teachers from every county in Maryland. Serving as National Teacher of the Year has enabled me to meet teachers from every state and many countries, including China and Japan. I have most enjoyed sharing ideas and best practices with these dedicated, passionate, and innovative teachers who devote their time, talents, and energy to students in the classroom. There are extraordinary teachers everywhere who quietly go about the business of educating children every day, never seeking or expecting recognition for simply doing what they love to do. As a representative for all teachers, I’ve taken great pride in validating their efforts and affirming our collective work on behalf of students.

AMI: What message did you hope to get across during your time representing teachers? What was your platform? MS: Public education is a shared responsibility that depends on the commitment of teachers in partnership with students, parents, community members, business leaders, and elected officials. The importance of teachers’ work cannot be overestimated. As I stated in my remarks in the White House Rose Garden on May 3, 2011, “There are millions of teachers in America, and we could all be pursuing different careers. We choose to use our gifts and talents to benefit students in the classroom.” Teachers dedicate their professional lives to empower students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities with the content knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the 21st century, including critical thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration, and communication. Teaching is rewarding, but it’s a tremendous challenge to meet

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the individual needs of diverse learners in our classrooms. Yet we know that the “human factor” makes all the difference: Parents have great power to positively impact a child’s academic success, community members can provide a supportive network to ensure student growth in many areas, and teachers inspire students to learn in profound ways that the most advanced computer or cutting-edge technology cannot. Education is an awesome responsibility because children of all ages are complex human beings with dreams, goals, talents, flaws, and needs. We all own a share of this responsibility. Ultimately, the success of American public education hinges on our investment of time, energy, and resources in our children, collective efforts to educate all students, and commitment to making education a top priority in our society.

feature | AMI: Science and technology is your specialty....what strides has our educational system made in this field and what more would you like to see?

AMI: How has this affected your future? What are your plans when you complete your year as national teacher of the year?

MS: We’ve made strides in closing the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), as more and more of our young women choose to pursue scientific careers. We need to invest more time and resources in STEM education during the early childhood and elementary years, so that all children, regardless of gender, ethnic background, or special needs, have the opportunity to experience scientific content and to develop the skills and habits of mind that STEM education provides. Yet STEM education cannot come at the expense of the arts and other content areas. As the parent of a first grader, I want my daughter to have access to a rich curriculum that allows her to explore her potential in every content area. Our students deserve a balanced curriculum and access to current technology so that they can develop the wide range of skills they need to succeed in school, the workplace, and in life.

MS: My final event is a speaking engagement at an international teachers’ conference in Singapore, then my term officially ends on June 1, 2012. After a year of travel, I look forward to focusing on my family and spending quality time with my husband George, who teaches physics, and my daughter Carly, who is six years old and completing the first grade. I will continue to speak at educational conferences during the months of June and July before the school year begins in August.

AMI: What have you learned while serving in this role about the nation’s education system and about yourself? MS: At the national level, there is consensus on three main issues: (1) Education is central to the success of our nation and our ability to compete in a global society; (2) All children deserve access to the highest quality public education, and (3) We need the absolute best teachers in the classroom with our students. As for me, I’ve reminded myself frequently that the key word in “National Teacher of the Year” is TEACHER. Opportunities to teach, learn, advocate, and collaborate present themselves in every situation, e.g. on an airplane, at a conference, around a table sharing a meal. The classroom is everywhere.

AMI: As you traveled around the country what is your take on teachers’ job satisfaction? What are some of the things they believe they lack when it comes to being able to do their job? MS: Teachers strive to remain positive for the benefit of students despite difficult economic times and declining respect for our profession. Low morale reduces our collective effectiveness and is an issue that warrants significant attention. It’s understandable for teachers to be disheartened and discouraged by the barrage of negative news reports on education and inadequate and unstable

funding for essential programs. Yet teachers are expected to set aside the “bad news” and come to school each day energized to inspire young minds and wear many different hats while juggling the ever-increasing demands of the job. In order to fulfill our commitment to students, we need a commitment to resources and funding, to manageable workloads and class sizes, and to safe and nurturing neighborhood public schools for all students.

AMI: What changes would you like to see in our American education system? MS: As we continue to discuss our vision for American education, we need to focus more attention on action and implementation. Everyone is talking about education, and that’s a good thing. All of us invested in public education have the right and responsibility to actively participate in constructive dialogue and propose solutions for the benefit of all students. But we need to channel our energy into putting “vision into action.” There are effective programs that are working in our public schools; there are extraordinary teachers in every state who “make it happen” every day in their classrooms. In order to address the persistent inequities that continue to plague our education system, we need a mechanism to better disseminate “what works” so that we know what to celebrate and emulate.

In order to fulfill our commitment to students, we need a commitment to resources and funding, to manageable workloads and class sizes, and to safe and nurturing neighborhood public schools for all students.

Published by American Mothers, Inc.

| feature

Reach

Out

And Read By Kathy Vining DeLone

About the Author… Kathy DeLone is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Coalition of Reach Out and Read. She is the current President of the Arkansas Association of American Mothers and the 1997 National Young Mother of the Year.

Reach Out and Read was developed by pediatricians and early childhood educators to make literacy promotion a part of regular pediatric checkups so that children enter school prepared to excel. Exposure to books and reading in the first years of life increases the probability of both healthy child development and school success. Reach Out and Read is the model of a successful public-private partnership and has changed the way that tens of thousands of primary care physicians practice medicine. By encouraging parents to read aloud, Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses expand their practice and responsibilities to make a positive difference in children’s developmental skills and consequently in the nation’s economic health. Thirty-four percent of American children entering kindergarten today lack the basic language skills they will need to learn to read. And children living in poverty are especially at risk.

Children who start out with reading difficulties are more likely to remain poor readers and ultimately fail in school. Without intervention, they will grow into adults with low literacy skills and poor economic potential. Since 20 percent of U.S. workers are functionally illiterate, this problem is not only a tragedy for each individual; it also has a significant effect on the ability of the United States to compete in the global economy. Early language skills, the foundation for reading ability, are based primarily on language exposure – resulting from parents and other adults talking to young children. Research shows that the more words parents use when speaking to an eight-month-old infant, the greater the size of their child’s vocabulary at age three. Recent studies, including the landmark Hart-Risley study on language development, show that children from low-income families hear as many as 30 million fewer words than their more affluent peers before the age of four. The problem is compounded further by the fact that 61 percent of low-income children have no children’s books in their homes. School reform, including universal pre-kindergarten, is vital, but far too much time is lost before children enter the classroom. Intervening early to improve the home learning environment for disadvantaged children will ensure that they are ready to learn when they enter school and succeed later in life. In fact, Nobel Prizewinning economist James J. Heckman found that economic returns on dollars invested in early education are as high as 15-17 percent per year – higher than other traditional economic development strategies.

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feature | The clear solution is for all adults to speak to young children as an everyday nurturing activity. Research shows that words heard on television and radio programs do not have the same impact as live, spoken conversation. The reason is simple: children want to learn language in order to communicate with the people who mean the most to them: their parents. Of all parent-child activities, reading aloud provides the richest exposure to language. Unfortunately, fewer than half of young American children are read to daily. Reading aloud is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills; it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory. Giving parents the information and the tools – beautiful, age appropriate children’s books – to make reading aloud a daily activity enables parents to better prepare their children to succeed in school. For two decades, through the Reach Out and Read program, doctors and nurses have gone beyond traditional medical care and provided parents with information on how to read to children at each developmental stage. Along with this advice, doctors give each young patient an age- and culturally-appropriate

book to take home, to encourage parents to make reading aloud a routine activity. Research findings from 14 published, peer-reviewed studies clearly demonstrate that Reach Out and Read works. Compared to families who have not participated in the program, parents who have received the Reach Out and Read intervention are significantly more likely to read to their children and have more children’s books in the home. And, children served by the Reach Out and Read program score significantly higher on vocabulary tests. This increase represents a six-month developmental gain for children in the preschool years. No other early literacy intervention has this kind of evidence base or impact. Since all Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses volunteer the time they spend on early literacy, the primary cost of Reach Out and Read is the actual children’s books. That enables Reach Out and Read to offer its full five-year program for a total cost of just $50 per child. Every child in the program enters kindergarten (continued pg. 10)

Reach Out and Read: The Evidence Research shows that when pediatricians promote early literacy according to the Reach Out and Read model, there is a significant effect on parental behavior, beliefs, and attitudes towards reading aloud, as well as improvements in the language scores of at-risk young children who participate. These effects have been found in ethnically diverse low-income families, in all areas of the country, regardless of parental literacy. The body of published research supporting the efficacy of the Reach Out and Read model is more extensive than for any other psychosocial intervention in general pediatrics. The model was reviewed and written about in dozens of peerreviewed medical journals.

A study published in Ambulatory Pediatrics in 2005 stated that “in a multi-center study, families exposed to Reach Out and Read were more likely to report reading aloud at bedtime, to read aloud three or more days per week, mention reading aloud as a favorite parenting activity and own 10 or more children’s books.” A 2003 study published in Clinical Pediatrics found that “among children age 33 to 39 months attending a well-child clinic in Louisville, KY, expressive and receptive language scores were significantly associated with both the number of Reach Out and Read-enhanced well-child visits they had attended, and with the number of books purchased for them by their parents. This finding supports

Published by American Mothers, Inc.

a “dose effect” for the Reach Out and Read intervention: the more Reach Out and Read, the higher the score. And a 2002 study published in the Journal of the National Medical Association revealed that, “Children participating in Reach Out and Read had higher receptive vocabulary scores (mean: 81.5 vs. 74.3). They also had higher scores on the Home Literacy Orientation (measured reading to child and number of books in the home) than children not participating in Reach Out and Read.” For more information contact the Reach Out and Read National Center at www.reachoutandread.org.

| feature

Interview with

Alison Sweeney (continued)

Reach

Out

And Read (continued)

difficulties we all face as mothers. The mantra I feel is so important to mothers right now, in today’s high-speed world, is the importance of taking the time to take care of ourselves. I feel it’s crucial for us as women and mothers to demonstrate for our daughters the importance of looking after our own health and wellness. No one can do it for us. We need to put ourselves on the priority list—so that we are healthy and happily able to take care of the people we love.

AMI: Describe the relationship you have with your own mother. AS: I have an amazing relationship with my mom and my mother-in-law. My mom was a working mom, and what I remember most about my childhood was that she truly loved what she did. She made me believe, and even expect from myself, the ambition to pursue a career I would be passionate about and thrilled by every day. I think back on all the sports and after-school activities she took me too—no matter how tired she was from a concert she’d played the previous evening. And all she asked of me was that I try my best—that I pick things I could really enjoy doing, and that I commit myself to being the best I could be at them. My parents believed in me every step of the way, and even with all my young ambition as an actress, and how stressful that must have been for them, they never hesitated in supporting me and encouraging me to pursue my dreams. I am so grateful to my mom for every lesson, and I’m so lucky that now we can share a glass of wine together and laugh about my childhood trials and tribulations and how my daughter is a mini-me, and how much fun (and difficult) my future with her will be.

with a home library of at least 10 books, as well as parents who understand the great importance of reading aloud.

Why is Reach Out and Read so effective and inexpensive? • A trusted messenger: Parents trust and value the advice they receive from their child’s physician. Reach Out and Read capitalizes on the fact that 96 percent of children under 6 are seen by their pediatrician at least once annually. • Broad scope and reach: Participating medical providers offer the Reach Out and Read program to all children 6 months through 5 years of age at each regular checkup. • Hope for educational success: Reach Out and Read explicitly ties reading aloud to future success in school; this strategy matches the aspiration that parents have for their children. • Positive reinforcement: By age 1, if there are books at home, children will “demand” to hear them read aloud. The positive, loving attention children receive during story time motivates them to initiate the interaction again and again. • Stretching every dollar: Deep discounts from publishers, as well as an innovative bulk-purchasing program, enable Reach Out and Read to buy more than twice as many books as it could at standard retail pricing. Reach Out and Read’s $30 million annual budget is supported by the public sector – including the federal government and nine states, by corporations and foundations,and by individual donors. This public-private partnership was created and continues to be fueled by the strong evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of the Reach Out and Read model and the mounting awareness of the need. The partnership has enabled Reach Out and Read to expand from its original flagship site in Boston to more than 4,600 healthcare locations nationwide, serving more than one third of the children living in poverty in our country. With increased support, Reach Out and Read hopes to one day serve all American children. The goal of Reach Out and Read is to ensure that doctors and nurses give literacyrelated advice and children’s books as routinely as immunizations at pediatric checkups; both are exceptionally important. Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Reach Out and Read has changed the way pediatrics is practiced in the United States by giving doctors an evidence-based strategy to promote child development and school readiness. Children served by Reach Out and Read will develop the language and literacy skills necessary to read, complete school, and succeed in life. The success of each child—and the collective success of at-risk children all over the country—will mean increased productivity and economic security for our nation.

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